The Cooktop that Cannot be Ignored

I am seasoned enough to have had more than a few stoves and cooktops in my cooking life. There have been the ones I hate (Frigidaire’s electric/glass cooktop, for example) because they have no self control—and allow little from me. Favorites have included a great big commercial Garland with six burners, large oven, a salamander and a spacious grill.

Those were the days!

But the hands down favorite cooktop of my life was an induction model we had in the mountains. It looked like a typical black glass electric cooktop, but the similarities ended there. To everyone’s delight, it would bring water to a rolling boil in a flash, and the water would stop its movement immediately when the power was shut off. The cooking surface remained cool (except from reflected heat of the pan), and control over cooking temperature was perfect. It was even better than gas ranges.

This morning, I discovered that the difficult-to-find induction cooktop is in the news. Reading about PATH’s selection of the Top Ten Technologies for the Housing Industry in 2007, it was a thrill to see the induction stovetop make the grade.

And it’s about time. The induction cooktop is not only a superior cooking surface compared to all others (my opinion), it also achieves power savings of 40 to 70 percent compared to conventional stovetops.

How does this technology work? According to the Induction Site

Induction is a third method, completely different from all other cooking technologies— it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.

I have already started shopping online, and my early choice would be either the Viking 36” All Induction Pro Series Cooktop or the stainless model offered by GE. Both offer the most burners, and are manufactured by great American names.

It may not be the most beautiful appliance in the modern kitchen, but for cooking precision and easy clean-up, it can’t be beat. Soap and water can dispense with most cooking spills, because the surface doesn’t get hot enough to burn these messes into the surface.

It’s a great cooking appliance for cooks who love speed, precision, and energy savings—but hate clean-ups!

For other fun luxury home appliance and improvement reading, see:

Switchable Mirror Glass Windows
Sonos: The Expandable Sound System
Wine Storage for Oenophiles
Haute Refrigerators for Cool Kitchens
A Hummer for the Links or Estate?
The Venetian Plaster Master

This article has 17 Comments

Roberta, sounds like a great stove…now if only I cooked. But then again it looks nice! Congrats on reaching the “60” mark. I shall strive to get there someday.

We have had the GE induction cooktop for over 13 years and never had a problem with it.

Gena: It is a terrific cooktop. See? Even Sellsius agrees! As for that “score?” Easy come, easy go. But, if we were to start chatting about Howard Stern and Anna Nicole–or Brittney Spears shaved head, our blog scores would surely increase!

jf: Our experience was the same. I wish we were still cooking with it now.

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Heavy duty built-in induction cooktop engineered for use in commercial kitchens and restaurants. It is a perfect choice for professional chefs. Drop-in design, single cooking zone (burner); Heavy duty electronic components; Extra fans on control box for heat exhausting.

I have never heard about induction cooking until now. I can’t wait to find one in a house I am selling and tell my clients all about it. Thanks for sharing.

Heidi: We had a GE Induction Cooktop in our last home and it was an all time favorite. Induction cooks at least as fast as gas (and is just as controllable), the cooktop is very easy to clean, and it cools down very quickly.