For serious chefs, gas ranges remain far superior to their electric counterparts. I’ll be the first in line to buy an induction cooktop that performs as well as a high end gas range, but we’re not there yet.
I've had three in different places I've lived, and while they are fantastic temperature-wise, the software and interface is always what infuriates me. They are almost all touch interfaces to keep the flat glass aesthetic, which is absurd because spills happen on stoves and touch interfaces don't work wet. Additionally, most of them automatically detect pans being removed and turn off. An annoying feature for an experienced cook who tosses food around in a pan with one hand.
Obviously. But it shuts it down when you remove it instead of just working again when reapplied. It turns off the cooking surface and you have to turn it back on again, instead of momentarily breaking the heat while you pick it up.
I've had pretty much all kinds in various apartments in the last while, currently back on "hot plate" resistive electric (renting currently), which sucks and is inefficient.
Induction is amazing for some things, but for some other things I prefer gas.
Given the choice, I'd have some kind of combination of gas and induction. Maybe half and half?
So not a chef by any stretch but i’ve been cooking on resistive stoves for a long time. I find it works great for me to use good pans. My favorite is one with low thermal mass but a good heat distribution layer - and it seems to be stable as far as keeping the cooking surface nice and flat.
If I had a choice I wouldn’t use gas for a few reasons. Air quality, the amount of water that gets released and fire hazard. Seen too many buildings explode on tv lol.
Induction is great for instances where you can just leave a flat bottomed pan to do its thing. It is also nice in smaller kitchens where the efficiency keeps the heat going to the pan rather than the air.
But they do not work well (or at all) when a pad is moved around a lot, or it has a rounded bottom like a Wok or Karahi. At least the ones ive used don't. You are also reliant on the designers to give enough heat levels to actually cook properly and to provide a generally usable device that is fit for purpose. None of these things are an issue with even the cheapest gas stoves.
Having a both would be perfect. Just one or two gas burners for frying would be fine.
Yeah, we are living through that horror as well, turns out roughly half of the people we know that have an induction stove ended up having either multiple replacements or live with the peculiarities of their unit. It’s not cheap stuff as well, one couple have a high end Miele one that goes completely haywire if anything drops on its surface and that is after getting one replacement and one “upgrade”…
They can continue using gas stoves with cylinders.
Most of the world does that.
Of course, what actually serious chefs find is that once the subsidy for gas is removed (by removing legislation requiring utilities and buildings to provide piped natural gas), not only are induction stoves much more effective, cook faster, etc., they also keep their kitchens incredibly cool and make them much better work environments than having a bunch of gas burners around.
For the restaurants that need woks they can use a gas stove and have a gas cylinder shipped in every morning.
Serious chef is such a condescending fallacy (no true scottsman, argument of authority). Please instead state why induction does not perform according to you.
You cited wok hei as an aspect of performance that induction stoves don't have, but it's hardly an argument in favor of gas stoves. The article you link is basically about a tool that makes up for what common home gas stoves can't even provide.
Previous Serious Eats articles about it even cited the lack of performance from gas stoves and recommended modifying one with a Wok Mon, but even then the results weren't perfect.
Edit: For some reason I feel the need to clarify that this isn't a comment in support of, or against, gas stoves. I just like cooking and am aware of how hard it is to achieve quality wok hei at home.
China is the world's largest adopter of induction cooktops. Wok cooking isn't a problem. You can even buy induction cooktops specifically shaped for woks. Can we please retire this silly talking point now?
This is true of standard wall outlets which are 110V but not for integrated appliances like ovens and induction cooktops which can pull 200+ volts from your breaker panel. The problem in the USA isn’t your power, it’s your weird habit of buying combination stove-and-oven units. Stop it.
It really is silly, as wall mounted ovens are so much nicer to use in practice, and moreover occupy real estate nothing else is usually using at that level.
Tabletop induction burners that use standard outlets are way more cost effective than induction ranges, too. That thing is $200, which didn’t even pay the electrician bill to put in the 240V 50A outlet and circuit for my range.
