Induction cooktop opinions please!
 

Does anyone out there have an induction cooktop? And if so, do you like it? I have done some research and some people are saying it can be really unhealthy from the magnetic fields but I'm not sure what to believe!

Here's our situation... we are slowly changing out our appliances from white to stainless. We will be putting in dark colored counter tops in the future, so we'd be good with having a dark cooktop as well. Our first idea was to put in a gas cooktop. We already have a gas line running to the island that just needs to be hooked up (put in by previous owners). However, we do NOT have a range hood, and we're not sure yet if it's possible to put one in without a lot of work. We live in a 100 year old 2.5 story house, and the kitchen is on the main floor. We would probably end up having to lower the nice tall ceilings, and we likely would have to vent out the front of the house because of the way the floor joists are running (and the kitchen is in the front of the house). It sounds expensive, and there must be a reason that the previous owners never switched to a gas cooktop when the line was already there.

I really really hate our coil electric cooktop we have currently. But, if gas was a viable option, I'd be willing to get a less expensive electric flat cooktop to use for the next few years until we would have the funds to do the work needed for a gas cooktop. The other option would be to not worry about doing all that work, and just switch out the one we have now for an induction cooktop for a bit more money.

I don't know anyone who has induction so I have nowhere to turn for advice! We do have friends with a gas cooktop in their island as well and they love it. The power goes out quite a bit here, for a few hours at a time, so it would be nice to still be able to cook. Our friends do not have a range hood, and it is not required to have one here, but I'm concerned that without one we may be building up dangerous fumes in the house. It's winter for half of the year here, so we can't open windows for ventilation.

So I guess what I'm saying is... gas would be my number one choice, but if we can't do it, what do you think of induction? And I guess as an extra question - am I right to be worried about having a gas cooktop without ventilation to the outside?

Anyone? Maybe induction isn't very popular yet! :confused:

I had to google it, I had no idea what it was. I found this:

Induction cooking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I like that any pots & pans can be used to cook with pretty much. So you don't have to buy new cookware.

So you need a vent hood for a gas cooktop? I had no idea. See how clueless I am? LOL We have electric since we do not have natural gas in our area. I would LOVE a gas cooktop though.

Have you thought about a popup downdraft vent? With the open floor plans that are so popular now, may people install them when the cooktop is in the island so the hood won't block the view. They're motorized and retract flush with the island when not in use. The duct work goes down instead of up so you won't have to lower your ceiling. But, there will be the expense of installing the new duct work.

I think induction is really cool because nothing actually gets hot besides the pot or pan! I also read that for example, you'll have a rolling boil, and you turn down the temperature to simmer and it's instantly simmering. Like, there's no wait time. And because the cooktop doesn't actually get HOT (other than a bit of heat transfer from the pot), you can basically touch it and clean it as soon as you remove the pot.

I don't know for sure if you need a vent hood for a gas cooktop because I have read opposing arguments about it lol. Some say if you are burning a fuel inside your home, you definitely need one because you're introducing harmful stuff in your air. But others say anything harmful is burned off with the flame, so it's not needed. The codes in my area don't require one, but I'm more worried about health risks, if there are any!

And speaking of health risks, the induction cooktop creates a field of electromagnetic energy, and there hasn't really been a lot of research on how it might affect people. You are supposed to use a pan that covers the cooking surface completely, so all of the energy goes to the pan and not outwards towards you. You are also not supposed to use any metal cooking utensils because the current would then pass through into your body. It just all worries me a little!

I did look at this with my husband! But because the unit so so big under the counter, we would end up losing space there. We currently have two pot drawers in the island that house all of our pots and pans! I actually found a gas cooktop with the downdraft vent integrated right into the middle of the cooktop, between the burners. I read some reviews and people were saying that when the fan was turned on, it pulled the flames from the gas burners toward the middle of the cooktop lol!

I think I will have to do some more research about how dangerous it is to run a gas cooktop without a vent hood.... because really, that would be my first choice I think.

Well, I thought I was the only one who thought a range hood wasn't necessary. I have a Wolf 6 burner rangetop, and because of the BTUs, I had to get a pretty powerful range hood. I can count on one hand the number of times that hood has been used in the 8 months since it was installed. And, when it was used, the rangetop wasn't even on. It was to get the stinch out of the house because I burned something in the oven which is several feet away! It worked great though. So, I guess all that power does come in handy for something :rolleyes:

I'd think if you do a lot of grilling on top of the stove, you'd need some ventilation, though.

I don't really use my cooktop for too much other than boiling pasta or making soup or the odd grilled cheese sandwich or fried eggs! Even for things like bacon, I normally bake it in the oven. I actually bake most things. We have a natural gas grill out on the deck where we cook things like burgers and steaks. Even when I had range hoods in past houses (with electric ranges) I rarely used them. My mom rarely uses hers at home.

I think my main worry would be carbon monoxide, but I could always buy another carbon monoxide detector and put it in the kitchen, and that might ease my fears a little. We have two gas furnaces and a gas water heater in our basement, and that's just normal for around here so it's never been a conern for me. We do have a CO detector near those, just in case. Our house is pretty well sealed and not drafty, so a buildup of toxins in the air would be my biggest concern, especially in the winter.

I do really love the look of gas cooktops and I think it would add more value to our house if we went that way.

Never had an induction cooktop.

I've only had electric ring, electric smooth top and now I have gas. I'm not much of a cook, at all, so my appliances don't get alot of use. The smooth top I really liked, because it was easy to clean & always looked good sitting there. When I moved, my son, (who can actually cook...) requested an electric wall oven & a gas cooktop, as I was replacing all the appliances.

Gas is great to cook on. Having had it, I'd never want anything else. Although, the gas cooktop is a pain to keep clean. I given up ever getting the burners to look how they did when it was new. My gas cooktop is only vented by my above the range microwave that just recirulates the air after going through a charcoal filter. It's to code where I live & was installed by a licensed installer. I've never had any issues with it, going on 2-3 years now. A CO2 detector is just feet away & never goes off when I'm cooking on the gas cooktop, but it has gone off briefly when I've burned stuff in the toaster.

I'd check & see what's required by Code where you live.

I know that no venting is required by code, but I was worried about CO in the house I guess. I think we are going to go with gas, and put a CO detector in the kitchen. Then, we can put in a range hood in the future if we want to!

I have one, I love it NOW but cooking on an induction cooktop took some adjustment time (for me). My experience it is reduces the cook time a lot which resulted in me burning a lot of stuff (or overcooking it).