Dammit! Why are induction cooktops so $$$$$$$?

[supernova]

I've talked off and on about remodelling my kitchen and ideally, I'd like to replace my at least 25 yo Westinghouse electric stove with an in counter cooktop and a wallmount oven.

I really would like to have an induction cooktop, but geez, they are like double the cost of a regular electric cooktop. Why the extra expense? for that money, I want it to be made of the same material as the Enterprise.

Is it just the novelty of them? I hear that in other countries they are not so out of whack on the pricing compared to other cooking appliances. Did I hear wrong?

edit: Meant to say "induction" not "convection" :P

[Stinky The Clown]

1. If you're looking to replace an electric cooktop, consider an induction cooker.

They will absolutely be the cooker of choice in a very short time.

Convection ovens are considerably more complicated than a plain old thermal oven. I don't know if their higher cost is proportional to their higher price, however.

[supernova]

2. I meant "induction"

Opps.

:blush:

Induction cooker.

[Warpy]

3. One thing to consider is that induction cooktops

will outlast regular electric cooktops by three or four times. That means paying twice as much could cost half as much over the lifetime of the unit.

I'll stick with gas, though. Induction just doesn't work with a wok.

[supernova]

4. Yeah, lifespan is something to consider

and don't you also have to buy certain alloy pans to cook on them?

[Tesha]

6. The pans you use with induction cooktops have to have a lot of iron in them.

Cast iron pots and pans (e.g., "Le Creuset") work fine
as do *SOME* stainless steel pans.

Aluminum pans won't work nor will glass or pyroceram
("Corningware").

The nice part about induction cooktops is that the cooktop
itself doesn't get hot except for heat transferred *BACK*
from the pan; it's the pan itself that's getting hot. And
lift the pan from the cooktop and the heating mechanism
shuts off automatically. They're also quite energy-efficient
since there's no heat being wasted heating things other than
the pan and food.

The not-nice part of induction cooktops, aside from the
restrictions on what pans you can use, is the price.
But that price is high because of the electronic complexity
of the cooktop.

Tesha

[supernova]

7. I love cooking in cast iron

any way.

It's long lasting, looks good, and will cook anything.

I still use my grandma's cast iron skillet every morning to cook breakfast. :-)

[NashVegas]

13. I Have a Set Of Aubeqc Carot Pans From TJ Maxx

That were made with induction cookers in mind. I'm on a regular electric stove and I *love* these pans. I've never had one that heated this evenly, let alone 3.

[flamin lib]

5. Back in the days of Wine & Roses I had an induction cook top.

Loved it because it didn't heat up the kitchen. Major downside is that it requires magnetic cookware and you'll probably have to replace all your stove top pots/pans. It likes cast iron, but cast iron is heavy and prone to scratch the surface. Also, like microwave ovens, the generator loses power over time and what would once boil water in seconds eventually takes long minutes. Depending on quality of cookware it also exaggerates hot sots due to variances in density and material.

I bought my cook top in the early 80's, so the technology has probably been improved but it isn't by any means new.

My current cook top is electric and utilizes IR as well as conductive heat. I'm very happy with it and although it doesn't pack the calories of gas it gets the job done quite well. I'm quite happy with it and it uses any utensil of any material quite well.

[supernova]

8. IR? Infrared?

How does that work?

[flamin lib]

11. The element glows bright red instantly radiating heat into the

cookware. In addition to the radiated heat the stove top becomes hot and conducts heat directly into the cookware. It greatly speeds the heating. Still, like any conductive heating element the cool-down is much slower than with gas, but what the heck, just take the pan off the element.

Mine is glass/ceramic topped so it's super easy to clean. Just let it cool and wash it with a mild abrasive. That was my favorite part of the induction cook top--the only heat in the top itself was conducted back into it from the cookware. If I had a boil over I just wiped it up with a towel while I was cooking! Can do the same with the electric but have to be real fast to prevent the towel from burning.

Mine is similar to this: http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=COOKTOPS&cat=80&prod=1308 The cooking areas are in different positions but it has the same features.

Find a dealer that has a "scratch and dent" section where they sell discontinued floor models, minor damage etc. I got mine for about 1/2 price and never did find the scratch. Same with the GE Profile microwave although I found the tiny dent right away.

[eridani]

9. I've read that they are very easy to damage. True? n/t

[supernova]

10. I don't know

that they are any more fragile than other cooktops, which I believe are a type of tempered glass.

[flamin lib]

12. No more fragile than any other cooktop. The do have a lot of

electronics inside though and if you have a bug problem they might short circuit some of the control hardware. For some reason bugs love the electronics--maybe it's the emi/rfi radiation--and they're drawn to it.

[TommyO]

14. I'm hoping to go induction next year.

Now that some manufacturers are producing freestanding induction ranges that will work on a standard 50 amp circuit, replacing the existing smooth surface cooktop will be a cinch. Fortunately, I already have plenty of stainless steel that is induction compatible, as well as a few pieces of cast iron and LeCreuset.

[supernova]

15. Yes, I've seen those, and that might

be the way for me to go, the free-standing ranges. They are cheaper than what I was originally thinking.

I'm not a great fan of having gas in my house, but I do like induction. And I love cast iron.

[TommyO]

16. Right now it's just the Kenmore Elite and GE Profile

but I suspect we'll have more to choose from a year from now.

[TankLV]

17. You could look for items online or in the paper -

they are still "new" but since the economy is crap, projects have been canceled all over, and contractors/builders have lots of "new" stuff they need to get rid of...

All sorts of building/furnishing items...

Just have to look around...