Message Boards

I have had my Neff Induction for 2 years and have found it very efficent and controllable I already had cast iron le-crueset/aga pots anyway,so there was no need to change them,yes you need to take care to keep sharp objects away from them,but if you are a careful person anyway,that should be no problem.

Netto has portable induction hobs for sale I just bought one. 2 year warranty free with it. £29.99, very cheap. Got to find a stainless steel pressure cooker now to use with it. You have to buy stainless steel pans that are magnetic. Apparently some stainless steel is not magnetic. Says carry a magnate in your pocket to test the pans before you buy them. I did away with my cooker when I needed a new one. Now have 2 combination micros, electric wok, steamer,Griddle, electric waffle maker. slow cooker oh yes and just bought a halogen/infrared/convection oven. You know the one with the glass bowl. It's brilliant. I threw all my pans out years ago. Depending on the dish I am cooking I use one of the smaller appliances.

Hi Kendi. The best way to achieve the reliable low heat source you are looking for, is an induction hob. A portable hob is a good buy and you can keep you exisiting gas hob. You can get the technical information by doing a Google. The reason why induction is best is because it is a very efficient way to heat. The pan gets hot not the hob. This means that once a pan is removed the hob can be touched without the risk of burns. This is not the case with ceramic, gas etc,.

Thanks folks! The reason why I am asking is because with my current hob I find the the lowest setting is still too strong if I am cooking something that requires a gentle simmer for a couple of hours, like a ragu. An alternative I was thinking of was to install a 4 ring ceramic hob with a seperate 2 ring gas hob beside it? What do you think? In this way I still have my gas for the heat control? Also, what is the story with induction hobs against ceramic hobs? Thanks!

Agree with Chef de Maison. I have a SMEG electric hob - no gas in the country! - and control is not the best.

have you tried useing a heat diffuser with your gas rings? that might help, heres a link for one from lakeland limited:
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I would not recommend a ceramic hob, they are too easy to mark and they do not have the fine control needed for good cooking. I use gas hobs and one induction hob. Covers all uses, very easy to keep clean and with the gas the control of heat is visual. I have not seen a professional kitchen with anything other than gas, where it is available. Modern gas hobs offer a good range of heat outputs so you should have no problems with simmer heat.

Hope that helps.

I have always had a gas hob and when we moved I had to use ceramic hob. I think it was a halogen hob. I didn't like it at all. Then it broke and I had replaced it. I would have loved to have a gas hob but we don't have gas in the house and I didn't want the hassle with gas bottles. So I have bought an induction hob and I love it. The only problem with induction hob is the saucepans. But luckily most of my saucepans were magnetic so I didn't have to buy many new ones.