Induction burners use in restaurants

I am wondering if any chefs on here or personal cooks for that matter have seen/used induction cooktops in a restaurant? I am looking to open my own restaurant soon and have only used induction single cooktops sporadically through out my career. I know all the pros and the cons but also about chefs personal experience with them.

Thanks!

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Tim_Sutherland_52834

I've talked to a few chefs that have remodeled commercial kitchens about why they went with gas rather than induction, The big one is cost. Gas ranges are cheap compared to induction. The cost of running electrical wiring for induction is expensive. Most easily available induction cooktops are countertop models, so a separate oven is required. Retraining staff takes a while. Maybe the requirement to replace pot and pans which can become very expensive.

It is not as simple as just replacing gas with induction. Are you going to run circulators on the line - this requires work bench rather than cooking surface. Do you need a grill - will this be gas or wood? Running both gas and electrical is expense and limits flexibility of cooking appliance placement down the track. If you are use to using a French top, you will need to rethink work flow. Running gas, 110v and 240v for the line is very expensive.

If I was fitting out a kitchen from scratch I would go induction. If I was remodeling an existing kitchen I would need to run the costs of both options.

I love induction and I could easily make it work in a commercial kitchen. Some line cooks/chefs I know, the learning curve would be long and induction would not produce a better result at the end of the day.

BraQus_150126

Well, it all depends what kind of restaurant you want to open?!?!

anthony_34093

The fact that induction cooktops won't allow use of copper pans saddens me greatly.

Eric_M_16062

Why don't you just go with what you're used to cooking with?

... If that's nothing, hire a consultant and don't potentially waste your money with the opinions of a forum.

If it were myself doing a stage, I would decline employment should your establishment be outfitted with strictly induction cooktops. Been there, done that: hated it.

Eric_M_16062

How many restaurants actually use copper pans?

anthony_34093

I dunno but I do at home. I follow quite a few on social media that I've seen like Townsman, French Laundry, Betony, Michael Mina. I'm sure quite a few do.

Dustin_Joseph_34578

Thank you guys for the input! I can't give away the concept yet but I would be using the induction burners for boiling, sauteing and searing mostly. I am hoping to not have gas anything! I know that sounds crazy but it should work out to my advantage to forgo the gas and go with all electric things.

Dustin_Joseph_34578

Why did you hate it? If you don't mind me asking?

Eric_M_16062

There's no feel, man. Less intuition for most cooks. The lack of radient heat makes for an asshole of a time if you're trying to keep sauces / product warm for an extra minute, or while bringing a protein on back up to temp gradually.

Moreover, most of the magnetic materials dent easily, so on a strictly induction cooktop I've had the frustration of going through 4-5 sauce pots before finding one that would take, as induction burners are particular about flat pots.

For a commercial kitchen, Gas 100%...

(Unless we're talking a grill, then coal or wood every time.)