Obviously. Talking about this is like looking at these articles, which often contradict each other:
https://www.thekitchenguy.net/best-induction-cookware-review...
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/a28435170/induct...
From my experience:
Accurate and immediate change in cooking temperature is important for many dishes and styles. With Induction, everything is gradual and this cannot be avoided. Might as well be microwaving some dishes. Gas stove wins.
Ambient heat takes longer to dissipate from heated induction stoves which suffer from heat transfer to parts of the appliance, which is mitigated by a fan to a degree. Gas stove wins slightly.
There is a claim that induction stoves and cooktops heat faster than electric and gas counterparts. This is true if you have the correct pan and it's the vast majority of dishes that don't mind the equalized cooking surface. Induction wins slightly.
Gas stove pilot light can go out. Pretty dangerous.
Induction is more expensive and requires new cookware, pushing that further.
The "difficulty" to clean is a matter of learning. Go to home depot and get your glass scraper and cleaning solution, your Induction will be easier than your Gas...although you'll likely clean your Induction more often because of visibility.
Induction is electric. If power goes out, you have no stove. I'm not sure who's worried about cooking in a blackout, but that could be a thing in a cabin, I guess.
I think it largely depends on how good a cook you need to be. If you are looking for finer control, Gas all the way. If you are looking for safety and speed, Induction.
The opposite. It's pretty much the same as gas. Even your article states so: "Induction stoves and cooktops offer precise temperature control. Electric cooktops take a lot of time to heat up and cool down, and it's difficult to hit a precise temperature with gas ranges. But with induction, you're afforded super precise temperature control which allows for more controlled cooking. When you turn the burner off, heat transfer stops immediately, so there's less of a chance of foods boiling over or overcooking."
>Induction is more expensive and requires new cookware, pushing that further.
I'm not sure if this is true, as far as new cookware. I guess it depends on who you are. I've never had cookware that was incompatible w/ induction.
It's almost like you intentionally misunderstood the point. You can select multiple comparisons and come away with different impressions because of such weasel statements as "It's pretty much the same as gas."
It's a subjective statement that cannot equate to some absolute "superior" claim.
> Electric cooktops take a lot of time to heat up and cool down,
An example of the "Gradual" archetype, I mentioned. This is beneficial in some cases and undesired in others.
> But with induction, you're afforded super precise temperature control which allows for more controlled cooking.
Precise temperature control is not the same as "controlled cooking". It's just one quality. The ability to spike/flash heat or spot heat a dish are examples of different forms of control as well.
> When you turn the burner off, heat transfer stops immediately, so there's less of a chance of foods boiling over or overcooking."
In some dishes this is preferred. It is a rare occurrence that you want to overcook (to then take it off and let it cook down as it cools).
Again, many of the points raised by bother sides seem to come down to required competence and skill for meals, rather than some absolute measure of utility.
They aren't talking about induction cooktops...they are talking about traditional electric cooktops that use resistance. Induction cooktops are not gradual at all.
> Electric cooktops take a lot of time to heat up and cool down, and it's difficult to hit a precise temperature with gas ranges. But with induction
You need to understand this article is separating into three different categories. Electric (Resistance), Induction, and Gas. I don't know why that's so hard for you to understand.
They all use PWM at a fixed stepped setting depending on the stove and most importantly they are far more dependent on the cookware.
Induction on 5 out of 10 can produce very different results when using different cookware for example steel vs cast iron not to mention the crappier induction ready aluminum cookware with a steel plate you get these days from various brands.
Gas has far more precision since it’s an analogue control from 0 to max and it outputs the same amount of BTU on the same setting.
If induction were actually far superior, they would have switched by now. They haven't.
You sure about the pans? Generally if a magnet sticks to your pan you are good. You don't need new pans marketed as "induction ready", you just need ones that a magnet can stick to, i.e. not completely aluminum.
Iron = ok, copper bottom = ok, any of the copper/AL/steel type sandwiches is ok. I've got a collection of pans from both sides of the family, years in college, and years since buying from various places. I've yet to find a pan/pon that does't work well.
Also keep in mind that induction creates inside the pot/pan, fire has to start working on the outside and let it conduct through.
I think it's a bit of a mixed bag. But surely we can agree electric coils and ifra tops are both terrible?
Induction and gas are both good, I would prefer having both ideally, and one of those damn jet engine wok burners too.
Also, our gas range saved us during the Texas freeze. Used my lighter to get the gas going and we were able to cook and stay warm for a bit, keeping the window open so we wouldn't die. If I'm out camping, sure, pairs well with my portable solar panels and goal zero.
Halogen and resistance hobs are less responsive though.
I think you might be confused about what induction is, might be worth a revisit to know the difference between induction vs a traditional electric cooktop.
Resistance cooktops are garbage, though.
What issues due you have with induction? Everything I have seen says they heat up pots faster than gas.
I know this from measuring it in my own kitchen, air quality would spike to worse than the worst city globally for hours without filtration or minutes with.
> I know this from measuring it in my own kitchen, air quality would spike to worse than the worst city globally for hours without filtration or minutes with.
HEPA filters don't help with NO2 levels. Air filters on the market that advertise activated charcoal are full of it, you need pounds of activated charcoal to make a huge difference, not the tiny little sheet that most filters use.
FWIW I have 2 HEPA filters running, they don't help with spicy food either.
Someone on HN once mentioned a real charcoal filter they had bought that had several pounds in it, but sadly I lost the comment and I don't remember the product they recommended.
I imagine there are better ones around with knobs or similar.
Induction can be nice, but I now have to pay careful attention to any cooking vessel I buy until the end of time and ensure that it's compatible. I also would need to run a new 220V outlet along an exterior wall to my kitchen, expand my breaker box (which has been full for a while and is approaching full of half-height breakers), and so on. Not worth it to me.
Gas is simple and reliable. It's instant on, instant off, and works in a power outage so long as I have matches around. I turn on my exhaust fan when I'm using it and have air filters in my house to catch other particulates. I just replaced my gas stove this year - with another gas stove.