Induction cooktop at high altitude...

[Tod osier]

Looking at cooktop/oven options and wondering if I could get some advice from folks that actually cook on induction cooktops (like really cook, not just heat water).

Side note on why I'm asking.... We are at 7000 feet and cooking with propane now. For anyone not aware, gas stoves are optimized for natural gas at sea level and you have to buy a conversion kit to convert to propane, when you do this you often lose a bunch of BTUs (our last stove a burner was 22K BTU and after conversion 17K) and then some stove manufacturers offer high elevation kits because high elevation screws with combustion too. I'd rather try something new that try to outsmart the manufacturers to get a stove that works on propane AND at high elevation (if someone has details on how to crack that code, I'm all ears, I've spent some time looking).

I've read about induction cooktops, and it seems like that should work for us, but would love actual feedback from someone who uses one. Mainly we want the heat that we are not getting at high elevation on propane, but also need the cooktop to be able to the delicate things too.

As I understand it an electric oven is considered as good as gas, if not better, so no worry there. We are plumbed for propane and have 50 amps electric at the stove. All of our relevant cookware would work with induction. We will always have outdoor burners for propane specific tasks.

I know it isn't the Rokslide way, but not super interested in ultra high price options or niche stoves unless there is an obvious large benefit. Looking at "premium" homeowner level, not professional chef level (again, that would be fine if there was a compelling reason).

 

[Fowl Play]

Not exactly what you are looking for probably, but I’ll give you my experience. I have a little Nuwave single element stove that I used pretty extensively when living in an apartment. Would take it outside to sear steaks or any cook that would generate allot of smoke. Heated up fast, pretty even heating, liked it allot.

Only negative I had is if I ever lifted the pan off the surface, the burner would shut off as a safety feature. I’d have to select my temperature again and start it again. Not that big of an issue, but if I was getting one for my house, I would look into one that maybe gives you a little more time before it shuts off. Even 5-10seconds would be enough to not be annoying. I think the safety feature of it is good, just give me 5 seconds to flip my egg and get it back down.

 

[Tod osier]

Not exactly what you are looking for probably, but I’ll give you my experience. I have a little Nuwave single element stove that I used pretty extensively when living in an apartment. Would take it outside to sear steaks or any cook that would generate allot of smoke. Heated up fast, pretty even heating, liked it allot.

Only negative I had is if I ever lifted the pan off the surface, the burner would shut off as a safety feature. I’d have to select my temperature again and start it again. Not that big of an issue, but if I was getting one for my house, I would look into one that maybe gives you a little more time before it shuts off. Even 5-10seconds would be enough to not be annoying. I think the safety feature of it is good, just give me 5 seconds to flip my egg and get it back down.

That is EXACTLY the sort of stuff I'm interested in. That sort of thing drives me crazy, especially if it isn't just a button to turn back on. We can accidentally shut off our oven with one button, but it is like... beep, beep, beeepity beep, boop, boop, boop of pushing buttons to get it back to where it was set. I love that when I've got a couple pans on the stovetop and trying to reprogram the oven before I burn something.

That is something I would want to check before finalizing a purchase. Great.

 

[Bluefish]

While I used to live at 7300 ft, I have had an induction stove for 4 years now at 1k elevation and love it. It does everything I want in a stove.

Background, I grew up using the old style element electric and switched to gas. Hated the gas (propane at 7300 ft), slow to heat up, not good range, ie hard to simmer and get hot enough for a fast boil. Outsides of pans were always hot. On the new house got a fisher paykel induction range (not cheap). Got it because the only American options had slider for burner control, fp had knobs.

In use, it is super fast to boil water, pan outsides don’t get hot like gas. Dynamic range is great, it has 12 power levels from fast boil to super low simmer. It will shut off if you remove the pan, helpful when wife makes popcorn and doesn’t shut it off, just removes the pan. It also won’t turn on with no pan present. It doesn’t happen instantly, so you can remove a pan to stir or flip and put it back down and it will still work. Since the stove top doesn’t get heated, it stays cooler than conventional glass tops and cools quicker when it does get hot from a pan. You can cook through a paper towel, makes cleaning up after bacon easier. Also do that to prevent scratches if I am going to move the pan a lot. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s a glass top. It’s hard to keep looking good and you have to take care so it doesn’t get scratched. I will buy another if and when this one fails.

 

[Tod osier]

While I used to live at 7300 ft, I have had an induction stove for 4 years now at 1k elevation and love it. It does everything I want in a stove.

Background, I grew up using the old style element electric and switched to gas. Hated the gas, slow to heat up, not good range, ie hard to simmer and get hot enough for a fast boil. Outsides of pans were always hot. On the new house got a fisher paykel induction range (not cheap). Got it because the only American options had slider for burner control, fp had knobs.

In use, it is super fast to boil water, pan outsides don’t get hot like gas. Dynamic range is great, it has 12 power levels from fast boil to super low simmer. It will shut off if you remove the pan, helpful when wife makes popcorn and doesn’t shut it off, just removes the pan. It also won’t turn on with no pan present. So safer. Since the stove top doesn’t get heated, it stays cooler than conventional glass tops and cools quicker when it does get hot from a pan. You can cook through a paper towel, makes cleaning up after bacon easier. Also do that to prevent scratches if I am going to move the pan a lot. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s a glass top. It’s hard to keep looking good and you have to take care so it doesn’t get scratched. I will buy another if and when this one fails.

Love it, thanks for the info and brand suggestion. The slider sounds better than videos I've seen of having to punch in the heat level.

 

[Bluefish]

Love it, thanks for the info and brand suggestion. The slider sounds better than videos I've seen of having to punch in the heat level.

I have not heard great things on the sliders. I like the knobs. Not the best tactile feel, but they do work well. It really is a great stove. If induction wasn’t so expensive it would take over the industry. It gives the instant heat control of gas, with no waste heat, no fumes, much safer. If a kid or dog does turn it on, it won’t do anything unless a pan is present. If you turn on the wrong burner, nothing happens other than standing there wondering why the water isn’t boiling. Did I mention it boils water fast, way faster than any other stove I have owned. Yes the power is less than most gas stoves, but 90+% goes into the pan while only 30% or so goes into the pan on a gas stove. A non issue.
The downsides, need to have steel in your pans. Can’t use cheap aluminum pans. It’s a glass top, so it can scratch and they can shatter if things get dropped on them. Also the fisher paykel is stupid expensive. A minor annoyance is that the oven has a built in fan to keep the cabinet cool. It runs continuously and then after the oven is off until the cabinet is cool.

 

[Bluefish]

https://www.fisherpaykel.com/us/coo...-4-zone-induction-range-or30sdi6x1-81722.html Mine has a little different look, but you can see the knobs which control each burner. Just turn to the setting 1-9 and push on 9 for turbo heat. Then two simmers below 1. With the turbo heat, you can only do that on one burner per side (left/right) at a time. Not really an issue.

 

[Tod osier]

I have not heard great things on the sliders. I like the knobs. Not the best tactile feel, but they do work well. It really is a great stove. If induction wasn’t so expensive it would take over the industry. It gives the instant heat control of gas, with no waste heat, no fumes, much safer. If a kid or dog does turn it on, it won’t do anything unless a pan is present. If you turn on the wrong burner, nothing happens other than standing there wondering why the water isn’t boiling. Did I mention it boils water fast, way faster than any other stove I have owned. Yes the power is less than most gas stoves, but 90+% goes into the pan while only 30% or so goes into the pan on a gas stove. A non issue.
The downsides, need to have steel in your pans. Can’t use cheap aluminum pans. It’s a glass top, so it can scratch and they can shatter if things get dropped on them. Also the fisher paykel is stupid expensive. A minor annoyance is that the oven has a built in fan to keep the cabinet cool. It runs continuously and then after the oven is off until the cabinet is cool.

Misread on the slider. I’ve seen some that you had to program the heat level like and oven, that looked bad. Something tactile sounds good.

Have you heard anything about reliability?

 

[Bluefish]

Misread on the slider. I’ve seen some that you had to program the heat level like and oven, that looked bad.

Have you heard anything about reliability?

I have had mine for 4 years now. No issues. I did read some issues with the whirlpool ones. There are not a lot of choices when looking at a slide in stove. I think most of the industry is cook tops and then a separate oven if an oven at all. Doesn’t seem to have caught on in the USA. Not sure why other than price. They are double the cost or more than a decent gas range and way more than a cheap electric.

 

[Mtndawger]

We live @ 6700’. We’ve been using our Jenn Air induction top for 7 years. Jenn air is whirlpool’s luxury brand I think. Its performance is outstanding. I think cost was around $1800 then but the upsides vastly outweigh any money saved on any gas/ propane/ electric top. I’m a builder and we see insane levels of expensive here. In the grand scheme this price is moderate. It boils water very fast. It has instantaneous temperature control for cooking. It cleans up with cooktop cleaner quickly and easily. Much more easily than any other range I have ever used…no burner assemblies clogging up from spills, no electric burners constantly burning out. You won’t burn yourself on it. It has very high quality glass and as such is quite resistance to scratches. Yes you need to modify your sautéing technique some but we cook with cast iron mostly and really haven’t had any undue wear on the glass, and I have two teenage boys testing it. The need for steel in your cookware sounds more dramatic than it is in reality. Not that big of a deal. The biggest benefit is you are not polluting the air in your home with carbon monoxide and monstrous vent fans to evacuate it. Modern air tight home construction doesn’t play well with those either. I highly recommend induction over other tops, Including integrated ranges.