Which energy type is currently the most cost-effective for cooking ?

Pincher

Don't forget the 6mm cooker cable.


How much? You definitely don't want to buy a whole reel if you can help it.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Andy_WSM wrote: »

No one in their right mind would go to the trouble of refitting a kitchen and NOT fitting an oven, which is what the Op is asking - what type to fit, not "alternatives to fitting an oven".

I didn't say they shouldn't fit a A £75,000 Molteni cooker

as part of their refit

I said include a a decent quality cheepo mini-oven, because their 'brief' was : """There's just the 2 of us, and currently most of the cooking is done in the Microwave, on the Hob & Pressure Cooker on the hob - We have conventional meals, not take-a-ways or preprocessed meals""". Their practical lifestyle and needs are for a maximum of a mini-oven, not a never to be switched on waste of money and space Molteni.

Cardew

Another vote for an induction hob.


Fast, clean, instantly controllable and unfortunately expensive to buy.

Biscuit_Tin

ifeelfine wrote: »

Hi,
Not sure if this is the right forum for this query or even if this site can help ?

We are refitting our kitchen, but before I can choose a cooker, I need to decide which energy type is currently the most cost-effective for cooking ?

...and then the best type of cooker.

So I would appreciate anyone's help.

Info: We're in the UK, have both electric & piped gas
gas central heating, and the kitchen currently has...
Gas Hob, Electric Cooker, Microwave,

There's just the 2 of us, and currently most of the cooking is done in the Microwave, on the Hob & Pressure Cooker on the hob

We have conventional meals, not take-a-ways or preprocessed meals.

Thanks

As others say, kWh for kWh, electricity is about 3-4 times the cost of gas.

However, a fan assisted electric oven will give a more even heat distribution, which makes it often the preferred choice.

As this thread also demonstrates, where a choice is possible, it's more which fuel the cook prefers to use (or is more accustomed to) that is the deciding factor, rather than the cost of the fuel consumed.

ams13

Pincher wrote: »

Don't forget the 6mm cooker cable.


How much? You definitely don't want to buy a whole reel if you can help it.

Why? if its a standard oven a normal 13a socket will do.

Paulaviki

My new house has an induction hob, and although I had to buy a whole new set of pans for it to work, I love it. It is so responsive just like gas. So if you can afford it definite go induction.

I was watching Saturday kitchen a few weeks back and the head chef was saying their kitchens are being refitted and they are going fully induction. So it must be good!

matelodave

The best thing we did was to install an induction hob. Much faster than gas, just as controllable, no condensation and unbelievably clean. Doesn't matter what you spill, it doesn't burn or bake onto it because its the pan that gets hot. We've had gas, halogen, electric rings and the induction hob beats them all hands down. You do need induction compatible pots & pans though - they are brilliant with Le Creuset cast iron stuff.
We've also had both gas and electric ovens and prefer electric fan ovens - our present one has a double oven, a convection at the top and a fan at the bottom.

nickj_2

i did see a couple of months ago that micheal rouxjr was switching his kitchens to induction to save costs, i guess if it's good enough for him ....

Pincher

ams13 wrote: »

Why? if its a standard oven a normal 13a socket will do.

What a minimalist.


What about a double oven with grill in the top oven?
What about an all electric cooker?
What if the owner sells, and the next owner wants to put in an electric hob in the future, on top of the single oven?


The 6mm cable needs to go all the way to the consumer unit, where it gets a 32A MCB, not some splice and electrical tape after thought. It's much better to put in the cooker isolation point when you are putting in the kitchen.


Some electrician will jump in with it's compulsory, and the cable needs to be isolated from any cement by a conduit, pretty soon I expect.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Given the amount of maximum energy needed at any one point in modern homes such as microwaves / driers / washers / plasma's, then you add in what is considered small these days, a 10kW shower and maybe a 12kW induction hob its a heavy duty. I did my my shower and induction hob on a dedicated 10mm cable. Induction's do 'pulse' and even with diversity applied they still pull a lot of power. I've now had that induction hob for years. You don't need 'iron' pots there are lots of the usual SS offerings with 'iron layered bases. The new recent 'ceramic' ones are light as a feather, cheap and almost wash free. In my case well over £1300 for a fissler set, if I was buying again I could get a full set of ceramic for 10% of that cost.

An induction hob works like a back to front microwave, it does what other hobs do but quicker, and cleaner, today's electric kettles break quicker than a footballers fingernail. Pay £4 at ASDA or £60 elsewhere, they just break. A cheepo ferrous kettle will boil on an induction hob quicker than the most expensive electric kettle and will last forever. By the time the coffee & milk is in the cups its boiled.

- iron pots will work fine but be aware that the vessel bottom must be perfectly flat, ironware usually is not perfectly flat
- the O/P needs to consider the total use of all induction hob heating rings
- they can, even with 'chaos distribution' easily require an 11kW connection
- the diversity formula has been safe since the old king died at 15KW
- because makers confuse by quoting max connected, not not max operating loads I played safe and put a new 45a in to the hob
- she'll love it, the new hob, a control phreaks dream !
- an induction hob is the best money I ever wasted
- main [hairy male thing] thing - the hob takes all of 16 seconds to clean, anyway it gets dusty before it gets dirty