I have always been a fan of cooking with gas. Just hate electric coil stoves. So while induction is not really new, I had no experience with it and wondered if it could really be better than gas. WELL IT IS. This thing has both a lot more power than my gas cooktop did, as well as much finer control on lower settings, as well as absolutely instant response to control changes. I love having a fixed number to press, rather than just vaguely twisting a knob and peering under the pot to set the flame height by eye. This boils water almost twice as fast as any gas or electric cooker I've ever seen, yet at the same time has much lower and more consistent warming settings. I cooked some spaghetti (quickly) drained and then added sauce, keeping the whole pot on the stove on setting 1 and it kept perfectly warm for 40 min without burning or crusting at all to the bottom of a stainless steel pot. Let me tell you, that would not happen on any other range I've ever used. To cook rice I used to have to place an additional gas burner grate on top of the other to get the pot further from the flame, because low was not quite low enough. On this, after boiling on 9 I just set it to 2 and let it simmer for 20 min never lifting the lid - perfect as a rice cooker.
Instead of paying twice as much for a Bosch or a Samsung, I decided to get this and a couple of really nice French induction capable copper pots. (De Buyer Prima Matera.) Yep, I had to get rid of a set of non-induction ready stainless cookware. But I decided that having two really great beautiful evenly cooking pots rather than a whole set of things I hardly ever use was a good trade. The cast iron I use works great, as well as an All-Clad saucepan and another big stainless stockpot. I used a magnet on the bottom to test all my pots before getting this.
A few minor cons:
The huge round burner in the center is a little puzzling, I don't have a pot or anything nearly that big in diameter (a full 12"). Seems like a bit smaller and re-positioned more evenly would be a better trade but it works.
There is a bit of a buzz hum as well as a small fan noise, but it's fairly low and not really objectionable. It is loudest on P or "power boil" but still not that bad. I'm really sensitive to noise but honestly whatever you are cooking with it's steaming and bubbling and frying sounds will be louder than the hum.
There are really only two power supplies, each split and supplying two of the burners. This means if you want two things to heat up really fast, you need to choose two burners not sharing the same power supply. They also recommend setting one on max and waiting a bit before setting another one on max. This is explained in the instructions, but better to know this limit before you buy. I don't know, maybe the more expensive types don't have such a limitation. I seldom use more than 2 burners at once so it's not really an issue. Not sure I've ever used all four burners at once but I'm sure some people do.
On low settings it is true that the power cycles on-off. However unlike the old style electric coil burner, or a microwave, the cycle is fast like once or twice a second, rather than once every 20 sec or something. The result is even heating and no noticeable pulsing billowing and overheating as with coil elements. And the noise while cycling is fairly faint.
The black glass top has a fine pattern of silver dots and lines, which I guess I didn't really notice from the photos. The pattern may hide slightly the streaks on the glass. It is easy to clean the glass of spills and oil but pretty hard to get it perfectly rid of streaks. At any rate is a huge improvement over all the grates and cavities and wells and white (why!) surface of my old gas cooker that was just a nasty job to clean.
I am getting some silicone burner covers for this to help prevent scratches from the heavy pots on glass. None so far but seems inevitable.
I did get an AMZ extended warranty, but in the box is a card with a much cheaper ext. wty program from Frigidaire. Wish I had know this before hand. It's like 3 extra years for $30. The one I got was I think 4 yrs for $100. Oh well.
Only had this for about 10 days but will edit this if anything goes amiss.
All in all, a very reasonable cost to get into induction cooking with a lot more pluses than minuses. If that seems like a lot of cons they are really only minor considerations because this is still twice as good as any cooktop I've ever used.
This is our 2nd induction cooktop. We made the investment of all induction cookware and became accustom to the consistent evenness that induction has to offer. Needless to say we were devastated when I cracked the side of the top with a cast-iron skillet that ran across the width of the unit. My wife was horrified that I would make her go back to cooking off the old coil or infrared cooktops that are significantly less expensive. I found this Frigidaire unit and the reviews were favorable and the price was right, so what the heck. It is a little noisy but that is the nature of induction with mid level cookware. I believe it would be more quiet with better quality cookware. So far we are very pleased with the unit and it is still crack free after 2 months.
This is an induction cooktop. Very easy to use and clean. Plus it heats the pan faster than any cooktop we’ve ever had previously whether gas or electric. Yes it takes special cookware, but many pots and pans are already induction ready as long as the bottom of the pan is magnetic. The cooktop does get warm from the pan heating up, but the surface does not heat up cook. If you are looking for a great cooktop this one is very good and at this price very comparable to other types of cooktops. Also, this cooktop is very safe to use with no flame and no heating elements.
Just as fast as gas but extend your counter space as it is never hot when you remove the pan. Wipes clean because the surface never is hot enough to burn the spills. Well worth the extra cost!
Now that we've been using for a few weeks, here is what we think. Absolutely great cooktop! Wife loves it! .Little bit of a learning curve after using a standard cooktop, but didn't take long. Only downside was checking existing cookware to see if it would work on an induction system. Some would, some wouldn't. The ones that wouldn't got donated to my daughter (her gas range will be fine). Got into the habit of carrying a small magnet with me when looking at new cookware (most cookware will say if it will work on induction). Love that there aren't any knobs now to get in the way and get all greasy!!
Feature Product
- 30 in. induction cooktop from Frigidaire
- Amazingly fast heat
- Even heat distribution
- Cooktop surface is easy to clean
- Auto-sizing pan detection
Description
Get amazingly fast heat with Frigidaire’s 30-inch induction cooktop. Whip up delicious meals with your cooktop and experience golden results every time. With the modern induction technology, your pans will heat evenly every time as it transfers heat directly to the cookware rather than the surface of the cooktop. Don’t stress over spills with the cooktop’s easy-to-clean surface as there is no chance for your spills to burn up on the cool cooking surface. Adding to the convenience of your cooktop, the auto-sizing pan detection will detect the pan size and warm the necessary area without any extra input from you. Cooktops are approved for installation above any Frigidaire single electric wall ovens, so get cooking like a professional with Frigidaire.
Induction cooking is even more responsible to changes in burner settings than a gas stove. It is cleaner than an electric stove. I am thrilled to have it. I like the idea there is no open flame from a safety standpoint. Also, no heat is lost between the burner and the pan -- you don't heat up your kitchen nearly as much!. So much more energy efficient.
Do give yourself a bit of time to learn the nuances of induction cooking -- everything new has a bit of a learning curve, but I think induction will become the preferred choice.
I only had 1 pan that didn't have enough metal to work, and it was old anyway. It does make a fan type sound, but it's not loud, and it lets you know it's working so I don't mind it. The speed in which it cooks is AWESOME, every bit as fast as gas but not so scary :)
Replaced my broken, traditional, electric cooktop. This model has lower power requirements so no requiring was needed. Slightly smaller than older designs, to fit existing holes without modifying granite. Self installed in 20 minutes, but it should have come with needed kit for granite installation!
Positive experience would buy again.
Takes a while to get used to the controls and figuring out the right setting. Also hard to keep clean as it shows every little food scrap, grease, or anything else. But a nice cooktop and I'm happy with the purchase.
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