Portable Induction Cooktop, like Nuwave

Phog Allen said:

Hi Rich. I have one of the glass cook top ranges. A Samsung(yeah, I didn't know they made appliances either) we purchased 2-3 years ago. Speaking strictly to electric range tops I can say this. Open coil vs glass top; No comparison. Buy a glass top. They put all their research into these. The glass holds and distributes heat better than an open coil so in my opinion is more efficient in the sense it likely has to be on less to make the same cooking heat. IE; it cycles less which uses less wattage.

Electric vs gas. In my opinion, unless you are living in some oddball area natural gas is MUCH cheaper to operate than electric. I do notice an uptick in our electric bill at Christmastide when all the baking is going on. There are also other advantages to a gas range top. When you adjust the flame lower it lowers the heat instantly. With electric ranges, to include our glass top, you have to be much quicker on the trigger or you can overcook items. Many times when making things like curds, jams, custards, or other temperature dependent dishes you learn to perfect the remove-from-burner-quickly-so-you-don't-burn-it method of lowering temps. It is pita at times. I VASTLY prefer cooking on a gas range top. It is not an option in our home since the kitchen does not have a gas outlet in it. Conversely if you do not already have an electric outlet in our kitchen then you will have that expense as well. Most importantly, go with what the main cook wants. It makes for happier meals.


Cheers, Todd

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Phog Allen said:

Hi Rich. I have one of the glass cook top ranges. A Samsung(yeah, I didn't know they made appliances either) we purchased 2-3 years ago. Speaking strictly to electric range tops I can say this. Open coil vs glass top; No comparison. Buy a glass top. They put all their research into these. The glass holds and distributes heat better than an open coil so in my opinion is more efficient in the sense it likely has to be on less to make the same cooking heat. IE; it cycles less which uses less wattage.

Electric vs gas. In my opinion, unless you are living in some oddball area natural gas is MUCH cheaper to operate than electric. I do notice an uptick in our electric bill at Christmastide when all the baking is going on. There are also other advantages to a gas range top. When you adjust the flame lower it lowers the heat instantly. With electric ranges, to include our glass top, you have to be much quicker on the trigger or you can overcook items. Many times when making things like curds, jams, custards, or other temperature dependent dishes you learn to perfect the remove-from-burner-quickly-so-you-don't-burn-it method of lowering temps. It is pita at times. I VASTLY prefer cooking on a gas range top. It is not an option in our home since the kitchen does not have a gas outlet in it. Conversely if you do not already have an electric outlet in our kitchen then you will have that expense as well. Most importantly, go with what the main cook wants. It makes for happier meals.


Cheers, Todd

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Luc said:

Gas vs induction, it's similar but gas works better. I had my induction stove top for 2 months now. It reacts very quickly, I lower the heat and I count 2-3 seconds before I see a change. Gas is now, induction takes 2-3 seconds, well, on my stovetop at least. The bottom line, it's pretty awesome, it mimics the gas and it's efficient.

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cb91710 said:

Cool.

I'm assuming the induction stoves are 240v, and they have a conventional 240v convection oven?
I have 240v on my laundry cove, but I only have a 20a 120 outlet at the stove cove.

It's on the same wall with the service, I could run another circuit for it, but it would be a major PITA, and yes... gas is dirt cheap, especially with only the two of us using hot water.

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Luc said:

The main thing that you got to be careful with induction is that you, sometimes, need more AMPS if you are running the stove on maximum. The one I got (a GE) runs on 40 AMPS which is "standard" in most homes. Some of them go up to 80 AMPS. There was a Viking that caught my eye but I decided against since it needed too much juice.

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cb91710 said:

The 240v requirement is a deal breaker out of the gate, but if they need 40a, then it's definitely not going to be cheaper than gas (as mentioned above). My AC unit doesn't draw 40 amps, but of course, the cooktop won't be running for 6-8 hours a day.
Looking at a nice Maytag gas convection for $1100.

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turtle said:

That is a point that many do not consider with high current draw appliances like the induction cook tops and the new tankless electric water heaters that take two separate 40 amp circuits. Many homes, even ones built in the past ten years only have 200 amp main services that are not adequate to handle 2 large current draw appliances, HVAC, and other large appliances.

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turtle said:

If I could point you in a different direction. Take a look at DCS. The two I have are the older ones with cast iron burners but other than that, the new ones are very similar. They are a little costly but it would be the last range you would buy. We have a 30" in our cabin and a 36" here. Call around. You might find a "scratch and dent". Like who cares if the side has a bonk in it if it is between cabinets?

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mretzloff said:

What do you mean that the heat "pulses more"?

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