Induction Oven

[Italiancook]

Do any of you know anything about induction stovetops? Have you ever used one?

I have a glass stovetop and I'm tired of fighting with it. Yesterday, I cooked a pot of green beans with ham and potatoes and had to be in the kitchen more than I wanted in order to adjust the burner temperature.

I'm thinking about a Whirlpool double oven, induction stovetop. Salesperson has me concerned. She said I'd need flat-bottomed, magnetic-bottomed pans. I have no idea what that means, but tomorrow I'm pulling out my pans, skillets and dutch oven to see if a magnet will stick to them.

As far as I'm concerned, all pans have a flat bottom . . . well, modern pans. For years I used an old-time pan for making oatmeal. It definitely had a round bottom.

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[Mike Nolan]

We bought a standalone induction cooktop at Sams Club a few months ago, and like it a lot. It does take a little getting used to, it gets warm VERY fast, you can brown butter in under a minute. It cuts a good 5 minutes off the time it takes to do hard boiled eggs compared to either an electric or gas cooktop.

If we ever have to replace our ceramic cooktop (on the island), I'd think seriously about replacing it with an induction cooktop.

The only downside is that you have to use induction-capable cookware. If a magnet will stick to the bottom of the pan, you can use it, though they recommend against using cast iron cookware, because the sides can get really hot.

Induction cooktops come in a variety of sizes and loads, the one we have won't handle a really big pot (like my 12 quart stockpot.)

They're said to be more energy efficient than either gas or electric cooktops, and they definitely don't heat the kitchen up as much.

Some have continuously variable temperature controls, the one we have has fixed settings, the lowest will not get water all the way to boiling, it seems to top out at about 150-160 degrees, which means it could almost be used for sous vide cooking.

You're right about most modern pans being pretty flat on the bottom, the main exception being a wok. They do make an induction wok pan/coooktop, you can't use a wok on a standard induction cooktop.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Mike. You have given me valuable information to think about. I probably won't rush into this purchase now. I'll make a trip to the store and ask the salesperson questions related to what I've learned from you.

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