Thoughts on induction? And other kitchen reno questions

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agp

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I am remodeling my home (almost) entirely and which means the wife gave me reign over the kitchen - everything from flooring, design, and appliances. I have the following questions and want to get yalls help:

1. The house is only electric so no gas stoves. I am exploring the idea of getting an induction cooktop/range. Is there any reason you would not recommend it?
2. Thoughts on Bertazzoni?
3. I see many homes now have the cooktop separate from the oven. Why do people do it? Is there some benefit to this aside from the fact that if the oven breaks you don't need to replace the stove top?
4. Has anyone renovated a kitchen without a hood range/vent that goes outside? How difficult is it to add outside ventilation?
5. Is a "premium brand" range hood important? I don't know if a Bertazzoni range hood is necessarily better than a standard non-premium brand.
6. Anything else I should look or look out for?
 
Limited experience with induction so I'm skipping that one, but going to chime in on a few others:

3: There might be other examples, but most I knew picked it simply because it looks sleeker. It also allows you to integrate the cooktop into a kitchen island if you want to.
There's also major downsides though. Almost all integrated cooktops are relatively 'cramped' making it very hard to use all or most of the burners at the same time with decent sized pans. The size and spacing is really something to watch out for.

4: As someone who has had a period of significant health issues related to poor ventilation, and still struggles with smoke alarms every now and then, I would say to absolutely make this a priority. I would chew out a ventilation channel with my teeth if I had to...

Just for inspiration it helps to just go through a million kitchen design websites / articles / etc even just for inspiration. Websites like apartmenttherapy (and similar ones) I found useful, because even if half of it might be not your cup of tea or too hipsterish, there's often some interesting ideas you can pick up and borrow.

It's really worth paying attention to the layout of your kitchen from a functional perspective, to maximize your efficiency. A well layed out kitchen makes cooking faster and more enjoyable, and you'll find yourself walking about half as much. There's plenty of guides on YT with basic design rules to get started with, but also try to think of how you yourself normally like to do your cooking.

Edit: the induction question has come up a few times before; it might be worth digging up some of those older threads.
 
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after having 'done' a few new kitchens we now have modelled our kitchen and pretty much faced the same dilemma's you mentioned.

-1) Induction: get a GOOD cooktop, that allows your largest size of pans and a few of them just as you would use them, take care to test the ergonomics and haptonomics of the controls....some cooktops suck at that! (don't get me started). lookout for power rating if you plan to do serious searing/grilling, prepare to buy new pans.

-2) unk to me

-3) a separate cooktop can be wider to accommodate larger pots and pans, and indeed there is a (minor) benefit if one of the two breaks vs using a range.

-4) I second the post above, do not even start to think or believe that a recirculation hood works....period.

-5) premium is marketing, look for CFM and dB rating, and check if you can stand the noise with your ear almost stuck in the range....go for lots of CFM and lowest possible dB, and ensure fresh air can enter the room or the efficiency of the ventilator drops like a brick.

Also second the advice to take care of routing/layout, this is where a good kitchen store can be valuable (simple things like do you work left to right, where to keep utensil you need during cooking, etc etc), read up in advance and think and discuss what seems to work for you.
Finally do NOT buy during the first session in a kitchen store...firstly they usually try to convince you the price offer is only valid there and then, but more importantly you will never hit all the spots you need to hit...take you time to go through all the details two three times, put everything away and do the same a week later. Tweak/add/deduct where needed and start the final planning, then discuss/negotiate.
The sky is the limit ($$), think of your budget and what is important, you probably always have to compromise somewhere as budget and space typically are constraints that are not flexible.
 
Induction cooktops can produce a high-pitched whine with some types of pans. Older folks often cannot hear the whine, while younger ears find it quite painful. (I received a standalone induction burner as a gift, and with some pans, it made my 20-something kids literally run from the room holding their ears in pain. Same phenomenon that convenience stores use to keep kids from loitering outside, by playing high pitched sounds that are aversive to younger ears.) In reading about this, it isn't clear if the sound is a function of the cooktop, or the type of pans (multi-layer clad pans seem to do it more than, say, cast iron), or some interaction between the two.

I don't think the high pitched noise is universal but if google things like 'induction cooktop high pitched noise' you'll see a lot of discussions/explanations of it.
 
I would say if your cook top is on an outside wall then it is real easy to vent outside otherwise it is based on your attic access.

I had gas separates when I bought my old house. The gas oven had a vent pipe through the roof as well as the vent hood. A lot of heat leaked into the kitchen from the oven because it was not close to the vent hood. I remodeled my kitchen and went to a Viking gas range. This allowed the vent hood to pick up the heat coming off the oven. This is especially important in July and August in Texas where it is very hot outside.
 
JASinIL2006 said:
Induction cooktops can produce a high-pitched whine with some types of pans. Older folks often cannot hear the whine, while younger ears find it quite painful. (I received a standalone induction burner as a gift, and with some pans, it made my 20-something kids literally run from the room holding their ears in pain. Same phenomenon that convenience stores use to keep kids from loitering outside, by playing high pitched sounds that are aversive to younger ears.) In reading about this, it isn't clear if the sound is a function of the cooktop, or the type of pans (multi-layer clad pans seem to do it more than, say, cast iron), or some interaction between the two.

I don't think the high pitched noise is universal but if google things like 'induction cooktop high pitched noise' you'll see a lot of discussions/explanations of it.
Click to expand...

Our teenager run from the kitchen anyhow, our current (rental place) induction range also makes a high pitched whine but only on full power, which (luckily) is never required for longer periods as the efficiency of induction is just GREAT!
 
Another benefit of a separate oven is height. It’s really a luxury to have the oven chest-high and I’d even venture that it’s probably also safer as you move stuff in and out. Also heavier things will be much easier on your back if you don’t have to stoop down. Separate ovens also let you do stacked double ovens.

If you’re going to add outside ventilation anyway, then investigate external fans. They’ll be much quieter, then all you have to worry about inside is a decorative hood which makes the brand much less important. CFMs and dBs are where it’s at, as someone else mentioned. Generally you calculate how much CFM you need based on the BTU of your cooktop. The size of the hood is also determined by the size of the cooktop, I think generally you want 2-3” of hood overhang on each side.

Finding a kitchen designer can be helpful. An actual kitchen designer, not some random cabinet salesperson. They can help a lot with these questions and issues and design something with good flow based on your actual usage patterns.
 
If you cannot install gas, induction is your best alternative option imho. I have a Siemens hood without any outside ventilation. To be honest I hardly use my ventilation hood.
 
Wahnamhong said:
If you cannot install gas, induction is your best alternative option imho. I have a Siemens hood without any outside ventilation. To be honest I hardly use my ventilation hood.
Click to expand...
Agreed on the first part; having cooked on old-fashioned non-induction electric hotplates for a few years, I would rather cook on an open fire from diesel fuel, or simply eat my chicken raw, than go back to that... :(
 
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Gas and induction are the most common stoves here in Japan. Since gas is no option, induction is a good choice. Some points you might want to check: You need to make sure that your pans and pots are compatible with induction. Also, the size of the hob generally needs to be at least as big as the bottom of the pan. By the way, although possible, induction is not so suitable for stir-frying.
 
I recently redid our kitchen, and as a professional chef who loves gas/French tops, the induction stove is the way I go at home. The mid range to high end units are more than powerful enough for home cooking, are sleek and easy to clean/operate, and often if you own decent or nicer pans they are already induction capable.
Agree on ventilation hood, if you can get an external fan unit life will be quieter and more efficient from a cooking perspective.
For design; go with what you like from a layout perspective. Set it up the way you cook, what you like close and how you want to organize. In my opinion, many home kitchen designers don’t cook for a living and put things in poor places simply for aesthetics
 
also; think long about where you select push to open or 'proximity switch' drawers , install those where you work/cook and be surprised how frequent they open without reason, and be amazed how long it takes them to respond when you're in a hurry.
 
Our new house has a separate stove top and convection oven. It took some getting used to, but after a few weeks I love them. The only problem I have with the glass top burners is that I can't use my cast iron skillets anymore. For ventilation, ours is sort of weird in that it has a downward draft ventilation that sucks the air through the floors, the basement, then outside.

As for the induction oven, you do have to convert regular cooking time & temps to the new convection oven. I have found that about 7% - 10% less time & temp seems to work well most of the time. A lot of recipes online give the conversion time & temps as well.
 
Pensfan said:
Our new house has a separate stove top and convection oven. It took some getting used to, but after a few weeks I love them. The only problem I have with the glass top burners is that I can't use my cast iron skillets anymore. For ventilation, ours is sort of weird in that it has a downward draft ventilation that sucks the air through the floors, the basement, then outside.

As for the induction oven, you do have to convert regular cooking time & temps to the new convection oven. I have found that about 7% - 10% less time & temp seems to work well most of the time. A lot of recipes online give the conversion time & temps as well.
Click to expand...

Do you mean 'convection oven' maybe? I don't think induction ovens exist....

Why can you not use your cast iron pans? Fear of scratching the glass? My induction burner does fine with cast iron.
 
I use cast iron on a glass cooktop, I think they are afraid someone will slam a pan down and break the glass, just keep the bottom of the pan clean and no scratching issues will occur.
 
Any thoughts on designer appliances .com? Has anyone bought there before?

Designer Appliances carries a huge line of Bertazzoni (along with Viking and other premium brands). Hoping to get some feedback on Bertazzoni as well. It seems like not many people has them?
 
Recently retired building contractor here. I always bought from local mom and pop sources. When my customers need service in the future, I want it to be a phone call away.
Same with my own, saving a few bucks now, can be a problem later.
 
The Bertazzonis have tiny ovens. Most things you'll read take the 'faint praise' approach of saying they're only good for looking at.

Definitely buy from a local shop that preferably also services appliances. You'll get better service, and with the higher end stuff, there are no discounts anyway. In the past you might have lucked out on a floor model. That's not the case now. Also, i've heard that promise dates have slipped to October/November on many higher end things like Subs.
 
Have you considered having a propane tank installed? This is a popular option in the countryside of VA if you have the space. My father has an inground tank that was installed free of charge with a 5 year re-fill contract. His cooktop, water heater and emergency heat are propane. This is a big plus since it also reduced the size of his generator.

on #5 I wired up a Zephyr 48 inch hood this week and the built in LED lighting was atrocious - not bright enough and way to blue. They had a Thermador range so the cost cutting did not make sense to me.
 
Shame that Bertazzoni is most just a looker.

How about Blomberg? Trying to get a good 30in induction range for under 4k.
 
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