Induction cooktop

Has anyone worked with induction cooktops in a pro kitchen? I'm looking at setting up in a heritage building and trying to avoid commercial extraction and avoid jumping through hoops with fire rating. It'll only be a small place ~12 seats, and I plan to utilise some outdoor equipment as well.
Just looking for feedback from those who may have used induction, how long did it take to get used to the difference from conventional burners.

Thanks in advance

I'v used several induction "burners" in a pro kitchen. I was actually astounded by how powerful they can be. I burnt several thing's in the beginning and was annoyed by the safety feature of them beeping when you take something off till it switches it self off.
Once your used to them, they are awesome though. You should adapt after a couple of busy services.

I have Extensively. Look into Equipex out of Rhode Island. DO NOT USE COOK TECH. Equipex has really heavy duty stuff with much more CFM and higher quality heat diffusers. It also will not take long to get used to as its such consistent and fast heat, it takes the guess work out of pan temp, unlike french eye or open burner that takes getting used to finding the sweet spot.

Thanks for the replies so far guys, single standalone units seems to be popular rather than a 4"burner" type set up, is that your experience?
Also has anyone used an induction plancha? Thoughts.

I've used DIPO brand - they are made in korea and available in Australia. They work on 10amp which was a big deal - as many require 15amp wiring or higher! They are extremely sturdy and reliable. Recommend.

Having worked with gas only and induction only kitchens before, I can say I prefer the latter, due to precision, speed, and cost. Gas is far more intuitive although I see few other benefits. The induction plancha I worked on was a POS though, far too fragile and never heated evenly.

the only reason you see stand alone units and not a lot of 4 burner or planchas is the price. I know a cooktech induction griddle costs from 10k-15k, so I imagine a 4 burner setup is near there too.

Von blewitt said:

single standalone units seems to be popular rather than a 4"burner" type set up, is that your experience?

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I've seen these alot in the context of mobile catering, remote use, and real-estate upgrades in peripheal spaces. There is an element of plug and play logistics and speed/cover capacity that makes these worthy of investment vs other options.

For boiling water and simmering, etc it may not be ideal in terms cost. you'd have to do some math on the ROI.

HRC_64 said:

I've seen these alot in the context of mobile catering, remote use, and real-estate upgrades in peripheal spaces. There is an element of plug and play logistics and speed/cover capacity that makes these worthy of investment vs other options.

For boiling water and simmering, etc it may not be ideal in terms cost. you'd have to do some math on the ROI.

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I always thought induction was the bees knees for boiling and simmering.

Or were you saying something else?

I am just a home cook but I love my 2000W portable induction cooktop. It is indeed great for bringing stuff to a boil quickly, but they suck at simmering, because many devices can be regulated only poorly in the low range. 400W is the lowest setting on mine and it will easily boil off an inch of water over 30 minutes when I boil potatoes for four persons, even with a full 3 liter pot. Of course that maybe not so much of a problem with the much bigger pots in a pro kitchen. The full on/ completely off - regulation method is also not ideal for sensitive stuff like pudding or sauces. Even with the best cookware it heats up so quickly that the heat can't be spread over the bottom of the pot evenly.

mhpr262 said:

I am just a home cook but I love my 2000W portable induction cooktop. It is indeed great for bringing stuff to a boil quickly, but they suck at simmering, because many devices can be regulated only poorly in the low range. 400W is the lowest setting on mine and it will easily boil off an inch of water over 30 minutes when I boil potatoes for four persons, even with a full 3 liter pot. Of course that maybe not so much of a problem with the much bigger pots in a pro kitchen. The full on/ completely off - regulation method is also not ideal for sensitive stuff like pudding or sauces. Even with the best cookware it heats up so quickly that the heat can't be spread over the bottom of the pot evenly.

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None of these problems are present with good commercial units.

The Vollrath Mirage Pro is the cheapest 1800W induction unit that offers enough control and power settings to be worth buying. The build quality is also excellent. The sad truth about all other cheap induction burners is that they really only have 10 or 12 power settings, and it's next to impossible to dial in a simmer. You're either going to be full-on boiling or not-hot-enough. And the low end control is garbage so you can't gently melt chocolate, for instance. The Vollrath has none of those problems. AND -- and this is a big "AND" -- it has a knob on it. I don't know if you've ever tried to adjust the heat on a pot with a goddamn membrane switch before, but it is not a pleasant experience. Having to poke at your burner with your finger to adjust the temp is just barbaric. The Vollrath's knob is quick and intuitive -- and it makes the thing basically feel like you're cooking on gas.