After five years of home cooking with induction stovetops, a popular food writer shared the pros and cons.

Dim Nikov, a Barcelona-based chef and food writer, gave a thorough review of induction cooking in a Medium post.

"Here's my unbiased opinion," he wrote. "Induction cooktops are as good — and not as good — as they're made out to be."

The pros of induction cooking are clear. They're more energy efficient than electric or gas stoves, and they don't produce toxic fumes like gas stoves — fumes that can possibly lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Induction stoves also heat pots and pans more quickly than gas or electric stoves and bring water to a boil considerably faster.

The cooktops aren't perfect — after all, what is? — and Nikov was honest about some of the downsides. 

For instance, although induction cooktops don't get hot by themselves, pots and pans can become incredibly hot and transfer some of that heat back to the cooktop, so if someone removes a hot pan and then touches the stove, it could burn. That residual heat can also cause food splatters to stick to the cooktop, meaning more than a quick wipe is occasionally needed to clean it.

Nikov said these issues are nuisances, not deal-breakers, and that induction is still safer and easier to clean than other cooktops.

"Since we're having a heart-to-heart here, I felt like I just had to point it out," he wrote.

For some, the upfront cost of an induction stove may be a potential drawback, but rebates available through the Inflation Reduction Act can save buyers up to $840 on a new cooktop. Although the One Big Beautiful Bill Act strips away many IRA savings, the induction rebates remain for now.

What would be your biggest motivation for switching to an induction stove? Energy savings 💰 Better air quality 💪 Faster cooking 🏃 Less risky for burns 🙏 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Many of Nikov's readers commented that they had also switched to induction, and most were thrilled with the results.

"I've been using induction heating for over 10 years," one wrote. "The induction heater is easier to manage when you need low temps."

If you don't have the space or budget for a new stovetop or if you rent, countertop induction burners provide many of the same benefits at a fraction of the size and price, though only installed ones are eligible for the rebate. Some portable options start at just $50.

"I recently bought a single burner induction cooktop and am very happy with it," another of Nikov's commenters wrote. "When I can afford it, I'll be replacing the old gas range with a much cleaner and safer induction stove. No more dangerous fumes!"

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