Freestanding induction stove models are far more efficient than electric cooking ranges for multitasking in the kitchen.
I boil, grill, bake and sear meat simultaneously with the combination stove top and oven induction range I own.
I had recently switched over to the induction range after my gas range broke down. I was glad to get rid of it and buy this induction model. It has similar cooking features as my earlier model plus many advanced features that my old one lacked.
The induction range offers great benefits, if you are replacing your earlier separate oven and stove units. The space issues and hassle of using separate appliances and running to and fro to accomplish everything on time can be quite frustrating. The new range of free standing induction range models offer convenience and efficiency like none other.
While the conventional electric or gas ranges take time to heat up, the induction heats up fast and I love the fact that there are no hob plates and messes to clean up.
Besides, technologically, the freestanding induction range models have quite a lot of features that make your job easier than ever before. I have reviewed three of the freestanding induction cooktop ranges here in detail.
Criteria For Choosing The Best Freestanding Induction Range
Free standing stainless steel induction range models are often preferred over the slide-in cooking ranges. This is because they can be situated in any part of your kitchen and do not need to be built into or custom made to fit adjacent countertops as do the slide-ins.
Besides the ease of placement, there are other criteria that I tested to choose the best freestanding induction range. These include:
- Heating efficiency: The induction range’s ability to heat water at room temperature to boiling point indicates efficient heating
- Low heat capability: The induction range should have the lowest temperature needed for melting chocolate without burning it. It should also be able to simmer at low temperature consistently.
- Baking power: The oven should have the capacity to uniformly bake cakes and cookies in multiple racks effectively.
- Safety features: The range should have proper safety features like auto shutoff, child safety lock etc.
- Convenience oriented features: Controls for temperature, power and timer, auto clean and other such features are important for hassle-free use.
Top 3 Freestanding Induction Range Reviewed
* Fisher Paykel 30 Inch Freestanding Electric Induction Range
The 30 inch contemporary style induction range from Fisher Paykel can easily be the right choice if you need to cook for a large family or hold family gatherings or parties often.
This freestanding range allows quick and easy cooking of multiple dishes in one go. Here are the important features of this induction range.
Features:
- The range has four cooking zones
- The convection oven has a total capacity of 3.5 cubic feet.
- Aero Tech or True convection system present
- The telescopic sliding shelves in the oven extend out fully
- Oven has a self-cleaning feature and shelf runners are heat-proof.
- Warming drawer is provided
- The range is made of brushed stainless steel and the oven door is made of black glass.
- Oven functions are nine in number and include rapid proof for baking bread, Aero Pastry with special pizza mode and roast.
- Heating elements are fully concealed
- Interior lighting is present
- Robust Construction
The induction cooking range has sleek, straight lines giving it an elegant appearance. The cooktop surface is sturdy and made from top quality ceramic glass. The smooth finish and glass surface ensures cleaning is a breeze. The oven window is made of black glass and is triple glazed so it remains cool while the oven works.
The unit measures 24.2 x 29.9 x 35.7 inches and its weight is 265 pounds. According to the manufacturer, the unit needs to be placed a minimum of 2 inches from adjacent furniture or walls and the materials that surround it should be resistant to heat and not flammable.
Dials are present for the controls though we would have liked touch controls as on the independent induction cooktops. But the dials are easy and have firm grip, so are generally hassle-free to use. The cookware has a 2 year warranty period.
- Performance
Cooktop has 4 burners, two of which have the capacity of 1850W maximum power. The third burner has 1400W as its maximum power and the fourth can cook at maximum power of 2300 W.
The unit has 9 different heat settings from which you can choose the setting you need. You can melt, warm, simmer, cook rice, pancakes and pasta, stir fry, boil and sear meat with the settings provided.
The range has an automatic heat reduction feature which you can use for all four burners. You just need to move the dial to A zone. Set the power between level 1 and level 8.
Upon enabling this function, the heating element functions at maximum level of power for a fixed time proportional to the power you have selected. When the time is reached it will reduce automatically.
Gentle Heat option allows you to keep food warm for nearly 2 hours. Power Boost allows you to cook at a high power of 3700W, but you can use it on only one burner at any given time.
- Convenience And Safety
The free induction range has several features that make it easy and safe to use. The sensors allow efficient and safe use of the induction range. Automatic shut off sensor detects when you use incompatible cookware. It also shuts off the induction when the set time level is reached.
The automatic heat reduction sensor I mentioned above is another feature that ensures the system does not overheat or burn food.
The ventilation provided ensures the range does not overheat and this applies to the oven and induction cooktop. The range also has anti tilt bracket for added safety.
The triple layered oven door remains cool even when the convection oven is cooking. The other safety features in the range include pan detection sensors, which help you to avoid accidents and the flame failure system that protects the range from accidental fires.
Pros:
- The construction is sturdy and design is stylish
- Four burners enable easy and fast cooking of multiple dishes
- Dials have firm grip and are easy to handle
- LED display is clear to view
- Lock functions are present for automatic safety protection
- Durable body made of stainless steel and ceramic glass
- Multiple cooking modes are present
- Temperature control has advanced features
- Power boost feature is applicable to all the cooking zones.
Cons:
- The range is very heavy
- Does not have touch controls
- Some of the functions are difficult to use and need practice before they can be used
* Fisher Paykel 36 Inch Freestanding Electric Induction Range
In the past it was common to see a 30 inch or 24 inch free standing induction range and other smaller sizes prior to the introduction of the 36 inch Fisher Paykel model. But this 36 inch model has spurred on newer versions like 40 inch range and more. The size alone is not the main differentiating factor in this Fisher Paykel model.
Features:
- Five cooking zones that can be connected to create smart cooking zones
- 9 cooking options for oven including rapid proofing for bread making and Aero Pastry with pizza mode.
- Self-clean feature helps in breaking down residues of food at high temperature resulting in light ash, which is easy to remove using a damp cloth.
- Aero tech feature allows uniform circulation of air all through the oven resulting in uniform cooking in the top and bottom shelf.
- Oven door is quadruple glazed which makes the door cool even at high temperature cooking, so your hands are safe.
- The storage or warming space under the oven is very convenient to keep food warm after cooking
- The oven has 4.9 cubic feet capacity allowing cooking of multiple dishes at a time.
- Sliding shelves extend out fully for better convenience placing and removing food
- Construction
Fisher Paykelwas founded in 1934 and has gained a reputation of a design-focused innovative company. The products are designed and created in New Zealand and are aimed at meeting human needs satisfactorily. This 36 inch free standing induction range is one such innovative product that makes cooking multiple dishes a breeze.
The build quality is similar to what I found in the 30 inch model with every detail crafted to perfection. The knobs for function, temperature and warmer and for the burners are well designed and made of stainless steel. The dimensions of the range include 35 ¾ to 371/4 inches height x 35 7/8 inches width x 25 ¼ inches depth.
The cook top is made of graphite enamel that is resistant to acid and the broil element is of drop down type. The shelf runners are pyrolytic proof and the oven doors and shelf runners are removable.
- Convenience And Safety
Often times the burners on four or five burner stoves are difficult to use simultaneously. For instance, when you place a large pan on one burner, it is difficult to place a pan on the adjacent burner as the larger one takes more space. This induction range offers a good solution.
The five separate burners in this induction cooktop can be combined or bridge to form three bridge zones where you can place larger pans easily.
Similarly the twin convection design of the oven enables cooking different type of foods effortlessly. The warming drawer is present only in the Fishere Paykel 36 inch freestanding induction range model and not seen in similar 36 inch brands.
I found the safety features quite good here and these include the anti-tilt bracket, a well-balanced oven door, catalytic venting, non-tipping shelves, and a pan detection system. Automatic switch-off occurs upon spilling of food and the oven has 3/8 gallon spill containment capability. It also has a safety time out feature and hot surface indicators.
- Performance
Each of the cooking zones have different power capacity with the center having 1850 -2600W, front and rear burners on right and left ranging from 2100 W to 3700W and the power boost feature allowing the burner to heat up to a maximum of 5500W.
The cooktop has 3 settings for gentle heat, namely 108 degrees, 149 degrees and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. There are 7 shelf positions and the warming drawer heats up to 220W. The Broil function works at 4300W.
The product has a 5 year warranty and an additional 60 day technical support from delivery date for helping you install, configure and troubleshoot so you can learn how it functions and start using its advanced and efficient features immediately.
Pros:
- Has several advanced features like smart zone, power boost and multiple heating functions
- Twin convection for better oven temperature
- Self-cleaning feature makes cleanup a breeze
- Warming rack is very convenient to keep food warm for longer periods
- 5 year warranty and 60 day support
- Good safety features
- Less venting needed
Cons:
- Price is expensive
- Fairly new appliance on the market so support issues are not known
- No touch controls
* GE Stainless Steel Electric Induction Range
This GE freestanding stainless steel induction range is a powerful appliance that is 30 inches wide, free standing with shiny glass cooktop and impressive specs of which the most notable is the Wi-Fi feature and Alexa integration. You can easily control the range with your voice instead of manual control.
Features:
- 5 cooking elements present. Cooktop has warming element and 3 high power cooking elements
- Oven uses convection mode
- Touch controls present instead of the usual dial knobs
- Oven temperature set by touchpads
- Control via smartphone WiFi connect
- Has a dimension of 29 7/8 inches wide x 47 inches height x 28 inches depth
- Range is made of stainless steel
- Steam clean option present in oven for light cleanup
- Construction
GE free standing induction range is designed stylishly with an edge to edge induction cooktop. The entire induction surface is seamless making it easy to clean and maintain. The ceramic glass top is of top quality allowing easy cleanup. Keypads are covered by glass and the control panel looks trendy and is ergonomically angled.
Although the lack of control knobs is a welcome feature, the small touch panel keys are a bit tricky to use. The 5.3 cubic feet capacity is a bit small, but I found it ideal for cooking multiple dishes simultaneously, which makes it perfect when you want to cook for big gatherings.
- Performance
The induction cooktop has 5 burners with the left front and rear having 8 inches 2500W heating elements, the right front burner being for power boiling with an 11 inch 3700W heating element, the center burner having a 6 inches 100W warming zone while the right rear burner is 6 inches diameter with 1800W power.
The oven has 6 pass broil elements and is of convection type. I found that the oven worked exceptionally well with its bake and broil modes.
- Convenience And Safety
The inbuilt WiFi connectivity and connection with various apps like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Drop and more make it a successful smart device for hassle-free and quick cooking. The stay-cool oven glass door, touch control features, steam clean feature and indicator lights for a hot surface and the heating elements are highly convenient features.
The automatic features like auto shut off, auto recipe change, chef connect, control lock, delay bake option and more make cooking enjoyable while safety is also ensured. The 6 positions for the oven rack and 6 pass broil elements also are quite good.
Pros:
- Easy control of the induction range with your smartphone
Light cleaning with steam clean option is good- Uniform cooking with the truly precise air convection oven
- Quick and efficient cooking
- Not very expensive
Cons:
- The voice control via smart device can be frustrating when the commands are not understood
- Touch controls are very small and difficult to use
Conclusion
The above best free standing induction range models I have reviewed clearly show that induction ranges are certainly a good choice over electric and gas ranges. They are fast, efficient and easy to clean.
While the Fisher Paykel 36 inch free standing induction range and the 30 inch model are high-end models with impressive specs, the GE free standing double oven induction range with its smart wifi connectivity is a better choice. The price is cheap too when you consider the extensive and efficient features of the GE induction range.
And the performance, safety, and convenience features are comparable to the other two Fisher Paykel models making it a highly cost-effective model you will definitely enjoy cooking with.
However if you do not favor WiFi or voice control features and prefer the conventional cooking range as in Fisher Paykel models, but with a good blend of modern features and no worry about the cost, the 36 inch and 30 inch free standing induction range models are appropriate options to consider.
