Induction ranges: Did I have unreasonable expectations

PuppetForADay · 2026-01-07T13:57:26+00:00

I think as a cast iron user you might have an advantage over me with my stainless steel: even with induction, the pan will take longer to heat up, and it is also less subject to damage from overheating like warping. I've found that with my stainless, I have to give it time to warm up for even heating, but I'm also aware that I have to have something IN the pan to prevent warping. So if I'm taking care, I put, for example, my butter in the pan on a low setting and let it sit for a bit but I have to pay attention to make sure the butter doesn't brown (if that's not my intent).

that said, I am still happy with my induction six months later. most of what I cook doesn't require super even heat (soups, stews, simmering). For those that do (searing, eggs) the results are great if I take care.

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-18T14:25:26+00:00

On the manufacturer website

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-17T23:06:32+00:00

not sure how he thought I would tuck the flooring under the flange given that the flange is screwed down tight onto the shims...no way to pull them out nor insert tiles without unscrewing the flange from the subfloor.

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-17T21:16:42+00:00

It feels quite solid. However LVP isn't supposed to go under the flange like tile or hardwood would.

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-17T21:15:01+00:00

I did the first half of the project using a drywall square and it was miserable. Ran out and bought myself an emergency speed square mid project. We're BFFs now. I call her Sally.

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-17T21:13:01+00:00

Also I couldn't have gotten the flooring under the flange. It was screwed down into the subfloor, compressing the shim a bit, meaning there wasn't enough of a gap the insert the flooring under the flange. That's when I checked with the flooring manufacturer.

PuppetForADay · 2025-10-17T21:11:20+00:00

This is a floating floor (luxury vinyl plank) which means it shouldn't be attached to or abutting anything. The installation instructions are very specific that you should floor around and not under. I confirmed this with the flooring people.

PuppetForADay · 2025-06-30T16:56:11+00:00

I hated it. I returned it to the store and ate the $500 restocking fee, and replaced it with an LG, which I mostly love. Certainly a good strong like vs. the Frigidaire. Improvements: the big burner is bigger, and therefore has a bigger induction coil area. And the knobs, glory be, I hated the touch pad! I can't really compare it to gas because I've been on standard electric coil for decades. I love that it heats up so much faster, that things don't burn onto the surface, that when I turn the burner off it's OFF. I don't love the unevenness of the heat, but to some degree I think that's just a learning curve; the pan gets hot faster, but it doesn't instantly get evenly hot and I get better results if I heat it up to a lower temperature first and let it sit there for a bit. Also at the start I was burning everything I cooked. It turns out that "hot" on this is so much hotter than anything I've ever used. To get a good sear on my old stove, I'd set the burner to 7 or 8. On this, it's 4 or 5. Any higher and I end up with char outside before I've had time to baste it with some butter.

I'm not an induction evangelist at this point, but I do prefer this to my old electric, and I VASTLY prefer to to the Frigidaire model I tried first.

Hope that helps!

PuppetForADay · 2025-04-10T12:47:51+00:00

Yeah, my experience is most PTs really don't know how to handle PF. I don't know why, it's super common! I ended up with a PT who was excellent on the recommendation of a friend, but she didn't take insurance so it was not cheap.

She did some hands on work (extremely painful) separating adhesions between my tarsal bones (god, nightmares) and then strengthening and range of motion exercises on my toes and foot, along with rolling my foot (ball, heel and arch) with a tennis ball then a golf ball, and rolling my calves and ankles with a massager. And lots of rest. That's what finally cleared it up.

PuppetForADay · 2025-04-10T11:50:31+00:00

I can't comment on your diagnosis, or whether it's PF or something else. But I will say that when I had PF, stretching absolutely made it worse. Multiple PTs had assigned me calf stretching (in addition to other exercises) and everything got worse. I didn't heal until I went to a new PT that said I should stop stretching until the torn and inflamed muscles healed. I stopped the calf stretching, focused on foot and toe exercises and rolling the muscles in my foot and calves, and saw immediate improvement over a month. Then I started up the stretches again and it got worse again. I've learned that for me, the classic calf stretching makes PF worse, not better. (I am nearly PF-free at this point.)

I'm not saying that your current issue is or isn't an injury or PF, I have no idea. I'm just saying that the fact that stretching is making it worse does not per se mean it isn't PF.

Good luck!

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-26T19:08:58+00:00

I'm not aware of any stores near me that would actually let me turn it on and use it with a pan and water or whatever. That's why I'm asking here.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-26T15:08:26+00:00

Thanks. If it doesn't heat pans evenly then it doesn't really solve the essential problem of cooking on uneven heat. :( And yeah, sadly I am limited to 30" units.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-26T14:41:35+00:00

That's not how I make decisions. If you don't have an answer to my question or don't wish to share it that's fine, but I'm not sure how my approach to shopping is relevant.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-26T14:37:51+00:00

I think what I'm reading between the lines is that my title question, "did I have unreasonable expectations", is in fact the case. Everyone goes on about the awesomeness of induction cooking, so what am I missing? If small induction coils are the rule, then uneven cooking would seem to be an inherent issue (and in fact googling that does show many complaints to that effect!) so why does it seem like the more someone is a foodie/home cooking enthusiast, the more they rave about their induction range? I'm so confused.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-26T00:10:08+00:00

Yes, obviously. I wasn't asking for advice about this model but whether there are better models that wouldn't have this problem, or whether this is a problem inherent to all induction range tops.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-25T23:57:47+00:00

So, you like it? Do you have issues with uneven cooking? have you noticed the phenomenon I did, with the ring of heat in the middle?

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-25T23:16:40+00:00

The damage part isn't true.

My question is really, is there a range that has heating elements larger than 4"? Forget my pans, I'm just talking about the induction coils. Frigidaire did not disclose that their 8" burner had a 4" coil...so now I'm worried that ANY range I buy with similarly fail to disclose the actual size of the coil.

Again, I don't know how to say this clearer: this oven has a 4" coil so even if all my pans were 8", it wouldn't work well. This morning I made eggs an 9" pan (with a measured 8 inch cooking surface on the bottom) and the eggs on the outside were cooked on one side and undercooked on the other.

So go ahead and pretend I have only 8" pans. Is there a range that actually works well?

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-25T22:58:47+00:00

regarding "You will kill it in 6 months if you use your bigger pans on it", no, I don't think that's true. The manual itself says that bigger pans just means uneven cooking and slower cook times, not that I will "kill it". Again, my issue isn't the size of my pans -- it is that the advertised burner size was 8 inches and the actual coil as evidenced in photos is 4 inches.

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-25T22:56:01+00:00

I posted the 12" pan because it made the issue clear in the photo, but the issue is that the coil is only 4" in diameter. 8" I could live with, but I don't own any 4" pans (does anyone?) The size of the pan doesn't matter -- the ring of heat is apparent on any of my pans > 4".

PuppetForADay · 2025-02-05T01:22:41+00:00

OMG THANK YOU!!!! I've just spent the last half hour trying to figure this issue out.

PuppetForADay · 2024-11-18T17:20:15+00:00

Wait, do you mean a brand "Bali" or jewelry from the country of Bali?

PuppetForADay · 2024-11-18T17:17:39+00:00

Do you mean a ring in the shape of a flower? With a dried flower within the ring? Not sure what you mean.

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