Plop an induction cooktop on a standard (non-convection) self-cleaning oven and more of The Masses can now afford induction.

Frigidaire again?  Nope. Samsung.

Go ahead.  Search Home Depot and Lowe's and filter by price low to high.

Could Hotpoint be next?  Will Frigidaire cave in to pleas for a plain-Jane white or black induction stove without the Gallery moniker?

Things are heating up!  With the proper cookware, of course.

An odd claim: "American manufacturers made their last induction stoves for home use in 1999."

"Burner" knobs on the front, tempting price, a few hundred more for Air Fry and Convection.  Yeah, it all adds up.  Samsung is clearly aiming for the gas-replacement market.

Frigidaire's touch control induction stoves are still the cheapest with Air Fry and Convection.

I'm probably going to stick with gas for cooking as long as I can. California has announced that no new gas furnaces and/or water heaters will be sold in-state starting 2030(35?). So far I haven't heard of gas stoves/ovens being included in that category. Nor gas fired clothes dryers. I much prefer cooking with gas vs. electric. Shortly after acquiring this home in 1997, I replaced the old Corning glass cooktop in the main kitchen with a gas cooktop. Perhaps an induction electric cooktop would perform as well, for a similar cost, but I tend to doubt it.

We'll see.

My one worry is that the gas/forced air central heating system here will conk out right around 2035 or after, and then I'll be faced with a pricey challenge of converting the system to electric. In the meantime I'll be looking for a back-up gas powered forced air unit. There may be plenty of those in junk yards in 10 years.

OK, California will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. That's what I was thinking. The gas appliance ban will happen by 2030, although while it currently applies only to home heaters and water heaters, some are thinking it will eventually extend to gas stoves and ovens.

This could get costly.

The actual usage or induction may be the same or even cheaper than natural gas, but what about the cost of replacing:

1) Stoves

2) Water heaters

3) Central heating systems

I'm thinking that cost could be up to $10,000 or more per residence.

heat pump w.h.s are:

1. loud, they make noise because of the fan(s) and compressor(s).
2. expensive to install.
3. Have a long recovery time, up to 3 hours.
4. expensive to fix as it has a sealed system. If any part of the sealed system that's immersed in water should spring a leak, you're screwed. Can't easily DIY that.
5. When installed in a heated space they dump cold air into that heated space adding a burden to your heat source. More $$



I'll keep my 6 gallon 120 volt 2000 watt GE water heater I got in 2010 for $44.
It just keeps going and going without noise or problem. I turn the timer knob and within a minute I've got a stream of hot water for doing dishes. If I want to take a shower or do laundry, I turn the timer to 30 minutes and give it 10 minutes. Never been disappointed. Easy to dump out and clean as its portable. Easy to fix- the element is $12 though I haven't had to replace it yet. No hassle. No ego b.s. And it's certainly green.

If it's running for 1/2 hr a day on average
using 1 killowatt(1,000 watts of steady use for an hour)
(2,000 watts x 1/2) and the rate for kilowatt hour here is $0.32 x 1
that's $0.32 a day
times approx. 30 days in a month = $9.60 a month (plus tax)

i can live with that. lol 

I still got these babies, 2 of them, though I only use one these days. 

Boy oh boy, I had to strap these heavy 4 pound puppies on a dolly to get them in here.....I'm telling you it's a ball buster.

I've had to replace the terminals on the wires a couple of times which cost me $0

but the burner, cord, and temperature control just keeps going.

So how green is this?  

When it's running, maybe 15 minutes a day, it uses 1000 watts when on but it cycles so figure  half the time.

(1,000 x 1/4 x 1/2) = 125 watts or

1/8 kilowatt a day x $0.32 (the rate of electric here) =  $0.04 a day

x approx. 30 days a month = $1.20 a month  (plus tax)

but I'm intrigued by induction.  

tempting.

But then I either have to replace my copper bottom Revereware OR

get a disk adapter.

The other thing is the wattage it states.  Is that, when it's in use, the EQUIVALENT of a traditional stove top element, or is that what it's actually using?

Maybe there's a misunderstanding here but...

"Give me gas any day, have the luxury of using the cooktop when there’s no power."

I can count the number of significant electric outages I've encountered in my 50+ years in the single digits.

Never when one was happening did I think :

Oh, now more than ever I desire to make a fabulous 6 dish cooked meal on my stove

or

This is a great time to make a stir fry and hand-made cinnamon rolls in my oven.  Perhaps I can use the soggy ingredients that have thawed in my refrigerator for the last 4 days and hope for the best.

Nor could one use a gas stove as a heat source in winter unlike an electric stove with the front burners and oven set on the low setting.  The likes of which I have had to do on occasion because the gas furnace stopped working or the heat pump was insufficient .

So all the meals I've made in the last 12 years, the pots of water I've boiled, the eggs I've scrambled, the foods I've warmed were...... toys?

Never have I thought -I wish I had the REAL POWER of a 30" stove.

Seldon does a cook, a real cook, turn a burner to the highest setting on a builtin or free-standing stove unit and leave it there. 

The only time I can think of where one would want an inordinate amount of sudden heat would be stir frying in a wok.  That would be best outside anyway because of the mess and there are dedicated appliances for that.  It's better to just get that kind of food from a restaurant imo.

But I mean each to their own.  I prepare food at home daily for only me.  Others have to prepare food for a family and they will certainly have larger needs than me.

In Sunny SoCal.  Price may vary by region.

That is one quirky burner layout.

I can't say I've ever used an induction cooktop but I doubt it's much quicker than a gas fired system. The main heat sink in a full pot of water is... THE WATER.

Yesterday I sealed off the ceiling vent in the main bath here and immediately noticed an improvement in the heat retention. It does have a kind of flapper in the 3.5 inch piping up in the attic, but since I can hear it opening and shutting all by itself when it's windy outside I doubt it seals very well even when it's not windy.

Still have to get around to the stove vent in the main kitchen, and the original bath in the main house. I keep the door to that bath shut most of the time, so it's not a big heat loser as far as I can tell. Probably has something to do with the difference in workmanship between 1941 when the house was built, and ~1965 when the master bedroom/bath addition was added.

Oh, I dunno. I haven't used an induction cooktop yet. I gather that aluminum cookware wouldn't fare too well on an induction burner. The cookware must have some iron in it to work with induction.

Gas may be slower to heat, but ... there are many types of cooking that depend more on mild heat than on intense heat. Unless one likes burnt food, that is.

Heat control thus is a very important part of fine cooking.

IMHO, heat control is a weak part of traditional electric coil cooktops. With gas you can more quickly moderate the heat. With electric coil burners, the moderation takes longer, and may require removing the pan from the burner so the food doesn't burn to a crisp.

I've always preferred cooking with gas over coil electric. The results are what really matter, not the speed of the boil.

Sounds like Combo has never actually used a gas burner.

Here's the trick: to get lower temps, just turn the gas flow down.

Less gas flow => lower heat output => lower pan temp

And,

More gas flow => higher heat output => higher pan temp

Easy peasy.

Appliance makers have their work cut out for them convincing stove shoppers otherwise.

I believe most professional chefs prefer gas burners.

I wonder why.

I have a feeling that commercials kitchens in Europe are adopting induction at a faster rate than in the US.

Having read this thread, I snapped this photo last week of the kitchen when I stayed at a Holiday Inn near Heathrow airport.

Mostly induction in this kitchen but there is also one gas too (rear left).  Neat idea to have a mix of heat sources.

 If Frigidaire and Samsung start selling them like hotcakes, the floodgates will open and we'll see a basic induction range with a street price of $899.00 or less.

One reason Europe might be switching to induction might be because of relations with Russia, where they used to get a lot of their natural gas.  There is fear that the gas supply is or may be cut off so use of electricity keep energy in Europe.

AFAIK, there is no threat to the US natural gas supply from Putin.

After seeing the questions posed in this thread regarding the performance of induction, I decided I would compare my induction and gas cooktops in this thread:

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?91982

Lowest-priced color options.

There probably won't be a race to the bottom of the price stack until after the holidays.

It pulls in several non-induction electric ranges if you search for "induction range".  You have to read the detailed description of each.

Seems GE is testing the waters selling a free-standing Profile range online and through a few select dealers.  Wayfair is selling it for just under 2Gs.  Not available from Home Depot or Lowe's.

Uncanny resemblance to the Frigidaire induction control panel (top) with a few exceptions like circular bar graphs instead of digital displays for the cooktop zones.  No Air Fry but sports a radiant warming zone and WiFi connectivity.

The positions of the oven setting icons and number keypad are a dead giveaway.  The verdict: Electrolux.  Say hello to your cousin, Fridgy.

. . . but I was mistaken.  C'est la vie!

Some here seem to have the impression that fast heating is always better.

In truth, it isn't always better. Slower, even heat is often the best choice, especially for finer fare.

Of course, if all you want to do it boil water to make cook pasta, sure, induction and/or electric can be faster than gas. But aside from that I much prefer the more even, gentle heat of a gas range.

Also, check out the reviews for the GE/Electrolux in Joe's link. At least the first three cite repeated failures of the induction range.

No thanks.

Gas may be slower, if may cause more air pollution, but... it works.

So what? I can melt chocolate on the gas range using a double boiler, or, even better, melt it in a microwave.

No need for an induction range.

Eddie,

I've used both electric and gas stoves.

I much prefer gas stoves.

It's that simple.

Rich, you much prefer using gas stoves compared to electric stoves.  But.....and here's the thing....you've never used induction!!!

If you ever get the chance to try out induction, give it a go and see what you think.  If you still prefer gas, that's absolutely fine and I'll respect that 100%.

Mark

That's fine.

Except I have a number of pots and pans that are pure aluminum and which wouldn't work on induction without an extra platter, at which point, what's the point?

. . . so Mom used matches to burn off stray pinfeathers.

Just about every maker offers Air Fry wall ovens.  A recent design trend is putting a wall oven under the counter with a cooktop on top.  Look for wall ovens suitable for undercounter installation and cooktops that specify they can be installed over a wall oven.

Bring back the GE Versatronic oven!

With induction on the range models, of course.

Frigidaire and Samsung tied for second cheapest.  Samsung lacks convection and Air Fry but has "burner" knobs favored by gas loyalists.  Lowest-priced color options.

And who will nip at Samsung's heels?  Latest under-$2000.00 lineup at Home Depot, least expensive color options.  Note the color of  the $1698.00 Samsung.

Latest prices at Home Depot, lowest priced color options.  Anyone going to break the under $1,000.00 barrier again?

I wonder if an induction stove would work with a wok.

I like cooking with gas.

I do not enjoy cooking with an electric element.

Induction, with the right cookware, might be OK.

Another wrinkle with electric cooking: Currently I'm getting a decent enough discount on electricity usage by not using it as much between the hours of 4 pm and 9 pm, each day. So if I have to cook during those times, the gas cooktop is the answer. Currently don't have a gas oven, but I'm working on that. Someday.

OK, a flat bottom wok isn't really a wok, IMHO.

The idea of a wok friendly induction burner is intriguing. Are there any links one can check out? And what about different size woks? Might be a problem.

Also, according to what I've gleaned from CR and elsewhere, an induction cooktop is only about 10% more energy efficient than a resistance type electric cooktop.

Furthermore, I coudn't find anything about an "induction oven". My suspicion is that ovens in induction ranges are similar to those in regular electric ranges. That is, there's a resistance element or two at the botton/top of the oven, which heats the air inside the oven.

I still prefer gas.

Eddie,

That's VERY interesting about the short lifespan of induction cooking elements. Something I've never heard of before. Is it because of the heavier usage a restaurant puts a range to? Or is it a problem that home cooks also will encounter,  also, I wonder?

Surely your local paper has a website that you can link to?

Tom,

At $6,247.90 per unit, the Volrath induction wok cooker is probably a bit out of most our league.

What was Volrath thinking?

Not only that, I'm from the generation where induction generally meant having to go to Vietnam to fight yet another corporate war.

Eddie,

Well, I'd opt for something with controls that have a longer life. Like dials? Good to know the induction part is reasonably long lived.

Found the article Eddie was referencing (I *think*):

Excerpt:

Bush knows all too well the technological limitations of induction for the volume of cooking done in restaurants. Since opening Oso, he’s gone through what he estimates is a minimum of 20 induction cookers.

“They just don’t last like gas stoves do,” he said. “The buttons eventually fail, they burn out, they have a pretty short life span.”

There’s no warning when they’re about to go on the fritz, either. He’s had induction cookers go out in the middle of service, which brings the kitchen to a temporary standstill while they haul out the defective burner and bring in a new one that Bush has always at the ready.

Replacing them is costly, and there’s the issue of the waste created by defunct appliances, which has its own environmental impact.

Additionally, Bush doesn’t think the current infrastructure in Sonoma County is enough to support fully electrified restaurants.

“Restaurants draw an incredible amount of energy; everything about the place is lit up and just humming,” he said. “If we had 10 induction cookers, that would require another PG&E substation put in the middle of Sonoma.”

 

I have seen articles that state the cost of converting a home over to heat pumps for heating, cooking, etc will run about $20,000.00. Or more.

I'll just continue with my vented gas room and water heating, as well as for cooking.

Sounds like someone is trying to make a bundle off this stuff.