Hope you don’t keel over from all the excitement but I need advice on hobs!

[Ladybird69]

Hi My gas hob has only one burner working! and it’s doing my head in, So I was ready to just buy a replacement then my neighbour said why don’t you get an electric hob. I don’t because I like the instant heat with gas. She said oh it’s all changed now it’s all pretty much instant with ceramic hobs and induction etc. is she right? Am I stuck in the dark ages? let me have your experiences and advice please Tia

Another vote for induction. Instant heat and easy to clean.

We’ve just had an induction job out in, and it’s amazing. We love it, I’d never go back to gas/ electric/ ceramic. So much cheaper to run and a lot safer than a traditional electric hob which takes an age to cool down.

I agree. We changed from gas too to induction several years ago. Brilliant and so easy to clean. Instant temperature change and instant heat. I got all of my pans from ikea for a very reasonable price and they are still going strong.

I can't believe how much my asthma improved when I switched from gas to induction. Gas cooking is a significant source of indoor pollution.

Studies show people think gas is faster than it is because they can see the flame and hear the hiss but induction is faster when tested. It's also more energy efficient

I swapped gas for induction last year and love it. Induction is instant - it is actually quicker now for me to boil a pan on the hob than use the kettle. And it’s so much easier to clean. We had a solid plate electric hob in a previous house though and it was crap so I’d say don’t get one of them.

If you like Asian food, gas hobs are the best IMO. The large wok burner on ours is ideal for cooking chapattis and other forms of unleavened bread, and needless to say a stir fry

Induction hobs are instant but you need to have compatible pans I really like induction hobs. They are really easy to clean unlike gas

Another vote for induction, so fast and controllable, and a cinch to clean. Would never go back to gas.

Why not buy one of the one ring induction plates to do a trial run to see if you like it? I got a two ring one from Ikea when we were between cookers and it just plugs into any socket and was a godsend.
Amazon have them for about £40.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/induction-single-hob/s?k=induction+single+hob

Most amateur home cooks can do a stir fry on induction just as easily on gas. Ok, you need to use a "wok" with a flatter base and you need to stir it around in the pan rather than flip the pan around, but be honest, for 99% of people the flipping around is just for show/fun and doesn't make any significant difference to the dish. Slight change of cooking style and stir fries are fine.

Following this with interest as we are hoping to make the switch from gas to induction. Can anyone recommend a good, mid range induction hob that they're happy with please?

yy what induction hobs and pacemakers can't be mixed.

This is exactly what we did before our kitchen extension, got a 2 rind induction hob and used it, Dh even timed boiling water compared to our gas hob. We then changed to an induction hob a decade ago, it still looks brand new, cleaning it is a joy. Mine has combined zones for larger pans. As for stir fry, we do that on the induction hob. Ours is a DeDietrich and powerful. The only thing I can't do is char peppers but I have a kitchen blow torch for that.

You will also notice that on Great British Bake Off their hobs are induction.

I'm afraid I'm not a fan of induction. I have a gas hob at home. I stay in the same holiday home for a couple of weeks each year which has an induction hob. I far prefer gas. I do appreciate that it is on its way out in the long run and is less environmentally friendly etc etc etc. also easier to clean as everyone says. However I find it really difficult to manage the temperature. It's either too hot or not hot enough, whatever settings I use. You can't put a roasting pan from the oven onto the heat to make gravy either. And others have said you can use it as a work surface but this one emits a shrill snd relentless beeping if you put an unknown item down on it.

I accept that one day I'm probably going to have to have one as gas is being (justifiably) phased out but I'm not looking forward to it,

They are easy to clean though.

You can do the roasting pan thing. Or I can on mine.

Does anyone have an induction job with the down draft ventilation instead of a hood? What are they like? Where do the fumes actually go to? Contemplating one when I get my kitchen done next year but don’t want to waste a load of cupboard space with the actual “plumbing”.

Wow first of all thanks for all your replies and then it seems it’s induction all the way. That’s a good point @beguilingeyes I’ll take a look at Amazon. I recently bought some new saucepans I just hope they are compatible. Off to look at some hobs exciting stuff 😁. Thanks again 💐

I'd love to know what these are like too.

I do- we've got a bora hob (bought ex display) with 3 cooking sections and 2 fans. Our island is slight wider than it needs to be and the gubbins goes between the backs of the units so no cupboard space lost. Have also seen them jn a showroom in a breakfast bar type arrangement with space between the back of the cupboards and the facing panel under the breakfast bar.

We've got one which has ducts under the the floor joists and vents externally which is great. The other (slightly random selection, being ex display bits) vents to a filter which sits under the cupboard units. It does have a big (flat!!) charcoal filter unit, but must admit I'm not as convinced by venting the hob into a less well ventilated space- though we do have vent panels on the kickboards to get some air circulation.

Overall I really love not having the overhead unit!