Difference between hob types?

[TheMidnightLibrary]

I’m just starting planning a new kitchen. What are the pros and cons of the different hob types, please?
I’ve only ever used gas.

First I'll add work to your decision making by suggesting: also think about whether you want knobs or touch pad controls. Personally I find knobs so much easier, but it limits your choice these days. I think induction hobs need more space underneath them, so might not fit over a built-under double oven, they aren't always suitable for people with pacemakers and you need particular pans. So once you have weeded out the models that won't fit or are impractical, choice of type might be limited. I went for a ceramic, as none of the induction models had knobs and I didn't want gas. It's probably the least 'controllable' but its fine.

I switched from gas to induction for various reasons.

Pros:
I can't accidentally leave it on without a pan on
I can't accidentally leave the gas on
I can't accidentally burn myself on the hob
It doesn't get hot to the touch after cooking- great if you have small kids
The heat is more even across the pan
Easy to clean
More efficient, eg you can heat water quicker than it would take the kettle to do the same if the right settings are used

Cons:
Can't use the flame for random things this charring
Easy to scratch if you're not careful
Takes a little getting used to
No back up if you have an electric oven and there is a power cut (gas would still work)

For me, the pros far outweigh the cons and I wouldn't go back. I used to be panic about leaving the gas on and never do these days.

Thank you. There is so much to think about as it’s the first kitchen I’ve planned from scratch.

If I had a choice I'd always go gas. Much more controllable, you don't need a particular kind of pan, bit more robust.

But I've recently moved to a new build with an induction hob. We bought a hob protector from Lakeland and apart from a couple of pans we had to replace it's been fine

I wouldn't go electric though. No way. I'd rather cook over an open fire 🤣

I also went from gas to induction and I love it, for all the same reason as Flubadubba.

But I would add:-

Induction is just as controllable as gas, i.e. if you turn it off it's instant. (unlike ceramic)

I love the ability to set timers on each ring.

Much faster than gas, when using the boost function.

Pans don't burn on the side, and are easier to clean.

I've never seen an induction with physical knobs, but I wouldn't want one, the
ability to wipe the whole surface down is brilliant.

As with any glass topped hob, you can break the glass if you drop a bottle of wine on it. ( I did, but was able to replace the glass for £200, so not a total disaster.)

IMHO don't buy ceramic, it's the worst of everything !

We get more control with our induction than the old gas hob and it's so clean. With all its advances - I'd not go back

The one thing to note is that you need sufficient electrical power - is the kitchen getting a rewire ? Is the existing circuit up to it ?

Induction is brilliant. Knobs are in the last century! All are touch controls. Love my ceramic hob. Easy to clean. 13 years old and perfect. Quick. Bought new pans for it and they are still perfect too. Gas hobs take so much more effort to keep clean. I’d always have induction. Mine is a Miele and DD has a Bosch. Don’t buy cheap and look for timers, ring sizes and boost for ultra quick heating. I have a ceramic in a holiday home and it’s slow, slow, slow!

100% agree with this.

I've used electric, induction and gas hobs in various rental homes over the years and it is not a compromise I am willing to make in my own home. Gas all the way.

You can get dual fuel hobs with gas rings and inductions plates.
There are a very limited number on the market - AEG and Smeg, plus Neff do a single ring has hob, which you can install next to an induction hob, to create a dual fuel cooking area.
I presume these would be more ££ thank a single fuel hob.

I like gas the best, but I've had a couple of different induction hobs and they really vary. If you go for induction get one that has the touch controls on the top (side is really hard to see & control) and get one with a boost function, with that they're really controllable.
Induction is easy to clean, good for small kids & if you have someone with dementia around, the better induction hobs are controllable & heat up quickly.
Gas is controllable, more sturdy and lasting and I think has a better overall vibe. Plus you can use it to char things.

Induction also has the advantage of not creating vapour during use so anyone with a condensation/humidity problem will experience an improvement to that.
No carbon monoxide risk (though that's small anyway).
Good inductions are as controllable as gas.

Also all the energy of an induction goes into transferred heat, no waste, so cheaper to run than other electric hobs which work by conduction and lose a lot of heat that doesn't go into the pan and less wasteful than gas.

There is a Siemens one that recognises where you put the pan down and heats that spot only so you can put your pans in any arrangement and place, great when cooking with multiple, no more big ring, little ring, but that's a spendy option <dream>

We have induction, love it. Easy to clean, can easily be used as extra flat worktop if needed (careful of scratches obv) and highly controllable - it has 1-9 settings and boils very fast.

Gas not an option as we are rural.

Only con is you might need new pans as some don't work on induction hobs

Other plus points for induction hobs-

When cooking on a low heat, the whole base of the pan is still heated, not a tiny ring of flame in the middle like there is with gas.

Our induction rings have individual timers and the rings turn off when the time is up.

If cooking something messy, you can place paper on the hob and then the pan on top. It still works.

The kitchen stays cooler.

However, gas hobs seem to last forever. Not so induction hobs.

I got an induction a year ago, I wish I'd stick with gas tbh

I’ve cooked using gas, induction, electric and an aga. I’d choose gas every time.

Another vote for induction - way more controllable than gas, particularly the lowest settings.

I’ve had every option going over the years. We’ve remodelled 3 houses and all needed new kitchens. I’d choose induction every time. I used to LOVE my range and could never imagine changing, but I wouldn’t go back to it now.

You don’t need special pans. Most of our existing pans worked when we changed to induction. As a quick guide, if a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pan, it’ll work.

Induction is far quicker to heat up and cool down compared to gas, so there’s more control and it’s easier to clean. I’m not into complicated gadgets, but even I could work the touch controls. I’ve never scratched one either, and I’m clumsy.

Second choice would be gas. We’ve recently moved and have a gas hob currently. It’s slower than induction, stays hot for longer when it’s off and is trickier to clean, but cooking wise it’s fine.

I’d avoid a ceramic hob. They’re hopeless - slow to heat up, slow to cool down, so limited control and easy to burn yourself.

I've had both induction and gas, and chose to go gas for our new kitchen. Induction is brilliant, and so much easier to clean, we had a Smeg induction hob put in to a house we were doing up to sell, and it was absolutely great, I loved it. But, that was in a super sleek modern kitchen, that we'd put in specifically as a selling point. When we remodelled the kitchen in our current house recently, I wanted a range, and I just felt the gas hob looked so much nicer, the induction does look much more modern, and not the look I wanted in my country, shaker style kitchen. I do think there's pros and cons to both. My husband much preferred the induction, but aesthetically, I prefer the look of big chunky gas rings on a proper range, and I'm so glad we went for it. I feel it would look "odd" if we'd gone for a range with induction on top, with the style of kitchen we chose.

I have both - dominoed. So one wok burner and four induction. Induction gets scratched and cracked (we've had to replace ours due to a crack - as its supposedly dangerous) but it's easier to clean and the pan handles don't get hot but I can't use a lot of my pans on it - the pan induction converters are crap, as are a few of the pans that are supposed to work on induction - they conduct but not very well.
If you have kids and you want them to learn how to cook, I'd go induction, much safer, less chance of burning themselves and the house down. If it's just adults I'd think I'd still go for both if you can.

I definitely would not choose a range though - regardless of my kitchen design - they are a pain in the ass. Ovens should be eye height, I have inherited a range and it would take a total kitchen refit to change it - but really - they might look the part but if you use your oven much, don't do it, getting down on the floor to check your food - lifting hot heavy trays out from ankle height - who ever thought that was a good idea?!!!

Staying with gas until it's banned!

There's so much to consider. We went for induction and I love it for all the reasons mentioned before.

However we live in the arse end of nowhere and the electricity goes off more often than I'd like.

Somehow it's got a scratch on it. No idea who did it. Pretty sure I'm the only person who notices. But it's irritating.

We don't have a wok option and that's ok for us but it might be a deal breaker for some people and it's easy to get a gas wok and grill section by the side.

Consider extraction.

Run through the food you cook all the time, do you need gas?

My pans look gorgeous even after daily use for the three years we've had the induction hob.

Super easy to control. I was a bit worried when I read the manual online before it was installed. But no worries now.

The smooth sweep of glass looks so clean and gorgeous.

I've only had anything boil over once or twice and it just wipes up immediately. So easy.

Thank you, everyone.

Space is a premium, especially worktop space. So, with a protector, an induction hob would be helpful. But in a power cut there are no cooking facility.

Price-wise the induction seems more, but it isn’t a big difference to worry me.

Some comments seem to imply that gas hobs last longer than induction. Does anyone have any thoughts on that please?

I’ve noted different pans are needed and Google has mentioned heavy pans. I have very little strength so struggle with heavier pans so I had to re home my le creuset pans, as I couldn’t cope. Is this really the case?