Wren | Actions
Impact
Medium impact
Cost
Investment
Time
Moderate
Induction stoves are the best type of electric stove. They heat pans insanely fast, they’re easy to clean, and they’re very safe. They’re a superior alternative to fossil gas burning stoves that emit toxic fumes and greenhouse gases.
Since induction stoves are the most energy efficient cooktops available, they quickly pay for themselves in savings from your energy bill.
How it works
Induction stoves are pretty amazing! A special copper coil under the stove's ceramic surface creates an invisible electromagnetic field. This field heats your pots and pans directly without warming the stovetop itself. This method is super safe and efficient because it only heats your food, not your kitchen.
Most of your favorite pots and pans will work great - anything with iron or steel in the base is good to go. Even if your cookware isn't made entirely of these materials, many modern pieces have a special steel plate built in, making them induction-friendly.
Why induction
- Speed: They heat up 40-50% faster than other electric or gas ranges.
- Heat: They use magnet technology, so no heat goes into the surrounding air and you get a much cooler kitchen. 90% of heat goes straight into pan, compared to 40% for gas.
- Safety: While you're burning gas, you should be running the vent above your range as your indoor air quality will decrease rapidly. With an induction stove, there's no fumes.
- Cleaning: They clean super easily. In our experience, it is so much faster to wipe up an induction stove compared to gas.
- Cost: Costs have decreased significantly over the past few years. A 36" induction cooktop will go for around $2000, which is around the same as a nice gas cooktop.
- Energy efficiency: Induction stovetops are about 84% efficient, compared to 40% for gas cooktops. The EPA doesn’t yet provide Energy Star ratings for ranges, so there's no great way to compare specific induction models to each other based on energy efficiency.
Top Pick
$1700
GE Profile 36" Built-in touch
Well reviewed by most home remodeling experts and highly rated on every retailer's site, the GE Profile is a popular pick.Each burner comes with a different wattage that'll provide lots of control over your cooking — the smallest burner stays low enough to slowly melt butter and the largest will boil water faster than any gas burner.There's a few handy features that'll help you stay safe while you're getting used to cooking with a new range — there's a lock option to turn off controls while you're cleaning, and burners will switch off automatically if pots aren't placed on top.One reviewer says: "I just love my new induction cooktop. I was worried switching from gas to induction. I am crazy about this cooktop. It cooks evenly, cleans up beautifully, and has a sleek clean look in my new kitchen! Would most definitely recommend this cooktop!" Finally, this range is one of the few electric ranges to be Prop 65 certified — that means it's free of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm.
$1700 at Appliances Connection
Other pick
$55
Duxtop 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop
If you rent or live in a camper that doesn't have induction installed, you could try getting a portable induction cooktop.
We previously recommended the Bosch 800 Series 4 Elements Cooktop for $2100 which has since been discontinued. If you have an induction cooktop you love, let us know at team@projectwren.com and we'll include it in this list.
What to consider when switching over
Tax credits & rebates: Some states will offer up to $700 rebates on induction cooktops. You can check if your zipcode has any available rebates on Energy Star's rebate finder.
Recycling your old appliance: The retailer you’ve bought should be able to collect your old range when they drop off the new one. Double check whether the company is a certified recycler of old appliances and will provide green services.
Replacing cookware: Most stainless steel and cast iron pans work great on induction, so it's likely the pans you cook with every day will work. But if you're not sure about a specific pan, if a magnet strongly sticks to the bottom of a pot, it will work with an induction cooktop.