What to look for when buying an induction hob

mrsiwannabefree

Hi
We're planning on having a new kitchen and I've been told the way to go with hobs is induction!


What should I look for? Any recommendations?


We've been quoted £911 for an AEG hob.....pretty expensive and I'm sure we could find one ourselves cheaper...if I knew what to look for!


Any help would be much appreciated

tired_dad

Love induction.

Not sure how much electricity they use. Maybe more expensive models are more efficient? Not sure.

Ease of controls is key. Best to see a few to get an idea,

Also get as many hobs as you can afford/as can fit in the space.

PheoUK

They all seem pretty similar to me. They only get expensive when you want 5 rings / odd shapes.

Helped a friend install ikea's cheapest, he's very happy.

I would just make sure you get one with power boost. Depending on your cooking style, I would consider one with a "flexible" zone, but only if you're likely to want to put pans (e.g. for deglazing or browning meat etc) on it.

Don't think you need to spend £900. Check Appliances Online etc.

Gonzo33

My electrician said get one with a 7.2kw.

lee111s

Yeah mine's 7.2Kw, it's one of the belling ones. It's great. They may cost more to run when comparing to gas when used for the same length of time but theu cook much quicker so you use it for less. I can make scrambled egg in half the time it took with gas.

Ruski

Dont get one if anyone around you has a pacemaker fitted!!

Russ

ryder72

This pacemaker thing is not a huge issue. Only about 3% of pace makers work on the same frequency as induction hobs. BSH and Miele will be able to advise on models not compatible with their hobs.

beaker141

I've just gone for AEG induction, I knew the model I wanted and waited to get one on ebay, cost £200 rather than £600. HK654400XB, I think it is 7.2KW, and it will need a decent dedicated electrical supply, 6mm2 I guess.

I like it, we've only had it a few weeks, but I do wish I'd gone for the domino aeg stuff and had a 2 zone induction and a gas ring for the best of both worlds.

You will likely need new pans too, as quite a lot (and all of mine) wont work with induction.

Clive_Woody

We got a Bosch induction hob for around £450 (with free pans) about a year ago and have been really pleased with it. Our hob has the option of being hard-wired in or running off a standard 13 amp plug, the hob adjusts itself depending on the power input. Currently it's just running off a standard plug and the only slight limitation is that we can only use the boost function if none of the other rings are running. This is not a big issue as on level 9 it brings water to the boil very very quickly anyway. We will get it hard wired in when we replace the kitchen but at the moment it really is not a problem.

£900 seems an awful lot to be spending on an induction hob unless it has a lot of bells and whistle as you can get a pretty decent one for half that price.

andrewf75

aside from cleaning, what are the advantages over gas?

silverwhistle

I've a cheap IKEA one, happy with it, and not sure what you get for 5/600 quid more!

To the last poster ("apart from cleaning"?! - messy as I am ) they are also efficient as they will only draw current when a pan is on the hob (thus completing a circuit) and the energy is transmitted directly to the pan. They don't heat the ambient air as much as a gas or radiant hob would.