Ok, so I’m starting to look at a new range to replace the one I have. It’s not urgent (the one I have works fine) but it’s getting to be time. I’d LOOOOVE gas but for some bizarre reason the gas main wasn’t run up the street I’m on, so that’s not an option. That means I have to use an electric range.
Thoughts/questions:
aside from being able to physically separate them, is there any functional advantage to a cooktop + oven combo vs a range?
There seem to be three options, regular old burners, the flattop burners that still seem to use heat ((?) and the induction cooktops that use magnetic fields to excite the pan and heat it.* Of the flat, sealed tops that use heat, anything to be aware of (materials to avoid/seek out, etc?). The heat based flattops seem easier to clean and are way cheaper than the induction cooktops. I’ve never cooked on an induction top… thoughts on those? I understand that they respond more quickly to temperature commands (i.e. if you turn the setting up or down the response is faster). True? Other things to consider?
Price varies a LOT and there are some interesting players. Excluding the $300 cheapies, there seem to be decent ranges in the $600-$1000 area, including some GE Profile stuff at around $1000. Any reason to spend more than that (aside from the induction stuff which seems to start at $1500)?
There are players like Saumsung and LG. I’m not concerned with brand name, but with how the thing works - thoughts on these brands from a quality standpoint?
*I cook mostly in stainless pans with aluminum or copper cores and in cast iron, so the fact that the pans need to be ferrous is fine.
Yeah, but I’m not investing in a large propane tank plus all of the plumbing, construction, permitting, etc just so I can cook on gas. This is probably a 5-7 year house for me, so even if the code allows that here, it wouldn’t make sense.
As they do most places if you’re unfortunate enough to not have gas to the curb - especially in a rural or semi-rural setting. It’s not just an east coast thing.
Rick, I do not have an induction range, but I bought a portable one and love it. The heat response even in a cast iron pan is very quick and a low simmer is very easy to obtain. Actually, the low temperature obtainable using induction for sauces is much, much better than gas. This is what I bought and use it for rather than my gas burners.
I love my induction top. It is an Electrolux because it was the only one that would fit the space when our old ceramic top failed. Only 2 burners are induction and they are in constant use. The other 2 are not and they take much longer to heat and take forever to cool down. Would compare very favorably to gas in control, use less energy, and will require some change in pots and pans—must have uniform contact with burner, so any warped pan won’t cook evenly even if iron containing. I would want all burners to be induction. Mike
ABout the propane issue… the problem is that, unless it’s very inexpensive, it’s several thousand dollars just so I can have a gas stove over and above the cost of the cooktop. In contrast, the induction cooktops seem close to gas in their responsiveness and the range/cooktop is roughly the same cost. In the middle class suburban neighborhood where I live that money wouldn’t come back to me in house value and there are other projects I’ll be doing that will have more of an impact on my quality of life.
My folks have had an induction cooktop for around 20 years and they love it. I’ve only used it a bit but if I need to replace my stove I’d consider induction for sure. Super fast heating and great control
what more do you want?
I’ve used them professionally and loved them. When I first started looking for the house, I looked at a Viking dual fuel that was all induction on the top. Between Vikings reputation for reliability and the idiosyncrasies of MI, I backpedaled to the Wolf which I should have in a week or so.
Miele offers hybrid cooktops which can be customized to a degree to mix gas/electric and MI. Those look promising.