Induction versus gas hobs

[Gusthetheatrecat]

I am planning my new kitchen (aaaaaaaah! Vacillating between excitement and being totally floored by how much thinking is required) and trying to decide what kind of oven and hob to have.

My question is about induction hobs. I have always had a gas hob, and really liked them. But whenever I look at kitchen threads on here, people are always really fulsome about their induction hobs. I also like the idea of being able to use them as workspace whilst not in use.

Do I really want an induction hob though? Should I stick with gas? What are th benefits? Has anyone tried both, and has a preference? Grateful to hear any thoughts...

I'm just debating this.

Vaguely considering induction with a gas ring, but not sure that my cooking skills warrant anything out of the ordinary.

What about scratches on induction. Mine is new but worried I'll scratch it. If I do is there anything to help?

My induction hob has been there 2.5 years and no scratches.

I don't cut on it or anything (don't cut on work surfaces either) but I don't really do anything special to keep it un-scratched, iyswim.

Love my induction. Quicker than gas and so much easier to clean. Most of my pans (stainless steel and cast iron) already worked so didn't need to buy anything new. Only problem I'm having is with a frying pan I bought in ikea which said suitable for induction but is sooo slow to heat up and I have to put it on a higher setting than all the rest to achieve the same temperature

randomfriend
Are you happy with a hob that doesn't allow any type of direct flame cooking (no never making chapattis, charring aubergine and peppers, charring quail before making into something)?
that is what the grill is for .....

fussychica
its toughened glass - not easy to scratch I've discovered.

cristinarossetti I think induction takes away some of the more mundane tasks in the kitchen (waiting for ages for pans to heat up, guessing the right level of power, relying on timers) so it's great if you love OR hate cooking.

You can buy induction hobs as single rings that you can use as a backup to your main cooker - why not invest in one of these and try it. Most pans that a magnet will stick to will work on an induction hob. I changed to induction a couple of years ago - I have a falcon range cooker - I cook on it as if it were gas - as in I don't wait for rings to heat up or switch them off early as they hold their heat - I use it like I would a gas hob and I've not had any problems !

M

Putting chapattis on the flame is out with induction. As I didn't ever do that with gas, I am fine with chapattis in a pan only. I use a cloth to coax it to puff up, so that gets the same effect without the charred bits. Mum used to go ballistic about not eating burnt bits of food when I was growing up so I am inured to not charring food

We're getting a new kitchen soon and will be getting an induction hob. Any tips on what to look for? They vary in price on ao.com between £239 and £1699 .

Want a decent quality one but don't want to pay over the odds or for features we'll never use.

Mine is a bog standard Neff that I got as graded stock.
I never use any of the twiddly bits so did not buy them.
John Lewis are good.

Main thing : think where the controls are relative to your kitchen layout

I have a Siemens induction hob and love it.

I do however find myself babysitting it regularly.

As it is flat and flush with the worktop DH has a tendency to use it as an extension of the worktop. He has scratched it, only a small one and it annoys me no end. I've found screwdrivers and all sorts sitting on and totally freak out.

Needless to say this wouldn't happen with a gas hob.

I made a happy discovery by accident too. You can keep food warm in the pan on a very low setting without it burning which I find very useful.

I wouldn't trade it for gas.

Mine is a Neff with touch controls at the front and is flush to the worktop. I only picked it over the Siemens as there are no white markings defining the rings on my Neff. It was about £450 and came with a free set of German pans. I got it from ao.com

deux
yup the keep warm function is indeed the perfect simmer for slow stocks and stews

Please DO have a look at graded stock - HUGE savings to be made
eg
www.theappliancedepot.co.uk/cookers-2/hobs?cat=170&manufacturer=9

Everything in my kitchen is graded - pic on my profile.

The hob has a dent in the underneath (its fitted into the worktop)
The hood has a dent in the top (hidden in the cupboard)
the oven has a dent in the side (fitted oven)
the dishwasher has a scratch on the top (its under the draining board)
the fridge has a dent in the top (its 6 foot tall)

between them the reductions paid for the dishwasher

fussychica, when I use my really heavy le creuset pans on my hob, I put kitchen paper between the hob and the pan to minimise the chance of scrathches. I don't bother with any other pans, and my hob isn't scratched yet.

Thanks Paxman - somehow I have a fine scratch on mine already but no idea how it got there so I have just started using the kitchen paper trick to minimise the chances of further damage.

I should say fussychica that I've never put my le creuset pans on more than a "medium" setting. Not sure I'd risk kitchen paper if I'm frying on top setting.

When we bought our hob, the man in the shop boiled a pan of water with a £10 note beteen the pan and the hob. He did suggest kitchen paper was probably preferable in day to day scenario!

Lol Paxman our kitchen man did the same but with a £20 - that's inflation for you

Induction, really fast, can't believe how slow mums gas hob seems now when I visit. Our induction hob boils hot water quicker than the kettle. Doddle to clean.

Make sure you get good pans, some pans (tefal) are induction but much slower than a good induction pan.

I got some really good pans suitable for induction from Aldi. Only £7 or so each. They heat up really fast.

I bought my Miele Induction on Ebay from an terrestrial electrical store. He was careful to photograph a scratch. Like I said, I think I might have a couple of light surface marks 7 years on from buying 2nd grade. We're using the old fashioned le Creuset on it and aren't terribly careful (and we tend to have at least 3 pans on each night), Once our pan is warmed up, we don't need to keep it particularly hot (typically 4 out of 9 on the scale).

Miele have got wise to the fact the dealers are buying up a lot of their ex-demo stock so they are now offering it to visitors to Abingdon (Miele outlet) Some of it they use to teach their engineers what it looks like. Grade B has less than 50 hours use. Grade c stuff has been fixed or they think it has been used for a bit longer. Annoyingly, you can't just order it from their stocklist.

I was a gas girl and even discounted rental properties with electric hobs after hating them as a student. Made the switch to induction (bosch, 3 zones and double flexi zone) for safety as the hob was going in the breakfast bar area. I haven't missed my has hob once. A few light scratches, I must be really heavy handed.

gas

MrsT - Nothing worse than a cheap, electric hob. Most only have 2 settings - Off and full On.

I love my induction hob; easy to use, very controllable, and exceptionally easy to clean. I also have a gas wok burner, it is ONLY ever used to do stir-fries. It's the best of both worlds !
No help at all, am I?