I want an induction stove but I don't know how to buy things

August 12, 2024 4:00 PM

My household is replacing a gas stove with (hopefully) an induction one. We've verified that we can do this and identified a candidate stove. I'm a little hesitant because the brand appears to be a company that re-badges products from another manufacturer for sale in North America (Forno, a subsidiary of CTM International Group). The process has led me to three questions, in decreasing specificity:

• In your experience, are Forno appliances reasonably durable? ("reasonably" meaning "won't become unusable within 5 years of installation")
• Do you recommend any specific induction range (requirements: no wifi or "smart" features, freestanding, white or at least not stainless steel, knobs)?
• Where do you find non-astroturfed reviews, comparison, and information about residential appliances?

posted by yomimono to Home & Garden (20 answers total)

We've had this Cafe double oven with gas stovetop and been very happy with it. We're renovating our kitchen now and replaced it with the identical induction version.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:15 PM on August 12 [2 favorites]

We have used aj Madison's website as both a source for reviews and a place to actually purchase. Who knows anymore with reviews but they seem to still be real to my eye. Good resource to try, and good for price checking as well.
posted by chasles at 5:15 PM on August 12

Can I just add a cautionary tale just because it's top of mind and I happened to see this question?

Our gas stove died two years ago. We bought a fancy GE Cafe induction stove, mostly because it was the only thing we could find in stock and we needed a stove. Plus, it was well reviewed. I mean, Cafe is the fancy GE upscale brand!!!

We were new to induction. We like it! We had to replace a couple pans with ones that would work with induction, but that's minor. Water boils so freaking fast. It's great!

Last month, one of the "burners" on the stove top stopped working. We had a reputable appliance tech out who inspected it yesterday, pulled a diagnostic code, then told us we'd need to replace the entire stove top to the tune of about $1500. The entire stove was about $3800, if memory serves

So. I like induction. But also, if something breaks, it seems very all-in-one kind of deal. If it had been gas I'm guessing it would have been substantially less to fix a specific burner.

I'm kicking myself I didn't get the extended warranty. I never get the extended warranty. Anyway. I'm not here to schill for warranties, but don't be future me.
posted by kbanas at 5:20 PM on August 12 [3 favorites]

Check out the youtube channel for Yale Appliance, an appliance dealer and repairerer in the Boston area. They have a lot of videos about brand selection, pros'n'cons, and reliability.

the other place I would check is reddit's r/appliances .
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:36 PM on August 12 [2 favorites]

We bought a Frigidaire induction stove a year or two ago, their cheapest model (I think it's the one Ikea rebadges). I love it and it's been flawless from a performance perspective, but just for what it's worth: I couldn't find a single induction stove available in typical appliance white when I was looking then, because that's exactly what I wanted. Had to just get stainless.
posted by Polycarp at 5:38 PM on August 12

2. We have a Bosch induction slide-in range and really really love it. It also has a convection multi-rack stove mode. Only downside is that the panel is not lit up and it's a pain to see sometimes. When I was researching induction stoves I looked for ratings of reliability and this one came out on top. I don't remember where I found those reviews. Downside is that it is pricey.
posted by bluesky43 at 6:08 PM on August 12

We purchased this one a while back (over a year ago?) specifically because it had knobs, (a goddamn rarity) in lieu of a touchscreen or button controls. It used to come in black, but I believe that color was discontinued for a different model. It works great! Heats things extremely fast and responsively. Fantastic temperature stability. No notes! The only bummer we’ve had with it is that we converted over from a range that had the controls on the back of the unit, so we had to alter our existing backsplash to accommodate, and that’s more a problem with our kitchen, not the stove itself.

Oh, now that I think of it, one complaint: the knobs dont fee like they line up correctly with the burners. Like, the big right hand burner, I naturally reach for the far right knob, but the far right knob is for the right, back burner. The second knob from the right is for the big one; it took me MONTHS to adjust to that, but did eventually and can now heat water for coffee bleary-eyed first thing without issue.

It’s only been a year, but I cook nearly everyday and am very hard on appliances. Passes the cheap but bombproof tests so far. And yeah, real knobs.
posted by furnace.heart at 6:24 PM on August 12 [1 favorite]

I have a Forno fridge, which is working fine. I ended up with it because I have very specific dimensional requirements to get something into my house and up the stairs, and this one qualified. It's fine, as fridges go, and it's in my kitchen, unlike the other fridges they couldn't deliver. It took a long time to get here, but there were pandemic supply chain and weather event issues at work. No advice on induction stoves, but Forno as a brand seems fine.
posted by gingerbeer at 6:52 PM on August 12

Implementation detail: consider getting an induction cooktop and then a separate oven, if your kitchen geometry and budget permit, regardless of brand.
posted by aramaic at 9:00 PM on August 12 [5 favorites]

for $10/month or $40/year you can get access to reviews and recommendations from Consumer Reports. It looks like the Frigidaire Gallery FGIC3066TB and the GE Profile PHP9030DJBB are good buys - less expensive but still highly rated. No mention of Forno.
posted by metahawk at 9:43 PM on August 12

less expensive but still highly rated

FWIW, Consumer Reports' top pick, the LG Studio LSIS6338FE, is cheaper at $3295.00 - $3699.00 than the GE Profile, which is listed at $3992.70 - $3999.99 (the Frigidaire Gallery is cheapest at $1379.00 - $1499.99). Here's the link to their discussion of the 3 Best Induction Ranges of 2024, and here's their full ratings table for electric induction ranges, if you know anyone who subscribes. Feel free to DM me for more info.
posted by mediareport at 6:39 AM on August 13

if something breaks, it seems very all-in-one kind of deal

Yes, this is my experience with induction. I LOVE induction - in many ways, in terms of cooking, it is similar to the responsiveness of gas. And in some ways it is superior to gas (especially in terms of air quality in your home). But we have had a lot of breakdowns. I know a lot of people feel it is a scam but we always get the extended warranty on major appliances and we have always used it and it has saved our skins many a time. We have the LG Studio LSIS6338FE.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:16 AM on August 13 [1 favorite]

With regards to Forno, I don't have personal experience with the brand, but my understanding is that they manufacture everything in China, rebadge, and provide marketing and support. They're not a traditional vertically integrated appliance manufacturer such as GE, Whirlpool, Fisher Paykel etc that do everything from R&D to consumer support. Which means their prices are probably lower, but you may be taking some risks in terms of long term support and reliability.
posted by sid at 9:21 AM on August 13

I have a GE Profile induction stove and really, really love it. I really like to cook, and was worried that I would be bothered by the lack of knobs to control the heat but I'm happy to report that it hasn't been an issue at all.
posted by Aizkolari at 9:51 AM on August 13

We just got an induction range. We were considering either a GE or a Frigidaire. We went with the Frigidaire, because the GE one not only had WiFi, some features (such as “bridging” two elements) were only available if you had the WiFi turned on.

Wtf? A stove is not a subscription item! No thanks, GE!
posted by nat at 1:11 PM on August 13 [3 favorites]

We just got an induction range. We were considering either a GE or a Frigidaire. We went with the Frigidaire, because the GE one not only had WiFi, some features (such as “bridging” two elements) were only available if you had the WiFi turned on.

Wtf? A stove is not a subscription item! No thanks, GE!

Yeah, but, like, on our GE, we can use the WiFi to activate the built-in webcam in the oven to watch things as they bake, a feature we have never, ever used and seems so extravagant as to make me feel somewhat ashamed (I understand that it has accessibility benefits to folks that need it).
posted by kbanas at 4:44 PM on August 13

For those of you with induction stoves, do they buzz? My kids have very sensitive hearing and complain about buzzing from the cheapo stand-alone ductorp induction single burner.
posted by leahwrenn at 7:07 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I don’t hear a buzz, but I think that’s pan and age dependent (I’m in my 40s and can’t hear CRTs anymore— not just because they are now rare).

Pans matter because if they are warped or made of multiple layers they can rattle.
posted by nat at 8:13 PM on August 13

This one has knobs, a battery and a $6k price tag. Innovative, yes. Intriguing, yes. Proven, Idk… I am curious tho.
posted by pmaxwell at 8:27 PM on August 14

For those of you with induction stoves, do they buzz?

It depends on the pot. When I use an undersized or thinner pot, I can hear a bit of buzzing, especially with the stove on high. With a larger pot, or a thick one, like a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, there's no buzzing.
posted by Aizkolari at 7:33 AM on September 17