At a Glance:
5 Must-Have Range Features for Holiday Cooking
With all of the big end-of-year holidays quickly approaching, you and your kitchen — particularly your induction range — will be put to the test catering these festive feasts, from the main dish and sides to the desserts and baked Challah and fruitcakes.
Now is a wonderful time to get a new induction range if you need one before Thanksgiving and Christmas. You'll notice more discounts and promotions as the holiday shopping (and cooking and baking) season draws closer. And while the price may continue to be a crucial consideration, don't allow it to make all of your purchasing decisions.
Look for a range with an assortment of features that expedite and simplify cooking — these are especially useful when organizing holiday celebrations and marathon baking sessions. The specialists at Urner's who specialize in kitchen appliances have put together this guide to enlighten you on everything induction. It also includes our inventory's top four induction ranges and our top five favorite range features for the holidays.
5 Must-Have Range Features for Holiday Cooking
In order to spend more time conversing with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins you haven't seen in a long time, let's look at some holiday culinary must-haves before we discuss induction ranges.
Double Ovens
Why you'll like them: Apple pies are baking in one oven while a lemon-garlic turkey is roasting in the other—different cuisines, different temperatures, and no aroma blending. Or you can use one for regular use and both ovens for holiday guests.
Convection
Why you'll like it: Since hot air is circulated around the food as it cooks by one or more fans, convection can shorten cooking time and produce more uniform heating. Convection enhances browning and crisping as well.
Warming Drawer
Why you'll like it: It can be challenging to plan a meal such that the main course and side dishes arrive at the table at the same time. A warming drawer may be useful. While the chicken cooks on high heat to give it that crispy, well-browned finish, warm the sweet potato casserole and roasted veggies in the drawer.
High-Power Burners
Why you'll like them: Intense-powered burners are excellent for quickly bringing a large pot of water to a boil — pasta, done — and they also produce the high heat required for stir-frying.
Induction
Why you'll like it: The majority of induction ranges offer excellent simmering and quick cooktop heat. Thanks to the electromagnetic field beneath the glass cooktop surface, you have exact simmering and control, which swiftly creates heat directly to the pan. When the pot is removed from the element, the surface remains cooler than a radiant electric smooth top, which should make cleanup easier.
How Induction Cooking Works
Knowing that an induction range can save the time it takes to prepare and cook meals, let's investigate how it functions. Induction burners and stoves work by producing heat directly in the pans themselves, unlike conventional stoves that rely on gas flames or electric coils to heat pans. Induction stoves and portable induction burners have copper wire coils hidden beneath elegant glass panels. As electricity flows through these coils, a magnetic field is produced, which induces (thus the name "induction") an electric current in the metal of the pan. This friction at the atomic level heats the pan. A pan must be made of a ferromagnetic metal, or one that a magnet will stick to, in order to be compatible with an induction burner.
Induction-Ready Cookware
Iron is the one component that every induction-ready cookware has in common. Cookware reacts to the electromagnetic field and produces heat because it contains iron. Therefore, cast iron is a potential candidate for induction cookware. All cast iron cookware, even enameled items, may be heated on a commercial induction cooktop and won't discolor like it would on a gas range with induction.
Another popular induction-ready substance is cast iron distant relative. Because it is formed of iron and a few other elements, stainless steel can be used to great effect. Cookware that isn't totally constructed of stainless steel can also frequently be utilized. The interior of copper-clad cookware frequently has a coating of stainless steel. The cookware is appropriate for an industrial induction burner thanks to such a configuration.
You may quickly and easily determine if your cookware is induction-ready by touching it with a magnet. The magnet can be used exactly as is if it sticks. If not, you could still be able to use that specific pot if you have an induction interface disc, a unique gadget. Much like a conventional electric cooktop, these workaround items are placed in between the pot and the range surface, where they heat up and then channel heat into the cookware. While you'll be able to cook just fine with these appliances, you'll give up some of the efficiency and quickness of using induction-ready cookware.
Pros of Induction Cooking
- Speed: Compatible pans heat up on induction stoves astonishingly quickly.
- Power: Some induction cooktops contain extra-powerful burners that can compete with professional gas ranges, though individual stoves differ. The most potent gas stoves have a single burner that can produce up to 20,000 BTUs, while comparable induction ranges have a single burner that can produce up to 7,700 watts, or around 26,000 BTUs (1 watt = 3.41 BTUs).
- Responsiveness: The electromagnetic current responds instantly when the temperature setting is altered. This is due to the fact that there is no intermediary; the pan itself is what heats up and immediately cooks your food.
- Fireproof: There isn't an exposed coil or an open flame.
- Cooler Surface: An induction cooktop's glass top warms up by being placed beneath a hot pan, but it never becomes as searingly hot as an electric coil stove with a glass top, where the coil heats the pan directly through the glass.
- Safe: Induction burners simply won't turn on without a pan, and the majority of induction stoves have locking controls in addition to having colder surfaces.
- Steadiness: Although we have observed some portable induction burners struggle and scorch food on low settings, induction stoves are excellent at maintaining constant temperatures like a low simmer.
- Precision: Instead of dialing to low, medium, or high as on conventional stoves, turning on an induction burner or stove often involves choosing a number from 0 to 9 (or a comparable range). We enjoy that numbered settings are precise and reproducible, despite the fact that there may be a slight learning curve.
- Fuel Efficient: Induction cooking uses less energy than gas or electric cooking since it only heats the pan and not the burner, keeping kitchens cooler and reducing heat loss.
- Easy to Clean: Induction stoves simply don't make the glass as hot, so food doesn't scorch and burn onto the glass like glass-topped electric stoves do, where burned-on food is a major problem to clean after you cook. Additionally, unlike conventional gas or electric-coil stoves, there is no need to clean the area beneath and to surround the burners and grate. To prevent splatters, you can even place parchment or silicone baking mats directly beneath your pans while you cook.
Cons of Induction Cooking
- Pan Incompatibility: For cookware to function on induction stoves, ferrous metal is required. Aluminum, copper, ceramic, and glass pans cannot be used, and some stainless steel cookware isn't conducive to induction cooking. The best pans are made of cast iron or steel that is induction compatible. An induction interface disk can help if your favorite pan is incompatible.
- Breakable Top: The top of induction stoves and burners is made of glass ceramic. It may break or scratch if a heavy pan is dropped on it or dragged across it, which is ugly at best and could harm the range at worst.
- Power Issues: Ensure that the electrical power that an induction stove consumes can be handled by the wiring in your home. If your house is older, you could require an upgrade. Because induction ranges occupy almost the entire electrical circuit, they are susceptible to voltage fluctuations and power interruptions.
- Noise: Some induction ranges and burners make a whining sound when they cook.
4 Best Induction Ranges
If you've switched to induction cooking and aren't sure where to begin your search, look at some of the recommended ranges that Urner's specialists have chosen to boost your holiday cooking.
Best Frigidaire Induction Range: Frigidaire Gallery® 30" Stainless Steel Freestanding Induction Range with Air Fry
In this stylish Frigidaire Gallery® Stainless Steel Free Standing Induction Range with Air Fry, you can bake Santa's cookies with your children. Your cooking and baking time will be slashed in half thanks to the abundance of time-saving features. The induction cooktop on this slide-in stainless steel electric range keeps the surface cold to the touch while only heating the pan and the food, making it simple to clean and safe to use should any spills need to be wiped. Additionally, baking Santa's cookies in the multi-rack True Convection oven with the kids ensures an even bake for a wonderful golden brown. Additionally, the oven has an air fry setting that enables you to whip up picture-perfect meals that taste just as wonderful as they look in less time.
Best Samsung Induction Range: Samsung 30" Fingerprint Resistant Black Stainless Steel Slide-In Induction Range
With this highly innovative Samsung 30" fingerprint-resistant stainless steel slide-in induction range, you can demonstrate your culinary prowess in flair. Due to the fan and heated components that circulate the hot air in the 6.3 cu. ft. oven, equipped with Convection+, your cookies and turkey will cook more evenly and take less time to prepare and cook. While relaxing in the living room with family and listening to your favorite Christmas music, you can monitor, preheat, and more, thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity. You can also utilize a voice command. The cooktop is also nothing to scoff at; because of its induction technology, the burners heat up practically immediately, and temperature control allows for more precise and responsive cooking. Additionally, you should use the Air Fry mode of the oven to prepare your preferred fruit jerky or a healthier version of fried chicken.
However, the energy efficiency of this Samsung induction range is its greatest advantage. There is at least a 90 percent direct heat transmission from the induction cooktop to the food without wasting energy resulting in quicker and more even heating.
Best Bosch Induction Range: Bosch 800 Series 30" Stainless Steel Slide-In Induction Range
With the 30" stainless steel slide-in induction range from Bosch, you can cook quickly and effectively while keeping the kitchen cooler. With its cutting-edge induction technology and Convection Pro features, this Bosch induction range will help you save money and energy for your holiday feasts by making it easy to bake evenly, automatically control the temperature, and cook precisely and effectively. Additionally, you can easily observe your grandmother's legendary Christmas fruitcake while it cooks in one of the 11 gourmet cooking modes with the wide door window of this 4.6 cu. ft. oven's spacious oven.
Best GE Induction Range: GE Profile™ 30" Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel Slide In Induction Range
This GE Profile True Convection with Precise Air 30" induction range offers sophisticated technology that enables hands-free cooking for impending celebrations. With the sous vide features that allow you to achieve mouthwatering perfection with a precision cooking probe, holiday dinners don't have to be stressful or time-consuming. But that's not all; on days when you're unsure what to make, use Hestan Cue's guided cooking feature, which will show you a video-guided recipe from real chefs while adjusting the time, temperature, and cooking tempo in real-time.
With the SmartHQ app's simple ability to remotely monitor and preheat your oven from anywhere, you can truly enjoy the holidays with your family without having to spend the entire day in the kitchen. This is another excellent feature. Thanks to Profile Connect Plus and its downloaded software updates, you can make sure that your oven is always equipped with the most recent features.
We understand that the holidays can be stressful, but your range and other kitchen appliances should not contribute to that. If you're in the Bakersfield, California region this holiday season, do yourself a favor and stop by Urner's to buy an induction range that can keep up with your culinary prowess. If you are unsure what type of range or other culinary appliances you need, we are happy to offer advice and assist you in browsing our appliance catalog.
Why Trust Urner's and Urner's Mattress?
Urner's started on the back of a bicycle - yup! A bicycle! David E. Urner, a local high school teacher, who spent his summer months selling Wear-Ever cookware off the back of a bicycle (think 100+ degrees). David teamed up with another local teacher, Errol P. Janes to create "a new type of store – one that would cater exclusively to providing an easier way of living for the women of Kern County", and on September 19, 1919, Home Appliance Store was opened to the public. The store boasted a rather impressive selection of "modern" appliances, including a washing machine, a freezer, a gas range, an automatic dishwasher, and an assortment of small appliances. Since then, Urner's has expanded selections to appliances, furniture, mattresses, and cabinetry!
For nearly one century, the Urner family and Urner's business have both been an integral part of Bakersfield and Kern County, with contributions to the community (Better Business Bureau, Sister City Projects, Bakersfield Symphony), charity (Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude's Dream Home, House of Hope) and education (CSU Bakersfield, Ray Dezember Leadership Development Center. Explore the website, visit the store, or join us socially. We're all about home, all about fun, and all about you… and we're ready to make you a part of the Urner's family today.
Shop Induction Ranges at Urner's
Stop by any of the 6 Urner's and Urner's Mattress locations in Bakersfield, CA to see what a difference buying local with an experienced staff can make. Or shop ranges online! Our friendly experts are always happy to help you find your perfect induction range before the holidays — whether you call us at 661-396-8400, use our online chat feature, or visit us in person.
Learn More: Homelegance Furniture Buying Guide