Our new home is not set up for gas cooking, despite having gas everywhere else.

Anyway, our current electric cooktop is not measuring up. I visited the Viking store where I learned of a different type of heating element, one using convention heating.

Has anyone had experience with this type of unit. Apparently is heats and acts closer to gas, while admittedly, not as good.

Yep, I know all types of cookware will not work on these units due to the need for a magnetic effect.

David - Welcome post often

Which Costcc did you see this at?

I don't have any experience using them, but I looked into buying a stand-alone unit a couple years ago. It's like gas in the sense that the heat supplied to the pot changes instantly, you don't have to wait for a burner to cool down. It's also safer than either gas or electric since the stove won't heat paper, your hand, etc., it basically only heats the pan. Of course, a hot pan or hot food can still burn you. As you mentioned, induction burners significantly limit your choice of cookware.

They've been around for a number of years but don't seem to have caught on very well in the US, maybe DavidN could shed some enlightenment.

-Al

It just seems weird to me. Probably cool and hip and it is supposed to be extremely efficient. But I am not sold on the idea. I like the idea of finally having gas in my kitchen. SOON!

I can see the post shortly after that occurs.

"TJ's got gas!"

Induction cooktops work very well. They have been around for forty years that I know of. Nobody has been successful marketing them mostly (I think) because of price. They are also not the easiest things to install and are a bit touchy to use.

The only ones that I have sold have been single unit installations. One I know put five of them in different parts of his kitchen. The real unique thing about them is that they can be installed under a "regular" stone countertop and are 99% invisible. They are controlled with a magnet that you run up or down on the countertop. There does need to be some sort of light guage somewhere near the thing to indicate what the heat setting is.

Be aware that no matter what anyone tells you they are not as good a gas unit. I would not purchase until you have cooked SEVERAL of your usual dinners on the thing.

We have talked about doing just that, but it would be a fairly major undertaking. It is an island and would probably be about 12' from the nearest outside wall and no gas access there. It would be a lot of piping, etc.

Short answer....$$$$$$$$$$$$

davidn...

Good question. I do not know at this point. I went into the Viking Showroom here in town and they have no pricing, just models on display.

I thought before I would do any heavy research on my own, I'd go to the Oracles of Knowledge on VC and pick their brains first.

Seriously, I have found more good, insightful information on a variety of tthese type things from you guys than I'd ever get from the salesperson at some store.

Don't sell a salesman/woman short.

First if you don't like the person (and you should be able to ascertain that pretty quickly) ask for the manager and ask him/her for a different "specialist".

95 out of 100 of these people are trained and retrained on the products they sell. Granted they will probably only point the good points about the product but at least you have something to go on. Then you can ask around about the bad stuff. Word of mouth advertising is the best there is but most people only remember their bad experiences. It takes something "really really unusually nice" to have someone praise something. And wtf, the salesperson's opinion is FREE.

I worry if the thing isn't priced on the floor. I've heard that these things have had some problems with delivery and in reality one may not be available for quite some time. Getting someone who knows about the thing to service it might be a problem too.

All in all if these things worked well and were affordable they would be selling thousands of them (and that they are not). And like I noted in my first post; these things have been around since the late '60s.

I am in sales. That is why I don't trust them.

This was purely a showroom. They gave me a list of 20+ places that do installs, can provide pricing, etc.

The girl in the showroom was pleasant enough but offered about as much value as the models showing new cars at the auto shows. She also wasn't that good in the eye candy department, so the trip bordered on a bust. (no pun intended).

Anyway, we won't rush into anything. We may just do a kickin' outside kitchen instead if it wasn't so D%^$ hot here in Texas.

Gotcha.

Quote:

---

I am in sales. That is why I don't trust them.

---

Be nice

davidn....

Hey, I have some really good wine I can sell you....cheap a n d If you like that idea, there is a bridge that I know about....

A bridge

Hello:
I've been a chef for the past 15 years and in my opinion heat induction is by far THE BEST source of heat around. I had a 5 top Diva stovetop installed in a clients Houston apartment for roughly 5000 dollars 2 years ago..the good news is that same stovetop today is only 3000 and the prices will be dropping fast. Viking just introduced the first US made induction tops a few months ago.
They do take some getting used to..and steel cookware. Copper won't work.Also keep in mind the cookware DOESN'T need to be 100% steel. Most Allclad pans work since they use an alliminum core for heat transfer but also have a stainless exterior to allow for the induction heat.
The only thing you'll miss with this type of top is your ability to flambe'.....so don't let the price scare you away..there a great stovetop if you're into serious cooking.

Other positives
-cleanup is a BREEZE
-the new technology in the graphite tops make them virtually indistructable(although you must remember to keep them very clean to prevent carbon bildup
-heat is INSTANTANEOUS..and I mean drop dead HIGH heat!!
-on the opposite..when you turn it off, other that a little residual heat, the tops cool down immediatly which is good if you have kids.
-There is no heat "loss"..you know how hot it can get in your kitchen when you have 4 gas burners going. With the heat induction tops there is no heat loss. The pan gets ALL the energy.
-AND THE BEST FOR LAST..you can take it with you if you move. These things are just about 25 pounds or so and there just tops.

PS...

Anyone who says these are not as good as gas units have never used an induction top. They are head and shoulders above any conventional gas unit.
Also keep in mind when comparing units (lets say gas to induction) That a 25,000 induction unit is not the same as a 25,000 BTU gas unit because the heat loss by a gas stove is almost 90%. You get all your ouput generated into your pan w/ an induction top. Here are some links:

DIVA Induction stovetops (Top of the line!)

http://www.divainduction.com

Viking Induction Tops


http://www.vikingrange.com/cooking/induction.html

Adan,

I will say it has been over 10 years since I last cooked on an induction cooktop. I will compare it to gas though and say I still think one can get more control over the flame. When I cook I "shake" the pan over the flame and many times pick up the pan and tilt it to stir. You can't do that with induction.

The things sure are sexy though. I'm surprised the Viking unit has those clunky knobs for the controls. The units that I have seen as prototypes from the mainstream appliance manufacturers all have touch/slide controls like the Diva.

abg-- thanks for the insight. I'm still not sure I'd want one though.

It doesn't really matter anyway, because in two months or so I am switching from electric coil to gas -- it's a done deal.

I just went and had a discussion with a fairly informed salesman regarding cooktops. He had just been to a seminar on the induction cooktop put out by Viking. He was very impressed and did advise me that the cost would be quite a bit higher than a standard electric model. It was perhaps 15-20% higher, not insurmountable, but not good.

Then the bad news. It has nothing to do with the actual unit, but the vent pipe for the downdraft.

We have a Jenn-Air. Not a particularly bad unit, but it is designed for Donna Reed cooking and not Emeril cooking. It is a basic, household unit that only requires a 5" vent pipe. The newer, better units made byu Viking, Dacor, etc all require 8" pipes to properly draw the air.

The REALLY bad news is that now we hve the wimpy piping, it is a major major to change it.

Word to the wise....when building, do NOT let the builder put in Jenn-Air units. They have proprietary venting and that does not necessarily mean a good, or better thing.

Our house came this way as it was built in the early 90s.



Next idea......an OUTSIDE KITCHEN!!! It IS piped for gas belive it or not.

Funny you mentioned an outside kitchen. PURPLE and I have discussed that on more than one occassion trying to come up with some concept of turning our existing kitchen into a much larger indoor/outdoor kitchen.