An Introduction To Induction Stoves

Consumer Reports also mentioned the high price but gave good reviews to Gaggenau and Viking induction cooktops in the magazine's November 2005 issue. The article described them as "the fastest-heating models we've ever tested," noting six quarts of water came to a boil in eight to 11 minutes.

"We did research if there was any problem for people with pacemakers, and no one wants to commit themselves," Connelly said. "The safest thing is to not get too close, but we found no real instances where anyone was adversely affected."

Gaggenau's owner's manual suggests avoiding induction if you wear a pacemaker, but a spokesman for the American Heart Association told Consumer Reports that pacemakers made after 1995 should not be affected.

The technology was brought into American home kitchens in 1979, when Rangaire introduced the first induction range at the National Association of Homebuilders show in Las Vegas. Others also entered the market, but they abandoned induction in the late 1980s because of lackluster sales.

Experts say induction flopped here the first time because of poor marketing, poor performance and expense.

"The marketing wasn't very intelligent," said Walker, who began theinductionsite.com four years ago from his home in Ritzville, Wash. "There was an insufficient differentiation between induction and anything else. People would see a flat, smooth top and fail to understand that there was dramatically different forms of equipment underneath."

Sears and General Electric were among the manufacturers that introduced induction cooktops in the 1980s and pulled them off the market a few years later after disappointing sales. GE doesn't currently offer an induction cooktop. But Sears has entered the market again, competing against brands such as Wolf, Viking, Diva de Provence, Kuppersbusch and Gaggenau.

"I don't think we were ready for induction from a manufacturing standpoint," said Sue Bailey, Viking's lead product manager. "People who had it loved it. When it came time to get it serviced, it was hard to get repaired and people shied away fairly quickly."

The other problem, Bailey said, was attitude. Folks thought induction was expensive ($2,000 or about $2,650 in today's dollars), and they were looking for the least-expensive appliances in the 1970s and early 1980s. But since the birth of the trophy kitchen, attitudes have changed.

Armand Rocco, co-owner of The Kitchenworks in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said about 50 percent of the electric cooktops he sells are induction. The main market? High-end homes and condos where gas isn't available.

"They are really hot now," Rocco said. "The resurgence is due to the fact that the cost has come down substantially and reliability has gone up."

The Sears Kenmore Elite four-burner induction, which was launched in September 2005, is the lowest price at $1,799 for a 30-inch cooktop.