Anyone have an "induction" hob? Any good?

[Polmoche]

Hi there-- about to replace our old hob. Would be great to get some opinions on whether induction hobs are any good. They look nice - but wondering if they can compare to a gas hob/ and the control you get with gas? thx!

[BeccaL]

Just had one installed and just starting to use it - seems as quick as gas (though haven't had a gas hob for about 7 years!) - welcome to come and have a look if you like - PM me if interested!

[bluesuperted]

They are amazing. So much better than gas, nothing like electric or ceramic hobs. Faster, cheaper (to run), cleaner, safer... We have an induction rangemaster and it's brilliant. Loads of control, heats up really quickly (we just replaced a broken electric kettle with a hob top one to make most of this. They are brilliant, wouldn't go back. Only negative (tiny) is that they take a bit of getting used to how quickly they heat up and make a very tiny humming noise. Would never choose gas again!!

[Polmoche]

GOsh they sound great - so no downsides at all? BeccaL can I ask what brand you got? I may just take you up on your very kind offer! Bluesuperted - I guess the oven is still electric right? I think I can get over the humming noise if I can just wipe it down quickly. :)

[clux]

We have one and think its brilliant. Did have to go and buy a whole new set of saucepans though as our old ones didn't work on it!

[bluesuperted]

No downsides really!! The humming was just me trying to be balanced!! Re: saucepans ikea ones work and Le Creuset too so we were sorted, the ikea sets are really reasonable too. Seriously I am not normally one to go on about household appliances but there is nothing not to love about induction hobs! Yes our ovens are electric :)

[tomo]

Any recommendations on brands to go for? Our electric hob is on it's last legs and I'd love to replace it with an induction hob but no idea where to start.

[DuncanW]

We have recently bought a Siemens induction hob and are very pleased with it.

I don't agree there are no downsides though. You need to replace some/most/all of your pans, and also any ovenware you may wish to use on the hob; the heat only works when the pan is flat down on the hob, so you need to get used to that.

The positives outweigh these drawbacks though. It's super easy to clean - it's just a 'glass' plate that needs wiping, it's much safer with children as the induction points don't get that hot, and (ours) switch off when there's no pan on them. It's faster to heat up, and supposed to be cheaper - I haven't measured this.

[Polmoche]

Thanks everyone for your comments -- I am going to have a proper look at them now.

[strae]

We had one installed in our old place which we miss terribly in our new place which is gas.

The key + points for us in addition to what folks have already said are:

- Safety - especially for children

- Ease of cleaning - spills and splats wipe off and don't bake in

- Appliances don't heat up the way they do on a gas hob because there is no indirect heat from the flames, so handles etc are cool to touch and you don't get accidentally singed...

In terms of brands, FWIW: Bosch, Neff, Siemens and Gaggenau all come out of the same manufacturing plant, so functionally and reliability wise they are very similar with key differences being styling and incremental gadgets. Gaggenau makes beautiful kitchen equipmenbt, but I am pretty 20 secs on high is the same accross all the brands...

Good luck!

[Sayroo]

Opps. Just seen this thread after writing a post about them on the 'any mums got an awesome kitchen' thread.

I may have bought one too early (4/5 years ago) and now some of the early issues may have been addressed but afraid I'll never have another...

[se15mum]

We bought an AEG one - very pleased with it

[Saffron]

I cook on one occasionally at a friend's house. I don't like it. I'd never buy one. If you cook in any pan other than steel/iron (eg ceramics etc), you have to use a steel disc underneath. This essentially converts your induction heating process once again to transfer heating, undermining somewhat the point. Plus you can't flame roast chillies on it.

Definitely a good idea to try one before you make a decision. xx

[BeccaL]

Polmoche - sorry to take so long to reply - we've got a Hotpoint. Welcome to come and look if you'd like - PM me! Becca