Induction hob and saucepans

[Pinkrinse]

Help. Just had a new kitchen and a new induction hob installed. I am new to induction so had to purchase a few new pans. I’ve got an aeg hob with flexible heating areas. I was told that induction boils water really quickly, mine doesn’t. A cup of water in the kettle takes 48 secs. On the hob the same amount varies between 2.00 and 5mins depending on the pan. Have I bought a bad hob? Is there a fault? Or is it the pans? I’m at a loss at the moment as I’m so new to this. Any advice welcome. Bought from John Lewis and of course they are closed at the moment.

Did the pans say for induction? I imagine they did. My kettle takes about 5 mins when it is full so it seems like something isn’t right. Check on the JL website. My other pans don’t work at all. I bought my new ones from Lakeland. Might be worth checking with the stove manufacturer or store you bought it at.

What kind of pans are you using? We started off with some non stick pans from M&S and the small job always took ages to boil. The pans would also only work on the hob they were the same size as annoyingly.
Switched to stainless steel pans (Ikea and Sainsbury’s) and they heat up instantly when using boiled water. I think some pans/coatings aren’t as good at conducting the heat/energy.

If you have purchased good quality induction pans and the water is still taking a while to boil it could be the hob. If the hob is a 13amp or 16amp it will take longer than if the hob is a 20amp or 30amp.

Depends on how high you have set the hob... Mine can go as high as 14 and that's what I set it to if I need a quick boil. Mine is deffo quicker than the kettle. I have a small-ish Dualit kettle and when full, it's takes over a minute though I have timed it. Deffo quicker on the hob. I should point out that I have an AEG hob too.

The pans I have bought are a mixture, all for induction, the best one is Lakeland bell saucepan, and the worst is sainsbury again for induction.

Are you definitely setting the ring to the highest setting? It may not automatically be on the highest when you turn it on.

Do you boil the water on power? Make sure you're using the right size ring for the pan, use the power setting, and add a tap of salt to the water - it should boil very quickly.

Also, any advice on the best pans? Or what to look out for.

There really shouldn't be much difference as long as it's suitable for induction.

I've got a flexible aeg induction, too. Also new to induction cooking. My hob-top kettle is fast if I put it on "P", which is the highest setting. I find that pretty much all other settings are too low. If you have the same job as me, the front individual spot is a lower power anyway, so use the flexible side, or the back position. I have Vonshef pans and they aren't great. I also bought a Tefal, which acts much more "as expected". It's taking me a long time to get used to it, but better quality pans make it easier....

judging from the way OP has sidestepped the question on whether water is being boiled on highest setting, my guessing is that it wasn't... It's hardly going to boil in record time on setting 8.

Hi, it certainly seems to on mine as 8 am getting very mixed results.

Hi it was definitely on the highest setting and with the power boost when I timed the pans. The6 all had exactly the same amount of water in them, just 1 mug full. And I did this experiment after standing watching pots of water slowly boil without timing.

I have a double flexible, I thought it was a good thing to do. Hope I havn’t made a mistake with it. Used gas all my life.

I think you must be doing something wrong OP. My induction is faster than my kettle!

When you have the pan on the hob are you just heating up one pan at a time? The boost function on my Neff hob only works if only one pan is being used - you can't use boost on one ring while you have something simmering on another. My neff hob is super quick at boiling.

Is there a boost button on the hob for quick heating?

I use a selection of Tefal induction pans and cast iron on my Neff one. Top tip - Tefal pans are way cheaper on French amazon, even with the shipping.

I have an induction hob too, but it doesn't have a 'P' setting, only goes up to 9, and it takes forever to boil water in a pan!
I have boiled one in someone else's house using 'P' and it was super fast!
Maybe some induction hobs just aren't as good as others.

Thanks everyone, I don’t understand, I can only guess the pans I have aren't very good. One goes up to 14 and been using 14 or the boost function, and because I haven’t been getting the results I expected I have read the manual inside out. Hence reaching out to you, to see if it is the pans.

Only using one pan at a time, still experimenting.

My pans are Stellar, dh needed a non stick so we bought an aluminium one for induction hobs from Sainsburys, it takes ages to heat up compared to stellar.

fluffycloudland77 thanks, its the Sainsbury's ones which are really bad!. I have contacted John Lewis who I bought it from, just to see what they say in case it is a problem with the hob.

Are you putting a lid on the pot? Kettles boil quicker due to being enclosed. You should do the same with pots.
《Sorry if teaching you to suck eggs》

Hi Yes all the timings Ive done have been with lids on. It's not knowing where the problem is that difficult. The Hob? The Saucepans? or even the Installation! Thanks for all your support it's been very useful.

If I want a pan of boiling water for pasta or whatever, I boil it in the kettle and pour it in. This thread has made me realise that I've never actually put cold water in a pan to boil.

Our pans work fine on the induction hob, they're some old Jamie Oliver branded Tefal ones and an iKea hob. Do things cook using the hob and the pans, eg frying onions, simmering stew or curry?