Okay, gang, my wife put her foot down, hard, this week on the idea of replacing our ancient Jenn-Aire electric cooktop with a gas cooktop. The current one is a 30 inch with downdraft, and there's a largish (4 inches maybe?) duct going down through the slab for the fan to vent on an outside wall about 15 feet away. My plan was to bury a propane tank (I'm getting one anyway when the dream outdoor kitchen happens) just outside the spot where the vent is since we don't have access to natural gas. I wanted to fish a propane line through the vent duct and then put a smaller duct inside for venting the new cooktop. She has spent the last 28 years doing chemistry here at UF in very old buildings and just has too many horror stories on utility retrofits. This only got worse when she did a stint as associate dean with responsibility over several rehab building projects and now as chair of the department.
The good news, though, is that she's all in on replacing the old cooktop with a new induction cooktop. I have to admit that I wasn't very familiar with induction cooking until starting to read up the last couple of days. Honestly, it's a better choice than propane. It's more energy efficient and it is just as fast, or even faster, in response times going both up or down on temperature.
I've tentatively settled on the Frigidaire Professional Series 30 inch cooktop. I love that it has the feature of being able to combine two burners to control a griddle or very large pan. I also love that it has actual knobs you can turn to adjust heat (yeah, I'm old). I am open to suggestions, though, if anyone thinks this choice is a mistake or if there is a better choice with similar features also in this price range. I see that AJMadison says they have this in stock at just under $1800. Lowe's has stopped selling it online (haven't called the local store yet to see if they can order it, though) and I'm not crazy about making a purchase that large on Amazon.

So that's where I am on the cooktop and hope to put in an order within the next week or so. But where I need help, and the reason I put this post where I did, is that I need guidance on a new set of cookware. My Lodge skillet (I only have the 10 inch right now) and 14 inch pizza pan (to use as a griddle) will survive, of course, as will my new steel wok. But my old Anolon Authority pans are not magnetic, and they are starting to look pretty worn anyway with some damage to the nonstick surfaces.
So, what cookware should I get? I would prefer a larger matched set. I tend to be lazy, hence my usual reliance on nonstick. But I also prefer putting the pans that fit into the dishwasher and even though this Analon set claimed to be dishwasher safe, I suspect they would have lasted longer with handwashing only.
I'm wondering if with the precise control and quick response of induction cooking will allow me to get by with stainless cookware that is dishwasher safe. Even without nonstick treatment, it seems like badly scorched-on messes shouldn't happen all that often.
I'm not afraid to spend a fair amount on the new set, but do want something that will be durable and will continue to look really nice for a long time with regular cleaning in the dishwasher.
Oh, and one last further improvement on going to induction: downdraft models aren't made and I rarely use the vent anyway, so I'm going ventless. This will create a LOT more storage space in the cabinet under the cooktop with the vent duct and fan motor no longer around.
The good news, though, is that she's all in on replacing the old cooktop with a new induction cooktop. I have to admit that I wasn't very familiar with induction cooking until starting to read up the last couple of days. Honestly, it's a better choice than propane. It's more energy efficient and it is just as fast, or even faster, in response times going both up or down on temperature.
I've tentatively settled on the Frigidaire Professional Series 30 inch cooktop. I love that it has the feature of being able to combine two burners to control a griddle or very large pan. I also love that it has actual knobs you can turn to adjust heat (yeah, I'm old). I am open to suggestions, though, if anyone thinks this choice is a mistake or if there is a better choice with similar features also in this price range. I see that AJMadison says they have this in stock at just under $1800. Lowe's has stopped selling it online (haven't called the local store yet to see if they can order it, though) and I'm not crazy about making a purchase that large on Amazon.
So that's where I am on the cooktop and hope to put in an order within the next week or so. But where I need help, and the reason I put this post where I did, is that I need guidance on a new set of cookware. My Lodge skillet (I only have the 10 inch right now) and 14 inch pizza pan (to use as a griddle) will survive, of course, as will my new steel wok. But my old Anolon Authority pans are not magnetic, and they are starting to look pretty worn anyway with some damage to the nonstick surfaces.
So, what cookware should I get? I would prefer a larger matched set. I tend to be lazy, hence my usual reliance on nonstick. But I also prefer putting the pans that fit into the dishwasher and even though this Analon set claimed to be dishwasher safe, I suspect they would have lasted longer with handwashing only.
I'm wondering if with the precise control and quick response of induction cooking will allow me to get by with stainless cookware that is dishwasher safe. Even without nonstick treatment, it seems like badly scorched-on messes shouldn't happen all that often.
I'm not afraid to spend a fair amount on the new set, but do want something that will be durable and will continue to look really nice for a long time with regular cleaning in the dishwasher.
Oh, and one last further improvement on going to induction: downdraft models aren't made and I rarely use the vent anyway, so I'm going ventless. This will create a LOT more storage space in the cabinet under the cooktop with the vent duct and fan motor no longer around.
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