Louisville Restaurants Forum

Does anyone have experience with induction cooktops? We have a gas cooktop on our center island and we do not have stools at the island because I am afraid of little hands being burned. Someone suggested that I look into induction cooktops. After researching a lot, I'm kind of intrigued. I'm also afraid that they are a trend that will look or be outdated in the near future although they have been popular in Europe for years.

I would appreciate any kind of (helpful) feedback.

Jen,
We used to have an induction top at our cooking school. I'd previously only wanted to cook on gas and dubious about induction. Both I and the chefs who came to teach were really pleasantly surprised. It heated up very quickly and was a breeze to clean. The only issues were that you can't use all pans and the risk of cracking the top with a heavy pan. Ours was an Electrolux from Trend.

As a parent though, I'm not sure that it's much safer than gas. Little hand would still reach it and somehow it seems more touchable /inviting to me. Though ours did cool very quickly if that's the concern.
Deb

I really don't enjoy cooking on induction. Yes, it heats up quickly, but I have a really hard time controlling temperature and making small adjustments. Plus, as Deb noted, you can't use cookware like cast iron because it's too heavy and can scratch the surface.

It's certainly better than old-school electric coils, but inferior to gas, IMHO.

Just an idea, if you wanted to try an induction burner for yourself you can find single portable units for less than 100 bucks sometimes a lot less. A while back we were at Tuesday Morning on the Outer Loop and my Chef son spotted one on clearance we paid 20 bucks. He likes it, they used them a lot in school I haven't used it.

Brad,

Maybe it's a brand or specialized technology thing unique to them, but our Electrolux top gave control very similiar to gas ( I love gas and paid alot to have it added to my home). I was amazed at how quickly heated up and down. We had some of the best chefs in town cooking on it ( literally) and several commented that they really liked it.

Deb

Thanks for the input, everyone. I have a couple of Le Creuset dutch ovens that I use all of the time- would those be too heavy for an induction cooktop?

Deb Hall wrote:As a parent though, I'm not sure that it's much safer than gas. Little hand would still reach it and somehow it seems more touchable /inviting to me. Though ours did cool very quickly if that's the concern.

The primary differences when it comes to safety for children is the lack of an open flame (this likely decreases the chances of your kid catching something on fire), the fact that the surface heat is equal to that of the cookware (there's typically a difference in temperature with open flame) & that they typically shut down if a pot isn't present (perfect for absent-minded parents & children that can reach the controls). I suspect that they're demonstrably safer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking#Benefits

JenS wrote:Thanks for the input, everyone. I have a couple of Le Creuset dutch ovens that I use all of the time- would those be too heavy for an induction cooktop?

Weight is less of a concern than size. Some manufacturers have size limitations. I have an 8 qt. dutch oven that works fine. You just need to be careful about the types of cookware you use & you don't want to bang or slide things around.