Would love to hear some opinions on induction hobs. My sister is contemplating changing from gas to an induction hob in her new kitchen.

Any thoughts, pros and cons, would be appreciated.

Hi Posset.

Induction hobs are very safe. The temperature of the glass top remains low. With an induction hob, the heat necessary for cooking the food is produced directly inside the pan; the vitro-ceramic glass hardly heats up at all, as it only receives the heat from the pan placed on it. If there is no saucepan on the hob but the power is on, the surface will not heat up until a suitable saucepan is placed on the hob.

You have precise cooking control, as the cooking zones are so accurate that it is possible to create a constant low temperature for long periods of time, so that soups and casseroles can simmer away without the likelihood of them sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Induction hobs are also extremely fast – being capable of reduced cooking times, and because there is no heat wasted, they use considerably less energy than other hobs. Induction hobs are more economical than conventional hobs - when a pan is lifted off, the zone stops heating immediately.

Pans in enamelled steel, cast iron or stainless steel are all suitable for use on an induction hob. They have to be non-ferous, which means they can't have iron mixed into the metal.

Hi posset

I have a portable induction hob and as far as pro's and con's go I would say:-

Pro's:-

Quick to heat up the contents of the pan, combined with a very quick response to any adjustment made, i.e. if something was about to boil over, turning down the dial will halt it almost immediately - but then so will lifting the pan off with any kind of heat source.

Good control over simmering, but the temperature is maintained (on mine anyway) by an on - off process (rather like a digital process as opposed to an analogue one) - so as you watch liquid at low temperature you can see by the bubbles on the floor of the pan that the power is cycling on/off..on/off...etc.

Safety is very good as the power is disconnected (i.e. the magnetic field that creates the heat is broken) as soon as the pan is lifted off - and the plate top doesn't get anywhere near as hot as a conventional hob does.

A sometimes annoying feature on mine is that if the pan is lifted off for more than 30 seconds the hob closes down and resets to zero.

Easy to wipe clean plate top – a nice feature.

Con's

General structural durability - I really wonder how an induction hob would stand up to heavy use in a commercial setting where heavy pans were being put down hard without any great care - or if a heavy pan was dropped onto the top plate. I also see a high potential for scratching of the plate surface, with cast -iron pans especially.

Also, as with any piece of modern technology, there is a much greater potential for breakdowns and faults than with a conventional electric/gas hob - and expect to get some fair bills for labour and parts when something does go wrong.

I would definitely suggest buying an induction hob with a full 5 year parts and labour warranty.

Another down-side is that you can't pre-heat pans: not with mine anyway. So preheating a griddle for steak is not possible. As a safety feature, as soon as the pan gets hot without food in it, the power cuts out. So pre-heating steak pans, and woks, is completely out of the question.

As far as economy goes, it may well be cheaper than a conventional electric hob, but a gas hob is going to be cheaper than induction for most people.

Another down feature is that many of the older pans won't work with induction.

The above poster has got it wrong re the type of metal required, i.e. the pan needs to contain high levels of ferrous metals.

Some stainless steel pans will work, but it depends on the composition of the steel. The chances are that the older and cheaper stainless steel pans won't work.

Aluminium alloy pans won't work unless they have a steel plate in the base, as some now do, but it's a factor that needs checking out before buying any pans - as you know posset, most new pans have a symbol on the base to indicate compatibility with induction.

Most cast iron should work - it might be prudent to check out any very heavy enamelling on the base of a cast iron pan just in case.

Copper based pans won't work, as copper is a non-ferrous metal.

I think induction hobs are ideal for anyone who is a bit forgetful or careless when using a hob. I cringe at the adverts about them being safer for children, because in my opinion young children shouldn't even be in a kitchen when pots and pans are boiling on the hob.

If someone definitely wants, or only has the option of electric, then I would say go for induction. But personally, I think a gas hob with a portable induction hob standing by offers the best of both worlds.

Hope that helps posset - all the best.

Hi Posset,

Induction hobs are useful, but I would not have them as my prime cooking medium, mostly for the reasons Gastrosurf outlines. I find a stand alone unit is best for most kitchens and uses, with gas hobs as prime source of heat. On the professional side, Mike Robinson at the Pot Kiln has a small kitchen and uses one separated from his cooking range, since he cooks excellent tasty food, I guess it makes the point that an Induction Hob is a useful tool.

Final point, they do go wrong and can be a pain to get fixed, get a good insurance plan.

David

I would go with all of the above from Gastrosurf and Chef de Maison. I have a single induction hob and it is useful but I am not sure if I would like to have Induction only. However in a test I did find that the induction beat my gas hob in a boil from cold test with the same pan and quantity of water and it is really good at a slow simmer. But if I want to sear something then it is the old black iron pan and gas that scores.

A quick way to check pans is with a magnet as pans with a ferrous content are necessary for the induction (electromagnetic) process to work. If the magnet sticks it is probably ok. If it doesn't then it definitely isn't. The induction hob produces a varying magnetic field which induces a current in ferrous materials which then heats the material. A good party piece is to put a tea towel on the hob and put a pan of water on an bring it to the boil without damaging the tea towel. If a pan spills over it usually doesn't burn or stick as it is the pan that gets hot not the hob. Again you can usually touch the hob within a few seconds of lifting a hot pan off it.

Thank you all so much! What useful information, I will pass all this on to my sister.

There were many points that I had not considered, the most important being pre-heating a pan for searing and 'wok-ing@.

It is somewhat of a miracle that I have finally managed to get her to cook, although she does not entirely enjoy the process (work in progress for me), she likes the results and finds her shopping bill to be much reduced. I am being invited to dinner!! She has never made me more than a cup of tea.

This new interest has prompted the desire for a new kitchen. She finally appreciates my moans, when cooking in her kitchen, about poor layout, rubbish pans, awful knives, tiled work top, (what a horror) , the list is endless.

I said I would help with the design and choice of appliances etc. She is a busy working mother with 2 young children and the induction hob seemed a good choice for the safety aspect, the ease of cleaning and the streamlined look. I will have another look at what is available on the market.

Thanks again kitchenappliances, gastro, David and Terry Dox - most useful info.

Have great weekend all

I have had my Neff induction hob for 3 years now and i love it , i would have another one to replace it, for a family cook like me it suits its safe, efficient and controllable. I like Le cruest stuff any way and so they suit my induction hob.I chose it because of looking at my life style and what i needed and the neff induction hob ticked all the boxes for me, i don't like gas they go out on a low heat and on the lowest setting they burned what ever, my hob can go on a miniumum heat and do what i want it to also it has a powersuf control,which means if i want something boiled quickly the powersuf goves a boost for quickness.

in fact when Rick Stein came up to the Highlands he brought a portable one with him for practical demostrations,but he was saying how impressed he was at the technology of it.

Induction Hobs are amazing apart from being very controllable the main surprise is their speed. They heat the pan faster than gas or conventional electric. I use my induction hob in a commercial kitchen, it was made by Control Induction here is a link [link] If you need one for a restaurant they do a free loan deal so you can try before you buy. One more thing, many pans now are induction compatible - take a look at [link] every pan they make is induction compatible.