We've been using our induction stove for about 10 days. I've already discovered things I like and dislike about it. Do keep in mind that all of my observations and thoughts are going from a 15+ year old electric stove to a brand new induction stove.
Things I like:
1. The entire surface is flat. The controls on our new stove are touch controls so there are no knobs. I like being able to wipe across the entire surface to clean it. Although the knobs were removable on the old ones, you were still left with little metal rods, and it was an extra piece that needed to not only be wiped under but cleaned itself.
2. It's fast. The first time we used it to make ramen for our second dinner, it took 5 minutes from start to finish boiling cold tap water and cooking the noodles. I've noticed a significant increase in cooking speed because when I'm cooking, I can tell I need to think faster in order to keep up with the cooking. Generally speaking, I already think pretty quickly, so the fact that I felt a need to think faster meant the cooking speed was actually faster than I was used to.
Things I'm Indifferent About:
1. One of the selling points about induction that's advertised mentions the surface not heating up because it's heating up your cookware. One of the first things I did after cooking was removing the pot and putting my hand to the surface to touch it to see how hot it was. Yes, I did it with caution, not like a 5 year old child would, and yes, it was still very very warm. It wasn't hot enough to the point where I'd be getting at least a second degree burn instantly, but it was hotter than I expected. On the flip side, it is not hot enough to "cook" any spilled food. Cleanup on the stove is relatively clean and in the week and a half I've used it, I've not once needed to really scrub any burnt on food...because it's not burnt on.
2. There is noise. I've read other users describe the sound from an induction cooktop as a buzzing or subtle ringing sound, especially if the stove is turned up to the higher power levels. There is indeed a buzzing sound coming from the stove. I don't necessarily like it, but it doesn't bother me. It helps that our vent hood is on when I cook and that sound is quite loud already so the sound of the induction cooktop gets muffled rather easily.
Things I Don't Like:
1. Because the controls are touch, you cannot set anything on the front panel where they're located regardless of whether you are using the stove or not. One morning I was making a big batch of waffles as I do once every few weeks and I had set my baking trays on the stove like I normally do so I can place waffles on them as they cook to prepare for the freezer. After about five seconds of placing down the trays, the stove started beeping at me to alert me that the buttons were being "pressed." I removed the trays and locked the controls to see if this would stop the beeping while the stove was off. Nope. Still beeped. At that point I gave up and rearranged my trays so they were not touching the control panel in the front. I will probably get used to this later as we have this stove longer, but for now, this feature makes me think too much in ways I don't really want to.
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Overall, I'm very happy with our upgrade. I probably won't pore over the electric bill to see if it's actually more energy efficient, but it's probably hard to actually compare because there are so many other variables that change from month to month. It makes me happy that my cooking time can be shortened, even by the slightest minutes. For now, I'm gingerly lifting pots and pans to move them around the stove top as to not scratch the pristine glass surface. In 10 years, if we're still in this house, I'll probably be sliding everything all over that cooktop.
Or maybe one year. Who knows. 😏
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