New Hob advice

Idgam

Hi, we have just moved into a new house and we need to get a new oven & hob (previous owner had a freestanding and took it with them)

I have decided on the oven (Neff series 4) and now I am struggling with which type of hob to go for. Induction or Gas?

Have always used gas but I like the thought of the induction, although I have never used one. Can anyone help me with this?

We intend to build an extension in the next few years and hope to move these appliances into the new kitchen when the time comes.

MediSin

Wiki has this to say:
Induction cookers have drawbacks. For example, cookware must generally be made of ferrous materials. Copper or aluminum pans are in some ways better than steel or iron, since their higher thermal conductivity produces a more even temperature distribution, but they will not work on a typical induction cooker. Some pans are designed specifically for induction, with a thin layer of ferrous material laminated to the aluminum or copper bottom. Induction cookers do not work at all with nonconducting (glass or ceramic) cookware.
An induction cooker works well with a flat-bottomed pan. Curved pans, such as woks (despite companies selling 'induction compatible' ones), require a curved surface Chinese Style Induction Cooker.
Pans placed on an induction cooker must contain oil or a liquid to absorb the heat; otherwise, the rapid increase in temperature will cause food to burn. However, that is analogous to placing food on an already hot gas range. The food will also burn with no oil.
Anyone with a pacemaker or defibrillator should not use one of these stoves as it may cause complications with such electrical devices [1]. There is understandable risk from overheating for metal jewelry like rings, bracelets and long metal necklaces.
Also, induction cookers are, on average, more expensive than electric cooktops.



I'm intrigued by the pacemaker thing...
But my only real advice is that if you do a lot of cooking with a wok, you want a gas hob. I've got an electric cooker as there's no gas supply to my flat, and I really miss cooking with fire as nature intended! Using a wok on a flat hob is really pants.

Idgam

Thanks for that. I have been looking around for a while now and am still not sure which one to go with. Either way it will be another Neff product to keep it matching.

jhe

hi idgam. i had gas for 25 year and now have a halogen hob. i wouldnt go back to gas now.

latecomer

My mum has an induction hob and loves it. Its also very safe if you have kids as it doesn't get hot although the pans still do of course!

fluffpot

Electric hobs require a much larger power supply (30-40A) than gas, which just needs 3A for ignition. Check to see what you have there already as installing a new supply can be expensive

Fluff

rhubarbcottage

My parents have an induction hob,just a single, that they got off QVC or Ideal World.
They love it and use it more than their electric cooker top.

Admittedly, they had to buy a new set of pans that would work with it. They went round the shops with a magnet in hand checking the bases. If the magnet didn't stick, it wouldn't work on the induction (if you see people doing that in shops...now you know why )

They hardly use their cooker hob now. The induction is very quick at heating things up and has a range of preset temperatures.
It also beeps like mad and switches off if a pan has dried up of liquid, no idea how it knows!

The only shame is the cost of larger ones. Their single cost £50 but a four zone one costs £500. How do they work out their prices?

Hth.

jaspercat2002

We had gas in our old house and have a Neff induction now and I would definitely choose the induction in the future. It is as fast as gas, very responsive and so very easy to clean. Ours has digital controls so no knobs for dirt to get trapped in and as the hob doesn't get hot except where the pan is its rare food gets burnt on.
I also think it looks lovely - very sleek!

dally1

Induction every time - we bought one when we refitted the kitchen in February and I love it, wouldn't use anything else now. It's as fast and responsive as gas but so easy to clean with no fiddly bits like on gas hobs - we bought one with touch controls so not even any knobs.
IKEA do some reasonably priced pans suitable for induction if you need to buy new ones, we did.

misskool

We've bought induction for the new kitchen in the process of fitting now. We've been using a single induction ring (portable cheap jobbie) from lidl for about 7/8 months to convince me. It only heats the pan so if anything spills you just pick the pan up and wipe it clean. It's just as responsive as gas (the Neff one we bought have 13 levels).

You need to make sure your pans work and the hob is a bit more expensive.

angelahorn

You can get a combination of induction and gas hobs if you choose a Domino system. I have a Neff 4-ring induction plate next to a single, gas wok-burner. Seconding all the cheers for induction hobs. I was determined I wanted a gas hob, but the kitchen planner showed me how quickly induction boiled water (faster than any electric kettle) and, crucially, how child-safe it was. You can take a boiling hot pan off, and touch the hot plate right away and not get burned. I hardly use the gas wok burner, but it does mean that the few saucepans we have which are not steel or cast iron, can go on it!

Incidentally, in case you're worried about how durable induction hobs are - our Neff one is 4 years old now and I've been using Le Creuset-type pans on it all that time. 3 of my children cook on it too, and I frequently flinch when I hear a pan crashing, but so far nobody's managed to break the hob!