13 amp induction hobs - yes or no?

[Aprisa]

I thought I would hate our new Induction but it was a pleasant surprise, very controlable and clean. Controls are tbh a bit fiddly but make up for it with features.

I like the fact that I can set timers on each ring for different times and so never leave things too long. Great for the porridge in the morning, boil on fast setting takes 30 secs then set timer and get on with other things.

[CivicDuties]

croyde said:

You'll have to replace all your pots and pans and replace with expensive alternatives.

Also don't go near if you have a pacemaker.

My ex MiL used that as an excuse not to do the cooking as there was an induction hob in the holiday rental

Here are some of those expensive induction compatible pans:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/annons-5-piece-cookwa...

I've had these for over 10 years and they're still in daily use. Unbelievable value for money.

I'll never go back to gas. Fast, controllable, easy to clean, utterly brilliant.

[xyz123]

Yes from me. We have 13A one from bosch and only restriction we have is we can only have boost mode on one out of 4 at a time compared to larger rating induction. We have used it for over 10 years and no issues.

[GT9]

DoubleSix said:

Real men use gas.

If you are going to do the whole Neanderthal thing, at least do it properly.
Real men cook outdoors.
Induction for her indoors.

[oobie38]

We had a Smeg induction range cooker, which had rotary knobs on the front rather than touch controls, although power levels weren't infinitely adjustable. A few months out of warranty two induction generators failed simultaneously, losing two rings. Smeg refused to contribute, the replacement part and fitting cost was £1035, so we ended up scrapping the unit. Very sensitive to pans (some would work on one ring, not on others), and anything that was slightly worn/out of true on the base wouldn't work or was painfully slow. I'm not sure whether this has been improved in newer units (I'm guessing so) but we moved back to gas after that.

[Peanut Gallery]

If your fridge magnets stick to the base of your pots, then they are good to go!

I admit that I have twice moved from the old style of large, warped thick pads of oven to induction, so the difference was huge.

I have both from IKEA, both on dedicated large circuits, so not limited to 13 amps, and highly recommend them.

[OMITN]

PositronicRay said:

croyde said:

Also don't go near if you have a pacemaker.

My ex MiL used that as an excuse not to do the cooking as there was an induction hob in the holiday rental

Or insulin pumps

I understand they can be used even if you have a pacemaker or insulin pump, but you need to keep the device at least 60cm away.

I suspect I’ll end up with a pacemaker/ICD at some point and will figure out what to do when the time comes.

We don’t have mains gas, so have an induction running off it’s own spur. Superb - as controllable as gas, more even heating through the pan (avoids the gas hot/cold spots) and does away with the pollutants and excessive water vapour that gas generates.

[bigdom]

DoubleSix said:

Same reason i have no interest in owning a Tesla i guess. I enjoy the modulation and feedback of a proper (read good!) gas hob and the ability to lift the pan away from the heat source to fine control heat (i do a lot of wok cookery).

Real men use gas.

I have a Siemens (32amp) induction, that doesn't have buttons, and so easy to use. I used to have gas up to about 10 years ago.

No need to worry about flames licking up the side of the pan when doing finer cooking, like Creme creme anglaise or slow cooking etc, etc. The control is a different league to gas...you can also just lift the pan off just like gas. If you need to cool a pan, it's much simpler to just add a bit of water.

Real men use charcoal or wood; have you not read the BBQ threads

I agree on the Tesla

[DoubleSix]

bigdom said:

DoubleSix said:

Same reason i have no interest in owning a Tesla i guess. I enjoy the modulation and feedback of a proper (read good!) gas hob and the ability to lift the pan away from the heat source to fine control heat (i do a lot of wok cookery).

Real men use gas.

I have a Siemens (32amp) induction, that doesn't have buttons, and so easy to use. I used to have gas up to about 10 years ago.

No need to worry about flames licking up the side of the pan when doing finer cooking, like Creme creme anglaise or slow cooking etc, etc. The control is a different league to gas...you can also just lift the pan off just like gas. If you need to cool a pan, it's much simpler to just add a bit of water.

Real men use charcoal or wood; have you not read the BBQ threads

I agree on the Tesla

Induction is binary. An induction pan is either inside or outside of the reactive field. It doesn't "induct a bit less" as you gradually lift the pan to stop fried rice from catching or impart heat to a delicate sauce. Induction isn't some new innovation that many haven't yet tried and don't yet understand, my folks had an induction hob 24 years ago when I was an Uni!

Each to their own, and we've done this elsewhere on PH before, but beyond the world of TV chefs (who are trying to flog cookware) and a few high-profile acceptions; professional chefs and serious home cooks prefer gas.

If you really value cleaning convenience so highly that that steers your choice of cooker I don't think you are that into cooking.

For most people, induction is the better choice and it offers some practical benefits in the average home. I, however, will go out of my way to ensure I have a gas stove as that is very important to me and most serious cooks tend to agree.

[CivicDuties]

How this discussion manages to descend into the "No true Scotsman" fallacy over warming up a tin of tomato soup I'll never understand.

[DoubleSix]

I don’t think anything has “descended”, there’s a valid use case for both technologies and a large professional kitchen will have both.

[CivicDuties]

DoubleSix said:

I don’t think anything has “descended”, there’s a valid use case for both technologies and a large professional kitchen will have both.

OK. I don't think the OP was asking about a large professional kitchen though.

[DoubleSix]

That’s why my first answer was brief.

But the discussion has widened, as it is likely to do so on a discussion forum.

[CivicDuties]

I shall leave you to it DS, and continue to enjoy my induction hob, chastened that I cannot be in the "serious cooks" club, until I repent and crawl back to gas.

[DoubleSix]

Good choice. Stay in your lane.

[CivicDuties]

A real cook can produce excellent results on any medium.

[21TonyK]

Few years ago I was not a fan of induction and I am still gas at home (often induction at work as a chef) but a good induction hob is fine for 95% of stuff at home. Not so sure about 13A though. I'd probably want more than that for home. A single "burner" on my work ones are 3.5kW, (16A?)

[Baldchap]

Cooking with gas feels like going back in time.

A *decent* induction hob is absolutely brilliant to cook on. A crap one not so.

Get a decent brand and you'll never look back.

[21TonyK]

As we digress slightly... has anyone come across an induction that works like a gas solid top?

I dont want one of the new multi-zone things that tracks pans. I want a top where I can make it hot in the middle and cooler at the edges or for the top to adjust to work like that, ie. stick a pan in a specific spot which is max power and then shuffle to the edge to simmer or hold, half a dozen plus pans at a time.

Any chefs will know exactly what I mean and why.

[KobayashiMaru86]

I went to the extra effort of running a 32A cable for a decent Neff hob as I run another for a Neff cooker too. I love it. 50% of pans needed changing but needed to anyway as they were years old. Scoville from Asda did the job. I won't go back to gas now. I like it's flat so you have more space