Induction Cooktops

[sartoric]

10 hours ago, KennethT said:

It definitely depends on the cook top.  I have 2 standalone induction burners - one is a cheap Chinese one that beeps the second you lift the pot.  I can't see any way to deactivate the beeping.  The other is a professional one which is designed to be similar to gas, so you can saute, flip, etc, and not only won't it beep, but it will still provide energy to the pan (albeit diminished).  I only use the cheap one as a way to boil a big pot of water fast.

Thanks @KennethT that makes sense. My current single burner is a cheap Chinese made one. Soon though, we will be renovating the kitchen and installing a 4 burner. This is something I’ll have to watch out for.

[KennethT]

37 minutes ago, sartoric said:

Thanks @KennethT that makes sense. My current single burner is a cheap Chinese made one. Soon though, we will be renovating the kitchen and installing a 4 burner. This is something I’ll have to watch out for.

Also check how fine the gradation is in the power settings. My cheap one is like 10% between each notch. My really good one is 1%.  Also, look for those with continuously variable output as opposed to using a duty cycle. Duty cycle ones lead to scorching very easily even at 40% power. Continuously variable ones act much more like a gas burner.

[haresfur]

3 hours ago, KennethT said:

Also check how fine the gradation is in the power settings. My cheap one is like 10% between each notch. My really good one is 1%.  Also, look for those with continuously variable output as opposed to using a duty cycle. Duty cycle ones lead to scorching very easily even at 40% power. Continuously variable ones act much more like a gas burner.

 

I totally agree with this. Fast heating is nice, but the fine control is really important and often lacking.

[sartoric]

20 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

I'd like some input on which brands do the 'screaming on pan removal issue.

 

interested in free standing units.

absolutely not interested in any thing that screams/beeps/howls if I should dare to remove the pot. . . 

I live in Australia, so doubt you would have access to this brand - Anko.

[AlaMoi]

searches for Anko only turns up AU stores/souces .  . .  the design looks very similar to others available in USA tho . . .

[&roid]

After years of hating induction I finally got one in our latest kitchen. One of the biggest things that put me off was touch screen controls - they have absolutely no place in a kitchen. 
 

thankfully (though not for my bank balance) gaggenau now do cooktops with optional physical dials. We’ve had it about six months now and honestly I couldn’t be happier. The knobs make all the difference to the cooking experience. The other big plus is how much it lets me just get on with stuff, no beeping when I move a pan, no switching off when I put a tray or plate elsewhere on the cooking surface - zero second guessing. 
 

The gradations have been great for everything I’ve needed - it has 13 power levels (12 + boost), but they aren’t linear, so you get much finer adjustment below level 9. 
 

Having been solidly in team gas until now I feel like I’ve finally been converted - I actually prefer it to my previous Wolf rangetop. 
 

pic of it in situ:

 

[haresfur]

On 12/4/2025 at 6:53 AM, sartoric said:

I live in Australia, so doubt you would have access to this brand - Anko.

 

My Ikea single free standing induction does beep, but pretty quietly and slowly, and I don't find it obnoxious.