25 replies to this topic

[Druckenbrodt]

I have a dilemma and was curious to know whether other egulleters have had similar experiences. Having always refused to live anywhere where you couldn't cook with gas, we moved into a flat without a cooker about a year ago and bought a Bartscher portable one ring induction cooker to tide us over until we'd decided on/ordered our real hob. It was the first time we'd used induction and it was a revelation which turned is into complete converts. When we had guests our favourite party trick was 'guess how long the water takes to boil' and we'd stand around and marvel like it was the 1960s and we were discussing the moon landings.

The only disadvantage seemed to be the price... Anyway we decided to save up for a De Dietrich cooktop which was amazing until the electrics cut out. We returned it to our supplier who had it repaired and then the same thing happened again. This time our French delivery service managed to completely destroy it (another story) so we're back to square one trying to figure out what to get. Meanwhile, our Bartscher cooker died about a year after we bought it (again, it just didn't switch on) we took it back to our supplier who replaced it, but the new one, which theoretically has a lowest wattage of 400 watts (which apparently should give a heat of about 60 degrees celcius), seemed to only want to do furnace style cooking. (It was the same model as our previous one which had been OK.) We took it back, got it replaced, and the new one is just the same. You can forget trying to cook anything that needs to be on a gentle heat, like rice (incinerates it if you leave it on for more than five minutes) but even not so 'sensitive' stuff seems to only get the blast boil treatment.

Maybe both of these brands just aren't all that reliable (although I thought Bartscher was German, which normally is a 'guarantee' of reliability) or maybe we've just had a run of bad luck.

My boyfriend is still convinced induction is the way forward, but I'm starting to get cold feet. I'd be very interested to know if other forum users have encountered similar problems.

[Anna N]

I have 2 portable induction hobs. More than a year ago I removed all the electric coils from my range and use only these induction hobs for stove top cooking. One is a Eurodib and the other a Salton. Both are low-end. The Eurodib is totally reliable and I can get a lovely bare simmer using it. The Salton, however, is a bit of a pain. I seem to get hot spots, it will shut off unexpectedly if left alone for half an hour or so and I can't get the really gentle simmer on it.

Even with the issues with the Salton I cannot imagine going back to cooking with anything else! My daughter has a brand new high end flat top - yuck - and my electric coils were always a total pain. I can get so much control with induction.

Don't give up. You may just have had some really bad luck!

[dougal]

I had boring reliability (and fun) with a de Dietrich induction hob.

However, when installing it, I was extremely careful to observe the under-counter ventilation and clearance instructions. My guess would be that 'cooking' the electronics might be a real risk if ventilation were ever to be obstructed.

Edited by dougal, 22 April 2009 - 03:06 AM.

[ermintrude]

Had my AEG induction hob for 4 years now with no problems - love it.

[Druckenbrodt]

Thank you for all the feedback everyone. Not sure what I think now... Maybe our De Dietrich wasn't installed properly... and our Bartscher is just a crappy brand... and maybe have just had a lot of bad luck... still feeling not entirely convinced though!

[tangaloor]

I'll second the de Dietrich recommendation--I've had one for years without a single problem, except for the time we accidentally activated the child-proof lock and for a few days couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I wouldn't go back to electric.

[tangaloor]

...you do need to be careful with ventilation, though--it can get pretty hot underneath even with everything set up as per the manual.

[ardelle cowie]

We recently installed a Wolf induction cook top (5 burners). It works wonderfully.

We are planning to re-do our kitchen, so thanks for the heads up to watch for heat build up under the cook top!

We thought in our new kitchen we could use all the space under the cook top (which replaced an old electric coil one) for storage. Sounds like we'll need to give the new one room to breathe.

[dougal]

...
We thought in our new kitchen we could use all the space under the cook top (which replaced an old electric coil one) for storage. Sounds like we'll need to give the new one room to breathe.

You should indeed be able to use that space.

I wouldn't use it for anything that minded the possibility of being warm occasionally, or of obstructing the airway.
So, chocolate or a springy pile of towels would be bad choices!
I kept cooking implements in a drawer close under mine.

The requirement is just for a little bit of air through-flow.
Like breathing, its ventilation rather than space that is needed.
Some small rubber bumpers kept the drawer from closing completely, allowing some air in without visible impact.
1/10 of an inch gap all round a 19 inch wide drawer is almost 5 square inches of vent hole ...
And a little work on the rear of the cabinetwork allowed any warm air to exit upwards, by sharing the worktop venting for the under-counter fridge in the next module.

Not at all hard to do, and fully explained in the installation instructions. (As was the fridge's ventilation need.)

[Dianabanana]

I've had the Kenmore/Electrolux induction range for about 6 months now, so not the longest experience, but it's been absolutely flawless for me.

[carlux]

I have had a Miele Induction cooktop for the last 5 years or so, with no problems, and I love it. It's installed above a Miele oven, in the typical set-up (but with sufficient airspace in between) Both work really well.

I'd never have any other type of cooktop.

[Franci]

Hi.

I've been owning a Sauter induction cooktop since last August. Two days ago I simmered a veal stock for 12 hours, yesterday that burner blew off. Do you think it's normal?
I think I should be able to use my stove for as long as I want.

[Mano]

Go to Garden Web Appliance forum and search induction and then Viking. Tons of posts on both and nothing I recall about problems with induction reliability.

Viking is another story.

[andiesenji]

In yesterday's email from Kitchen Contraptions is this review of Induction Stoves

And there is then a link to Joy of an Induction Stove
which answers some basic questions.

[CharlotteLuck]

Hello All,

I am new to the society and have been reading different posts for months. I can't wait to join in the very informative dialogues. I want to use induction burners in a restaurant I'm am planning to open and I'm curious about the usability of induction burners. I have a couple of questions:

1. How feasible is it to use home induction ranges in a restaurant? The Best Buy guy seems to think so. LOL
2. Has anybody worked on an full induction range during service?

They seem to be a better option for keeping the kitchen cool, consistent heat, and overall safety. But I'm not sure if induction would be good during an intense service.

[Mjx]

Hello All,

I am new to the society and have been reading different posts for months. I can't wait to join in the very informative dialogues. I want to use induction burners in a restaurant I'm am planning to open and I'm curious about the usability of induction burners. I have a couple of questions:

1. How feasible is it to use home induction ranges in a restaurant? The Best Buy guy seems to think so. LOL
2. Has anybody worked on an full induction range during service?

They seem to be a better option for keeping the kitchen cool, consistent heat, and overall safety. But I'm not sure if induction would be good during an intense service.

I'd have significant reservations about using any sort of home unit in a restaurant setting; are commercial induction ranges available? If not, there may be good reason for it, and it would at least be worth investigating carefully.

[nickrey]

Tetsuya Wakuda, who features relatively regularly among the world's top chefs, uses induction cook tops in his restaurant (Electrolux brand). Can't find the post off hand but Blackp, a member of this site, asked Tets if the response was slow. In response, Tets grabbed his hand, put it in a cold pan on the induction plate, turned it on and asked if he still thought the response might be slow (it wasn't and he didn't). Seems the response speed is as good as if not better than gas. Google Tetsuya and Electrolux to check out some of the info.

[_john]

I use a 2 hob induction range during service where there is no hood above. It is a 200v 2kw range made by some big Japanese maker. There are some situations in a restaurant where an induction burner is really nice to have. It is really powerful and the response is fast. I have never had a problem with 200v induction burners. The two single hob 100v burners I had in my house both broke within a year and were constantly shutting down (overheating?).

[andiesenji]

Hello All,

I am new to the society and have been reading different posts for months. I can't wait to join in the very informative dialogues. I want to use induction burners in a restaurant I'm am planning to open and I'm curious about the usability of induction burners. I have a couple of questions:

1. How feasible is it to use home induction ranges in a restaurant? The Best Buy guy seems to think so. LOL
2. Has anybody worked on an full induction range during service?

They seem to be a better option for keeping the kitchen cool, consistent heat, and overall safety. But I'm not sure if induction would be good during an intense service.

There is a Japanese restaurant in Palmdale that nor uses the portable induction burners when cooking sukiyaki at tableside - they began this three or four years ago to get a reduction on their insurance rates. Having "open flames" in the guest area increased the premiums significantly - the female servers wear traditional kimonos and those trailing sleeves were considered dangerous when used with conventional braziers.

I had been to the place several times during the past fifteen or so years and commented on the induction burners and got the story.

They may well use it for other dishes but I always get the sukiyaki...

Edited by andiesenji, 14 February 2012 - 11:04 AM.

[mkayahara]

There is a Japanese restaurant in Palmdale that nor uses the portable induction burners when cooking sukiyaki at tableside - they began this three or four years ago to get a reduction on their insurance rates. Having "open flames" in the guest area increased the premiums significantly - the female servers wear traditional kimonos and those trailing sleeves were considered dangerous when used with conventional braziers.

I had been to the place several times during the past fifteen or so years and commented on the induction burners and got the story.

They may well use it for other dishes but I always get the sukiyaki...

So they work well? I've been considering an induction hot plate, and being able to use it for nabemono would by a big selling feature for me. (Yes, I realize they wouldn't work with traditional nabe, but since I don't have one, I don't mind.)

[cbread]

I'd be asking a restaurant supply place I trust whether induction hobs were any good for commercial kitchen use. That is if you have a supplier you can trust. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[CharlotteLuck]

Tetsuya Wakuda, who features relatively regularly among the world's top chefs, uses induction cook tops in his restaurant (Electrolux brand).

I went online and did some research on Tetsuyas kitchen and elecrolux and couldn't find any specifics. I want to see if I can see his restaurant kitchen layout. He does a lot of home kitchen design with some pretty high end stuff. I really think they will be worth the money invested if they are durable. I could always use gas and induction on the line as well.

[quattro98]

I'm sure there are others, but Cooktek makes commercial induction cookers.

http://www.cooktek.com/

[Joe Blowe]

I'm sure there are others, but Cooktek makes commercial induction cookers.

Why, yes, you are correct...

[Dave Hatfield]

We have an induction cook top from Ariston that we inherited when we bough this house 18 months ago.

I have always been a confirmed gas user, but getting gas in this location would have been both difficult & expensive.

The only problem I have with our induction cook top is that the controls don't seem to be very linear. They are touch controls that go from 0 to 6 with nothing in between. The difference between 5 & 6 is far too large. The difference between other setting is also too coarse.
I miss the 'infinite' control I had on my gas cooker.

Otherwuse induction is fine.

[carlux]

I have a Miele induction cooktop which goes from 0-9, (plusa booster control for a quick start) and I love it. I havent noticed a great jump between any one setting to othe other. What I particularly like is that I know, and can go back to, a particular setting for a particular dish, which is more difficult with gas. In my part of rural France I too can't get 'town gas' but I think I would still choose induction.