I am sure people here will respond that it's not the range that is buzzing, it is due to your cookware. I do not find that to be the case. I have had an induction cooktop in the past, and used All-Clad and Demeyere cookware on it, and it buzzed. The causes for buzzing could in some cases be the cookware, it could also be the wiring, it could be the appliance, or it could be the sensitivity of the user as you mentioned. I am like you, in that I am very sensitive to sound. Therefore induction is not for me, even though I recognize that it is easier to clean than a gas cooktop. Sometimes these choices are up to the individual's needs and personal makeup, despite the people on this forum who insist that induction is the only way to go.

We have a miele. the side burners are on same power so it will pulse between the two if both burners are in use. that can create some buzzing. otherwise its usually pretty quiet. occasionally there is a buzz that i imagine is cookware dependent or maybe if something is under it so it can rattle a bit? not sure but doesnt happen that often so haven’t figured it out. also if lid doesn’t quite fit. if you have a good show room i’d bring in a couple of pans and try it out. we love our miele!

Well, to be clear, "Induction makes zero sound when turned on, with no cookware" because induction burners aren't doing anything without suitable cookware within the induction field.

As to the OP's question about how to tell if the sister's Bosch range was an induction model or a radiant electric smoothtop --- best to find the model number and look it up online. Otherwise, you can tell by the style of Bosch range. If the sister has a slide-in style of stove, the radiant electric models have knob controls for the burners while the induction models (800 and Benchmark series) only have touchpad controls on top along the front edge of the glass cooking surface. If the sister has one of the new Bosch "Industrial" styled stoves, there are (AFAIK) no radiant smoothtop models in the new line, only induction and gas burner models.

As to noise, there have been dozens of threads here on the noise question over the last two decades. To briefly sum it all up:

1) the electronics in inexpensive induction cookers (particularly portable countertop models) can produce all manner of annoying electronic sounds including squealing like radios being tuned in movies in from the 1940s; better quality induction appliances models do not do this.

2) Some people just have unusual sensitivity to noises from electronic devices --- sometimes called a "dog whistle" phenomena. (Since you have showrooms available, I'll repeat the others' recommendations to take advantage of the opportunity to check out other induction cookware and stoves to see if you get the same reaction you got at your sister's.)

3) Some buzzing or other noises may be the result of pans vibrating in induction burners' rapidly fluctuating magnetic fields when used at the burners' higher power settings, Particularly noticeable with empty or near empty thinner pans.

4) With multi-layered ("clad") pans, noise may be noticeable when there is imperfect bonding between any of the layers. Some lines of cookware may be more prone to imperfections than others, but postings over the year indicate that no brand or line of clad cookware is completely immune to this.

Regarding the question about the latest models/production runs of Blue Star gas ranges, I'd suggest starting a new thread on your question (if you can't find it answered in one of the many existing Blue Star threads) as the question is likely to get lost in this thread on induction noises.

I would supplement jw's comments to note that while the frequency of the induction cooktop coil fields are circa 40,000 Hz, above any human's hearing, at reduced power settings the coil current is modulated (on/off) at relatively low frequencies. It is possible that these frequencies or harmonics of these frequencies can not only interact with pan base layers, but potentially also with magnetic components in the cooktop that are involved in the current generation or resulting field generation. I don't hear any buzzing with my pans on my Frigidaire (Electrolux) cooktop, but that doesn't preclude other combinations of persons and pans and cooktops from having this problem.

P.S. I should note that I always use silicone pads under my pans, so pan base vibration against the cooktop Ceran surface is excluded from being a cause of buzzing in my environment.

Wolf cooktop, cast iron skillets & Dutch ovens, Tramontina tri ply stock pots, Kirkland multi layered disc bottom pots.

1. The cast iron is silent.

2. The Tramontinas make a faint tssssk sound that either goes away, or I stop listening for it, or I can't hear over the sizzling/bubbling/overhead vent noise. Not sure which.

3. The Kirklands make a slightly louder but still quiet tssssk sound that either goes away, etc., etc.

Take an induction capable pan in to an appliance store with induction ranges and cooktops available to test. You need to see what happens yourself. Have your sister turn a on high. If it turns red-orange for a minute, it's radiant not induction.

One more tiny point from the energy viewpoint - we are, or should be, moving away from gas power, ... not preaching just gentle reminding. I do have an induction range . switched from gas @2 years ago when my gas oven acting up.I love the better burner heat control over gas & the light years easier cooktop cleanability. I do sometimes hear a low noise with my smaller pans that stops as pan heats. My pans aren’t above average & my range is mid-level. My sister also hears the induction singing & many other noises most don’t. We say she has the hearing of a bat & her range causes her some issues too but she uses my cooktop without complaint.

I have a Bosch and don't recall ever hearing a buzzing noise. My husband is sensitive to noise, so I asked him if he hears a buzzing noise. He says when we use the power boil there is an electronic buzz. Now that he mentioned it, I have to agree, but its never bothered either of us. Remember, the power boil is only on for a short time, you'll turn the power down to a lower setting as soon as the water boils.

I have an LG LSE4617ST induction range which I use with IKEA pots and pans. The only sound is a fan.

Wolf. No sound if using heavier cookware. I cannot find the text where a person was trying to remind people to give up gas ranges... Electricity is made with gas, oil or coal. So switching to electric does not do much in regard to stopping pollution. If solar or windmill, then yes.

Switching to electric does a lot to minimize pollution in your home. Recent studies on how gas appliances affect indoor air suggest significant benefits to switching to all electric in your home.

I had an electric stove in my last house -- did not like it. So no.

Standard electric radiant is not at all the same as induction.

Just wanted to add that I tested my All Clad pans and carbon steel pans on my induction stove last night. The carbon steel are almost silent but there is the slightest sound under some conditions, like when first turned on. The All Clad pans do make a bit more sound. Also based on my research this isn’t a “problem” at all but is the nature of how induction stoves operate. Therefore the pans will never be completely silent. Change is tough.

@User - your comment was really helpful until the last sentence. No need to patronize. What does that add to the conversation? I had changed to induction, and changed back to gas in my next home. Some people are sensitive to buzzing noise and cannot tolerate it. Why is it so blasted hard for people on this forum to accept that? I swear, a thread about induction on this forum always devolves.

Electricity is made with gas, oil or coal. So switching to electric does not do much in regard to stopping pollution. If solar or windmill, then yes.

@Ed(Edwina) and Stephen Ci, Non-carbon generation accounts for more than 50% of California's retail sales, and other states are rapidly moving toward renewables. It's not just wind and solar, it's hydro and nuclear, too. Electrification really will reduce carbon, immediately in most parts of the country, and in the long run even in regions that are highly coal-dependent now (like the Mountain North census division).

Source: California Energy Commission, https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2022-02/new-data-indicates-california-remains-ahead-clean-electricity-goals

On the original topic, I don't think it's possible to entirely avoid buzzing with induction. But lot of things make noises that we easily live with, including kitchen things like boiling water and browning meat. The important thing is whether you find the sound bothersome.

Why are you assuming I am patronizing? That assumption is itself a form of bad behavior so I assume you will withdraw it.

I am pointing out a fact that change is tough. People are set in their ways. We all are. I am too.

What it adds is that you cannot get the benefits of induction or anything else new without adapting your own expectations to the realities of induction. Incorrectly calling buzzing sounds a “problem” doesn’t help anything, does it? It’s not a problem, it’s reality. It’s annoying to some people. So then don’t use induction. It’s also not accurate to say there is zero sound.

Change is tough. If I had a priceless heirloom copper pan collection, I would not use induction because that change would be too tough for me.

This discussion subject title is about buzzing heard with induction, and that the OP and others are more sensitive to it. The topic is not about whether the change to cooking with induction is tough or not. It is also not about the semantics of whether the sensitivity to buzzing can be categorized as a problem with quotation marks. A person's sensitivity to buzzing is not going to change.

People should just accept that some like induction and some do not. I cannot understand why some people are so invested in converting others to induction cooking. Why is it so important to them if some stranger on the internet doesn't want to do it? I can never get to the answer to this question.

Thanks for letting me know what the discussion is about and making many assumptions about my motivations. In the future I will check with you and the rest of the Houzz thread police before posting anything.

Oh for crying out loud, this is the internet. You should try twitter if you are that sensitive.

I did some more research and there are some articles emanating from Japan on why induction heating makes audible noise (which can easily be found using Google). It appears that the technique used to create the high frequency current to drive the induction coil at a frequency that is above the range of human hearing can lead to so-called “side bands” of current at audible frequencies. The articles also suggest that when two burners are running at the same time with slightly different frequencies, the difference between the frequencies (beat frequency) can be audible. My conclusion is that some industrial engineers are working on understanding the audible sounds and perhaps reductions will be possible down the road in this technology.

Reality and problem are not mutually exclusive. The buzzing is a problem to a person if it bothers them. It bothers me greatly; therefore, it is a problem. A deal-breaker problem.

That certainly appears to be the case. Maybe the ongoing research will lead to changes in a future generation of cooktops - maybe not.

Does the volume of the buzz matter, or just any kind of buzz at all? My Wolf has a very slight buzz or humm. It's not detectable over the sound of boiling water or sauteeing vegetables. And it's quieter than the hiss that gas cooktops make. But I can understand that a very quiet mechanical hum could bother people more than louder but totally different sounds.

I considered induction when I renovated my house. I too am very sensitive to sounds, especially buzzing sounds. I hear and feel them. Besides getting a headache, they induce nausea. It would have been an expensive experiment to see if the noise bothered me on a regular basis. I decided to stay with a regular electric range and forego induction cooking.

My range with a smooth top and radiant cooking is ok, but to be honest, I think my old electric range with the Calrod coils was better. But I adapt.

The coiled resistance heating element was a brilliant feat of engineering. The good news is that the Calroid coils are still available. Hotpoint is the brand that comes to mind.

I have a Bosch induction cooktop and don't hear buzzing. However, I realize just because I don't hear any buzzing doesn't mean someone else won't. Heck we just got back from a cruise and I drove my DH nuts 2 of the nights because there was a humming/low volume motor sound that I heard and he didn't. Thankfully I had a noise machine so I could mask the sound mostly. Otherwise it would have driven me nuts.

My suggestion would be to take your favorite induction ready pots to a local store and try them out and see if the noise bothers you.

If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, Wolf and Miele probably have local showrooms where you can go try the cooktops. They don't even sell the appliances there, they just do demos. So it's a really low-pressure way to test things. And you're testing upper-end versions of induction. So if you don't like it there, you know induction just isn't for you.

I have a fulgor milano induction range and I am in process of choosing pots that don't buzz. Here are my observations: cast iron - no buzzing, humming, or any noise other than purrrrrfect boil in a few minutes.

- all fancy expensive brands with 3ply or 5ply stainless steel - buzzing and more ply's - more buzz. After reading a ton, it must be because of the vibrations of the layers caused by a very strong powered induction range.

- I am waiting for some german brand pot that is made of thick steel without layers because I'd like to have an option other than cast iron.

It'd be great if someone would be able to add their observations/experiences.

Update: DH stayed with his parents since I originally posted, and they have induction. To my surprise, he told me he really liked it once he got used to it. We're going to the fancy-schmancy appliance store in the next couple weeks to check out available options, I hope I can try it out in-store. He gets a voice in the decision because he cooks a lot, we need something we both will be happy with and that I can't hear. Will check out the Bluestar gas range while we're there, too. I have the comments about the cookware filed in the great filofax that is my mind.

I empirically agree that layers lead to more buzzing and solid leads to less buzzing. Try carbon steel or enamel carbon steel which can give you a faster response time than cast iron but is solid.

Absolutely. My All-Clad stockpots are the noisest. My carbon steel pans are silent.

There is yet another option, although I have to first note that I don't hear buzzing on any of the pans I use with my Frigidaire Gallery 36-inch induction cooktop, so lack of buzzing with this option may not be particularly definitive.

I have been experimenting with griddle pans because my demeyere coated pans are awkward to get a spatula under eggs with due to their high sides and also because over time the coating does pick up marks from plastic spatulas. The low sidewall griddle pan I'm presently experimenting with is the "HexClad 12 Inch Hybrid Stainless Steel Griddle Non Stick Fry Pan with Stay-Cool Handle." It is tri-ply, but relatively thin and capable of high temperature oven use. https://hexclad.com/ Read all about it there.

I won't go over my cooking experience with it in this thread other than to observe that it behaves as described, and is easier to work with than, e.g., the Lodge cast iron square griddle. There are a number of pans in the HexClad line besides the griddle pan. The pans can be ordered from Amazon, but are somewhat pricey. Still, for the adventurous but noise adverse, it might be worth a try.

Thanks Kaseki for referencing the HexClad. I may pick one up and experiment. My latest Teflon egg pan is already starting to go after 1 year.

Sometimes our induction cooktop buzzes, and soometimes it doesn't. Always the same cookware. Go figure.

Based on the research I referenced above, there can be different buzzing depending on how many burners/hobs are on. So if you have two burners turned on then you can get some “beat” sounds from the difference of the two frequencies.

No induction for me. DH said "absolutely no" after seeing the Bluestar open burner, as did I -- just no comparision for us and the way we cook. (Plus, I did hear a loud buzzing on the Thermador induction demo top, but in fairness it was their cookware not mine).

I don't hear any buzzing from my Wolf Induction range because I have the vent hood running which masks any other noise!

My DH leaves multiple TVs and music on at the same time around the house, but hates the sound of a vent hood!

@Yelena Moshkovsky I know this is an older thread, but I'm wondering how you like your Fulgor Milano induction range? Do you have the 30 or 36" model? How has the reliability been? If you've had to have it serviced, what was your experience? Thanks so much!