Appliances: Viking Induction Cooktop and Range
From Sarah
Induction cooktops have become increasingly popular in Europe (my parents have one), but have not been widely available in the US until recently. However, major players in the cooktop and range market have started to introduce these cookers, which heat via an electric magnetic field. A bit of research turns up the following pros: Faster cooking times; ability to adjust heat instantly; superior energy efficiency; and safety (the surface remains cool to the touch, even when in use).
The cons? Special cookware is required (the induction technology works only with cookware made of magnetic materials); cast iron and steel are most common. Induction cookstops are dependent on electricity, so they're inoperable during power outages, and they are currently more expensive than their gas counterparts.
N.B. If you have experience with an induction cooktop, we would love to hear from you.
Above: Viking 36-Inch Professional Series All-Induction Cooktop VICU; $4,409 from US Appliance, the 30-inch model is $3,459.
Above: The Viking cooktop is available with a white glass top, as shown in this kitchen (via NJ Savvy Living).
Above: Viking also offers induction cooktops in a freestanding range; the Viking Professional Series VISC5304BX 30-Inch Pro Style Induction Range; $6,599 at A.J. Madison.
October 26, 2009
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My folks in Europe have this too (recently installed) and seem to love it. I really don't like the idea of abandoning my fave skillets etc. But mostly I'm reserving judgment until a see a pro chef put it in his kitchen.
Love the look (especially the white one with the all white counters) but from a cooking perspective, still need my gas stove...
My mother and my sister have these kinds of stoves. AWFUL. Slow and not responsive at all.
have had a viking induction cooktop at home in SF for roughly 3 years. it's shockingly responsive and heat-generating, smoking oil in a large skillet in a few seconds. we can boil a crab pot full of water from cold to a rolling boil in 10 minutes. much, much higher heat is possible than with gas. that's the key adjustment. it's so hot and so fast, it catches you off-guard.
top pros absolutely do have induction in their kitchens -- both professionally and personally. keller, achatz, adria, et al.
as for "special" cookware, not really; it's anything a magnet sticks to. we have all clad stainless. works fine. pure copper and pure aluminum do not, but both are relatively rare.
I have a Gaggenau induction cooktop and it is fantastic and beautiful. With the possible exception of the Bialetti espresso maker, you really don't want to be cooking with aluminum pans anyway. Le Creuset and anything cast iron work great.
Other than cast-iron, the cooktop performs best with high-quality cookware, the best being Demeyere, which is expensive but will last a lifetime.
The only cook who is not suited to induction is one like my mother who is attached to her collection of French copper cookware. Copper does not work on induction.
Your site is amazing and I read it every day.
I have an induction stove and I use it when I feel like cooking.
It seems to work fine and there is no appreciable increase in my electricity bill.
The cons? I have to give away my non-stick pans since they don't work with the induction cooker (I read that the more expensive nonstick do) and I am still at a loss of how to control the heat.
My friends have one (I live in Europe). I was most impressed. The only catch is that you must adjust your recipes and cooking habits a bit because it gets hot so fast, and food does indeed cook faster and more evenly. You can't, for instance, put a pot of potatoes on and leave the room, you'll come back to too-soft potatoes. Perhaps this will get better as they learn to control the temperature more.
We've put a GE induction cooktop in our home along with our first four homes we've sold. Everyone loves them and they cook much more evenly and quickly than previous gas experiences.
My wife is ecstatic that she can finally cook perfect hashbrowns and boil water in under 90 seconds.
We chose induction in an attempt to improve energy efficiency in our homes (much more efficient than gas) and eliminate all fossil fuels in the home to allow the possibility of offsetting all power usage in the home with Solar PV. Induction satisfies both these requirements and has been used for years by pro chefs in both Europe and Canada where they think US chefs are cooking in the dark ages.
Bosch and LG also offer nice induction options for around $2K and we've all seen the Electrolux commercials, but their is hybrid with only 2 of the 4 burners being induction. Somebody wussed out in their marketing department...
I've recently installed one (in Australia) and agree it's fast and only a few of my pots were incompatible. My only hesitation is that the conversation I had with the electrician left a bad feeling in my mouth. It draws SO much power. Nearly as much as the rest of my house put together. While it may be more efficient in reaching the boil, and save energy there, how much time is me waiting for the stove vs the stove waiting for me. One thing I also wish I had've researched is while it may take less joules to boil a litre than gas, how much money and carbon is spent per joule of electricity vs gas?
Before purchasing GE Profile 30in Induction cooktop I used for several months a single inexpensive induction burner Berghoff (http://reviews.overstock.com/9876/2013888/reviews.htm) An amazing versatile portable stove that can be used and stored away and also ideal for apartment living. It has multiple safety protection functions, built in safety sensor and auto power off while not in use or timed out. The best feature is auto power-off, that will switch the burner off after set time. You can go on with your things, do gardening, and not worry to burn pots while away. I wish all manufactures of cooking appliances should take a note and provide automatic switch off for at leas one burner on build-in cooktops. Couple of months now we use GE Profile Induction build in cooktop, I realty expected to have auto switch-off on this cooktop. Yes, it has a timer but this is not of much help if you walk out of kitchen and your pots will burn if you forget to watch. I am happy with GE Profile induction cooking but would be happier if it would have auto switch-off!!! I gave away all aluminum ware. The hardest part was to find pressure cooker that was magnetic, not all stainless steel pots are. I was walking around with a magnet for testing and finally I found it in a German delicatessen store, a pressure cooker made in France and specified for Induction cooking. Induction cooking is fantastic, however in Canada still far too expensive!!!
I love cooking with induction cooktop. However, I have a Viking 36" Professional cooktop. It does not work! I thought Viking manufactured top of the line cooktops, but lights are constantly flashing, only two burners will heat at one time, buzzing noises, and parts are way on backorder.
