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I am doing research on this now too. The only thing I've learned so far is that you can use any cookware as long as a magnet will stick to the bottom.
I took a magnet off my fridge and it stuck to the bottom of my cast iron skillet. But it did NOT stick to my anodized aluminum pots, my stainless pots with aluminum bottoms, or my enamelled cast iron Dutch oven. I'd pretty much have to buy all new cookware to use an induction cooktop. But I'm still interested in what others here have to say about it.
You're doing something wrong. I have two enameled cast-iron dutch ovens, and a magnet absolutely sticks to them.
"Ceramic-clad and enameled pots and pans, like Le Creuset cookware, work with induction stovetops because hidden within the ceramic layer is an iron pan, which is magnetic."
In a perfect universe, I'd have an electric oven with a gas broiler and a cooktop with one induction burner and the rest gas burners. It's amazing how fast induction gets a pot of water boiling.
I looked into this some time ago, simply because I think they are really neat (and safer than any other cooktop). There was no way to make one fit into our 1927 kitchen decor, but I learned a bit about them.
Advice from people who had older ones is useless. The older ones were terrible, needed special pans, were hard to control, and broke a lot.
Newer ones are much better and can use any pans with ferrous metals in them. They are easy to clean and work like magic. Since the pan heats up, if you remove the pan there is nothing to burn anyone or start a fire. Turning it on by accident is not a danger as long as no metal is sitting in them.
Kind of a funny warning and I do not know if it is true, but I was told that if you lay a computer or other device with magnetic memory on top and someone accidentally turns it on, it will instantly scramble all of your data and software.
Be careful about brands. Before you go and buy one form a maker like Bosch, make sure there are more than one repair place nearby that can service the brand. Also find out about availability of parts. We have spent months waiting for parts for our Bosch dishwasher to be shipped from Germany. Not all parts come from Germany, but many do.
Like a glass cook-top, they are super easy to clean. Just make sure the top is completely seamless and trimless.
i spoke with a Le Creuset representative who said absolutely their pans work with induction cook tops.
Kind of a funny warning and I do not know if it is true, but I was told that if you lay a computer or other device with magnetic memory on top and someone accidentally turns it on, it will instantly scramble all of your data and software.
Interesting. Too bad "Mythbusters" is no longer in production because this would be a good one for the guys to try out. I'd say "Plausible". When I worked in TV production we would use very powerful magnetic degaussers to bulk erase videotape. I don't remember the tape (which sometime would be 2" wide on big old 16" reels) ever getting warm or hot although the machine would if we left it on too long (along with a few wrist watches). Hard drive enclosures for the most part use non-magnetic material, but i can imaging the magnetic disk platters themselves reacting to an induction surface.
Adam & Jamie, where are you when we need you?
I have to go along with Crone and KCZ: induction is superior in every way to electric and gas. I have a couple of induction plates to compensate for a crappy electric range I had in a rental. Now I finally have my dream Viking gas range and you know what? I prefer induction by far! It's cleaner, faster, more accurate, more precise, better at low temps, safer to use, and more efficient. One of the biggest reasons for me is that it is SO. MUCH. EASIER. TO. KEEP. CLEAN. than gas. Literally a fraction of the time to keep an induction cooktop clean than a gas cooktop. Wipe it off and you're done.
I know that if you read induction cooktop reviews, it sounds like they're all junk. But you're right that most of these reviewers have something to complain about. From the research I've done, I read that something like 5-8% of all appliances break down. So whatever brand you buy, you have about a 92-95% chance of being happy with it.
Having said that, I have also read that because induction is fairly new technology, a lot of repairmen don't know how to work on it, so it can be more problematic if it does break down. It can also be expensive to fix if it fails outside of the warranty. (Like most computerized appliances are nowadays.)
If/when I ever have to replace my Viking gas range, I'm going induction all the way. My dream cooktop would be a Thermador or maybe a Wolf. Right now I think Thermador or Bosch are your best options. Here's whey: 1. They're European and induction is much more popular over there, so more of the "bugs" are worked out of the technology. 2. Better controls. As someone else on this thread mentioned, controls are everything! Because pressing buttons can be a LOT slower than turning knobs. There are a lot of different interfaces to deal with this, so you have to know you can live with what you choose. From what I've seen, the top 3 best interfaces (meaning: fastest to use) are Thermador, Bosch, and GE Cafe, which has these cool "swipe" controls that are supposed to simulate turning a knob (but with your finger).
Here are some links for you, if you're interested:
If you don't have good strength, you should not be using cast iron, period. And, you can damage an electric smoothtop if you drop an iron skillet, the same as if it were induction.
I use iron on my induction every day. It works beautifully. When I get older and more feeble, I'll stop using iron. But now, it is fine.
I used iron on my old electric smooth tops as well.
I absolutely love using my Bosch induction cook top. I always want one of these from now on. Old fashioned electric performs terribly in comparison. Gas is good, but induction is better.
If you don't have good strength, you should not be using cast iron, period. And, you can damage an electric smoothtop if you drop an iron skillet, the same as if it were induction.
I use iron on my induction every day. It works beautifully. When I get older and more feeble, I'll stop using iron. But now, it is fine.
I used iron on my old electric smooth tops as well.
I absolutely love using my Bosch induction cook top. I always want one of these from now on. Old fashioned electric performs terribly in comparison. Gas is good, but induction is better.
Yes, but drop an iron skillet on a standard Calrod electric, or normal gas with iron or steel grates, and there will be no damage.
I am 50 years old, male, and in excellent condition. I have no problem lifting an iron skillet one handed. That still doesn't mean it's impossible for me to drop it. Putting heavy hot iron things on a glass surface regularly raises a risk that the glass will be broken if you are Schwarzenegger. Just common sense here. I am not going to invest $$$ in a glass top stove no matter what the heat source.
I have to go along with Crone and KCZ: induction is superior in every way to electric and gas. I have a couple of induction plates to compensate for a crappy electric range I had in a rental. Now I finally have my dream Viking gas range and you know what? I prefer induction by far! It's cleaner, faster, more accurate, more precise, better at low temps, safer to use, and more efficient. One of the biggest reasons for me is that it is SO. MUCH. EASIER. TO. KEEP. CLEAN. than gas. Literally a fraction of the time to keep an induction cooktop clean than a gas cooktop. Wipe it off and you're done.
I know that if you read induction cooktop reviews, it sounds like they're all junk. But you're right that most of these reviewers have something to complain about. From the research I've done, I read that something like 5-8% of all appliances break down. So whatever brand you buy, you have about a 92-95% chance of being happy with it.
Having said that, I have also read that because induction is fairly new technology, a lot of repairmen don't know how to work on it, so it can be more problematic if it does break down. It can also be expensive to fix if it fails outside of the warranty. (Like most computerized appliances are nowadays.)
If/when I ever have to replace my Viking gas range, I'm going induction all the way. My dream cooktop would be a Thermador or maybe a Wolf. Right now I think Thermador or Bosch are your best options. Here's whey: 1. They're European and induction is much more popular over there, so more of the "bugs" are worked out of the technology. 2. Better controls. As someone else on this thread mentioned, controls are everything! Because pressing buttons can be a LOT slower than turning knobs. There are a lot of different interfaces to deal with this, so you have to know you can live with what you choose. From what I've seen, the top 3 best interfaces (meaning: fastest to use) are Thermador, Bosch, and GE Cafe, which has these cool "swipe" controls that are supposed to simulate turning a knob (but with your finger).
Here are some links for you, if you're interested:
I like this site because they review all my favorite cooktops. You can find lots of good reviews on Amazon, too.
Good luck and enjoy your new kitchen and cooktop!
Thanks for the articles. An induction cooktop doesn't come together with the oven? So I would need a separate oven is that correct?
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You can find lots of good reviews on Amazon, too.
