Help regarding induction range/cooktop

[Dr K]

We're thinking of getting induction for our kitchen, but some ranges/cooktops make signifiant noise (whine/hum when cooking - we heard this with Monogram and Dacor) while others are quieter. Does anybody have an LG induction range out cooktop? Does anybody with ANY brand of induction know if this is a factor of the cookware (that is, less noise with heavy cast-iron cookware compared with thinner steel cookware)?

Thanks in advance.

[hoophead]

We have a Bosch induction cooktop from a few years ago. Just a slight buzzing for a couple seconds at startup, quiet after that. We mostly have lighter cookware, so I can't speak to noise from cast iron.

[ducatithunder]

We have the fridigaire gallery induction top on our stove/oven. I can’t say I have ever heard any humming. You do hear it when it fires off but it’s not a droning noise. I have used cast iron skillets and le creuset pots without any rattle. Can’t speak to the other brands.

[Chopper Dropper]

Maybe dumb question but isn't induction supposed to be instant heat off, which I don't see with cast iron/LeCruset type cookware where the weight of iron continues cooking for a while
Dirk

[Dandelion]

We have a Samsung induction - it does hum while cooking but seems independent of the type of cookware. We don't find it to be an issue.

@Dirk - yes, induction is instant off in terms of feeding more heat energy to the cookware, but of course any cookware has thermal mass, so the temp inside the pot won't change instantly. Induction is like gas that way - you can turn off the flame and the cookware will stop heating, but the cookware's thermal mass means there won't be an instantaneous temperature change.

Compared to other kinds of electric (e.g. the resistance coil type) - the coil itself is hotter than the cookware, so when you shut it off, it takes time for the coil to stop transferring additional heat to the cookware. Because induction is magnetically heating the cookware itself, heat stops being transferred as soon as the current is off.

ed

[Vicegrip]

The heat originates in the metal of of pan or pot rather than being radiated into it by
source below the cookware. Instant off means less latent heat in the cooking surface. Any heat in the surface was radiated there by the cookware. They have their pros and cons.

[Mark Hubley]

In August 2021, Susan and I moved into a house with a GE Profile induction cooktop. The oven is separate.

I love it. It heats fast, you can get water boiling really quick. As mentioned previously, the surface also cools fast (assuming you remove whatever you heated). I also love the fact that it is super easy to keep clean. We had a number of aluminum and glass pots and pans, and we gave them away. Had to buy a new set of induction-ready cookware. We were due for new pots and pans anyway. Sometimes as I begin heating something, especially when I crank it up, there is some humming noise. Once the heat levels off, it stops. I really don't notice it. Noise is not a problem.

One issue we have sometimes is that a burner will often turn off quickly if you remove the pan. For example, we will make popcorn on the stove, and that typically involves repeatedly lifting the pot from the burner. If you hold it off for more than a quick moment, the burner may go off.

Susan does not like the induction cooktop, and she frequently complains about it. I'm not sure why, and she hasn't given a good explanation. I do most of the cooking, but she is the one who does the popcorn, so maybe that's it? She wants to replace it with a gas cooktop. Not sure that we will go through with that. I love the induction cooktop.

Susan is a good cook, but she makes a mess every time she cooks. As mentioned above, it is super easy to clean the induction cooktop. I think it will be a pain to keep a gas cooktop clean, but I've never had a gas stove.

[Dandelion]

One issue we have sometimes is that a burner will often turn off quickly if you remove the pan. For example, we will make popcorn on the stove, and that typically involves repeatedly lifting the pot from the burner. If you hold it off for more than a quick moment, the burner may go off.

Hmm. When it goes off, does it not come back on when you lower the pan? I can see that as being a pain.

The Samsung we have has knobs for the induction burners, and will go to "standby" if you lift the pan off - but will turn back on if you bring the pan back on.

IIRC, there is also a timeout if the pan is off for a long period of time, where you do need to turn the knob to off and then back on to restart it, but it doesn't kick in unless the pan is missing for a couple of minutes...

ed

[Mark Hubley]

Just did a quick test. Started warming a pan and took it off the burner. It gave me 30 seconds before it turned off. Very rarely a problem, but there has been a time or two where I got something too hot, took it off the burner, put it back on, and didn't notice the burner turned off. Hasn't happened to me in a while.

I am more likely to have the problem of over-boiling something. When I set something on high to boil, it will boil quickly. If I don't pay attention, it is easy to overdo it. Fortunately, cleanup is easy!

[BlackTalon]

Susan is a good cook, but she makes a mess every time she cooks. As mentioned above, it is super easy to clean the induction cooktop. I think it will be a pain to keep a gas cooktop clean, but I've never had a gas stove.Good cooks make messes :cool:

Nice thing about prosumer gas ranges are they have pull-out catch trays. So very easy to clean. And stuff that spills/ falls onto the grates (as opposed to through) gets carbonized quickly, so not really a sanitary issue. Usually the grates are easy to pull off to wash/ rinse.

Our gas range gets used 2-3xs/ day (wife works from home). It's easy to wipe down to a 'good enough' state on a daily basis. We quickly wipe the drip tray about once per week (unless a pot boiled over -- in that case we will soak up the liquid in the tray as soon as we finish cooking). We don't need to pull the grates very often for cleaning (once every month or so?). As long as the igniters are relatively clean and the flame holes are clear don't sweat some baked-on sauce. Ranges are for cooking, not for being photographed for architecture magazines.

[Mark Hubley]

David--Thanks for the info. We have propane already for hot water and the clothes dryer, and I hope it won't be that difficult to run a line to the kitchen. Looks like there are plenty of options for 36" cooktops to replace the induction cooktop if we decide to make the switch. Speaking of which . . .

Peter--Do you need a combination stove/oven, or can you do with just the cooktop. If the latter, I know where you might be able to get a slightly used, perfectly operational, 36" GE Profile induction cooktop! You can even come over and try it out if you like ;)

[cmartin]

Highly recommend the bluestar range, really nice piece of equipment. Just about the opposite of induction. Dont overlook the hook requirements, the junk built into a microwave wont cut it.