Induction hobs: yay or nay?

Quartz

Quartz

Quartz

Soldato
Joined
1 Apr 2014
Posts
19,612
Location
Aberdeen
I'm bailing on the complete new kitchen but I may well go for a new hob and extractor hood as the former is currently awkward to clean and I keep head-butting the latter.

As far as I can see, the induction hob has the below pros and cons:

Pros: safety (esp. children) and ease of cleaning.
Cons: special cookware.

Anything else?
 
Cons: It's not gas.

Seriously. If the housing market ever crashes and I get a say in what cooker I want (:rolleyes: ) it'll be gas or nothing. Everything else is a waste of time.
 
Unlike gas, they aren't fully adjustable.
Expensive ones generally have 32 heat settings, and cheap ones have well around6 levels usually.
 
Special cookware is the irritating one.

The one I use heats things up superbly fast, especially things like water, and far faster than any gas or hot plate equivalent I've ever used (including gas, oil and electric Agas).

If any water spills onto the surface, they will cut out, which can be annoying, but at least no unlit gas is escaping.

I do miss having a gas hob though - something about it just seems to be more 'right'!
 
Scam said:
Cons: It's not gas.

Seriously. If the housing market ever crashes and I get a say in what cooker I want (:rolleyes: ) it'll be gas or nothing. Everything else is a waste of time.
Click to expand...

What he said. Induction hobs seem to be for people who don't ever actually cook ....
 
When I eventually stop renting and buy a house, I'll probably opt for both gas and induction. I'm a fan of both for different reasons.

Induction has a wider temperature range, so can be great for heating something up really quickly, or keeping something warm. It's also cheaper to run.
 
Trouble with induction, you really need to try before you buy. As so few people have them.

I wouldn't say pans are an issue, nearly pans are supported these days. It really isn't a limiting factor unless you have a set you like that dint work.
 
All the people I know (including myself) who have gone induction have not regretted it. Easier to clean, faster to heat, more economical to run. There's lots of compatible cookware out there now, you just need to get something with a steel plate in the base. I've never heard of ones that cut out when they spill, my Neff doesn't AFAIK.
 
I just had a Siemens Flex-Induction Hob fitted when I had my new kitchen installed. I enjoy cooking and I'm really happy with it.
It's super quick to heat, really easy to keep clean and the flex induction zone I have on my model is brilliant - I've got a griddle plate and cooking steaks on it is great.

I've had a few pans of water boil over when I first started to use it and it never once cut out on me. I simply lifted the pot, wiped it and the hob dry (while it was on) and placed it back and it continued to cook.
 
Last edited:
Illgresi said:
When I eventually stop renting and buy a house, I'll probably opt for both gas and induction. I'm a fan of both for different reasons.

Induction has a wider temperature range, so can be great for heating something up really quickly, or keeping something warm. It's also cheaper to run.
Click to expand...

I'm redoing my kitchen shortly and was looking at domino hobs to have induction and gas but it didn't seem worth the additional expense in the end.
I've had induction for the last couple of years since moving in to this place, and while there are some benefits to induction, overall I still much prefer gas so will be going for a 5 burner gas hob in the new kitchen.

One issue I've had with my induction hob is it cutting out when using cast iron cookware. Not sure if it's getting too hot, but it's damn annoying.
 
oli collett said:
Some professional chefs might disagree with you there...
Click to expand...

Quite. The two rosette kitchen where I worked a few years ago had mainly induction hobs. They were accompanied by excellent planchas and two Rationale ovens.

This isn't a great picture I know, but in front of the guy facing you is a pristine plancha, and next to that is the 6 spot induction hob I used to work. Highlighted with the red circle is the control pad on the opposite side that not only controlled the temperature of the induction coils, but also the plancha and the hot cupboards under the desk.

2upz4p5.jpg


P.s. The guy with his back to you is an absolute walloper.
 
The cheap ones are terrible, the very expensive ones are quite good but it is hard to justify their cost when a cheap gas one works just as well.
 
I really like induction hobs and would definitely consider one considering the price of gas at the moment. Instant heat, instant cooling, no wasted energy, i do love gas too though.

By the way, i'm a chef too.
 
I'd never go back to gas. My induction hob has so much more power, it can be brutal. Also a lot easier to clean.
10 adjustments are easily enough and the lowest is extremely low.

Just make sure to get one with enough power.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom