Is Induction Cooking Ready to Go Mainstream?

Finally something I can comment on, as I like to cook, and I upgraded to induction about a year ago.<p>Upside: It's like cooking with gas, without the risk of fire. It looks slick. If you get a good and powerful model, the install footprint is small and cooking on it is very reproducable... (setting 7 on burner 3 with this pan is always the same). You can also get maintain lower temperatures than you can with other stovetops, negating the need in some cases for a double-boiler and making it easy to keep food warm - there are a plethora of other technical coolies too - like how as soon as I lift up the pan to dump the pasta, the power to the element shuts of. It's more efficient. The cat can walk on it and even though he hits the buttons, he can't turn it on - elements are reactive, they won't activate if they don't sense enough ferrous material above them.<p>Downside: It's ceramic. Don't drop stuff on it. Downside: It's ceramic, if you like to sautee stuff by lifting up the pan and/or sliding the pan around, it will just scratch up your cooktop.<p>A professional restaurant, for this reason, would probably benefit from both gas and induction at the same time.

Do not confuse "induction cooking" with "cooking by induction." The latter often goes something like, "well, you cooked dinner <i>last</i> night..."

I didn't realise they still make non-induction stoves. I haven't heard that anyone that I know of has bought an old-tech electric cooktop in the past five years. But this is scandinavia, so I guess it's like living in the future.

It's all fun and games until somebody sticks their hand in the field while wearing a steel watch.

I'd like to nomminate the article for the "stupid metaphor of the year" award, though. I mean, why would I want to by a stove that only allows me to cook meels tested and approved by as well as procured through the stove manufactuer? Or what is the character sequence "iPad of the kitchen" meant to signify?

Ugh, I hate induction for cooking. We have one at home (UK) and it is a pain - you have to be on the ball <i>all</i> the time when making a meal.<p>I prefer gas or standard electric hobs personally; more fine grained control and actually a little more predictable in my experience.

Can you use cast iron on an induction stovetop?

Have been using for 1.5 years and never thought about it as some future technology…

Interesting fact: induction heater plates are pretty much standard here today in Sweden when buying a new kitchen - you just won't find any kitchen appliance reseller in the country featuring the normal conductive hot plate stove as the major presence in their full kitchen kits. Conductive hot plate stoves are still the standard presence in normal rental apartments, though.