Are induction cooktops better than gas?

One huge advantage: Even the $69 induction cookers let you set a maximum temperature, so you can't damage your non-stick pans by overheating them.

In Europe, people use electric kettles which are so much faster than cooktop kettles. I remember induction cooktops in the 80's and for some reason they never took off and it did require a certain kind of cookware. The $69 induction top is impressive.

My first induction cooktop was in 1992, and they are my favorite to this day. Not just for it's cooking sensibility, but also for the ease of cleaning and the safety that is second to none.

Thank you for this. I thought I wouldn’t be able to cook my eggs in my favorite little cast iron skillet, but you cleared that up for me. I have an old, somewhat decrepit electric stove that I finally replaced with a small induction cooktop. Between the induction surface and my Instant Pot I don’t need that old stovetop anymore, so I unplugged it and covered the top with a better workspace. Best move I’ve made in the kitchen in years. 😁

Excellent test and presentation. Thanks for the demo. I bought this same induction cooktop last year mainly because it was cheaper than buying a replacement burner for my electric cooktop. Also I like the fact that I can move it around wherever I want and it is quite lightweight for the size. I can take it to potlucks or cook outside on a hot day. I was pretty skeptical about it at first but after using it a few times I love it. It heats up and cools down quickly. I have more control over the temperature. I can actually select the temperature I want where as with the gas or the electric stove I have no idea what the temperature is without getting a thermometer out. I am amazed by this recent innovation in cooking.
I do not like gas for cooking at all either propane or natural. I hate the smell and the fire danger. There have been way too many disasters associated with both natural and propane gas. When the fire came through Paradise California, one propane tank after another exploded accelerating the fire to unimaginable proportions. Several years ago in the Bay Area natural gas lines exploded destroying houses and killing people. During earthquakes you can see Fire Starting because of broken natural gas lines.
So far the only downfall I found what this induction cooktop is the way it Cooks pancakes. I noticed the pancakes cook faster towards the center of the pancake. By the time the outer part of the pancake was ready the Insight was just starting to Blacken. It's as if the heat is concentrated more in the center of the unit. I would love to have you check this out. I was using the pan that came with the unit.
Thanks for the excellent video

I love my induction cooktop, and honestly there is only one drawback. If you have fancy non-ferrous pans (like those from Soy - copper and silver!) then you can't use the induction. But that's literally the *only* downside I've experienced after using these for years. I absolutely love them.

Cool comparison video. Induction cooktops use eddy currents in the metal container to heat it up. So, all electrically conductive containers will heat up to varying amounts. I would be careful, as a gold ring on your finger could heat up as well and burn your finger. I will be happy to hear of your experience on this issue.

Thanks for this video! I am nutritionist studying for my board exam to be a dietitian and a portion of my exam is all about foodservice management (and thus, cooking methods!) I wanted to learn more about the induction cooking and came across your channel and this explained it well! Thanks so much!

I have an induction burner and a gas range. I’ve been using the induction a lot lately. I used the gas today and was amazed at how much longer it took to warm up the pan!

I recently remodeled my kitchen and went with a double oven with an induction cooktop. I became impressed with induction a couple of years ago when we bought a small single burner unit similar to the one he showed in the video. We bought it for my mom who is 90, and we felt that her regular stove was too dangerous for her because she would often forget to turn it off. I tried it out and was blown away by how fast it heated things. The one I just bought is a Kitchen Aide and it is great. The heat is instantaneous and I can control it just by sliding my finger on the controls. In about two seconds I can change from extremely high heat to very low heat and you can watch the food being cooked suddenly change. I can guarantee that it is more responsive than gas. Some other benefits is that the stovetop is very easy to clean. Food never sticks or burns to its surface. If you forget to turn it off, who cares? After using it for the first time I noticed immediately that my kitchen was much cooler. Yes, you may have to buy new pans, but that is a small price to pay. There are many induction ready pots and pans that are stainless steel, with nice thick heavy bottoms. Win win. If you have a favorite pot or pan that does not work on an induction stove, then you can buy an induction ready iron plate that sits on the element. Then you put your favorite pan on it and there you go. It was more expensive. About $1000 more than a similar halogen cooktop, but I did opt for the double ovens which did increase the price quite a bit. Having done some research, induction is only marginally more expensive than gas or halogen, unless you go crazy like I did with the double ovens. The cooktops without the ovens is quite comparable. Induction certainly is not a new technology, so don’t think you are buying something never before used.

We've been using an induction cooktop for about 10 years now. We went with it when we remodeled the kitchen because our little kids show'd an interest in cooking and long hair and flame doesn't work. As shown, it will blow electric coil or gas away. We did comparisons with same cookware and equal volume water and temperature on a variety of our family's cooktops. No challenge. Twice as fast in some cases.
However, gas is more even cooking. This demo isn't exactly fair since that large a burner is too wide for that size pot. In fact, a smaller burner might actually have transferred more heat than the larger one since much of it wrapped up around the sides an escaped.
He mentions pros and cons. Pros are obvious. You should get an insurance discount with these. I don't see how you could start a fire with one. Cons are that they don't heat well in the middle. The induction coil is circular, leaving a hole in the middle. Even with good heat-transfer cookware, it's cooler in the middle. Also, like all electric cooktops, woks won't work right. Buy yourself one of those portable gas pods for that. Also, if you already have a pressure cooker, it's probably not induction. We got a Instant Pot. However, I do have a huge pressure cooker, but I use it on the side burner of my grill now.

Good video. Thanks. I have used induction before while on the road for work, but now I am considering a 36" induction cooktop to replace an electric cooktop that is in a new build I am purchasing. I was going to replace it with gas... but I didn't realize induction was making a push into the full cooktop market! It is an impressive technology and I never had a problem cooking on my single burner unit.

*TIP: You can use ANY pan or pot with an adaptor plate that is induction compatible, usually twenty dollars. You place the adaptor plate on the induction cooktop and place the pan/pot on the adaptor plate. Easy to use everything you currently own.*

I LOVE my induction plates (cooktop & oven), which I place on top my electric range during the summer. It's instant on, instant off, and holds the precise temperature you program in. This makes ice cream and candy making super simple and keeps the kitchen temperatures tolerable in the hot months (and here, that's at least 6 months of the year). When I remodel, I'm getting an induction cooktop and convection oven. I grew up cooking on a gas stove and then an electric one and have always laughed at those cooking snobs who think gas is better. Once you learn how to use electric, it's just as good. Even though it takes a little longer to power up, you can stop the power much sooner than gas and it keeps cooking...and gas is actually way more expensive (and dangerous). The kicker for me has always been the "instant off" claim for gas...it's not true since the burner and surrounding area keeps heating the pan, so unless you take the pan OFF the burner, you don't actually have "instant off." Well, guess what? You can take the pan off an electric burner too and achieve that! LOL. I love the magnetic induction so much more, I got rid of all of my non-ferrous stainless steel pans & pots and got ones that have ferrous cores. The additional cool thing about induction cooking is that the bottoms of the pans don't get discolored or sticky with residue...and cleanup of both pans and cooktop is super easy. The only downside is that induction cooking requires a pretty large amperage draw, so when you are in an old, inadequate electrical situation, you have to be careful not to try to run an induction plate, oven, and toaster at the same time! (I'm on a 15amp service for the kitchen, so woefully inadequate, since one toaster draws between 10-15 amps by itself).

This was fascinating, and gets me thinking. I am looking for my first house and notice that no homes these days (in my price range anway), have gas stoves. And that is just heartbreaking for me, as the only time I've ever gone without gas is throughout college and it was a nightmare to use. Given the difficulty of running a gas line in many homes, I wanted to reevaluate my preconcieved notions on gas and see if electric range technology has improved. I thought this was promising, until realizing that it doesn't work on all metals. If I want to sell a house with a stove in it, Joe Schmoe buyer needs to be able to move in and cook his stuff on the pans he has at his disposal without the knowledge that induction ranges don't work with aluminum or copper. So I may still have to limit myself to gas if I'm looking for an adequate solution that doesn't require replacement the moment I decide to sell...

I recently bought my second induction range. Cooks fast, easy to use, easy to clean and makes cooking fun. I'm older too. I don't want to waste my time cooking on a slow conventional cooktop. Get the convection oven while you are at it. No regrets.

My parents have had an induction cooktop since the late 80's (same one still). Certainly not “new” technology. They've loved it. When we bought our new house last summer, we decided to spend the bucks on an oven with induction cooktop. Absolutely love it! Cooking aside, my favorite part is that nothing ever burns onto the surface! It just wipes clean every time there's a spill. Gosh how I hated cleaning the old gas burner pans and the Corning glass electric cooktops. No regrets, No looking back.

Wow, that was really great. I think I will have to get one of those.
It would be really interesting if you could figure out the actual cost of the power used in both tests and which one is less expensive?

For a long time I lived in an apartment with a gas stove. I quickly switched to cast iron cookware, and swore I'd never move if I couldn't cook with my precious cast iron.
Well I just moved to a new apartment, and bought a double-burner induction hotplate to put right over my new apartment's electric stove. And it works GREAT! I use a lot less electricity, while still having the precision and control similar to cooking with gas. And it's so much safer, too.

Love my induction hob, i was worried at first that it wouldn't be fiercely hot enough for doing stir fry's in the wok but its superb. What I have noticed is a side effect of heating water in the pans fast; limescale forms that doesn't come off in the dishwasher and I have to descale pans (we do live in a very hard water area).

I've wanted one of these for a while because my stove only has electric heating elements. Nice to know that I can get one that cheap and that it's likely to work that well.

I know this video is older but I just bought an induction hot plate like what he had in the video for $10 at Goodwill, and after watching this I'm certain it's well worth what I spent! Especially because I live in an apartment with an old electric stovetop.

I have a high end one and it is wonderful. Easy frying; set the temperature and as you add cold food, the temp stays the same, excellent, repeatable results. Great for lower end too; no burning a cream sauce. The temp is always what you choose.

They are a great idea, so much safer, I have had a small cheap unit I use every day and it still works after about six years of use.

I learned about induction cooking several years ago, I first purchased a good portable induction cooktop, I was impressed. I have been cooking for over 60 years. Last year I went to one of our local big box stores and ask about induction cooktop stove. They did not stock them but they had an E-Monday sale. I placed the order and since I am a former Navy Vet I got another 10% off. All together I save $696 on the stove. I can boil 16 oz. of water in 45-seconds on the highest setting. I can place a paper towel under the pan and it will not burn but the water still boils If you are careful and take care of the top, keep it clean. I haven't had a scratch or mark on my top. I cook 3 times a day 7 days a week.

have been using induction cooking for about 9 years; I LOVE this!
Getting a Defusser plate will allow ANY cookware to work!

Nothing beats the feeling of cooking with a beautiful gas stove like yours. Makes you feel like a real kitchen chef 😃. That glas plate thing, won't last a week in my kitchen.. lol 😁

I have 2 Breville induction cook tops which I've had for just over 10 years. They boil water a little faster than an electric kettle. 95% of my cooking and boiling is done on these 2.

We have the exact same GE Profile range and overall we’re less than happy with it. We got it because we liked the look for our kitchen and it offered dual fuel- a gas cook top with an electric oven and the warming drawer. But I’ve always thought it runs slow. The burner trivets are large and seem to hold the cookware farther away from the flame than any other gas range I’ve used, and heating food or boiling water seems to take a while. Also, the oven is about 5-10 degrees cooler than the setting. It’s come to my attention that the door may not be seated right causing the seal to be insufficient. One of these days I’m going to try removing the door and putting it back with the hope that it’s all the adjustment that’s needed.
We’ve been talking about induction. My partner is building a new office and thinks he’ll try an induction range in the kitchen of the new space. If he likes it we’ll probably get one for home use when it comes time to replace. I use a lot of iron-based cookware, so it may be just the thing.
Thanks for the review and the demo.

We retired to our Mt. Cabin a few years back and about 6 months ago our old hot plate that we had used to cook with for several years went belly up. I had found it on a couple of times and that's scary at our age and in our forgetfulness. I had read that these don't get hot and turn off if no pot or pan is present. We got a couple and man what a surprise. We have loved them. Ours are a different brand, but I doubt that matters much. We would have ditched the hot plate much sooner had we known. Almost too good to be true.

Got myself a Siemens Induction cooktop. 11kW connection needed. Amazingly fast, super precision control and can still use all my high quality stainless steel pans and cast iron le Creuset pots.

You put a very small diameter pot on a regular burner, which made you lose even more heat/energy than normal. The really big difference between the two is that gas is more consistent at holding a temperature, which induction is faster at getting there and bleeds much less heat into your atmosphere, which is more important in the summer when it's fighting against your air conditioner.

I live in the UK and have been using a dual induction unit for 2 years. Safer than gas and of course should you leave it on without a pan on it, then it turns itself of. Its fast and really economical to use. I live on my own so it's an absolute no brainer. I enjoyed the video a lot.

Great work. I love the video. Very informative. Its unfortunate there are such few videos showing comparisons online

Interesting video. I moved to Taiwan 23 years ago and have been using devices like yours for the whole time. Watching this, I remembered that it seemed "new" to me at the time. I'm surprised that it's taken so long for N. America to start getting these things. (With gas, too much heat is wasted warming the room....)

More complicated to replace a gas hob with an induction hob if your wiring doesn't support it. However, if you don't want to adjust the wiring to your hob, there are induction hobs that can plug into a normal socket (however, they automatically limit the power going to each ring, so you can't max out all rings at the same time).

Just installed induction cooktop after using old ‘traditional’ electric ceramic ring... amazing difference, much much quicker, hotter & easier to control than old electric rings.. and I should add cheaper electric costs.. only downside was I had to buy new pans to work with the induction top but didn’t cost the earth..

Moved over to induction this year and really liking it. Very precise, easy to control and clean up after too. We partly did it as we have a relatively small kitchen in an open plan dining/living space and it looks neater than a gas hob. I think in a dedicated kitchen space I would still like a gas ring for the occasional thing where you would a really hot flame, but I’m certainly won over.

I understand all the benefits of the induction cooktop, but I always go for gas cooktops. I have used induction several times throughout these years, (I lived in share-house in Tokyo, had no choice) and those are great, but have serious drawbacks in same time. This drawback may be serious only for few people, still made a lot of concern to purchase one of them. 1. I could not lift up my pan on induction. This simply draw me from some pan skills such as stir fry. Of course I want to do all the stir fry stuff, basically from this reason, it was already out from my cart. 2. I cannot use cooker materials such as copper, stone, etc. I have some cooker made out of copper,(classic style) and also some from stone, such as donabe(japnese stone pot, perfect for lots of japanese and east asian cuisine, including get a perfect cooked rice) and stone plate for searing my steak. I choose gas ranges just because it is more reliable, suits more for universal use, and lastly, I am comfortable with flame. Still, for whom does not take this disadvantages of the induction cooktop seriously, induction is very affordable and nice cookware.

Hey Dean, I was wondering what you set the induction cooktop to for the test? I.e. full power/highest temp, or 100C/212F and lower power.

Excellent video and presentation, I am looking at getting an induction cooktop for my kitchen and love the flat surface, all my pots and pans are already stainless steel so I am good to go! Love the speed. You gave great info and I appreciate it.

In Nepal, induction went universal when India cut off our cooking gas in 2016. So I got one, just like everyone else. Just like yours, it's what everyone here uses (but they cost 1/3 of Costco price, about 20 bucks). I also have a foo foo oven top, with really nice gas rings., and in my comparison, the only downsides for me is noise. They sound horrible. Maybe its just me; I'm sensitive to vibrations & strange noises in the kitchen. Pluses: really precise control, and other digital features like timer (although I never use). But the temp control on these things is fantastic - just dial it in (if you have a model that does that) and walk away. However, on metals, it does make a difference. Non-induction cookware may or may not heat evenly across the surface. Also, cheap induction rings may not produce whatever it does evenly either, so these are a few considerations. I do agree with you on the future... once they build in induction surfaces to countertops, cooking could really change. Why not make entire counters "heatable" where it would not matter where you put a pot or kettle, it would just work. Great idea to build coffee cup spots into desks as well; I've gotta go heat mine up now...

Good video!

I've had mine for a couple of years and love it. It has the suppleness of gas and is more energy efficient than either gas or electricity. The lowest setting is very low.

I had to laugh at the greasy handprint visible on the induction glass. I fell in love with induction when I bought some Nuwave cooktops, including the "free" second burner with only shipping and handling ($30-40 ) So I bought an induction GE range last summer as we remodeled our kitchen. I have learned over the years I owned induction is that the cookware is NOT that easy to find. Many Stainless steel pans do not work (including most of mine, which were in almost perfect condition after 18 years of use). Some items said they would work on Induction, like my expensive two burner griddle, did not. It is hard to find non stick fry pans, especially saute pans. Most of the time I don't need or use non stick pans. I know how to keep food from sticking to my induction, stainless steel pans. But I am not that good at cooking egg dishes without non stick. The other problem with my GE Range is the clicking noise. However, while I might like a better range, I hope to never go back to non induction cooktops. I could go on and on about how much I love induction but I won't. If you are contemplating getting a new stove, I would encourage you to get that $69 induction burner and try it out. Otherwise you might be tempted to stick with gas or regular electric.

What bothers me about the cheaper induction tops is the inability to regulate temperature precisely, especially at lower settings. A good one (like my AEG) gives you the finer controls and I can simmer easily.

WOW! So happy someone’s actually posted a “TEST”. I tried to tell my friends....now hopefully your video will help prove my point. One other feature about “induction”. It’s safe than election and its not deadly like “GAS”. I love my Electroculx Induction Stove Top and Dual Convention Oven. Priced $3600 CDN 4 yrs ago, I got mine for $2200.

I would take gas or induction interchangeably over halogen or coil electric. I was skeptical about induction until i was forced to try it in a kitchen remodel for me mum, without access to gas. Surprisingly, I found it to be it's as good as my home gas cooktop, but with some additional safety features like auto shutoff for my elderly mum.

We just remodeled our kitchen and got a induction Miele cooktop and what a difference! I still can't believe it!

The other thing you need to be careful about is that if you're getting a built-in unit, or a range... these things take a *lot* of current. I think most of them call for a 50A breaker (220). Check with your contractor/electrician *before* you place your order!

You can actually use any copper, aluminum or glass cookware. The trick is to use an induction cook top transfer plate. Not very expensive and will allow you to use your favorite non ferrous pot.

I would be interested in seeing a test on how evenly the heat is distributed.

Induction cooktops are so fast and efficient! Loving them!

Most impressive thing I've seen in quite some time. How such superior technology has been around so long with such poor adoption can only be down to sheer human ignorance. And you just cured mine. Thanks!

I recently moved into an apartment with induction heating installed. Pros - Yes they are powerful/fast, safe, and precise. Cons - most of my pots pans and kettles had to be replaced because they were not compatible with induction heating. Also you have to be kind of careful when pan / stir frying because you need to move the pan around and it kind of leaves you wondering if the surface is getting damaged. Lastly I have no flames around the house anymore so if you want to use any cooking techniques that require direct flames you'll need a torch.

You may want to mention also that if a pan (specially the not so great or high quality ones - all due respect) used previously on gas tend to be bend (on the bottom where it matters - doesn't it always chef?) ever so slightly which causes these pots and pans to rock to the beat/hum of the electric power plant's frequency (50-60Hz) Most cast iron or thick bottomed stainless cookware should be fine and if you find your favourite pot does the Herz Jive on ya, you can always do a little swirl around a 400 grid emery paper stuck to a thicker piece of glas to smooth the bottom out as much as you possibly can (I tried it myself and it...well... works... you just need to - depending on the amount of Chinese ingenuity is in there - do quite the swirly motions for quite the period of time (maybe 20 minutes, maybe the rest of the afternoon)

Loved the video! Very informative, concise and great delivery! 👏👏👏

Very nicely done--worthwhile, accurate information presented in an interesting way. We are moving to a condo in the future equipped with an induction cooktop. Currently we have a gas cooktop. I will just have to sort out which pots and pans are keepers and which go to Good Will. I will be sorry to lose my glass double boiler but that's the price of progress, sigh. Not going to nitpick over molecules versus electrons.

My wife picked an induction cooktop when we replaced the kitchen 3 months ago.... Having been a chef and using gas, At first I hated it, but that turned out to be the pans we had. Patterned bottoms may look pretty but they aren't practical. Now we have a good set of pans that work on every ring, I'm coming round to it. Temperature change is almost instant.

This video rocks! Thank you for this video. I like that induction cooking is so much safer than gas. My neighbour turned on the gas burner to boil water and forgot about it completely and almost burnt half of her kitchen down! since then she has been using Induction cooker.

Our cheap induction cooktop has been in use for three years. When we bought it, it was just out of curiosity and in case it worns out too soon it would be okay since it is very cheap. Never thought it would last this long! The food tastes "cleaner", no "gassy" smell while cooking. The heat is consistent I could simmer food for two hours without burning it. Really like it!

He didn't mention that there are induction plate converters. They are circular plates of steel or iron with a handle and look like a flat frying pan. You put them on the hob and your aluminim/copper pan on top of that. This means that you can keep all your old non-ferrous kitchenware.
It's also said that they use much less power than normal electric hobs. Another advantage is they have instant heat control, just like gas. A boiling pot on induction will stop boiling almost immediately when you turn the heat down.

I love my viking induction. Heats up so fast and cools down at good speed as well. Even temperatures. Seamless design. No going back to gas for me. No matter how pretty they can look.

I have an induction cooker and I would NEVER go back to gas and certainly not to electric. The only problem is that induction is still very, very expensive to buy. But, it's definitely worth the extra money!
Excellent video, btw!

Had one since 2009, made from GE, consumer R. Highest rated, still going strong and super easy to clean.....👍

i use both induction and gas cooker for different purposes. Induction is good at boiling water, soup etc (generally anything with more liquid). This is due to the basic theory of induction cooking, it heats up the food really fast using magnetic filed but only at that bottom layer of your pan where its close to the induction coil. It is really effective when you heat up liquid as the heated part floats freely to the top and the cold part comes to the bottom and repeat....thus boiling water/heat up milk with induction cooker is the fastest (usually i heat up a small portion of milk in like 10~20s).
But when it comes to stir fry dishes (Chinese style, not the western "saute"), nothing beats gas cooker. Chinese stir fry dishes requires to heat up a wok evenly in all area so when you toss the food (usually not much water content, just bit oil) around they get heated evenly from the wok as well. And gas does this job the best, ceramic the second and induction the worst (cause induction is not designed to heat up your pan evenly in the first place). There was a time i only had an induction cooker in kitchen, i tried to stir fry few times but I often found my food get overcooked at the bottom while the top is still raw. And if i choose the wrong power, the over-cooking at the bottom happens so fast (cause induction cooking is really powerful), i don't even have time to grab any condiments before I see smokes and get burnt smell coming from the wok. I'm not saying its impossible to stir fry with induction cooker though, just way more difficult and need time to find the correct control method (so i gave up).
So I think when it comes to choose your main cooker, think about what do you cook the most first. There is no way to say that one is definitely better than the other, just two different method of cooking suitable for different tasks.

I have an induction hob now, it came with a new home, and I thought I was going to hate it. I don't, I love it! Fast? Yes. Efficient? Definitely! Quick to control? Not really, gotta watch it. Safer? Maybe, but mine still gets hot, so maybe because our power-levels here in the UK are different. By the way, you can get a pan-converter, which is like a flat metal plate with a handle, so you CAN use all your cookware, it just slows down cooking-time a little. Induction surface-cleans much easier than gas, of course, but I do find there's a kind of streaky layer that doesn't wipe off. Otherwise - I can recommend! 🙂

I've got a 70 plus year old tappen gas oven and burner that's used daily that I got from my parents house. It looks and cooks like it's brand new. I use it as a second stove for down stairs. It's GREAT ! I hardly use my newer tappen stove that's around 15 years old. In matter of fact the paper sticker that's inside of the oven was never taken off of it because it's never been used. I just use the burners to heat up water. Besides, good food takes time to cook. Thanks for your review.

I love my NeuWave cooktop. I have two of them. And it only uses the power of a hair dryer. Doesn't heat the kitchen up either. Controls the heat by 10 degree increments. I've had mine for years. The pots and pans are less than $100.

Depends on what kind of pots and pans you use everyday. I really like my cast iron wok and my cast iron cookware. Because of the heavy iron there is a good chance of breaking the glass on an induction cook-top. Induction tops also have a tendency of getting scratched up after a few years of use. Stick with the old coiled electric elements as they've been tried and true for ages. My friend had an induction stove and she'd never buy another induction stove again since once they get scratched they're scratched forever.

Great demonstration. I've been wanting one of these. We went from gas hob to electric and just doesn't cut the mustard for frying !!!! I simply cannot get the high heat required for frying chips. I'm now convinced, thanks 👍

Another good demonstration is one I did years ago. I boiled water in a pot sitting on a single layer of toilet paper, then put an ice cube right next to the boiling pot. The ice cube will not melt. I used toilet paper because it's far more flammable than a towel, and the ice will melt a bit because it's not in the freezer and not because of the surface heat, and the toilet paper keeps the surface somewhat dry.

Since I used induction cooktop, I never look back on gas or electric ring type. It is so much faster and precise control.

I live in a rented flat and have the standard electric range. I bought the $49.00 Australian induction hotplate for those things I need to control the heat with, and it works really well.

That was amazing! I didn't think that anything was hotter than gas. A whole lot cheaper than a gas element. Great demonstration.

The thing I noticed was that the flame is way too high. That burner is for much larger pots or skillets. Most of the heat is simply running up the side (too fast to be of any real aid) and heating your house or apt. Try using another burner or lowering the flame in another experiment (you no longer need to test the induction burner). Also, it would be nice to know the cost differential between electric and gas. Also, although I have iron and stainless steel skillets I also have copper-bottom and aluminium ones, each having its own particular purpose (heat distribution properties, etc.) another thing to be considered by serious cooks. Another thing, a lot of non-stick pans are aluminium-based. One problem with gas is its propensity to soot-up the bottoms of pots and pans which affects performance if not cleaned regularly, especially copper-plated ones.

I love induction because it's a lot easier to clean the glass top than the gas top.. Used to have gas but switched several years ago.

I have the same induction unit , you have from Costco . Weather permitting , I take my " STINKEY " cooking out to my B.B.Q. area . Makes the House smell better , and A/C much more efficient ! Thanks for video !

I switched to induction cooktop from electric during my renovation in my house in Texas, while I have a high end gas cooktop in my condo in NYC. Absolutely no comparison once you learn the nuances of cooking with induction. Induction is faster and more precise than my 18000 BTU gas burner. Hands down, induction is better. They key to cooking with induction is knowing that response to changes in power are almost immediate so you need to learn to make changes in power level gradually to mimic the heat carryover for both gas and electric. Further, I am fairly certain that induction is the more energy efficient cooking method compared to gas since there is less heat loss to atmosphere since the "heating" source is the pan itself. With gas, there is significant energy loss from the heat escaping around the pan.

Thnx Chef good to know =) As a chef for Many years I chose Gas and BBQ actually but I am amazed again by our young people creating SAFE cooking ty~

One thing missed out, but I haven't looked at all of the reviews, is temperature control. I've used induction for 18 months. Unsure if I would get on with induction I did a similar thing to Dean. I bought an Ikea portable hob for £34 (I live in the UK) and used that for almost 6 months on a daily basis. When I ordered my Ikea kitchen I went for a basic 4 ring hob costing £250 a little more expensive than a gas hob. Temperature control - what do I mean by this? When you adjust the setting for whatever it is you're cooking, the hob will maintain that setting in other words it doesn't just get hotter it continually maintains the temperature. This means you can simmer water, soup, stews whatever and it doesn't boil over (unless of course you just leave it before you've adjusted to the correct setting for whatever you're cooking). I've not noticed any difference in my bills except to say my gas consumption has gone down because only my central heating boiler uses gas. If something does boil over because you've not set things or adjusted, the spillage tends to land on the cold part of the hob. Cleaning is much easier because of this and takes only around 5 minutes after doing your cooking. Two of my "rings" have a power setting, useful for boiling a saucepan of water say for pasta and as shown in the demo it is fast. The power setting switches off after 5 minutes then goes to the highest non power setting. The technology is *not* new. It's been around for almost 100 years. In the past decade it's become more reliable and lower cost. It's worth pointing out that eventually our fossil fuels will be exhausted so supplies of gas whether natural or manufactured will no longer be available. Electricity can be produced via many differing sources so that issue does not arise. Electric toothbrushes use the same technology to charge up their batteries but of course at a much lower rate. The Braun system owned by Proctor and Gamble uses this and claim that you cannot over charge the battery. I can't really think of any significant downsides. Even things like copper,ceramic and aluminium pans now come with a stainless steel "casing" so it's hard to find pans that won't work with induction. They might not be as efficient as fully ferrous pans but they do work. As you can tell I'm fully sold on induction and I'm an old guy of 73 who cooks from scratch on a daily basis.

One thing you didn't cover is how precise they are. You can roll back a boil in small increments on induction unlike radiant or gas. Making it much easier to cook. It's also very quick to respond unlike say radiant.

One is not better than the other but they are just different tools. Will you use an oven to boil water? Both have pros and cons which is why I have both. There will be times where one will be clearly more suitable than the other. (Purely from a cooking point of view)

I use a similar induction plate while staying in hotels for avg of 5 weeks while working in another city.
No fear of starting a fire.
Love making omelets for breakfast.
You have to start a little higher temp but then as you cook start reducing the temp
Never burn or even cause browning on the egg.

Induction rules. No contest. Over the years I've had other types of hob, gas, solid electric plates, red-ring, quartz. Induction is by far the fastest and very controllable.
Whilst the modern quartz hob is good, it still has several disadvantages. The glass top gets very hot, so any spillages can burn on and some can even eat into the glass, pitting it. On the other hand induction only gets as hot as the pan bottom, and spillages just dry out at worst. No other hob, gas or electric has ever boiled a pan of water anything like as fast. I think this is because all the power in an induction hob goes into the pan, whilst other hobs the energy has to be transferred from flame or hot element into the pan so some is either lost by the heat from a flame spilling round the edges of the bottom of the pan or electric heat having to heat up other chunks of the hob.

Hey Dean, interesting comparison, but, I have one beef about it and for most gas cooktops in general. Most burners are too big for the pans that most of us use. Because the 18000 BTU burner is so big, most of the flame or heat go right up the side of the pan and is useless. I'm willing to bet a shiney dime that if you did the same test and used you favourite kettle on the smaller back burner, the water would boil faster.

loving the ceramic tiles in your kitchen. very well done.

Thanks so much for this amazing review, I just bought one of those and wondering if I made the right choice, it seems that I did!

I have a Kuridori induction cooktop and I love it. Mine goes from 1800watts to 60 watts, I have never used the preset functions. So easy to use. You must use a pan or pot with a magnetic bottom, fotunately, I only have one pan that doesn't work on it.. Also, my poet bill went down when we primarily use the induction.. Also, I can do a whole meal on mine even though it is single surface, (one pan at a time).

I have notice in RV’s they have started putting both gas and induction cook tops , the idea being you use the induction while in a campground and gas while boondocking

Gas is great because you can still use the stove when there's a major power outage. To me, that makes the difference between induction and gas.

Love my induction cooktop. I’ve had it for 5 years. Also love my cast iron but let’s face it, heavy cast iron is more likely to scratch the glass top. Solution; I slap a silicon sushi rolling mat on the eye first, put the cast iron on top and cook away. Afterwards the mat goes in the dishwasher. Works like a dream and no scratches. Eventually (a couple of years) the silicon mats break down. The mats run about 10$ each. Forty bucks every three or four years for no scratches is a good value for me.

I think the question depends on the individual. For most of my life, I have cooked on a variety of gas stoves. Four years ago, we bought a GE Profile Induction range. The expression I would use is not “better,” but “comparable.”

Tried all types in the past. Currently own an induction stove w. 4 hobs + electric oven.
Cleaner than gas (with city gas), faster and more precise than gas and traditional ceramics.
Downside: Had to buy new pots and pans as the old ones were not functioning with induction.
Also, the induction material embedded in "induction ready" aluminum pots and pans is also often not very good, with unequal or poor heat distribution.
You may want to stick with cast iron.

I'm pretty intrigued..but am curious about the risks..and of course there's the real important issues such as can this thing cook an omelette evenly and can its output be turned down low enough to temper chocolate.

I like the look of a gas range in a kitchen. Purely an aesthetic taste

I got rid of my stove Don't miss it! Also all of those non ferris cooking pots will work when you use a defusser disk under them
I use an old circular saw blade. I Don't mind a little oncovienence.
BTW this technology was introduced back in 1910; it is not "new"!

Gas was always a thing. I told the realtor I only had two requirements: wooden floors, and gas. I ended up getting neither. But induction may have been a way to make up for no gas. Also, my passion for steel cookware may have been prescient: they work on induction hobs, other materials don’t.

We've had a gas cook top since we were married 47 years ago and still have one installed in our kitchen. However, I must admit that once we tried an induction (PIC) cook top (1800 watts) we quickly removed the griddles of the stove, covered the stove from edge to edge, and bought another PIC. We now own 5 of these. Two in our house kitchen, one in our camper (much safer) and two in my brewery (one 1500 watt and a 3200 watt) for boiling my wort. These are the future of cooking (at least till something better comes along)

I absolutely hated induction cook tops when they were first coming out. I used one about 10 years ago and it was so hit and miss as to which pans it would work with. Even some pans would work sometimes and at other times wouldn't work. I just threw the thing out eventually and went back to gas. It's possible the technology has improved. It would need to improve to be considered useful.