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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Induction hobs - any good?

24 replies

MonkeyJungleConga · 10/08/2011 22:45

we're thinking of getting an induction hob when we change our kitchen and DH is reluctant to move away from gas.

If you've previously had gas and now have an induction hob can you give me your views on which is best and why please?

OP posts:

Steph260311 · 10/08/2011 23:26

Hi OP I switched from a gas hob to an induction hob and love my induction hob. I looked into it and got a which best buy (I think it's a hotpoint but will have to check). I think it's as responsive as gas the only downside is that we had to buy induction pans (only magnetic pans will work on them). I like that only under the pan gets hot so my lo can't turn it on and burn fingers when she gets older. It also has a child lock.
My mum recently got a ceramic hob which is quite responsive (mine and hers are both smooth no nobs for easy cleaning) and has a child lock on it in case of curious hands. I think it was cheaper than mine and any pan can be used on it.

flatbread · 11/08/2011 00:17

I have an induction and it is absolutely great! I love the fact that it boils water really, really quickly. I also like the timer function that switches off the cooker - I can set rice on a 15 minutes timer and then come back an hour later, no burnt rice

As the other poster said, the downsides are that you need special steel based pans. Also, cooking a stir-fry is not as great on an induction as compared to a gas fire, where you can get heat on the sides of the pan.

As a compromise, we have a free-standing induction hobs and a gas cooker. If I look back to the last few months, we probably used the induction more than the gas hob.

Inti · 11/08/2011 11:08

I have one and wouldn't have anything else now. It heats up water really quickly, it can't burn you and it looks great.
Yes you need special pans but they are very common and not nearly as expensive as they used to be (Ikea even sell them!)
Ceramic work by going on and off - induction is just a constant heat.

BettyBathroom · 11/08/2011 14:35

I'm getting my kitchen done very soon and I had the dilema.

Unable to part with quite a few of my favourite pans I opted for a domino system. One 60cm induction hob sits next to a 30cm gas hob - a tad excessive maybe but I think I have the best of both worlds.

Gipfeli · 11/08/2011 14:40

Induction is fantastic - really quick to get to boiling point. Equally very easy to have on a low simmer (without the flame going out).

Also really really easy to clean -since the only bit that heats up is where the pain sits, anything that spills over or splashes does not burn on to the hob and so wipes off very easily.

BerylStreep · 11/08/2011 16:49

we have a Stoves induction range - we love, love, love it.

Cooks really quickly, mega responsive, easy to clean.

Did I mention that I love it?

Fuzzywuzzywozabear · 11/08/2011 16:51

My husband is a kitchen designer and he offers customers to come round and test ours because we rave so much about them. He's never had anyone wish they hadn't bought one - I'd never have anything else now

Mumelie · 11/08/2011 20:04

wish we had got one when we had our kitchen done. DH insisted on gas, I wanted induction (easier to clean). Has he ever cleaned the gas hob? has he hell

Poodlehorse · 11/08/2011 22:51

I went from gas to induction too and wouldn't go back, agree with everyone else, safety, cleaning, responsive, efficient. MIL and mum now have them too and we all love them. The pans are easy to come by and not that dear. I have an AEG but think mine might be discontinued now. I love i can heat milk for hot choccy faster than in a microwave.

jensape · 11/08/2011 23:00

Just had new kitchen and changed from gas to induction hob. Best decision I have made. Heats up really really quickly (even quicker than gas) and hob is simple to clean. Go for it!

MumtoF · 13/08/2011 08:16

Yes, fab. So easy to clean, quicker than gas (we boil our lovely Alessi bird whistling kettle on it). Siemens silvery gold one is very nice if you have a light worktop/normally go for stainless steel appliances.

flatbread · 13/08/2011 16:18

Mumlie. there are reasonably priced counter-top inductions if you want one, e.g., here

slinkyboo · 13/08/2011 19:44

Just echoing everyone else. I love our induction hob. I love it even more since I discovered that I could use all my Le Creuset pans on it, too! (I didn't know that when we first moved into the house

carpwidow · 13/08/2011 20:42

I have recently bought a beautiful Stoves 1100 range cooker, with four ovens and induction hob and can't wait to use it. Very encouraged by all the positive comments. However... two months later it is still wrapped and standing in the hallway as I made a blunder and am in the proverbial dog house. Electricity supply used for existing cooker isn't "man enough" for my new range... kitchen is miles away from electric circuit board so have had floorboard and carpet up in DD's bedroom, hall stairs and landing - just hope it is all worth it when it is finally in! (DH wanted gas )

BerylStreep · 14/08/2011 23:04

Carp - I have the Stoves 1100 induction too - it is fantastic.

Funny, my electrician said that the supply needed for the Stoves was a bigger wire than normal (can't remember if we needed 10amp and only have 8 amp - something like that). He said he had never, in 30 years of electrical work, seen a cooker that needed that size of wire, and he reckoned it would be ok, so long as we weren't using all four ovens and six hobs at once. Ours works fine, and I love it.

Would be interested to hear what your spark had to say.

pippop1 · 15/08/2011 00:32

I had two pyrolytic ovens installed in my kitchen and had to have extra power put in. I think the number mentioned was 30 if that makes any sense to anyone. Also have fab induction hob. No one has mentioned that they are supposed to use less power than gas and ordinary electric hobs so that's good too. It is fab and the best feature is that you can tell the hob to be on at a certain setting for, say 10 mins and then turn itself off. I tell it to simmer soup then I go off and have a shower. Lovely.

bemybebe · 15/08/2011 00:39

love mine also. would not have the gas now. it is super easy to clean, fast and efficient.

carpwidow · 15/08/2011 11:48

Oh dear Beryl - I wonder if the floorboards up, the dust and that horrible black sooty substance created by disintegrated underlay was all unnecessary? :(

I'd also love to know from you, pippop and bemybebe, what saucepans you recommend for the induction hob. Thanks :)

bemybebe · 15/08/2011 17:04

I bought a set of Cristel pans but anything that is magnetic or cast iron like Le Creuset will work fab!

www.cristel.com/
www.lecreuset.co.uk/

LaWeasel · 15/08/2011 17:13

We have one that I hate. I suspect it is fairly old (was here when we moved in) so that could be why - but:

It is totally crap for Wok cooking as it only heats the bottom and not the sides of the pan, it is also rubbish for sauces, as you can't temperature regulate by moving the pan on and off, or swirling the pan just above the gas.

Also it turns off at random, which is a complete PITA.

bemybebe · 15/08/2011 17:20

hmm, i regulate temperature by moving the pan on and off (much easier on the flat surface of the induction hob), but it is true that one cannot swirl the pan just above the gas. but with the setting of 1 (my hob goes from 1 to 9*) one does not really need to... at least i did not yet

LaWeasel · 15/08/2011 17:28

I am prepared to believe that we just have a totally crap really old one, previous owners didn't leave the instructions either which lead to a totally baffling two weeks after moving in!

Anything below about 3 seems to equal no heat at all. Two of the rings are broken as well (one totally and the other heats unevenly)

bemybebe · 16/08/2011 11:38

maybe time to replace it then, weasel?? that said i also have an old induction hob, it is Miele, it is 8 years old and it is as new in performance... nevermind a tiny chip that came off the panel edge a few years ago when I banged something really heavy at it.

carpwidow · 16/08/2011 13:28

Thanks for the links to cristel/lecreuset. Stove is being installed as I speak (or type). Very excited... (and electrician is quite dishy too!)

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