The FastDay Forum

Induction!

Lengthy replies keep not sending!,

Induction

I have an induction hob, Neff. Had it two years and no scratches. It shines up beautifully with any old cleaner, even washing up liquid. It's really controllable. Mine has a timer on it that you can programme each ring to switch off individually. Didn't think I would use that function but it's really handy. I already had the correct pans. My cast iron griddle pan works on it but leaves marks that can't be wiped off, they do disappear eventually though. Good luck with your decision, expensive mistake to make if you make the wrong choice.

Wendy has said all that tried, but failed, to contribute.

I will add that we have full camping kit and gas BBQ so we don't need to worry about electrical power cuts.

Wow, this thread has been a real trip for me. I came in thinking it had something to do with upset stomach, gas and induction (like Atkins, maybe but 5:2 doesn't have induction!) Then, I thought I had it all figured out and the hob was a thermostat and we were discussing electric heat or gas heat. I guess I have finally come around to the real topic of electric versus gas ovens?? This is the most lost I have ever gotten on any thread here. Lol.

We have an electric stove, glass top, and I love it. It is so much nicer for cleaning and even for more prep/counter space in the kitchen while cooking since it is an extra flat surface. I have one pan in particular that I have to be really careful with since it is a cast iron griddle that has a flat side and a grill mark side and covers two burners at once. It was packaged as being safe for glass top stoves, but it does leave a scratch if not overly careful.

The same happened to us on Christmas day. A half cooked turkey that we had to run down the street in the rain to a friends who luckily had a gas cooker.
I have a ceramic hob. The top is still lovely after 2 years, My old pans worked fine on it thankfully. But, if I had a choice between ceramic and gas I would go gas. The ceramic just doesn't stay hot enough to do a decent fry up, as soon as it gets to temperature, it cools down.

It isn't an induction though, so don't let it sway you.

We also have a camp stove and a gas BBQ just in case of power cuts.

Ceramic or electric hobs are not the same as induction.

Although powered by electricity, induction works using magnetism to 'excite' the iron molecules in your pans. The moving molecules release their energy as heat, so you have a hot pan to cook in. This is why not all pans, e.g. Aluminium or copper bottomed, work on induction hobs.

The process would work through a magazine. I know someone who cooks through an oven liner if you want to keep your induction surface clean and protect fom scratches, although after 4 years, my hob still looks good as new.

[wildmissus]

Thanks everyone and really sorry to our none UK members, I hadn't realised that the word hob doesn't translate around the world . I think you've all worked out that it is the top of a cooker.

I haven't decided yet which one to get. At the moment I'm more for the gas just because we have gas already so there is no extra work involved but I do still like the look of an induction. I have however found glass gas hobs which look really sleek. The thing that puts me off the induction is that I'm quite a clumsy person and I often put my messages (food shopping) on top of the hob when I'm putting them away. As we will be fitting the kitchen ourselves and haven't quite ordered the units yet there is no rush for me to make my final decision and I'm sure my non-cooking husband will stick his tuppence worth in .

I'm all for a gas hob. It's much closer to the real fire than the "artificial heat" from any electrical appliance. We need fire, as much as water, air and earth.

Wildmissus wrote......

"I often put my messages (food shopping) on top of the hob when I'm putting them away."

Aw, you've taken all the fun away from our foreign friends by telling them what 'messages' are. If you let them find out for themselves it will keep them away from food for a bit longer whilst they go on a 'message' hunt!

Ballerina x

If gas is the problem for the ventilation etc then should the debate not be induction vs halogen vs conventional resistive electric ? Induction is but one way of transferring energy.

Did the John & Kate Plus 8 show air much in Europe? Kate had a glass top stove and in one episode the glass exploded when she set a pot lid on it! It freaked me out. I guess the moisture in the lid created a suction and made the glass expand until it busted. I hardly ever even use pot lids anyway, but I am always worried I will set one down on the stove top. When she did that it was so loud, like a bomb and the oven was ruined!