Induction vs Gas cook top

[CMW403]

Anyone have any experience with Induction cook tops? My mom has asked for Beyonds opinion.

[JordanAndrew]

One good thing about gas is that if the power goes off, you can still use it. But if you live in the city, there's not very many times when this happens. If you live in a condo where gas is included, I would go with gas. Otherwise, induction is the way to go as it's more efficient as far as I know as it heats up faster.

keep in mind that initially, induction will cost you more money. You even have to buy special pans that take induction.

[mazdavirgin]

My mom has one says she would never go back to gas... It's safer, easier to keep clean, easier to simmer things(you don't have to worry about the flame blowing out on low gas), and the heat is instantaneous. You don't need special pots you just need pots that are conductive aka anything made of metal will be fine

[spacerz]

Gas is awesome...my household has a WOLF stove, my mom loves it to death!

Rather than blabbering on about it...look for more pro's and con's on the web and see which one would suit your household as it all depends on what you are usually cooking.

I thought this was a good link, take a look:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/532644

[boarderfatty]

I have induction in my place, my parents have gas, I much prefer cooking with gas and the temperature control etc. there is a reason professional cooks and kitchens use gas imo.

[msommers]

Induction is a breeze to clean but I have to say the temp control just isn't there, things tend to heat up too much.

[spike98]

Gas if you plan on cooking any other than KD and hotdogs haha.

The temp control and versatility of gas cannot be matched by induction.

[TC2002]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin
My mom has one says she would never go back to gas... It's safer, easier to keep clean, easier to simmer things(you don't have to worry about the flame blowing out on low gas), and the heat is instantaneous. You don't need special pots you just need pots that are conductive aka anything made of metal will be fine

We have an induction cooktop and think it's great (for the reasons quoted). We did end up buying induction pots and pans, but that came with our wedding gift cards, so they were essentially free anyway. We also use cast iron cookware and it works great too.

Haven't had difficulty with temperature control after getting to know how to use it better now that we cook pretty much every night on it.

[Rowdy]

I cook a lot, and have used gas previously, but when I finished the reno of our kitchen I went induction. It is far more efficient, faster heating, much more even heating, better control over the whole temp range than gas. Having said that you need to buy quality appliances to get these things. I looked at both wolf (induction)and electrolux and in the end went electrolux, I would not go back to gas. I find it painful now to cook on someone elses cooktop.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I've owned both and I like different things about both. Induction is nice because it heats up FAST, and also is safer if there is children or pets around. I've never had issues with temperature control, our stove could easily keep a low temperature consistently. It's a breeze to clean too, with the flush tops.

Actually after writing that, I think induction is way better haha. Induction heats more evenly as well, with gas I definitely notice hot spots in the pan/pot. Gas is a pain in the ass to clean too if things splatter. With induction, you can cover the entire cook top in paper towel if you want to avoid a mess, and it will still work.

The next stove I buy will most likely be induction. It's not hard at all to find good pans that work with it either.

[tha_bandit]

Originally posted by JordanAndrew
One good thing about gas is that if the power goes off, you can still use it.

Unless your house has a safety shut off valve
although gas is harder to clean and such, the temp control (referring to quickness) is better, for example, when boiling milk or something, its much easier to shut off gas in order to avoid a spill

oh and curved pots & pans on a flat top just dont work

[know1edge]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin
You don't need special pots you just need pots that are conductive aka anything made of metal will be fine

Gotta be magnetic

[masoncgy]

Give it a year or two and induction cooktops will be far cheaper to obtain. It's relatively new to the North American market and therefore it's expensive.

It'll come down... just like plasma TVs.

[JordanLotoski]

Iam gas all the way. Instant heat, love the commercial look you cant get with induction.

[benyl]

Are the higher end inductions better at temp control? We are really debating between the two.

The other nice thing about induction is that you don't need a massive exhaust fan. I hate our current one and will pay big bucks for a really quiet one.

[masoncgy]

I don't think anything beats a Wolf gas cooktop in terms of temperature control. Their dual stacked burners, fed by twin gas lines (one for each level), allow for power heating up top and low simmer on the bottom.

Those suckers are super precise... I've never seen a more controlled gas flame in any other gas cooktop and certainly don't know of an induction top that delivers that kind of control.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by know1edge
Gotta be magnetic

Thats implied by them being metallic...

[know1edge]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


Thats implied by them being metallic...

not all metals are magnetic

[89coupe]

Originally posted by benyl
Are the higher end inductions better at temp control? We are really debating between the two.

The other nice thing about induction is that you don't need a massive exhaust fan. I hate our current one and will pay big bucks for a really quiet one.

My Wife is a big time cook, just loves to host parties and we went Induction.

There is absolutely no reason a person can't cook something to perfection on any cook surface, just watch Top Chef and you will see for yourself.

Ever try cleaning a gas top after cooking all day? Can we say, pain in the ass! That and they don't exactly look very nice in today's modern kitchens.

We went with the Kitchen Aid Architect II induction cook top, it was the only one I could find with a frameless edge.

[masoncgy]

You can get Schott Ceran gas cooktops if you want that sleek, modern look coupled with easy cleanability, both Jenn-Air and Fisher Paykel make 'em, off the top of my head.

I'm all about the pro series with commercial styling, so I drool over Wolf products. lol