Tell me about induction hobs, please

[lurkingfromhome]

I think I want an induction hob, but researching all the features and functions and reviews etc is making my head spin a bit. Can anyone tell me anything about them? Are there any features that are essential (or any that aren’t worth the bother)? Should I get a hard wired or a plug in type? Are any brands better than others? Please help while the sales are on and I might get a bit of a bargain!

I've had an induction hob for 8 years now and I love it. So easy to clean, smart and very responsive. I'm another who would not go back to gas.

I love my induction hob.

We’ve had three induction hobs. Super fast, clean looks good. Pans are not hard to find. Many are suitable for induction hobs. Neater, tidier, more attractive and more responsive than either electric or gas in my opinion.

Another induction convert and I would never go back to gas. We got a Neff one and are really pleased with it. One thing I would recommend is getting one with a 'domino plate'. You can use this for two individual pans or one larger one I have a larger oblong casserole dish and it works well on this plate.

Loved mine til we had a power cut. Would get one or a high-end ceramic if no mains gas, but otherwise prefer gas. I think ceramic browns better than induction.

Can you use one before you choose? I think people are strongly one way or the other. I thought I'd love one but hated it, it took longer to cook anything I wanted to cook, you don't have the same control as you do with gas, I just hated using it. I'm back with gas! And I'd never go induction now, but some people swear by it. MIL loves hers.

I love mine. So much easier to clean and you can use it as additional work surface. Plus it makes the kitchen look slicker I think as it's all one level. I'd also never go back now.

We got an induction hob 2.5 years ago and I love it. I come from gas and it is a bit of a change but still amazing and I wouldn’t use normal electric or ceran.

We had to get new pots but ours were 25 years old and induction wasn’t invented then,

The only negative I have is, it is a big glass plate. And I manage to smash hob no, 1 by throwing a glass spice jar onto it which was in a spice rack above the hob. All jars are now changed to plastic and all hard items removed from the cabinets next to the hob. Otherwise, no damage at all.

I'm another induction hob lover! I was dreading it as new house had it and I was used to gas. Would never go back, so much easier to clean!!

I LOVE my induction hob and will never bother with gas again. I couldn't stand cleaning it. It's so quick, so responsive, nothing burns.

My bonus was that I got to spend a small fortune on Le Creuset pans I couldn't comment on normal pan use. I may just love it because I have posh pans. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you need new plans and cant afford Le Creuset then IKEA do cheap induction friendly pans that work well

@TheDogsMother yes I have a domino plate or "bridge hob"? Not used it yet!

I really ummed and ahhed about changing from gas to induction and I’m really glad I did. My induction is more responsive than gas, quicker to come to temperature, easier to clean and nicer to look at.

I wouldn’t go back now.

Signed
A serious cook

Responsive, easy to use and so clean, Wish we'd switched from gas years ago.

We also made the switch almost 2 years ago, like you we were previously on LPG bottles as we don't have mains gas. I did a lot of research to get a well reviewed induction hob, which was middle priced. I love it, as well as being easier to clean it's much better at simmering at a low temperature than gas. It's not quite as good for cooking using a wok, but mine has a P setting which is pretty good and using a cast iron frying pan helps a lot (more magnetic material in the pan means it gets a lot hotter for a given hob setting than a lighter weight non stick pan).

I have Neff Flexinduction hob AND a big gas wok burner alongside it. It doesn't have to be either/or - if you're redesigning a new kitchen, you can have both - I did!

Neff induction hob, seven years old and still spotlessly clean.

Love it.

Magnetic controller means there are absolutely no dirt traps.

This is really so helpful - thanks to all of you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It seems the majority opinion is definitely in favour. @Teddyreddy could you possibly let me know which mid-priced one you went for in the end? I’m looking at the usual brands that are generally recommended- Bosch, Neff etc but finding it hard to choose between them.

“Serious cook” here too and I adore mine. Can’t actually remember what brand it is (Neff?bosch?) but we chose it on the basis of size, zone size and reviews, so I’d do the same if I were you. The range of temperatures is the best - can sear a steak or bring a pan to the boil so quickly but also leave stock to cook overnight. It’s fantastic. And I was a gas snob previously.

@FalalalalaloreanFortescue I have an oblong Le Creuset casserole which works perfectly on the domino. It also works well with a couple of pans. My Neff job came with a nice set of stainless steel pans so I mix and match my existing Le Creuset with the pans that came with it.

For those worrying whether these inductions are for serious cooks, they use them on Masterchef and Bake Off

OP. Bosch, Siemens and Neff are all manufactured by the same company so you can choose according to your budget. Take a look at rdo.co.uk. This company were the best price and super efficient when we were fitting a kitchen. They deliver to anywhere so no need to be within reach of the showroom.

Love ours. Had it about 18 months after a kitchen refit. Originally planned a plug in cheap-ish one but our electrician advised getting a wired one seeing as he was doing the electrics anyway. It was a bit more expensive (Bosch, around £600) but it’s much more powerful and I can use all the rings at the same time without loss of power which is what the electrician said might happen with the plug in one.

All our old pans worked, le creuset casseroles too, it’s a dream to keep clean and looks super smart.

Place any little magnet on the bottom of any pot you have and if it attaches, it is compatible with an induction hob.

I was surprised by how many of my pots and pans were compatible.

@lurkingfromhome what size do you want? I really wanted a 90 cm hob but the 80 cm ones were so much cheaper I ended up compromising - after checking I could still fit 5 good sized pans on an 80 cm one (draw round your pans and take the circles to a showroom). Middle priced for an 80cm hob was about £750 2 years ago. If you only want a 60 cm wide hob then they are a lot cheaper.

I then looked at Which? reviews as they carry out standardised tests, and checked reviews on places like ao.com and John Lewis to see if there were any problems Which? had missed. I got a Neff T48FD23X0 but 2 years later there are probably better options out there even if that's the size you want.

People with Pacemakers, like me, cannot use them. Something to do with the magnetism involved.

I find this quite handy; DS1 and his DP have one and I am excused all cooking duties when we visit them.