Any problems with Induction Hobs?

hardpressed

Does anyone have any views on SMEG induction hobs? I've seen a new one on fleabay that is about half the price of a similar Neff and comes with 2yr parts and labour warranty.

Radsteral

we bought ours by mistake..had no idea what induction hob was..just picked it up from ikea''damaged'' items but couldnt find a damage except for less than half price

works perfect, no wasted heating even if you send to the highest mark, flood it with water on top of it and no problem at all .. the one you describe must be gone to the paradise;)

steptoe1971

chickenist wrote: »

I have just bought a Stoves induction hob and was really looking forward to using it - but this morning I boiled an egg on it - it came to the boil, then boiled for 3 seconds, then the temperature dropped for about 3 seconds, then back up to fast boil, and so on.

Can this be right? The customer services woman said it was regulating the temperature but does this mean a steady simmer is impossible? This was on 6 or 7 power.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Mine is a cheapo one and works the same way. I was also a bit concerned at first but in practice it works well and slow cooking for hours is no problem at all

Hintza

chickenist wrote: »

This was on 6 or 7 power.

Why are you boiling it at such a high setting?

Without a lid on 4-5 will do the job, with a lid on 2-3 will be fine (once it has come to the boil)

andyt8

chickenist wrote: »

I have just bought a Stoves induction hob and was really looking forward to using it - but this morning I boiled an egg on it - it came to the boil, then boiled for 3 seconds, then the temperature dropped for about 3 seconds, then back up to fast boil, and so on.

Can this be right? The customer services woman said it was regulating the temperature but does this mean a steady simmer is impossible? This was on 6 or 7 power.

Has anyone else had this problem?

This is a very common way to achieve power control with electrical devices. It is called Pulse Width Power Modulation. My 10yr old Sanyo 900w microwave does the same on a a 30sec cycle. So full power (900w) is on all the time; Half power (450w) is on 30sec and off 30sec and low (300w) is on 10sec and off 20sec. This cycle is fine for most cooking - I only find a problem when cooking sponge puddings in the microwave at anything other than full power as when the power cycles off the sponge sinks and never regains its shape.

My portable Lidl induction hob does exactly the same on its low power settings but based around a shorter 5sec cycle. On our induction hob it causes no problems and we bought the hob especially for jam making as our solid electric hob was not ideal for a low simmer, and it has worked fine making jam in a large preserving pan for the last couple of years. Hint: take a fridge magnet with you if shopping for cheap induction compatible pans..;)

If you want to read more then look up Pulse Width Modulation(PWM) on wiki.

chickenist

Thanks for your replies about the intermittent simmer issue. Looking at this thread it does seem like this cycling thing is the problem.

I have seen some (possibly more expensive..?) models that don't do this. I am not keen on it - regret moving from gas. It doesn't seem like a great way to cook. I wonder if it would be possible to return the item now it has been used.

Another issue I noticed - when I have a pan on a very slow (intermittent) simmer at 1 or 2, if I put a pan on a hob next to it to bring to the boil at a temp of 6 or so, the pan on 1 or 2 begins to simmer very hard. If I turn off the adjacent hob, the temp falls back down.

Has anyone experienced this? I am hoping this is a genuine fault - I don't want to be stuck with a cooker like this.

madget_2

chickenist wrote: »

Thanks for your replies about the intermittent simmer issue. Looking at this thread it does seem like this cycling thing is the problem.

I have seen some (possibly more expensive..?) models that don't do this. I am not keen on it - regret moving from gas. It doesn't seem like a great way to cook. I wonder if it would be possible to return the item now it has been used.

Another issue I noticed - when I have a pan on a very slow (intermittent) simmer at 1 or 2, if I put a pan on a hob next to it to bring to the boil at a temp of 6 or so, the pan on 1 or 2 begins to simmer very hard. If I turn off the adjacent hob, the temp falls back down.

Has anyone experienced this? I am hoping this is a genuine fault - I don't want to be stuck with a cooker like this.

If it's any help, I haven't experienced any problems at all like that with my Siemens hob. I do suspect that you may have a faulty hob. I'd definitely contact your retailer/manufacturer to let them know about these problems.

aliasojo

chickenist wrote: »

Another issue I noticed - when I have a pan on a very slow (intermittent) simmer at 1 or 2, if I put a pan on a hob next to it to bring to the boil at a temp of 6 or so, the pan on 1 or 2 begins to simmer very hard. If I turn off the adjacent hob, the temp falls back down.

Has anyone experienced this? I am hoping this is a genuine fault - I don't want to be stuck with a cooker like this.

One ring affects another? Is that what you're saying?

If so then that is not right and would suggest a fault.

chickenist

Yes it seemed to. The engineer is coming on Saturday so hopefully they will get to the bottom of it.

shirlls

JackUzi wrote: »

We recently bought a Fagor IFF-4R hob and are experiencing a weird situation. When running the front and back zones together (left or right), they seem to cycle in turn eg front pan has heat for about 1 second then stops then back pan on 1 second then front etc. This means you cant maintain a simmer for example. You can also hear it clicking like an annoying clock as it cycles. If you use the hob any other way ie 2 fronts or 2 backs or even front left and rear right there is no 'pulsing' effect. Anyone else get the same on their hob?
I rang Fagor and they say it's normal and all induction hobs do it. Please help me answer this. I have been offered a refund but need to know what to do about replacing it.

I have an Electrolux induction hob, had it about 18 months now and I love it. It says in my manual that the pan zones are linked and when running together it will do this pulsing thing but I've never noticed a problem with it and I haven't heard it clicking or anything