I have had almost a year now to experience cookware on my induction cooktop, and have the following conclusions:

First, I am not sure who started talking about paper and towels under the pans on an induction cooktop, but I do not do that, and have not had any scratching problems.

Second, The Demeyere cookware is great. It has even won over the most skeptical member of my household.

Third, my Le Creuset pieces work superbly and I continue to use them daily.

Fourth, I have recently added a new line-up of cookware to my induction-ready cooking arsenal; namely, Griswold cast iron. I am intrigued with the idea that I am using cast iron cookware that is 120+years old on the latest induction cooktop and it works perfectly. The juxtaposition of old and new is great. Although, the early Griswold (ERIE line of cookware) like I am using is not easy to find in good condition, I encourage all adventurous cooks to acquire some while it is still somewhat available.

At this point, if I had to rank my favorite cookware to use on induction the order would be as follows:
First Place = Griswold (particularly the early ERIE line)
Second Place = Demeyere,
Third Place = Le Creuset.
Hope this information helps CH'ers looking for induction cookware.

Many thanks to all the Chowhound bloggers for their suggestions.
1/2" steel plate it is. I hope to begin experimenting soon after I get my latest business venture opened and running. Thanks Scott, and now I look forward to an eventual pilgrimage to Da Michele ... I will need a good vacation soon. :-)

Thank you for the pizzamaking link. I have read a few posts and realize there is a lot to learn. I also now understand what the pizza was that I had in a little basement eatery in Rome. It was the best pizza I have ever had. Now I think there is hope that I can create something of similar taste. The broilers in my ovens are 8 pass, so if I want to expand out to neapolitan top bake pizzas, I'll need to consult with my friend and build an outdoor wood fired oven. For now, though, I think creating the 3-6 minute pizzas will keep me busy for a while. Thanks so much for opening the door to my pizza education.

LOL, GH1618. maybe I should sell Demeyere. Considering all the disappointing purchases I have made, mainly chinese made items, I get very excited when I find a product that does not disappoint; namely, Demeyere, Wolf, Jura Capresso, Chevy Silverado, Hancock & Moore, Alpine Design, Jongert, etc etc. ... soooo, sorry for sounding so Salezy (and, btw, you will never meet another person more anti sales person than me), but I think it is important for genuine non-compensated bloggers and people to let others know when something is "really" as advertised.

Thank you, Scott123, for the educational response. I am now anxious to find out if my ovens can achieve the temps necessary for 3-6 minute cook times. I will need to do more research for Neapolitan top baking. I have not heard of Neapolitan top baking before and am always anxious to learn something new. I had no idea my pizza stone question would lead to so many new future baking experiences. The self clean feature is supposed to get over 900F, so maybe there is hope. I will let you know what I find out about my ovens, and now my interest is peaked regarding Neapolitan baking.
p.s. a buddy's wife just built an outdoor wood fired oven from over 300 mortarless individual fired bricks so they could make wood fired pizzas.... now I understand more about this ... thank you.

Some stainless is magnetic and some is not. There are many grades of Stainless Steel, 304, 305, 316, etc etc. It all depends on whether there is Ferrous metal in the stainless type. Ferrous metal is magnetic and is necessary for induction. As mentioned in other Blogs, I highly recommend not wasting time with any other cookware than Demeyere. IMHO ... :-) Demeyere has been used by my family since the 1970's and all those pots and pans are still in use in my family's households. I have recently purchased the newer Demeyere for my American household and it is fantastic. They even now have Control-Induct pans that lose their magnetic properties as the temperature approaches 485F preventing further induction and preventing burning. When the temperature decreases, the magnetic properties return and the induction continues. This is the most brilliant responsive cookware I have ever used. If Porsche designed cookware, this would be it.

I grew up with induction and Demeyere cookware. I recently purchased induction for my American house, and, although I researched many many brands and types of cookware (with the help of the bloggers of this website), after looking at and trying many many different brands I returned to the cookware my mother swore by (not at) ... Demeyere. I am extremely happy and am amazed at the superior response rates of Demeyere over the other cookware. I still put a Le Creuset pan right next to a similar size Demeyere pan and demonstrate a water boiling race for friends. The Demeyere is like cooking with a Porsche Panamera Turbo S while in comparison the Le Creuset is like a Buick.

Since there are many pizza stones available, which ones have you used and liked and which ones should I avoid. I have double built-in Wolf ovens, and although there is a pizza stone accessory available (at huge cost), is there anything better? (and most importantly, cheaper!) ... also, do you have any favorite pizza dough recipes?

My parents had induction when I was a child in the 80's in our house in the Netherlands. I could never figure out why I could not get that style of cooktop in the US ... until recently. 2 months ago I installed the 36" Kitchenaid and it is great. I am not sure why there are complaints about pan sizing since I use virtually any size pan I want on any of the hobs. When I researched induction cooktops, this latest model from Kitchenaid was the most powerful available in the US (keep an eye for when "zoneless" models make it across the pond). I prefer Demeyere cookware due to familiarity from childhood and their uncompromising quality. I am having to teach my household members how to use induction and there is strong "social" resistance ... i.e. I am being told that I purchased an "embarrassingly showy nouveau riche pretentious" style cooktop.
Like an earlier comment in this blog, some things are getting burned by my family members as they all seem determined to demonstrate that Induction is not a good choice for cooking ... my visiting inlaws refuse to touch it. So far, though, they have been unable to burn things in the Demeyere "Contol-Induct" pans .. i.e. the pans change (lose) magnetic properties when the temperature goes over 485F, stopping induction and preventing over heating. So far Demeyere only offers control-induct in their fry pans.
Because Induction cooktops are being grossly overpriced in the US currently, I am being accused of being silly, pretentious and stupid for getting induction. I can tell you, I shopped the heck out of induction here and purchased mine for 60% off the full retail from a local brick and mortar dealer. I knew there was "really" nothing that special about good old induction, and made it clear I was only going to pay a reasonable price. Thanks to the terrible Obamanomics economy, dealers were willing to "deal".
Once, I established that I was not a "silly", "controlled-by-marketing" impulse consumer to my mensa-brat household members, they have begun to quiet down (a little). But, they all bemoan not being able to use all the copper and other cookware. I just play the small violins between my fingers and point them to the new Demeyere ... which I remind them, they will probably inherit. :-)

Samsung fridge is great after one warranty call, Wolf ovens exceeded expectations, KitchenAid cooktop installed in the island has become the heart of the kitchen and great room as well as the current temporary talk of the neighborhood, Sharp microwave is great, Kraus sinks and faucets are wonderful, Multipure water filtration systems have ruined raw tap water for us forever (even our labrador (Bulldozer) won't drink raw tap water anymore ... seriously!), ASKO dishwasher cannot be heard when running but is complex and not for the impatient personality, 1 hp garbage disposal is a monster that will pulverize anything, Demeyere Atlantis cookware is the best I've ever used especially the "Control/Induct" skillets, and the Jura-Capresso coffee maker has turned our house into the neighborhood coffee house ... two neighbors have now also gone to Costco and purchased the Jura Capresso Z series machines. Additional discovery, Flitz metal polish returns pan interiors to literal new condition .. try it. Still searching for over-cooktop ventilation system, and so far like what Imperial hoods produces. My experiences so far are based on the fact that we are all serious cooks in this household, rarely eat out, and cook up to six meals a day .. so things are really put to the test here.
Hope this helps
Owner, Baywaters Inn, St Pete Beach, FL

Thank you for this very informative post, Mikie.

Glad to hear you are pleased with your Profile appliance. I would be interested in your long term review of that range also, 6 and 12 months, as well as your opinion of its strengths and weaknesses.

I am interested to hear about your wine cooler and range.
I, also, heard unfortunate reviews of the Bosch dishwashers. Additionally, new dishwasher detergents are enzymatic and require some food residue be left on the dishes. At first I thought this sounded suspect until I confirmed it with a chemical engineer friend of mine. To work effectively, enzymatic cleaners need the food residue to react with. Without the food residue, the enzymatic cleaners will etch your dishes and glasses

Unfortunately, "escondido123", you are probably right. There will probably be some problems, but I think the expectation is that time spent up front on due diligence will decrease expected time dealing with today's customer disservice departments ... who, I am sure, have been trained by the medical insurance claims departments to just say no to all claims.

I appreciate your taking the time to tell me of your experiences with your remodel. I have also decided on a Vent-a-Hood that is yet to be delivered. As a hobby I attended the UCLA Interior and Environmental Design program where I learned about kitchen design .. so I understand about "insane" micro-managment mentioned below by "ThanksVille". Today I go to inspect the progress on the custom inset cabinets I designed myself for this remodel. Once this project is complete, I can take this experience and apply it to the next 7 remodels ... it is exciting, but also exhausting at times .. hopefully, I will eventually have time to actually cook in the kitchens, as this is what I really like to do :-) Now that "Thanksville" has had the first positive experience with Miele that I have heard about, I may consider them again, especially since I grew up with Miele in Holland and would like to repeat the experience.
Once again, thank you to all the chowhounders that have taken time to give me their feedback .. happy cooking!
Nav210west (Brooks)

I have long been suspicious of just relying on blogs and consumer reports and epinions, and chowhound, since I found out some people are paid to blog about products and services they have never used or experienced. I supplemented my research from online blogs with experiences from friends and relatives and their acquaintances across the US and Europe, as well as feedback from two builders, the UCLA Interior and Environmental Design Program, HGTV Designed To Sell (who helped me sell my Hollywood Hills house), and comments of owners of several local Brick and Mortar Stores.
I found out that many microwaves of premium brands (ie wolf and viking and most others) are made by Sharp, all refrigerators (including Subzero) can no longer be expected to be trouble free more than 5 to 7 years, ASKO dishwashers have the least complaints from all the people I made direct contact with and many had started with Miele or Viking or Thermador and then switched to ASKO, every single person I talked with directly had complaints about their ovens except those who purchased Wolf, and Wolf and Kitchenaid induction cooktops had the least complaints from all above sources. I am fortunate to know many people directly and indirectly who have undergone recent kitchen remodels on multiple properties, and i found their direct undiluted no-hidden-agenda feedback invaluable. In fact, the direct feedback I received was just the opposite of what the blogs had said about Sharp microwaves .. and this I found fascinating. Also, the direct feedback about the KitchenAid induction cooktop from friends in Scottsdale and Palm Springs was also directly opposite of the blogs. Also, my prior experience with KitchenAid was flawless and their customer service was outstanding .. again, in contrast to many blogs.
Unfortunately, in today's "made in China" and "customer disservice" and "paid-to-blog" reality, nothing is fullproof, but I feel confident that I have done enough due diligence to at least prevent a complete disaster. As I said above, I hope that my six months of research can possibly be of use to others also. I am hoping and anticipating that my future follow up after 6 months of use will confirm my due diligence results. I also suspect that, similar to wine vintages, some years are better than others for the exact same brand. Personally, I am very dissapointed that the new Miele appliances have so many issues since I truly had my heart set on an all Miele kitchen.

btw, I am not an appliance manufacturers rep, have no affiliation with any appliance stores, and have never received any compensation for any blog posts I have created. I am just a consumer who is in the process of completing the first of 8 kitchen remodels and am determined to no longer set myself up for post purchase dissonance and disappointment.

I have been researching appliances for my kitchen remodel for six months and after reading all the reviews and blogs about all the new appliances, I finally decided on the brand new Kitchenaid 36" induction cooktop, ASKO dishwasher, Samsung side by side twin cooling system fridge, Wolf E series double ovens, Sharp over counter microwave, and Demeyere cookware. I will follow up with how pleased I am after 6 months after they get installed, but I thought chow bloggers would find the decisions interesting since I had originally decided on an all Miele Kitchen. Brand new Miele appliances are not getting the best of reviews, but all the items listed above are. Happy cooking and I hope my final decisions help others with their kitchen-remodel decisions..

I'd be interested in the findings from sawing a Chantal pan in half.
Still no word from Miele USA regarding compatibility with canning/pressure cooking ...

Thank you Kaleokahu,
I had not heard these things before, and they definitely will enter into my thoughts when selecting cookware to buy. How funny that you mentioned to not saw a Chantal pot in two. Tanuki Soup seems to be very thorough in examination of cookware, and I appreciate his/her energy and experiments. I particularly appreciate the September discussion regarding the details of infrared temp measurement and different metals, since the Thermador induction cooktop temperature monitor "periscopes" employ infrared. After closer more detailed reading, the Thermador feature only works with their specific cookware unless you put a sticker they supply on the sides of all your pots ... which now puts a point in Miele's court and tips my decision now in favor of Miele over Thermador. I am gaining alot of knowledge from the discussion of cooks' experiences with induction cookware and induction cooktops on this site. This knowledge is showing me that I ought to determine, first the best cookware for my needs, and second a cooktop ... previously, I thought I would first choose the induction cooktop and then the cookware.
My next big hurdle is determining what water-bath and pressure cooking/canning cookware can be used on which cooktop since I am an avid canner and marmelade maker. Sadly, Induction cooktops are incompatible with my All American pressure cooker. I like the Kuhn-Rikon pressure cookers, but Kuhn-Rikon indicate the cooktop makers have to specify their cooktops can be used for canning. So far, only Thermador mentions pressure cooking in their manuals . ..Does anyone have any experience with Canning/Pressure cooking on a Miele induction cooktop? Other canning specialty websites I've visited are inconclusive regarding this matter ... I also have an email into MieleUSA, but they have not responded yet.

Thanks, Candy, I have seen Chantal, and it is attractive cookware ... I wonder if Tanuki Soup has run any of his/her thermal tests using Chantal? I have notice that Swiss Diamond is specifically labeled "Induction" if it is compatible, and thanks for the heads up that they are coming out with more pieces.
So far, my research is pulling me back to an initial combination of Demeyere, Kuhn-Rikon, and Staub/Lodge/LeCreuset. Thanks to this blog site, I found out that Kuhn-Rikon pressure cookware is far superior to all others including Demeyere. and that I should stick with Lodge/Staub/LeCreuset for grills and griddles. I am not sure about the Lecreuset Grilling pans, though, as I had one, and found it very difficult to use ... my experience is that meats stick to the raised grill grid, and it is extremely difficult to clean. If anyone has had success with the enameled cast iron grills, I would appreciate your secrets of successful use. I have tried using no oils, peanut oil, pam, coconut oil, butter, and olive oil, and meats stick and get torn to shreds everytime I lift them up from the grilling grid ... and i won't even go into the two day cleaning and soaking process that always follows... What am I doing wrong?

Great suggetions. Once I found out William Sonoma handles Kuhn-Rikon, thats all I need to know. I had never noticed these items before. Now I just have to wait for them to make it to the "Sale" tables in the backs of the WS stores :-) ... Alot of my kitchen items were purchased at WS's phenomenal sales ... sometimes up to 80% off.
I also found Tramontina cookware at COSTCO, another store I couldn't live without.

Thank you for your comments and input, ellabee. I will definitely investigate the options you mentioned and appreciate your taking time to discuss your experiences.
Bon Appetit!

What a kick ! ... if induction now comes with levitation abilities, now we can all be chefs with a "David COPPERfield" twist !

I was wondering what kind of a "get-away" I would need after this renovation project ... I believe you just anwered my question, thank you.

Thanks for the clarification, TS ... for a moment I thought the stress of my renovation project was starting to affect my cognitive abilites :-). I will look into the new panasonic cooktop.
Speaking of cooktop surprises ... my General Contractor just pulled an original 1958 GE "Eye-High" (or so it is labeled) coil cooktop from under mountains of old attic insulation. My kitchen contractor saw my smile, rolled his eyes, and asked where I want it installed... I just wish it had been a vintage Thermador stainless cooktop that I could have installed close to the new Thermador induction cooktop ... what a kick that would be! Talk about running cooking speed and performance tests ...copper on coil versus new wares on induction .. my cooking hobbyist heart pounds!

What wonderful cookware and fantastic prices also... even after converting back to dollars from euros! I will definitely keep them in mind for additional oven ware and accessories and utensils. Thank you for the lead ...
I wish I could also have a gas stove in my kitchen, but my new property that I am remodeling before moving in is all electric (as is the entire neighborhood) and conversion is extremely expensive due to beachfront restrictions and the local politicians and bureaucrats making variances virtually impossible to get ... and I can only imagine what that would do to my already-astronomical insurance rates.
I wonder what they'd charge to powdercoat their wares' bottoms with ferrous metals? I bet it would still be less than deBuyer Prima Matera .... :-) I am surprised that I never heard of them before, especially since 20+ years ago I assited the head chef on a part time basis at the "4R" rated restaurant Allemansgeest in Leiden/Voorschoten, in the Netherlands .... still in operation, btw, and worth a visit if you visit Holland ... a gourmet gem off the tourist routes that is kept a relative locals secret ... including the Dutch Royal Family.

Thanks for the information. I agree that given the Demeyere pricing, there just can't be much silver in there, but I am not sure how much silver it would take to make a significant difference in performance ... supposedly the bottom coating on deBuyers is a very thin powder coat of ferrous metal ...I will look into Mazzetti and see if they make anything for induction.
Celebrating the joys of cooking, Brooks Murray
Eet je Smakelijk! (Dutch for Bon Apetit)

Subal,
I just did some preliminary research on DIVA, and according to ApplianceAdvisor.com, DIVA exited the induction market completely in the US in 2010 (explaining why I did not see that option). According to the article, DIVA used Fagor induction components, and there was a breakdown of that business relationship along with an influx of all the other brands with their own induction units. DIVA decided it did not want to compete with all the big producers. They decided to devote business to the custom market only. btw Since you mentioned DIVA, I recall testing a DIVA induction cooktop in 2005 - wonderful unit, powerful, and obviously the best quality. My guess is that currently Fagor's own products do not use the same level of components that they supplied to DIVA. My current research included Fagor, but the current Thermador and Miele induction cooktops are substantially more powerful.
Wondering what your opinion is on the trade off of Thermador vs Miele; my research shows Thermador to be most powerful unit in US with good reliability, while Miele is less powerful with peerless reliability. Since Induction cooktops have no moving parts, how important is reliability rating to decision?
Of course I wish we could get Gaggenau's new "Zoneless" induction in the US, but they claim to have no plans to bring it to US ever (per Gaggenau in Germany). The zoneless system allows you to put the pans anywhere on the cooktop and the system automatically locates, sizes, and registers the pan and uses only the amount of hob necessary for that pan - no circles or squares to confine where the pans go. The beauty is that you can use virtually any size pan you have without concern including larger griddles, and you have virtually infinite arrangement possibilities to accommodate the simultaneous usage of multiple pans, all the associated handles, and ergonomics regarding reach and exposure to different heats from different items cooking. If I weren't such a devoted American Libertarian Patriot, I'd be tempted to move to Lausanne just to be able to cook on that in my kitchen :-) Not sure if you've ever had the pleasure of attending the European Kitchen shows, but first they make you so excited, until you find out most of the great new products are not offered here and may never be ... can I say big US govt out-of-control regulation ... but I digress

Enjoy your rare and magnificent DIVA ... you lucky person!

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions ... very helpful, thoughful, and may well end up convincing me to acquire more Demeyere Atlantis.

At this point, I am wondering if Ihave misunderstood something ... Tanuki Soups entry above indicates that TS has not yet used the deBuyer Pm frypan ... but, didn't the infrared temperature testing and graphs TS did in September include a deBuyer PM frypan? Anyway ... ignoring the exact pan types tested, it was my understanding that the deBuyer pan won the comparison. Based on deBuyer's superior performance, I would like to hypothesize the following:

First: based on the conductive materials used in the 5 pans tested by TS, the test resuts coincide with the conductive natures of the metals used in each. Since copper was the most conductive metal tested (deBuyer PM pan), it won responsivenes and conductivity ... logically speaking, no surprise there.

Second: one metal more conductive than copper is silver. The practical reason we don't have sterling cookware is cost ... can you imagine the price if all the copper in deBuyer's PM was relpaced with sterling silver ... anyway, according to my research so far, the only cookware that contains silver is Demeyere Atlantis. Not all Demeyere lines have silver layers in their 7 layer sandwich construction ... only the Atlantis line. So, I am wondering if Demeyere Atlantis would actually test out better than deBuyer's PM line?
Even though I prefer the aesthetics of deBuyer's PM vs Demeyere, if Demeyere performed better than deBuyer, then, there are two more factors that would solidify Demeyere Atlantis as my new preferred ware; namely,

First and foremost - COST - IMHO the current cost of deBuyer PM is embarrassing if not downright pretentious

Second - for 15 years I have worshipped at the "Copperbrill" alter with my Ruffino and Mauviel copperware, and that really grows old fast ...

Third - Demeyere Atlantis is dishwasher safe and deBuyer is not. ( I have to admit that I rarely use my formal crystal (not diswasher safe) since getting dishwasher safe Riedel Vinum Extreme Crystal.)

Once my kitchen gets constructed, now projected to complete Dec, 2011, I may get one (lesser)piece of deBuyers if TS hasn't beaten me to the punch :-), and compare to Demeyere before filling out my complement of Induction ware.

Subal, I noticed you decided on DIVA induction. Although I currently wittled down my choices to Thermador and Miele, I had not previously included DIVA. Just wondering the thought process you went through before deciding on DIVA over all others?

Thank yous to all who responded and I look forward to any further comments and suggestions you may have.

Bon Appetit! ... and in Japanese for TS - どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare)

Thank you so much "cutiepie721". I read the entire thread of blogs re Tanuki Soup's fry pan tests and embedded links to reviews of converter plates for induction. As I suspected, but was hoping was not true, the use of a converter plate either does not work or defeats most of the benefits of induction.

I am fascinated that the deBuyers induction copper ware scored the best ... I only recently discovered this brand by going to a website in the UK. I am thankful to Tanuki Soup for the testing performed. I guess it does not surprise me that the best results so far are from the most expensive induction cookware I've looked at so far; namely, deBuyers. I will want to perform similar tests including Demeyere Atlantis and Controliduct at some point ... unless TS performs them before me.

I am still interested to hear about any experiences from "chowhound" participants with Swiss Diamond Induction or Gastrolux ware?

Also interested in anyone's experience with pressure cookers for induction cooktops ... Fagor? Demeyere?

Again, thank you, "Cutipie721", and I will look at LODGE also since it was not on my previous list.