Induction vs gas cooking

[Anonymous]

We are doing a reno on a kitchen that has a gas range. We are considering an induction cooktop for the energy efficiency advantage. Does anybody have any experience going from gas to induction? pros vs cons?

[Anonymous]

We have not switched from gas to induction -- but we have renovated two kitchens where gas was not an option, so we switched from electric to induction. We love it - exceptionally quick to get hot and then cold again, easy to use. Finding induction-friendly pans is really not a big deal (our allclad set was already induction friendly, and then we had to get a few new nonstick pans and a new stovetop coffee maker - that was it). We've had kitchens with gas too, and we always loved those. I guess it'd be hard to say which I like better - induction has more precise controls, and really good low heat. But gas is cheaper and has that cooler gourmet kitchen look. I suppose if I was building a kitchen from scratch and had the option of either, I would go with gas just because of the chef's kitchen look. But there's zero disappointment that we "had" to use induction again in our latest renovation. So either is a great option.

[Anonymous]

I just went from gas to induction and LOVE it. It's very quick (much faster to boil water) and much easier to clean the stove. We live in a small row house and operating the gas stove tended to make the whole main floor heat up -- we no longer have that problem, even in this hot and sticky weather. I also like not having the fumes/open flames.

We will probably miss having has during our next power outage, though.

[Anonymous]

With induction how is the control w/ the temperature. I always hated electric.

[Anonymous]

Induction has exceptional temperature control. You turn it on to, say, level 6, it immediately becomes "level 6 hot" (within probably 20 seconds) and then stays at that consistent temperature until you turn it off. Your pot may take a couple minutes to get consistently hot, just like with gas. But once it's on, the temp doesn't vary at all. It's pretty amazing. Cool down is pretty instant as well - you can touch the surface within a minute or so of turning it off and removing your pot.

[Anonymous]

There was a similar post recently in this forum, and they listed a couple important cons. First, beware that the cooktop for an induction stove can crack easily if you put something very hot on the cool surface. Second, you have to be careful about how to put on/take off pots and pans. I'm not speaking from experience, just what i read here, but those were dealbreakers for me - especially because when I take something out of the oven, I usually place it on the stove to cool.