# Induction vs gas (propane) cooktop **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 11, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664 "2021-03-11T01:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/41 "2021-03-15T16:33:11Z")
That’s my impression, and I’d want that for boiling large pots of water. It’s just the limitations of a 120V 15A outlet. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/42 "2021-03-15T19:06:55Z")
I have one and it’s OK. It’s better than my glass radiant cooktop. But that isn’t saying much. Pisser is that the latter is a 30" downdraft, and there are exactly zero downdraft induction cooktops available. Well, Gaggenau may now have one…but it’s hard to find info on. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/43 "2021-03-15T23:42:16Z")
More to look at. [Induction Cooktops With Downdraft - What is the best option? - Cook Logic](https://www.cooklogic.com/induction-cooktops-with-downdraft/) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/44 "2021-03-15T23:49:00Z")
Glasstops are for people who think wiping is more important than cooking. Do not trust them. My sister likes glasstops. She also vacuums her walls. Draw your own conclusions. Glasstop stoves are a fad you will one day regret. Like twerking. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/45 "2021-03-16T04:57:33Z")
We use the portable outside (covered) patio when we do frying (crispy gau gee, spring rolls, breaded shrimp, fish, tempura, etc…). Keeps the oil smell out of the house. As others have mentioned, not a powerful as a rangetop induction. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/46 "2021-03-16T14:25:57Z")
Thanks, but that article is terrible: NONE of the cooktops are induction! I know that in theory we could add a pop-up vent, but that would require a bunch of cutting–at that point we might as well be remodeling the kitchen (which we need to do, but other things are limiting us, like time and energy). I think the Gaggenau unit I found ([CV282101] ([https://www.gaggenau.com/global/products-list/cooktops/200-series/200-series/induction-with-downdraft-ventilation/CV282101](https://www.gaggenau.com/global/products-list/cooktops/200-series/200-series/induction-with-downdraft-ventilation/CV282101)) is Europe-only, too. Grr. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/47 "2021-03-16T14:41:55Z")
[Article](https://slate.com/technology/2020/12/gas-stoves-hazardous-asthma.html) on the indoor air pollution caused by gas ranges/ovens. > [@](#): > > the natural gas-burning stoves and furnaces found in millions of U.S. kitchens and basements can produce a range of health-damaging pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde. Over the past four decades, researchers have amassed a large body of scientific evidence linking the use of gas appliances, especially for cooking, with a higher risk of a range of respiratory problems and illnesses. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/48 "2021-03-16T15:00:13Z")
That appears to be all about natural gas only, no mention of propane. It is not surprising considering the mix of gases that end up in natural gas supplies and it does burn ‘dirty’ to some extent. However, I do wonder how well the study looked into specific conditions like ventilation. And gas lines tend to be available for some of the oldest homes in this country, and I expect world-wide as well so issues of ventilation and even the age of the stoves may be an issue. Despite some skepticism I have, it does sound like people should use caution with natural gas stoves. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/49 "2021-03-16T16:20:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Use induction coils to heat up a big piece of steel on the bottom and have a convection fan. If induction heating is efficient on the range top should work the same way in an oven. Look at your basic electric oven, just a few feet of heating element material on the bottom. Instead of a broiler put an iron griddle right on the bottom. Don’t know if it could manage self cleaning, and I’m sure there are other issues which might make it impractical for now. That doesn’t seem as though that would do all that much good. The benefit of an induction burner is that all the energy is transferred to the pan, rather than to the air. With an oven, you are wanting to heat the air anyway. I think it would be slightly less efficient, since you are not just running electricity through the heating element, but rather through transformers first, and it would be significantly more expensive to buy and to repair. > [@filmore](#): > > What about using one of those portable induction burners that plugs into a regular outlet? They are better than the standard burners that plug into a wall, but a stove with a dedicated high wattage line is always going to be better. I’ve also never seen one with two burners, so that limits how much you can cook. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/50 "2021-03-16T16:36:34Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Use induction coils to heat up a big piece of steel on the bottom and have a convection fan. If induction heating is efficient on the range top should work the same way in an oven. Look at your basic electric oven, just a few feet of heating element material on the bottom. Instead of a broiler put an iron griddle right on the bottom. Don’t know if it could manage self cleaning, and I’m sure there are other issues which might make it impractical for now. > > That doesn’t seem as though that would do all that much good. The benefit of an induction burner is that all the energy is transferred to the pan, rather than to the air. With an oven, you are wanting to heat the air anyway. > > I think it would be slightly less efficient, since you are not just running electricity through the heating element, but rather through transformers first, and it would be significantly more expensive to buy and to repair. It will be exactly as efficient as a regular electric oven (all electric heating devices are 100% efficient at turning electrical energy into heat), but much slower to heat up/cool down due to the plate of steel acting as a heat sink. You don’t lose efficiency in the transformer because the inefficiency of the transformer manifests itself by the transformer heating up. Well, I guess if you had the transformer outside of the oven you might be losing that heat, but that would be stupid design. All of which is just to say that you’re right that induction burners solve a real problem, the slow transfer of heat from an electrical heating element to a pot, by making the bottom of the pot the actual electrical heating element. To the extent that ovens have performance issues, they are completely different and require different solutions. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/51 "2021-03-16T17:00:58Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Well, I guess if you had the transformer outside of the oven you might be losing that heat, but that would be stupid design. I was thinking exactly that, as I don’t know if the transformer would like to be subjected to oven temperatures. And the loss from the heat given off by the transformer, assuming that it is not designed to withstand up to 500 degrees F or more is the slight inefficiency I was referencing. The plate of steel acting as a heat sink _could_ be a feature rather than a bug if you are trying to maintain an accurate heating range, but that’s why we have pizza stones anyway, don’t really need it to be integral to the oven. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/52 "2021-03-17T03:27:13Z")
If we ever did a total gut and remodel of our kitchen, I’d want a gas cooktop; the house has natural gas (furnace, water heater), and other houses on my street have gas cooktops, so it was a decision made either by the builder, or the people who had originally contracted to buy the house. Instead, we (second owners) got a ceramic coil cooktop. After 25 years it’s finally dying and we have an induction cooktop on order, as opposed to a regular smoothtop. Most of our pans will work on it; I’ll need to replace one stockpot. It won’t work if the power is out, true - though if the power is out for very long we have other issues (e.g. the furnace won’t work with no blower). ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/53 "2021-03-17T06:35:10Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > > [@filmore](#): > > > > What about using one of those portable induction burners that plugs into a regular outlet? > > They are better than the standard burners that plug into a wall, but a stove with a dedicated high wattage line is always going to be better. > > I’ve also never seen one with two burners, so that limits how much you can cook. Plenty of them with two elements but the limitation is still 1800 watts total. [https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=two+element+induction+cooktop&ref=nb\_sb\_noss](https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=two+element+induction+cooktop&ref=nb_sb_noss) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/54 "2021-03-18T15:56:57Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Plenty of them with two elements but the limitation is still 1800 watts total. > [https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=two+element+induction+cooktop&ref=nb\_sb\_noss](https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=two+element+induction+cooktop&ref=nb_sb_noss) Even that might be too much for some household circuits. My stove has a dedicated high-amp circuit; we actually had a second one pulled for the oven (they originally shared one, which the electrician said was a Bad Idea given the power draws involved). We have a powerful microwave (maybe 1500 watts) - and have learned that if we’re running the Instant Pot, we cannot use the microwave without tripping the circuit breaker. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/55 "2021-03-18T16:03:41Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > [Amazon.com : two element induction cooktop](https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=two+element+induction+cooktop&ref=nb_sb_noss) IIRC 1800 Watts is the max current an appliance can draw from a 15A 120V circuit but only for a short time (though starting surges can exceed it by quite a bit, but that’s like a second and is OK). if it’s going to run continuously it is capped at 1500 Watts. Either way you are basically maxing out that circuit, and not much headroom for a 20A either. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/56 "2021-03-18T22:54:21Z")
Sorry about that, I thought the KitchenAid and GE Profile were induction. My mistake in not reading deeper. I see your issue now; that’s pretty frustrating. [https://www.profamilychef.com/best-induction-cooktop-with-downdraft/](https://www.profamilychef.com/best-induction-cooktop-with-downdraft/) Found this though, maybe it’ll help. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664/57 "2021-03-19T01:06:26Z")
Yeah, sigh…all UK-/EU- only except the $7,000 Elica unit, a brand nobody ever heard of, with no reviews. Huh, Goedecker’s has it for $4K. That’s quite the discount! > **[Elica ENT432BL 33 Inch Electric Induction Smoothtop Cooktop | Appliances...](https://www.appliancesconnection.com/elica-ent432bl.html)** > > Elica ENT432BL 33 Inch Nikola Tesla HP Induction Cooktop with 400 CFM, Revolution Filter, Temperature Manager, Bridge Zones, Pot Detector, in Black Glass An appliance store near here that we like carries Elica, though they don’t show that model. Maybe I’ll call 'em tomorrow. Still, I’d really rather remodel the kitchen and solve the problem right! Back in the day, downdraft was cool; nowadays it seems like a waste of space. Appreciate it, though. I did a lot of searching last year, didn’t find any. The Gaggenau looks interesting, too, though I’m scared of the price if it makes it across the pond (I’ve verified that it’s not here _yet_, “maybe this fall”). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/induction-vs-gas-propane-cooktop/937664.md?page=2)