Anybody have a Induction top oven?

[KS Toronado]

It's my understanding the top always stays cool to the touch, is that correct? I look after my 95 yo mom and
our current electric oven is a smooth top and she's starting to burn herself (not bad yet) and leaving plastic
plates and containers on the hot surface.

Other than a cool surface is there any other advantages to owning one? Is the bottom baking area some type
of convection also or do they have a regular electric heating element? Thanks

edit, added

I guess Induction is the correct term for the cool tops.

[MOMFUDSKI]

1. My microwave is also convection.

I used it few times years back to bake a cake. Meh. Oven is much better

[erronis]

4. This was about "induction", not "convection"

But I love convection ovens - once you get to understand that they really do cook more quickly.

[ret5hd]

2. very slight correction:

the cooktop WILL get hot…but only because the pan/skillet is in contact with the cooktop and is transferring heat to the cooktop.

all i’m saying is, don’t pick up your pan and place your palm where the pan was sitting.

the cooktop isn’t being heated by the stove, but it will get hot from being in direct contact with the pan, which IS being heated by the stove with electro-magnetic waves.

technical difference.

[SarahD]

3. WARNING! NOT THE SAME!

The induction cooktop is not the same as a smooth surface cooktop, even though they may look the same. The induction cooktop should not get very hot, although some heat may be transferred from the cooking pot or fry pan into the glass surface. This is why they advertise them as "stay cool." They do remain cool enough that they won't melt your spatula or set your oven mitt on fire. The pot does get hot. A frying pan on an induction cooktop gets as hot as it would on an ordinary electric or gas burner. My friends have an induction cooktop and they love it, but it takes a little getting used to in order to remember what gets hot and what does not. Also, the cooking pots and pans must have some iron or steel to work on an induction cooktop. Aluminum or stainless steel may not work very well, or at all. Induction is great for people who might forget and touch a glass cooktop that's still hot because the glass never gets very hot on an induction cooktop, so induction is probably safer. The oven is not induction and works just like the one you have now.

[usonian]

5. An induction cooktop creates a magnetic field that makes your cookware hot.

So, while the cooktop for the most part remains cool to the touch, the cookware will obviously get hot, (AND THE GLASS BENEATH IT) but that's less area to accidentally contact. Outside that contact area, spills don't steam up and burn in. Combustibles won't combust.

Ideas here:
https://www.tomsguide.com/home/I-tried-an-induction-cooktop-3-things-i-learned

Cookware must be a magnetic material (try sticking a magnet to it) so some cookware won't work (like copper, aluminum, glass and "non-magnetic" stainless steel )

https://projectperfecthome.com/how-to-tell-if-cookware-is-induction-ready/

Magnetic in the sense that it sticks to a magnet, not in the sense that it picks up a paper clip, if you get my drift. Cast iron will be heavy for a 95 year old. Most AllClad, Calphalon, and Cuisinart will work fine. When in doubt, things are stamped "induction ready" or with the squiggly icon. And sticking to a magnet is good.



Ovens (the bottom ones) are always heated elements, optionally with a convection fan, because it's the hot air that does the cooking.

Microwave ovens send microwaves directly into the cooked item, and metal should be avoided in almost all cases. With an older person, it's best to just ban metal from the microwave.

I'd be fine with a single portable induction unit almost all of the time.

[KS Toronado]

8. When I bought this house from the owners son....

his mom had passed away and he'd never lived here, warned me I'd need special metal bottom cookware
for the stove so I bought a set. Come to find out he was misinformed by his mom.

[usonian]

13. Did his mom inform him to buy her LeCreuset and Staub?

Copper won't work with induction ovens.

Julia Child used LeCreuset a lot but loved copper. She filled an entire wall with it.

[MOMFUDSKI]

6. Duh.

I misread INDUCTION! Never mind

[Native]

7. in addition to being more cool to the touch with the caveats other posters have mentioned, it is more energy

efficient and heats up faster. When we toured Europe a few years back every place we stayed in had induction cooktops. It was amazing how quickly water boiled on them. I think getting one will definitely give you peace of mind with regard to your mother. And you definitely need to make sure that your cookware is induction compatible.

[KS Toronado]

10. Thanks I was wondering about energy efficiency

Cheapest one locally is $1,100 plus tax, so it better save a lot of electricity , current stove takes 7 minutes to
boil 2 cups of water, seems like gas stoves which I've always used were faster.

[Warpy]

9. I had an induction hot plate for my dyepot

and the top did get hot after I'd dyed a batch of yarn, the same temperature as the contents of the pot. That's considerably cooler than a smooth top range, but it can still cause burns in an elderly person.

Besides, you might have to replace your cookware to use it, depending on what you have.

If she's the one turning the stove on, a better idea might be to cut the stove breaker off at the panel when you are not using it yourself or supervising her if she uses it.

If she's living in an in law apartment, a better idea might be to get her an old fashioned electric stove with obvious cooking elements. She might just be flummoxed by the flat surface and needs a visual cue that these are stoves and the elements get hot.

(getting old sucks)

[pandr32]

11. I have a Beko induction range.

I have put tea towels under pots while they cook. No burning. I can also power up the elements to boil water in seconds. It is the pots and pans that heat up. There is a small amount of transfer heat to the glass surface, but it won't burn.

[gristy]

12. Here's some to consider

Get a countertop induction "hot" plate from Ikea. I have one of these and it is just wonderful and I use it all the time. Top stays cool, price is right, starts cooking food faster than anything, and it would give you and your mom a low-cost way to try out the technology.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tillreda-portable-induction-cooktop-1-zone-white-10493520/

When you're ready to replace the whole range, consider an electric range with induction cooktop. I really like the ones from Fisher & Paykel, and they have pretty good reviews online. Haven't bought one quite yet, but I intend to.
Here's a 30in wide version: https://www.build.com/fisher-and-paykel-or30sdi6x1/s1663901

[KS Toronado]

14. Thanks for the info

Ordered a Duxtop 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner, Black 9100MC/BT-M20B
online, this one had great reviews.

[Native]

15. don't forget to use induction cookware.