Replacing the range
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Pans with iron are a requirement for induction. You cannot use aluminum or copper.
edit: Here's an article about what pots will work with induction. Spruce Eats usually does a pretty good job with their research and articles.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-the-best-cookware-for-induction-cooktops-908920
As I said, my experience with induction is pretty limited. I can tell you that I passed along a couple of stainless steel sauce pans that I no longer wanted to a friend a few years back; she was moving to a house she had built in Washington and had included an induction range in her kitchen. One pot was a small cheapo Wolfgang Puck and the other was an AllClad sauteuse. Huge difference in price and quality. Both performed fine for me on my gas cooktop but she said that the All Clad was fabulous on her induction cooktop but that the Puck didn't work nearly as well and she got rid of it. I have no clue why one worked and the other didn't. The only thing I can think of is that the Puck, while stainless on the outside, had some kind of core on the bottom. I don't know what the core was made of. The AllClad was solid stainless.
Cast iron is actually perfect for induction. It's just too heavy for Mr wtg to use; he has pretty severe arthritis in his hands and also had carpal tunnel surgery a couple of years ago.
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@wtg In that reddit discussion, someone mentions stainless steel and cast iron, in a context that makes it sound like they work OK with induction stoves. My set is stainless steel. KitchenAid, I've had it a long time. I also like to cook on cast iron... like almost every day. Oh... I have absolutely no non-stick, it's lethal to birds. But I have a wonderful popcorn kettle--vintage, at least--that is not stainless steel. Maybe steel, but not stainless.
I'm gong to have to investigate the noise issue.
@Bernard said in Replacing the range:
I'm gong to have to investigate the noise issue.
Maybe you can take some of your pots and a container of water to the store and actually try boil some water in them on a floor model, if they'll let you, so you can listen for the noise.
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Not induction related, but…
I’m looking at some bird owner forums and there seem to be some discussions about bird safe ovens. Apparently some ovens have Teflon on the interior of ovens that aid in the high temp self clean cycle? Also an issue for the initial burn off that oven manufacturers say needs to be done right after the oven is installed.
I don’t know if this is an actual problem or just very cautious owners, but maybe something you might check out.
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Not induction related, but…
I’m looking at some bird owner forums and there seem to be some discussions about bird safe ovens. Apparently some ovens have Teflon on the interior of ovens that aid in the high temp self clean cycle? Also an issue for the initial burn off that oven manufacturers say needs to be done right after the oven is installed.
I don’t know if this is an actual problem or just very cautious owners, but maybe something you might check out.
@wtg It is something I always check. I've wanted to replace my toaster oven, but finding one teflon (and other FTFEs) free is not easy. The hardest part is determining whether or not they contain the stuff. Some postings on bird forums will point to certain manufacturers and that's helpful. But non-stick is so common now. It's one of those things I'll never understand.
The industrial revolution cheapened everything.
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I never use the high heat cleaning setting on an oven. Damn things scare me.
FWIW, we have the steam clean feature on our built-in GE oven and it works very well. We aren’t messy bakers and rarely have any major spills, or if we do we wipe them up immediately. But sometimes we get fine splatters in the oven. The steam clean takes a cup of distilled water and 30 minutes. Once it turns off I just wipe the inside of the oven dry.
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@wtg It is something I always check. I've wanted to replace my toaster oven, but finding one teflon (and other FTFEs) free is not easy. The hardest part is determining whether or not they contain the stuff. Some postings on bird forums will point to certain manufacturers and that's helpful. But non-stick is so common now. It's one of those things I'll never understand.
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Speaking of Samsung, I haven't liked their phones of late. I find the screens to be glaring.
My instinct is not to trust their washers and dryers. They're large (read "Americanized" according to what they obviously think Americans expect).
I want a front loading washer (100%) but I want a Miele, Asko, or Bosch.
Asko is the one I learned about first and would like the most as far as I know.
Buying and owning Bosch used to be easy before Sears went out of business.
I haven't looked at any of them lately.
I'm not ruling any of them out except Samsung.
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I never use the high heat cleaning setting on an oven. Damn things scare me.
FWIW, we have the steam clean feature on our built-in GE oven and it works very well. We aren’t messy bakers and rarely have any major spills, or if we do we wipe them up immediately. But sometimes we get fine splatters in the oven. The steam clean takes a cup of distilled water and 30 minutes. Once it turns off I just wipe the inside of the oven dry.
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Once you've used a gas hob you won't be happy with electric.
Get a decent induction range and some nice new pans to go with.
Very good friends just invested in a Bertazzoni; the quality is noticeable, stunning, wow.
The 100cm stainless steel pro which fit their kitchen gap cost £5500.00 (gulp).
And forget about testing your old steel pans with a magnet for compatibility. Unreliable method, they may, or not.
Ventosa viri restabit
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For about $100 you can buy a countertop induction burner that plugs in to the wall. No doubt less on FB marketplace. Maybe try one and see if you like it.
Is your kitchen already wired for an electric range? The circuit for your propane range won’t be large enough so if it’s not you’ll need a new circuit and an electrician to install it. You may also need a larger electric service.
Upside of electrics, especially coil top electrics, is they’re dirt cheap used. The most I could get for the one I pulled out of Kim’s house was $100 and it looked like new.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f3JUjIba42mYC-HD8cWLV5qA
Avoid Samsung appliances like a bad habit.
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@ShiroKuro No. It has to get hot enough to emit fumes. Some studies have reported as low as 400F, some 500F. I'm not willing to take any chances. I often have my toaster oven at 450F.
@Bernard said in Replacing the range:
It has to get hot enough to emit fumes. Some studies have reported as low as 400F, some 500F. I'm not willing to take any chances. I often have my toaster oven at 450F.
Ahh, yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to risk it!
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The magnet test fails on my KitchenAid cookware. I have a small saute and medium saucepan (calphalon and all-clad, respectively) that are magnetic. My stove top distiller attracts a magnet--and that's important because I rely on it for purifying water for my houseplants.
So why isn't someone making magnetized discs to place under regular cookware for use on an induction? Wouldn't this work, albeit with some loss of efficiency?
I am really leaning towards induction, I think I would hate regular electric burners.
KitchenAid has a 10-piece stainless induction set for around $550. Could be worse. The prices on the stoves go lower than I expected, some below $1000. I expect to pay $1500 or a bit more, plus new cookware. Yuck. Seems so much for a kitchen range.
We had a wood burning cook stove in our kitchen when I was growing up, but it was not the main cooking center. We used it for toast, pancakes, crepes, gallettes, slow cooking, etc. but rarely for baking. I don't think I'll be going that route.
The industrial revolution cheapened everything.
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Once you've used a gas hob you won't be happy with electric.
Get a decent induction range and some nice new pans to go with.
Very good friends just invested in a Bertazzoni; the quality is noticeable, stunning, wow.The 100cm stainless steel pro which fit their kitchen gap cost £5500.00 (gulp).
And forget about testing your old steel pans with a magnet for compatibility. Unreliable method, they may, or not.
@AndyD After just having seen a La Cornue for $17K, that price is a little less shocking. But still out of my budget.
I have had good luck with LG. The refrigerator I bought many years ago still works a charm (knock on wood).
The industrial revolution cheapened everything.
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The magnet test fails on my KitchenAid cookware. I have a small saute and medium saucepan (calphalon and all-clad, respectively) that are magnetic. My stove top distiller attracts a magnet--and that's important because I rely on it for purifying water for my houseplants.
So why isn't someone making magnetized discs to place under regular cookware for use on an induction? Wouldn't this work, albeit with some loss of efficiency?
I am really leaning towards induction, I think I would hate regular electric burners.
KitchenAid has a 10-piece stainless induction set for around $550. Could be worse. The prices on the stoves go lower than I expected, some below $1000. I expect to pay $1500 or a bit more, plus new cookware. Yuck. Seems so much for a kitchen range.
We had a wood burning cook stove in our kitchen when I was growing up, but it was not the main cooking center. We used it for toast, pancakes, crepes, gallettes, slow cooking, etc. but rarely for baking. I don't think I'll be going that route.
@Bernard said in Replacing the range:
So why isn't someone making magnetized discs to place under regular cookware for use on an induction? Wouldn't this work, albeit with some loss of efficiency?
They do make adapters aka converter discs.
When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
