Induction hobs, any good?
Discussion
There may be two threads here but here goes...
Due to unforeseen complications with an anticipated bottled gas installation we are now considering electric induction hobs.
Now, in my experience, radiant or traditional hobs have always been crap. Slow to warm up with very little control.
Previously I've avoided them by installing LPG bottles on the opposite side of a kitchen wall but in the place we are about to exchange on there are problems with the siting of said bottles as the house is timber clad and there are wooden fences nearby.
So two questions;
1) Are induction hobs any goo? (We are considering SMEG and Falcon ranges)
2) Are there any cunning ways of 'getting round' building regs when it comes to LPG installations?
Not the most interesting topic I know but all contributions welcome, before Ms RL insists on mains gas!
Due to unforeseen complications with an anticipated bottled gas installation we are now considering electric induction hobs.
Now, in my experience, radiant or traditional hobs have always been crap. Slow to warm up with very little control.
Previously I've avoided them by installing LPG bottles on the opposite side of a kitchen wall but in the place we are about to exchange on there are problems with the siting of said bottles as the house is timber clad and there are wooden fences nearby.
So two questions;
1) Are induction hobs any goo? (We are considering SMEG and Falcon ranges)
2) Are there any cunning ways of 'getting round' building regs when it comes to LPG installations?
Not the most interesting topic I know but all contributions welcome, before Ms RL insists on mains gas!
I have a siemens 4 hob unit and it's very good. It is really fast to heat up, as quick as gas for transient adjustment and offers pretty good low temp control. The low temp control has one slight drawback, it cycles on/off every second or so, so if you are a seriously picky it might annoy you ever so slightly. You need special (ferrous) cookware. It is super easy to clean as the surface only ever reaches the temp of the cookware. A really good choice.
An induction hob doesn't heat up - it inducts heat straight into the pan. The only heat in/on the hob is that convected back from the hot pan.
Turn it on, set it to 9 - and nothing at all will happen. The magic only begins when you put a ferrous pan on. You don't need poncey cast iron or 'Jamie Oliver' cookware; boggo stainless steel works fine and I got a set of three from Homebase for £25. You'll hear a slight buzzing noise depending on the type of pan.
Induction hobs are flat, so they're easy to keep clean and with no sticky-up bits like a gas hob, you can even put stuff on them temporarily like shopping if you need to.
I have a Siemens with Touchslide control and it's brilliant. Power is adjustable in 20 steps, so I know that saute potatoes turn out beautifully at 7, spuds simmer at 3.5 and rice at 2.5. I can set the timer to sound a beeper and turn the ring off - so nothing can overcook. All four rings can be controlled seperaetly like this.
They're easy to fit - just cut a hole, fit it in and make the connection. One thing to note is that if you plan to use all 4 rings at once on full power, you'll be drawing about 32A.
As Paul Whitehouse says in the Fast Show' 'They're brilliant!'
Turn it on, set it to 9 - and nothing at all will happen. The magic only begins when you put a ferrous pan on. You don't need poncey cast iron or 'Jamie Oliver' cookware; boggo stainless steel works fine and I got a set of three from Homebase for £25. You'll hear a slight buzzing noise depending on the type of pan.
Induction hobs are flat, so they're easy to keep clean and with no sticky-up bits like a gas hob, you can even put stuff on them temporarily like shopping if you need to.
I have a Siemens with Touchslide control and it's brilliant. Power is adjustable in 20 steps, so I know that saute potatoes turn out beautifully at 7, spuds simmer at 3.5 and rice at 2.5. I can set the timer to sound a beeper and turn the ring off - so nothing can overcook. All four rings can be controlled seperaetly like this.
They're easy to fit - just cut a hole, fit it in and make the connection. One thing to note is that if you plan to use all 4 rings at once on full power, you'll be drawing about 32A.
As Paul Whitehouse says in the Fast Show' 'They're brilliant!'
Also have a Neff induction - they heat up very quickly, and seem to work well enough for me to buy one again. I sourced mine through eBay which saved a few quid.
I works okay with cheap and cheerful stainless pots which I bought quite a number of years ago.
I works okay with cheap and cheerful stainless pots which I bought quite a number of years ago.
Edited by Chris Type R on Tuesday 27th January 10:52
I also have a Neff one and can echo the benefits, cleaning very easy, also far more child friendly than a gas hob as the surface stay remarkably cool and on our model the hob can be locked making it unusable. Also the smooth surface makes extra worktop area when not being used as a hob.
Worth watching out for the supply cable required by the unit as they do have a very high potential current consumption when all rings on full bore.
One slight frustration is that when it is on it appears to cause interference on the DAB radio in the kitchen. This might be unique to us though!
Having previously had a large 5 ring Smeg gas hob I feel that it probably had the edge in terms of power and controlability, obviously not an option for OP though.
Worth watching out for the supply cable required by the unit as they do have a very high potential current consumption when all rings on full bore.
One slight frustration is that when it is on it appears to cause interference on the DAB radio in the kitchen. This might be unique to us though!
Having previously had a large 5 ring Smeg gas hob I feel that it probably had the edge in terms of power and controlability, obviously not an option for OP though.
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