Mastodawn

Largely missing from the gas stove discourse is the fact that induction cooktops heat faster, offer far more precise temperature control than gas or electric and chefs love them. And the government will give you up to $840 toward buying one plus up to $500 to cover the costs of installation and up to $4000 if you need to upgrade your electrical box to accommodate one.

I'm totally psyched to upgrade my old gas stove.

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

Right-wingers overarching goal is to convince people that good governance is bad.

Here robustly Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland And they’ve discovered one weird trick that can make that happen: Govern badly.

Ron DeSantis's BDE Jan 14, 2023

@Joshfrai @JoshuaHolland Correct. They're vandals.

Str8nger Jan 15, 2023

@DoesntExist @Joshfrai @JoshuaHolland
CONServatives say #government is the problem & when elected, they prove it.

Meltrs Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland I am glad that you are upgrading your electric stove. You can also upgrade Sonic's abilities by obtaining the Light Speed Shoes in Metal Hatbor.

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

By the way, I talked on this week's podcast about how a Bloomberg headline writer looking for clicks helped turn gas stoves into an idiotic new front in the right's relentless culture wars.

You can check that out here:

https://weve-got-issues.simplecast.com/episodes/euan-marshall-heather-parton

Janis Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland I love the idea however...doesn't it take specific cookware? I sure would miss my iron skillet. I use it on the electric flat stove though you're not supposed to - I'm just extra careful not to slide it!

Stacey Campbell Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland The cookware must be magnetic (grab a fridge magnet and check), and have a flat bottom.

Pamela Ehn Jan 14, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland I had no idea that induction ranges required specific cookware!

Stacey Campbell Jan 14, 2023

@cadenza @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland Yes. Unfortunately my favorite non-stick pan (10 years and going strong) was aluminum, so I had to track down a new one that works with my portable induction stove.

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

@stacey_campbell
You could get one of these too: https://www.amazon.com/9-25inch-Stainless-Cookware-Induction-Diffuser/dp/B078QM11CY/ref=pd_cp_79_2/133-0671335-3135965

Pamela Ehn Jan 14, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland so how does iron work. I’d hate to give up my iron skillet.

Mark Saltveit Jan 15, 2023

@cadenza @stacey_campbell @JanisKay
@JoshuaHolland
Iron is the ideal cookware for an induction stove. We got one a year ago and my cast iron pan remains my go to. It heats up MUCH faster too.

Where you'd have problems is with a pan that's teflon (not good for you) or copper or aluminum.

Ulrike Jan 15, 2023

@cadenza @stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland
I just looked into this for a family member who is remodeling. Some people are concerned about scratching their new, fancy cooktop, but you can put a paper towel between the iron and the glass, and it won't burn.

Janis Jan 15, 2023

@ulidig even on the electric flat glass surface it's a no no. I've done it for decades without a scratch though. Ya just don't move iron skillet back and forth and all is good. Now I do have to use occasionally a Mr. Clean eraser to remove the seasoning that sticks to the surface but it's so slight and comes up easily ...but I'm a clean freak :) @cadenza @stacey_campbell @JoshuaHolland

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

@cadenza @stacey_campbell @JanisKay They don't! There are a handful of pans that require a diffuser to work but most of the pans in your cabinet are magnetic.

Stacey Campbell Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @cadenza @JanisKay My collection was about 50/50. Only one pan needed to be replaced outright though.

I have a portable induction cooktop (USD110) set up next to the gas stove, and very rarely turn on the gas stove these days.

dragonfrog Jan 15, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JoshuaHolland @cadenza @JanisKay we were lucky that it was the cheap cookware that didn't work (a set of regular pots with lids), and the expensive bits (cast iron pans, really big stew pot, pressure cooker) that did.

stephen judkins Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @cadenza @stacey_campbell @JanisKay nah, like half of mine weren't. Not a huge deal to upgrade though unless you're a sicko who invested in a bunch of copper

dragonfrog Jan 15, 2023

@cadenza @stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland the range top & pot basically combine to make an electric generator - a changing magnetic field induces a current in ferromagnetic metals. The heat comes from resistance to the current, same as in a regular electric stove, just the current & heat are in the base of the pot rather than just below it.

Cast iron works great, but we had to replace some (but not all) of our stainless pots.

IIVQ Jan 14, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland
It's a common myth that cookware must be absolutely flat for induction. This is true for ceramic heaters. Induction must be close enough to pick up the coils energy but 5mm is close enough, that would be a "severely warped" pan imho. Wok's won't work though.

Matt Stewart Jan 17, 2023

@IIVQ @stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland my 15 inch KitchenAid wok is inductionable. 5 layer stainless clad, must be a carbon steel core or something.

IIVQ Jan 17, 2023

@jackscerebellum @stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland I stand corrected. It's a flatbottom wok. If you prefer a traditional roundbottom wok, there are special induction stoves for that.

Deb S Jan 14, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland wait. Really? I’m an idiot about stoves. I just moved into a place with a stove that’s got the flat burners. Couldn’t that just be a regular electric? How would I tell?

Stacey Campbell Jan 15, 2023

@Debnumbers @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland Induction stovetops induce heat in the pan itself. If you turn on the stovetop and it gets hot without a pan in place, it's a standard old-school electric stove.

Induction stoves basically do nothing without a compatible pan in place. My portable induction cooktop throws a warning message if there's no (compatible) pan in place.

Deb S Jan 15, 2023

@stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland got it. I googled after I asked the question and the stove in my new place is just a basic electric. I’m going to look into an induction stove.

Mark Saltveit Jan 15, 2023

@Debnumbers @stacey_campbell @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland

What Stacey said. An induction stove will literally turn off it it can't find a magnetic pan above it, or if you take your pan off the stove for too long. Good safety measure!

Mike Parlee Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland I was looking into this, and yes, aluminum pans won’t work, but it’s not that crazy. The pan just has to have a certain amount of iron in it and there’s a ton of cookware out there at reasonable prices. Some that you already own, like cast iron and stainless steel, will likely work as well.

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

@Mike_Parlee @JanisKay This $23 item makes any pan work: https://www.amazon.com/9-25inch-Stainless-Cookware-Induction-Diffuser/dp/B078QM11CY/ref=pd_cp_79_2/133-0671335-3135965

Janis Jan 15, 2023

@JoshuaHolland thanks!

Thomas H Jones II Jan 14, 2023

@Mike_Parlee @JanisKay @JoshuaHolland

Have to be careful with cast iron and induction: the heat-up speed of induction can damage cast iron via thermal shock. So, definitely want to ease yourself into it lest you destroy that pan you inherited from your grandmother or the expensive enamled cookware you got at the local specialty shop.

Janis Jan 15, 2023

@Mike_Parlee it's the cast iron I care about Nothing better! I do use Stainless for tomato based stuff though. Our next stove I'll definitely look into induction!
@JoshuaHolland

Joshua Holland Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay Most pans work with an induction cooktop. Only pure aluminum, all-copper and glass cookware doesn't work, and some stainless steel pans. If a magnet sticks, it'll work.

If you have a beloved pan that doesn't work, you can just buy a heat diffuser to go between the cooktop and the pan and that will work on anything.

josh buermann Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @JanisKay

An iron skillet will work better than ever.

A wonderful thing is that because the heat is so evenly distributed by induction that it turns any cheap (ferromagnetic) pan into top of the line five-ply copper aluminum steel bonded cookware meticulously over-engineered to redistribute the uneven heat of a gas flame.

I probably won't get rid of my All-Clad set, but induction will render them sunk cost period pieces, the archaic aesthetics of a more primitive age.

Carnildo Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @JanisKay Unfortunately, "pure aluminum", "all-copper", "glass", and "some stainless" describes all the cookware in my kitchen except two of the baking sheets. An induction cooktop isn't happening unless there's a subsidy for replacing the cookware as well.

Janis Jan 15, 2023

@JoshuaHolland thanks for info!

Russ Garrett Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland cast iron cookware works great on induction (arguably the heat distribution isn't quite as good as gas but it's not really noticeable)

Jason Braatz Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland iron is fine! if a magnet sticks to it you’re good

Janis Jan 15, 2023

@jasonbraatz good to know! @JoshuaHolland

dlupham Jan 14, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland Cast iron skillets work just fine. The stove top is glass however so the sliding part is still a problem. For those who use pans that are not magnetic, you can buy a flat magnetic plate that will heat up and transfer the heat to your pan. It is definitely NOT as efficient and the precise temperature controls with induction are reduced (becomes more like a standard electric stove)

Tom Walsh Jan 15, 2023

@JanisKay @JoshuaHolland You can use an iron skillet with an induction cooktop. I do it all the time. Rule of thumb is: if a magnet sticks to it, it will work. The most common type of cookware that doesn't work is aluminum.

Katrags Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland
Thank you for this information! Changes my plans for the kitchen remodel.

marktaylor Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland it’s about owning the libs though. Not cooking.

Jason Braatz Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland I just ripped out my kitchen and the remodel will include capping the gas line and a new induction cooktop. Have been cooking using a cheap induction hob while everything else is in shambles and it is AMAZING. Boils a tea kettle in 1/3 of the time my gas range did, no hot spots with a wok. I’m so stoked to use the big one!

Alex Galt 🧄Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland We love ours, we ditched our gas appliances in spring. We did have to install 220 power, wish we’d known there’d be subsidies.

e.pilot Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland nuance isn’t allowed, straight to culture war

Matt Moehr Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland wait. Where’s that $4000 for an electric box?? That’s my exact problem right now. I’d move forward tomorrow on an induction range if I could get 4k for my old house’s electric panel

dlupham Jan 14, 2023

@mattmoehr @JoshuaHolland You can buy counter top induction plates. Turn off the gas, put a cover over the gas stove and put the induction plates of the cover. There are downsides. You really can't get more than 2 induction plates on the stove and since most inductions plates (in the US) are 110 they don't have quite the heating power (water boils a little slower) as the induction stove would have.

Matt Moehr Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @dlupham I want/need a new panel cause I want to do induction stove this year, heat pumps next year and a few years down the road a car charger.

I looked into the countertop induction elements. Seems like they’re good but id rather not spend money on something I know I’m going to have to sell soon

Matt Moehr Jan 14, 2023

@dlupham @JoshuaHolland I can’t vouch for the legitimacy of solar dot com but here’s a nice list of rebates.

https://www.solar.com/learn/home-energy-efficiency-rebates-and-tax-credits/

the_blackwell_ninja [EST]Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland I replaced mine last year and never looked back. Induction is superior in pretty much every way, but of course the media cares more about GOP whinging than any practical reality.

keplerniko Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland Where can I find more info about government funding for non-gas stoves?

Bynkii Jan 14, 2023

@JoshuaHolland @lolgop the entire “gas stoves are better” thing always came off as personal preference that became some kind of weird fact.

I’ve always had to get used to an individual stove because they’re all different. Each vendor does the same principle just a bit different. “Med” on one is never the same “med” on another.

So the magical superiority of gas always seemed like just that. Magical thinking. And god, gas stoves suck to keep clean.

John Gordon Jan 14, 2023

I did not know of this program, found some more info here:

https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/inflation-reduction-act-and-new-electric-appliance-rebates-a3460144904/

Sounds like it's state based and income capped and the $4000 is a tax credit. I think very few could get the full subsidy AND the tax credit.

What the Inflation Reduction Act Could Mean for Your Next Appliance Purchase

Consumer Reports explains you how you might qualify for the electric appliance rebates included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Consumer Reports

John Gordon Jan 14, 2023

Alas, program isn't in place yet in MN:

https://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program?zipcode=55105

DSIRE

Namnezia Jan 15, 2023

@jgordon @JoshuaHolland I’m looking for the actual government link for this? Do you know where I can find it?

John Gordon Jan 16, 2023

@Namnezia @JoshuaHolland I didn't see a gov link. It's buried in the bigger bill.