The One Appliance Swap Louis Tikaram Swears By

Louis Tikaram has built his career on Asian food: wok-tossed noodles, long-simmered broths and fried rice that demand serious heat. As head chef of Stanley, one of the country’s most celebrated Chinese restaurants, he knows better than most what a cooktop needs to deliver. Which is why, when he suggests swapping your home cooktop for induction, it’s worth paying attention.

“I think people are still judging induction on how it was 10 to 15 years ago,” he says. “It took a while to heat up and it wasn’t that powerful.” That version deserved the scepticism. But the technology has moved on, and Tikaram thinks most home cooks haven’t kept up. “I’d like to see people try it in 2026.”

Contrary to popular belief, induction can do high heat

The biggest knock on induction has always been heat – not just warmth, but the kind of intense, sustained temperature that transforms food: a perfect sear on a steak, a sauce reduced to something glossy and concentrated, fried rice with just the right crisp.

On a quality induction cooktop, that heat is there, Tikaram insists. His pick is the Miele induction cooktop, where the heat arrives fast, aided by an in-built “power boost”. “Within seconds, the pan is absolutely blazing,” he says.

It gives you professional-level control

Tikaram reaches for a professional analogy to explain what else sets Miele apart. In a French kitchen, chefs rely on the French top – a large, heated steel surface where multiple pans run simultaneously at different temperatures.

Miele’s full-surface cooking zones work in a similar way. Home cooks can place pots anywhere on the surface, each holding its own temperature, and adjust them with precision.

“Now you can basically have a professional French top in your kitchen at home,” he says. “It’s pretty mental, actually.”

It removes the guesswork

At Stanley, Tikaram uses induction for all his stocks, sauces and long braises. The reason is consistency.

“With gas, your version of ‘low heat’ could be very different to someone else’s version of ‘low heat’,” he says. With induction, he can give his kitchen staff exact temperature instructions and expect the same result every time, regardless of who’s in the kitchen. That level of consistency is crucial in a restaurant – and just as useful for anyone cooking at home.

Safety and clean-up

For home cooks, performance isn’t always the first concern, and Tikaram gets that.

No open flame means no forgotten burner and no stray tea towel catching wind at the wrong moment – something even experienced chefs aren’t immune to, he admits. And once dinner is done? “Just wipe the surface over and it’s done. It’s literally hours in a week reduced from cleaning,” he says.

For anyone cooking for a family, that alone is reason enough to make the swap. If you’ve been on the fence about ditching gas, consider this your sign.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Miele.