People have been cooking food in a pot or pan over a heat source for centuries. Traditionally a pot or pan was a barrier between the heat source and the food.
Therefore food receives different amounts of heat from different parts of the pot or pan which can result in uneven cooking or scorching. It is also inefficient.
What is induction cooking?
Induction uses electricity and magnetism to transfer heat from the coils underneath the cooking surface directly to your pan essentially making your pan the heat source. As someone who is used to cooking on a professional style gas cooktop I am always amazed to see how quickly induction heats your pans. There are also some other benefits exclusive to induction.
Induction cooking products are the fastest, safest, and easiest to clean. Since induction heats the pan directly it does not heat the glass. Although the glass will be a little warm after cooking from being in contact with the hot pan, it is not nearly as hot as traditional radiant electric cooking. For this reason induction is the safest cooking method. Another benefit is that food will not bake onto the glass surface because the glass does not get scorching hot during the cooking process. For more details see: Why is Induction Cooking Better: The Science of Induction.
New Jenn-Air Slide-In Ranges
Jenn-Air is the premium brand owned by the Whirlpool Corporation. The Jenn-Air line is really extensive and is one of our favorite affordable luxury appliance brands. I am really excited for this new product release.
Jenn-Air has never before offered an induction range, and this slide-in platform is completely new after 15 years with the same design. We will soon see new gas, electric, dual-fuel, and induction ranges. Today I will focus on their induction product.
Slide-ins are popular in semi-custom kitchens because you can see your backsplash. At present only Samsung, Bosch, Electrolux and GE Café produce an induction slide-in.
Let's look at the features.
Jenn-Air JIS1450D - $3,199
- Tap-touch control panel on top console of the range
- 2 cubic ft. oven capacity
- 3200 W bake element
- 7 cubic ft baking drawer underneath the oven can operate as a second oven
- Glide rack makes it easy to move heavy dishes in and out of the oven
- Soft-close door adds an additional level of quality to the range
- Theatre lighting illuminates your dishes while you are cooking so you can better monitor your cooking
- 4 burners
- 2 x 7’’ 2500 W elements
- 1 x 6’’ 1800 W element
- 1 x 11’’ 3700 W element
From an installation perspective, new Jenn-Air ranges will install back to the wall so you can easily replace your old freestanding range without modifying your countertop. If you have an old slide-in that required you to have countertop behind your range, you will want to remove this before installing the new Jenn-Air ranges.
Would I Buy?
I like the 3,700 watt induction burner. It is faster than the 3,400 watt Electrolux or 3,600 Bosch Benchmark. It can also be used in freestanding or slide-in applications, so it can replace existing products.
The oven is huge at 6.2 cubic foot. It is almost 50% larger than the Electrolux at 4.2 cubic foot. It also has the baking drawer underneath, which is great for cooking around the holidays. The controls are good, but not as extensive as the Electrolux.
Overall, the Jenn-Air can compete in the existing market. We will have to see how reliable the product becomes as well as see if they continue their strong package rebates.
Recommended Reads
Additional Resources
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Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.
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