As great as the improvements have been, I’ve still not seen an alternative that can compete with gas when it comes to tilting a pan or wok. Losing heat every time you lose direct, flat contact is so frustrating for certain cooking styles. Also being able to roast (and not fully bake) a pepper over the flames is so helpful. If an alternative could do those two things, I’d be very excited.
Commercial use hopefully will help with the under-specced components that routinely failed when I last looked into induction. My gas stove hasn’t got a chip or board on it, which I appreciate.
I bought a $50 nuwave induction cooktop 3+ years ago and have since used it as my main stove, and even taken it camping. It’s still going strong and hasn’t shown any signs of wear and tear, other than a sticker peeling off a little. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made, I hate my gas stove.
I hate my gas stove
Could you share some details on what you hate about it? I’m super curious. I like everything about my gas range, except for cleaning it.
The top thing I hate about it is that it releases toxic gas into the room, and I don’t (like most people around here) have a vent hood that vents outside. You can clearly smell when the stove, or especially the oven, is running. Better setups probably have less of an issue with this, but even commercial stoves need to be properly vented, and proper residential ventilation is just a rarity in the US.
There has been proper research that shows that pollution from gas stoves contribute to thousands of deaths annually, and that they release toxic gasses even while turned off. Gas furnaces are specifically designed to vent 100% of their air outside. That’s the general guidance with anything gas-powered, except for stoves and ovens for some reason, which vent exactly 0% of their air outside.
The next biggest thing is that it’s just plain slower and less energy efficient than induction (or even electric). Energy efficiency isn’t a huge problem, since gas is just waaayyy cheaper than electricity, but I love the fast heat up times of induction, which are partly due to the great energy efficiency.
Air quality is a huge factor, but I also just like cooking on induction better anyway so there aren’t really any downsides for me besides maybe a minimally higher electric bill.
My gas stove hasn’t got a chip or board on it, which I appreciate.
You haven’t seen the new gas stoves yet. Touchscreens to control the burners. Brilliant, haha.
Oh, I know. I bought this one specifically because of it.
Have used so many induction stove tops, and none of them match my gas one.
Being able to tilt my pans and concentrate where I want heat is invaluable.
I keep clean as o cook also, and the touch interface they all seem to have on the glass breaks the cook when I wipe over with a damp cloth.
Sure, they can bring water to the boil fast, but it’s not for me.
I literally stopped eating anything from gas after I got my induction stove. I was invited couple of times for dinner by friends who consider them foodies but since I know they use gas I just pass. Once you go induction you don’t go back.
With gas you may think the result is good but it really just more or less where it should be. With induction it takes a little bit of practice but you can repeatedly make it absolutely perfect. Yes, it’s more difficult to cook on induction and I get it that some people simply don’t have necessary skills but good cook + induction will always beat gas stove. Once I got used to it I could always tell when something was made on gas. It got to the point for me that I just as what type of stove restaurant uses and if it’s gas I simply walk out and go to a different place. One with induction stove of course.
…you flake on dinner with your “friends” because they cook with a gas stove. I hope this is satire.
Its great to hear the tech is progressing. I’ve had terrible experiences with them 10+ years ago. I really wish there was a practical way to try before buying
I got one last year, replaced a shitty old school electric coil one.
Similarly, I was kinda skeptical, but in my mind I reasoned it can’t be possibly worse than the shit electric one I had at the time and I’m not going to pay to have a gas line installed sooo I went with it.
It’s the best fucking stove I’ve ever cooked on in my life. By a LONG shot.
I can watch a pot of water boil
Oil is up to temp faster than you can turn around and grab your meat and seasonings
Almost-magic fast temp adjustmentsThe best part? You know those black burned on crud spots(that are most prevalent on glass tops) that you have to scrape off? Non existent. Idk if its unique to Samsung, but it’s surface is fucking dead easy to clean, it never got the burned on crap after a year when I’ve had new stoves in the past develop it in a matter of weeks
The easy clean is really due to how the induction coil heats the pan but not the cooktop surface. With the surface only heating indirectly it’s really not possible for stuff to burn on nearly as badly. At least when compared to a conventional radiant electric. The surface just doesn’t get as hot.
I went from induction to a house with a gas cooktop and miss the induction a lot.
Ah gotcha, I wasn’t sure because my surface feels so…weird (it doesn’t feel or look like glass or ceramic) so I wasn’t sure if the “magic” was in that or just the way induction worked
I actually got a silicone cover for my induction stove, that can handle cooking temps, and it means the surface stays pristine.
Full agree though, never want another coil/glasstop stove, induction is the way to go.
I had a terrible experience with one just last year. Had to replace it. Went back to an electric cooktop with simmerstats just last month. We’re much happier now. Can cook again without all the burning and boiling over.
I know an induction cooktop could be much better but the one we had couldn’t simmer anything: it could only intermittently overheat it. And occasionally it would switch to either full power (very dangerous - it was very powerful) or no power (absolutely ruins a steak when you’re trying to sear it). Technicians came multiple times and concluded ‘there’s nothing wrong’. Fortunately, after almost two years, they agreed to an ‘upgrade’.
I expect commercial induction cooktops are much better than consumer grade but they’re too expensive.
I wouldn’t buy another that I hadn’t tried first. I know one place that has a showroom with everything powered. Not that they would let me actually try cooking anything, but at least one can put a pot of water on and try out the controls.
This is a far worse experience than I have had with a consumer induction cooktop. Im able to simmer, low-temperature frying, and the likes just fine
