Stoves come in three basic types: gas, electric and induction. There are big differences among them, which we’ve outlined in this guide to stoves. For me, it’s never been a question; gas was the only fuel professional chefs in the kitchens I worked in growing up used, ergo gas was the only stove I ever considered. That all changed when I bought my first house.
Moving into a new home with an aging stove forced me to ask a question I thought I knew the answer to. My instinct, honed by years of experience with gas, was to stick with what I knew.
But my day job complicated things. As a home tech reporter who covers large appliances and the health risks tied to cooking with gas indoors, I couldn’t ignore what I’d been writing about. I’ve had asthma my entire life, one of the conditions thought to be aggravated by gas stove emissions, particularly in children. And my new kitchen, somewhat cut off from the rest of the house, made ventilation less an afterthought and more an urgent concern.
Ultimately, I opted for induction — Samsung’s feature-rich smart induction stove. After more than a year of use, peace of mind about air quality is just one of many reasons I’m happy I did. It’s faster, safer, cleaner and more energy efficient to boot.
Here are the five big reasons I made the switch with no intentions of going back.
1. Air quality was the biggest factor
What pushed me to move on from gas has nothing to do with cooking. Study after study has shown that natural gas stoves pose a real risk of environmental contamination. While the scuttlebutt over whether gas stoves are safe and what regulatory guardrails should be in place has largely quieted, the science remains.
Gas stoves are shown to leak more than previously thought and those leaks have been shown to cause respiratory issues, particularly in children. As a lifelong sufferer of asthma and the owner of a new but not-so-well-ventilated kitchen, it didn’t seem worth the risk, even if most agree that more research is needed.
2. Induction heats up freakishly fast
Modern induction heat is fast. Like, really fast. The Samsung Bespoke brings a pot of water to a boil in less than 5 minutes. A gas stove takes closer to 8. That may not seem like a big difference but after returning home from a frantic day and pasta is the only way to turn it around, you’ll notice.
The quick heat comes in handy for more than just boiling water. Getting a cast-iron skillet really hot for searing steaks, chicken and burgers takes seconds, not minutes. Calibrating the temperature without a visible flame took some time and practice, but since I got the settings down, there hasn’t been an effect on my cooking. Plus, the temperature adjusts instantly with a slide of a finger on the touchscreen.
The oven is fast, too. It preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in just over 9 minutes. A gentle ding or an alert on your phone lets you know when it’s preheated or a timed cooking session is complete.
3. I don’t worry about having left the stove on
I buy into smart home features, here and there, but I’m not one who strives for connectivity in all my home electronics and appliances. My ice maker has app compatibility, for instance, but it’s never crossed my mind to use it.
However, being able to monitor certain aspects of your oven and stove remotely is a no-brainer. Case in point: I was recently an hour into a long drive when I became utterly convinced I’d left a pot with food on a still-running burner. So sure was I that I pulled over, intending to reroute back home.
That’s when I remembered to check the SmartThings app.
To my surprise, the app and range were still connected, even though I hadn’t logged in for weeks. The view showed all burners set to “off.” A sigh of relief and I was back on my way. Even if one had been errantly left on, I could have toggled it off right there from the interstate rest stop.
There are other, less dire uses for the smart app integration, like preheating the oven or dialing down the heat on a simmering sauce from another room. I admit I don’t use my range’s remote control daily or even weekly, but in that moment of uncertainty, the stovetop’s connectivity paid for itself.
The range’s touchscreen hub can also connect to your phone via Bluetooth to play music or scan the internet for recipes and YouTube cooking videos, and display them for you as you cook along. I don’t find myself engaging often, but I can see why some cooks would.
4. Induction stoves are easier to clean
The most welcome surprise in my switch to induction is the cleanup — or should I say, the lack thereof. Anyone who uses gas burners tucked under grates knows there’s just no keeping that stovetop clean, no matter how careful you are while cooking.
The scratch-free range, which has remained scratch-free for more than a year of use, takes no more than a wipe with a damp towel or sponge to clean, no matter how much of that night’s recipe rained down upon it.
An involved cleanup after a long day, labor-intensive recipe or while hosting a gathering is one of the biggest buzzkills when cooking at home. Eliminating one inevitable and unenviable task is a big boon for induction.
5. Cookware compatibility was not an issue for me
One of the biggest drawbacks of switching to induction is the lack of compatibility with cookware. Induction doesn’t work (or work well) with copper and aluminum pots and pans.
Most stainless steel, cast iron and ceramic cookware is compatible. I only use pots and pans made from those materials, so I have had no compatibility issues.
Quality kitchen brands always indicate whether their pans are induction-compatible. If you’re making the switch to induction, do some research and ensure you don’t have to buy new cookware after the fact.
If I could do it over, I’d skip the in-oven camera
The Samsung Bespoke Smart induction range I chose costs north of $2,000, about twice as much as a similar, less feature-heavy Samsung model. The key differences are that mine has “more advanced” AI-powered cooking modes and an internal oven camera, so you can monitor food remotely via phone and share time-lapse videos. I don’t use or rely on either of these.
The control panels are also different, with the pricier model featuring an LCD Display. In my experience, LCD displays have more issues and glitches than simpler digital interfaces, although mine has been great so far.
For my money, the $1,100 Samsung Bespoke 30-in Smart Induction Range, which has all the features I care about, as outlined above in this article, is the better buy.
Read the full article here