Time for a new range . . . what is the collective opinion on induction cooktops?

[jbartmc]

Gas is not an option for my small kitchen. I do a lot of cooking and enjoy having dinner parties. My ceramic stove top range is going pretty quickly. One burner is out and another is not working properly. I am thinking about buying an induction cooktop. I would appreciate any opinions from those with experience and what models or brands work well or do not. Thank you, and happy new year.

[ericpmoss]

A friend of mine bought a mid-high end Bosch that is really nice. It has a special water boiler that, if you have the electrical capacity, will get a 2 qt. pot boiling in a minute. That's the kind of thing that can save the day.

[suzyj]

Gas is not an option for my small kitchen. I do a lot of cooking and enjoy having dinner parties. My ceramic stove top range is going pretty quickly. One burner is out and another is not working properly. I am thinking about buying an induction cooktop. I would appreciate any opinions from those with experience and what models or brands work well or do not. Thank you, and happy new year.

I had an induction cooktop at our old place. We've got gas now. Induction was miles better than normal electric, but it's still not gas.

These days I think if I can't have gas to cook on, I'd just move.

[pajotfix]

We had no option for gas when we bought this place. I considered letting go of a great opportunity for that reason alone but now I can't say I miss the gas for cooking. It makes a BIG difference to invest in good quality pans and skillets, etc when you go induction...

[BShow]

I dont have a whole lot to contribute except that my personal experiences with my Kitchen Aid electric range have been piss poor. Also noteworthy is that their customer service is/was about as useful as the defective range itself. Mostly unrelated, but I have a Bosch dish washer and a Bosch laundry room and I've had nothing but trouble with that crap as well. I'm sure everybody has bad experiences with all kinds of appliances and obviously, YMMV... I'm just passing on my recent, personal experiences here.

[randonneur]

i grew up with electric, so whenever I cook on a gas stove i'm outside my comfort zone. I moved to an old house, which had old-ish electric coils, and those worked miles better than the ceramic cooktop i had previously. Not as clean looking though, obviously...

but back to the induction thing. The only experience i've got with it is a portable burner I bought to cook outdoors with (I like cooking fast and hot, and a small kitchen means I'm often cooking in the backyard to keep the smells down). Obviously a 120v burner isn't going to be as powerful as a 220v range, but I've been impressed with it for the midrange temps, but it has problems keeping a low simmer, or getting really hot. For the ranges, I've heard that getting one with dials rather then the +/- digital buttons is better for finer control of the temp/heat.

[jbartmc]

Thanks for the input. The induction range is on order.

[suzyj]

We had no option for gas when we bought this place. I considered letting go of a great opportunity for that reason alone but now I can't say I miss the gas for cooking. It makes a BIG difference to invest in good quality pans and skillets, etc when you go induction...

Agree. We ended up with Le Creuseau cast iron pots.

[jbartmc]

I have a full set of All Clad, so new cook wear will not be necessary.

[mimbresman]

We set up our condo in Venezuela with Teka (from Spain). My wife loved cooking on the range (it was a gas version). We liked the quality and style of the Teka products.