Induction Hob - experience/suggestions?

[Parm]

Quite a few modern catering kitchen / restaurants are moving to induction. Less energy consumption and reduces the need for air con

@123hotchef will have a view

 

[hotponyshoes]

Very easy to clean.
Not as controllable as gas.
Great for heating/boiling really quickly.
I prefer gas for making sauces and the wok.

I have got some portable ones, normal 3pin plug. Borrow one if you want and see how you get on with it before committing to having one fitted.

 

[Revs1972]

We went from gas to a Bosch 13 amp one because we only have a 13a ring main in the kitchen, it is fine most of the time when using one or two rings but it is designed to cut the power back on all the rings if they are all used at once and if something is already simmering it it will need readjusting. We wouldn't go back to gas as it is so much easier to clean.

sound like we have the same as you. She’s forever moaning that it won’t cook on all 4 rings. Sparky did put in a 6mm cable , so might switch out to something a bit more powerful

 

[123hotchef]

Very easy to clean.
Not as controllable as gas.
Great for heating/boiling really quickly.
I prefer gas for making sauces and the wok.

I have got some portable ones, normal 3pin plug. Borrow one if you want and see how you get on with it before committing to having one fitted.

have to disagree with Not as controllable as gas. it is instantly controlable well my one is!

I have 3 hobs well one is a big wok burner, a indudtion hob and a regular hallogen hob. my go to is the industion unless I am using the wok burner! the mrs uses the hallogen hob because she likes the older pans

 

[James1979]

We have the Siemens one. Came as a deal with the kitchen. It needs a bigger cable - on the positive side it won’t melt because the hob won’t turn on more rings than it has current for.

I’ve been a fan of gas. Wouldn’t go back now. Only negative thing we found by accident was either put the child lock on or make sure the hob is empty before bed. Cats feet turn them on!

 

[Gritineye]

We love ours, it supplements the Rayburn, it's our second one due to some clumsy clot dropping a glass jar on the first, insurance paid up Ok.

Old one is now demoted to workshop duties

The first one was quite basic, only one ring at a time was timetable for eggs and such, and it didn't have any presets, the touch controls were quite big so it was easy to use.

Cos insurance was paying we went top end for the new one, which boils much faster and has more useful preset functions, but the touch controls need more precise finger work which can be annoying.

They both run off 32 amp but whilst the old ones fan only came on when it got quite hot, the new ones fans run immediately the hob is on and for some time after it's off, which is also annoying.

Maybe the ones that have knobs sticking up are less fiddly to get used to, I don't know, but we preferred a wipe clean top with no mucky corners and nothing to clobber and bend with a pan.

Overall they beat gas hands down and are just as controllable IMHO.

 

[123hotchef]

just make sure the rings are as big or bigger than the pan i have some big pans and they remain cold at the edges that are overhanging the indudtion rings! they do a big square one u can fit multiple pans on too

 

[marlinspike]

We have one, Neff I think. Definitely less controllable than gas, but I'm not into cooking much so I don't mind that. My main gripe would be that, on ours anyway, you have to have the right size pan on the right size ring or it doesn't work.

Biggest advantage for me are the ease of cleaning and being able to use it as an extra work surface if necessary in our small kitchen as it's flat, eg putting a plate on it to chop veg. Also, they are safer for kids as they cool immediately.

It's a bit harder to find the pans - you need to check on the labels obviously, as they will often do ceramic but not induction - but IKEA do a set that are cheap.

 

[ukracer]

I understand that you need the “special” pans to go with it.

Most modern pans will be induction also but yes if your old ones are not you would need an induction ring.

It's almost as good as gas...little less messy. Safer in that I keep a chip pan full for a few chips and I would not cook chips on a gas or electric stove.

 

[123hotchef]

I had to run 2 40 amp supplies to my cooking area!

 

[ukracer]

get the 30 amp one. your verry limited for use with a 13 amp

Mine will not run two boost rings as it's on a 13 amp plug. They auto drop if you try to set them both at 9 even.

 

[ukracer]

Not impressed. My BIL has just fitted what he called an all singing all dancing.
I thought this would mean it would be programmable... Not so. Cant even stop a pan from boiling over.

You soon get used to a setting for each pan though. With gas it's more variable IMHO.

 

[ukracer]

Very easy to clean.
Not as controllable as gas.
Great for heating/boiling really quickly.
I prefer gas for making sauces and the wok.

I have got some portable ones, normal 3pin plug. Borrow one if you want and see how you get on with it before committing to having one fitted.

Yes you can't beat Gas for a Wok. But overall I would not go back to gas.

 

[ukracer]

We have the Siemens one. Came as a deal with the kitchen. It needs a bigger cable - on the positive side it won’t melt because the hob won’t turn on more rings than it has current for.

I’ve been a fan of gas. Wouldn’t go back now. Only negative thing we found by accident was either put the child lock on or make sure the hob is empty before bed. Cats feet turn them on!

Yeah but mine turns off when it finds nothing on the ring.

 

[123hotchef]

Yeah but mine turns off when it finds nothing on the ring.

they all do! lucky most cats paws aint magnetic

 

[James1979]

they all do! lucky most cats paws aint magnetic

That’s why you need to make sure the ring is empty! I’ve not yet had them boil a kettle but it lets them turn the power on if it senses something there. Worries me that’s all.

 

[hotponyshoes]

have to disagree with Not as controllable as gas. it is instantly controlable well my one is!

I have 3 hobs well one is a big wok burner, a indudtion hob and a regular hallogen hob. my go to is the industion unless I am using the wok burner! the mrs uses the hallogen hob because she likes the older pans

It is a lot more 'instant' than gas.
The heat gets into the lan a lot quicker.

I have some commercial portable ones and a decent smeg one. The problem I have with control is in the low power levels. If you are trying to make a sauce they tend to turn on/off rather than run at low power.
You can see this well if you are trying to simmer water to poach an egg. The water heats, then the hob turns off, then as it cools a bit it flicked back on again. It's not that much of a problem as you generally have to use heavier pans on them anyway.
I have both but if I only had a choice of 1 it would be gas. But mainly for the wok.

Unless I also had space for a dedicated induction wok burner.

 

[Parm]

have to disagree with Not as controllable as gas. it is instantly controlable well my one is!

I have 3 hobs well one is a big wok burner, a indudtion hob and a regular hallogen hob. my go to is the industion unless I am using the wok burner! the mrs uses the hallogen hob because she likes the older pans

I agree with you, you can do everything on induction. But just for fun, so I can use a proper traditional Karhi I have gas too. It’s very rarely used

I can do anything I want with induction

plus, anyway. A wok has to be full tilt all the time, or else it’s Not a proper stir fry. This is what my my travels have taught me

 

[123hotchef]

oh i get what u mean yes you can hear them buzz and heat then stop on the lower power settings

 

[Parm]

It is a lot more 'instant' than gas.
The heat gets into the lan a lot quicker.

I have some commercial portable ones and a decent smeg one. The problem I have with control is in the low power levels. If you are trying to make a sauce they tend to turn on/off rather than run at low power.
You can see this well if you are trying to simmer water to poach an egg. The water heats, then the hob turns off, then as it cools a bit it flicked back on again. It's not that much of a problem as you generally have to use heavier pans on them anyway.
I have both but if I only had a choice of 1 it would be gas. But mainly for the wok.

Unless I also had space for a dedicated induction wok burner.

I too disagree, you can do anything you want with induction, absolutely anything