I would have loved to see the data of gas alone compared to the data when gas range is properly vented.
For some reason I get a buzzing sound when the stove applies current (minor).
It does have the instant heat that gas does, but what I've noticed is it doesn't have the visual feedback. When cooking with gas, it's easy to tell how much you've turned the heat up or down, just look at the flame.
I'll probably get used to it over time, but I miss gas at this point in time.
I did put up with electric resistive for a long time before switching to gas and I dealt with it just fine. I'm only 1 month into inductive so let's see how things go. In the grand scheme of things I'm pretty sure I've survive. :)
Does it not have a power/intensity knob or setting that’s displayed? Even with gas ranges that’s what is used because the flame is blocked by the pot.
On my induction stove, 5 is medium and 6 is boiling. Not linear at all.
As you visit friend's places, see if they have different brands of inductive stovetop, and try them out if they do.
Also maybe try a pot with a thicker ferrous base?
Visual feedback is from a number (1..9) displayed per induction ring. There is also a per-hob 'h' when it is off but still considered hot. When you activate a hob you can start it at strength 4 (of 9) or 9 (full-on). Or 1 and keep pressing up or down buttons to the setting you want. I'm used to this now.
Cleanability is awesome. Because the whole surface is flat, unused rings can also be used as a heat-proof surface when you have lots of hot pans that would scorch a normal work-surface. I think it keep things warm (without sticking) better than gas because the heat is better distributed over the whole bottom of a pan.
Main downside is that it is useless in a power-cut.
The biggest issue though is every IH stove I've used has had touch controls on the top glass panel which means if you have any spills or overflow, you can't even turn it off.
Just seems like an odd issue for it to be your “biggest” turnoff from induction.
We've settled for a unit that has physical, clickable, tactile buttons to control the temperature and a numeric readout that clearly states the current temp and all controls on the side, away from spills. I'd love to find an induction stove with a plan old knob for each hob though.
I dislike the fact that gas stoves typically come attached to gas ovens, and gas ovens are kinda crap. Electric/resistive actually works better there. Less moisture, less smells, more efficient, seems to heat up faster and give off less waste heat.
Edit: Found it:
> There are no Energy Star® certifications for ranges, but research by the U.S. Department of Energy indicates an induction cooker is 84% efficient at energy transfer, versus 74% for a smooth-top electric unit, giving it a heating performance comparable to a gas element. More significantly, induction is 90% efficient with its power use, using 2.8 kW to deliver 2.52 kW. This is a substantial improvement over electric coils, which use 2.0 kW to deliver 1.1 kW (a 55% efficiency), and over gas, which uses 3.5 kW to generate 1.75 kW (a 50% efficiency).
https://insteading.com/blog/energy-efficient-induction-cooki...
OTOH, even a basic GE induction range has almost no heat waste. So while a burner might only be rated for 10k BTUs, all of that heat is going into your pan. Which is how they do things like boil water in 2 minutes.
The biggest issue with induction is that the larger ones have enormous power requirements.
No, the biggest issue is that electrical power is not (easily) available everywhere (think "wherever you camp") and always (think "earthquakes and hurricanes"). But I can carry or find gas/oil/coal/wood almost anywhere. How many trash fires in the inner city of Chicago on a cold night? There are always political signs, trash, and/or wood from buildings available to burn. Nothing like warming your hands by a barrel fire with a bunch of friends!
Induction technology has come a long way; make sure to read reviews and get a stovetop that does "simmering" well. Also make sure to think about the interface -- a lot of induction stoves require two steps to change the temperature (first click several times to choose the burner, then click several times to adjust the temperature up or down). We went with one that had a full range of buttons for each burner; only one press required for any one change.
When boiling a pot of water, induction is 74 percent efficient at transforming and transferring input energy to the water, and the gas range comes in at 32 percent. The induction method was 32 percent faster and consumed 57 percent less energy. [1]
We have an induction cooktop, and it’s amazing how quickly it can bring liquids to a boil.
The only thing I can see that gas has over induction electric is durability. You can slam pans down without worry of breaking the cooktop. Useful in a commercial setting, but at home I’d take induction over gas any day.
[1] https://www.treehugger.com/which-more-energy-efficient-cooki...
Not modern electric ones. I cook a lot, and I moved from a kitchen with a modern electric range, to a gas one... and it was a definite downgrade.
Quite simply, modern electric ranges will heat your pan faster than gas ones can. It's seriously crazy. And of course they heat more evenly, instead of in a single "ring" in the middle or outside of your pan.
I'm not even talking about expensive inductive ranges. I'm talking about electric resistance ones -- but modern ones that are a single smooth surface of glass/ceramic.
The only change you have to get used to is that if you need to instantly reduce the heat, you need to move the pan off the burner rather than just turn it off. But that's just a change in habit.
Also modern glass-top ranges are infinitely easier to clean. Just a single smooth surface.
My only concern is how well a wok will heat up on induction.
Gas has the benefit of wrapping around the wok, I worry that induction won't do that. :/
I hate the smooth glass electric stoves, if a pan is even slightly warped it won't work. I've waited 20+ minutes for a pot of water to boil on an electric glass top because the pot had a slight bow to it so only a tiny fraction sat on the actual stove.
Also the last glass top I had got messed up the first time a sugary liquid over boiled and spilled on it. Never could get it looking brand new again (and most glass tops I've seen have stains, even after being vigorously cleaned by professionals!)
As for warped pans, I never had that problem -- all my stuff is thick stainless steel-clad pots and pans. That's interesting though, it makes sense -- it would need full contact for effective heat transfer.
College, I had thin aluminium because I was broke. Everything was warped.
Thinner non-stick pans also warp really easily.
Thicker pots and pans take longer to heat up, sometimes a lot longer. e.g. My 1.5q pot can take over 10 minutes to boil water. Making hard boiled eggs is annoying, to say the least.
(I'm using gas, and one of my back burners is too weak to even boil water in my thick 3 layer pots...)
I wouldn't think it would make a huge difference, since the weight of the pot is a relatively small proportion of the weight of the water.
Turns out someone tested it:
https://www.centurylife.org/what-kind-of-pot-boils-water-fas...
And the aluminum wins over steel-clad by 30 seconds, when heating two liters of water.
If you're seeing much larger differences, perhaps it's more to do with the pot diameter or something? Or if you're heating very small amounts of water?
Small diameter pot, large gas flame. The flame doesn't hit the bottom of the pot at all. I can heat up 2x the water in my pot that has 2x the diameter in less time.
Sucks.
The old fashion type of electric burner in that article is my 2nd favorite, great contact with almost any type of pot or pan put down on it.
The best pot I ever had for heating water was of the dollar store variety. It was pretty much the minimal vessel needed to just hold the water.
Wider diameter pots of course work best, assuming a lid is put on. More bottom surface area to transfer heat to the water.
I had this issue and ended up replacing my set of cheap and cheerfull, thin-ish and slightly warped pans with heavy, thick stainless steel ones that hopefully don't have a tendency to warp. So far so good.
Gah, same, but now my triple clad stainless steel -> copper -> stainless steel pot takes forever to heat up because of how thick it is.
I bought an electric kettle for tea but that doesn't help keep noodles from taking 16 minutes to make, the first 10 of which is boiling the water.
Now I am using gas, so my next purchase is going to be another cheap thin pot that heats up before the rest of dinner is done.
I'd like to emphasize "modern" here. Just a month or two ago I replaced an old resistive electric stove with a new resistive electric stove - and it heats shockingly better than the old one.
Because California generally decides these things not based on whether they can be done safely, but whether they can be done unsafely. If someone could be harmed by something then nobody can have that something. That's just how they do things.