Ceramic or Sealed plate hob?

Momma_H

Hi all

Wonder if anyone can give their opinion/advice. I'm in need of a new cooker and currently have a very old (around 8 years) electric sealed plate one.
Now as much as I'd love to get gas, I'm unable to as there isn't a gas pipe in my kitchen to fit one. I live in a flat and have already enquired with the letting agent if we could get a pipe put in as everyone else has gas, but he claimed it wasn't possible because the gas mains is in our hallway cupboard (which is practically opposite the kitchen).

So now my dilemma is; do I stick with the sealed plate or go ceramic? I've had a search around the net but it's not really helped.
I really dislike electric as you cannot control the heat but depending on what review I read, it can be controlled better than a sealed plate.
Other downsides I've read to ceramic hobs is that is they don't always cool down quick, can scratch easily and stain. Although that goes for sealed plates as well.

I have seen other suggestions saying Inductions are far better than both but they are way out of my budget but I don't fancy having to replace all of my pots and pans.

Thanks

Browntoa

I've got a ceramic hob, very easy to scratch

Make sure none of the bottom of your pans are rough or switch to ceramic friendly. Don't drag pots and stuff across the surface , lift them.

Don't use it for putting plate's on

You can buy ceramic hob protectors off ebay for when they are not in use

Momma_H

Browntoa wrote: »

I've got a ceramic hob, very easy to scratch

Make sure none of the bottom of your pans are rough or switch to ceramic friendly. Don't drag pots and stuff across the surface , lift them.

Don't use it for putting plate's on

You can buy ceramic hob protectors off ebay for when they are not in use

Ah thank you for that, how quickly do they cool down? I'm always worried my kids could accidentally burn themselves after I've finished cooking.
Also how do you find controlling the heat?

Fire_Fox

My parents have a ceramic hob, I have an induction hob as do some of their friends. We all agree induction is far better. Looking at the July magazine, all the Which? Best Buy hobs are induction.

There are reasonably priced induction hobs out there. See Amazon.

Would you really need to replace all your pans? My 1990s Boots saucepans, IKEA frying pans and Aldi woks are all induction friendly. Test your pans with a magnet.

Waterlily24

I agree with Fire Fox, I really love my induction hob. Some of my old pans worked on it but some didn't.

Browntoa

Momma_H wrote: »

Ah thank you for that, how quickly do they cool down? I'm always worried my kids could accidentally burn themselves after I've finished cooking.
Also how do you find controlling the heat?

Heat control is ok , they stay hot for quite a while with a visible "H" or "h" showing how hot it still is. Not sure if all models do that , it also has a child lock

FreeBear

Momma_H wrote: »

I have seen other suggestions saying Inductions are far better than both but they are way out of my budget but I don't fancy having to replace all of my pots and pans.

Induction hobs need not be expensive - I picked up one from B&Q last year in a sale for just £80 (yes, £80). It is basic and only has nine heat settings whilst more expensive models have 14.. Also had to replace all my pans, but some of them were past their best anyway. Don't think I paid more than about £15 for any of them.

Not scratched the glass surface yet. If I thought there might be a risk, a sheet of paper between the pan & hob prevents that. As the heat is generated in the pan itself, there is no risk of the paper catching fire - Also means spills don't get baked on to the hob. So much easier to clean.

Another advantage is if you take a pan off the "heat zone", the gubbins inside detects it and turns off that zone until it senses a pan again.

There is a chance of getting burns as there is a certain amount of residual heat retained from a pan, but it quickly dissipates - Most (all ?) induction hobs will flash a warning until the temperature drops to a safe level.

smallblueplanet

Momma_H wrote: »

Ah thank you for that, how quickly do they cool down? I'm always worried my kids could accidentally burn themselves after I've finished cooking.
Also how do you find controlling the heat?

Unlike old-style sealed plates most ceramic hobs have some sort of residual heat indicator - ours has 'red dots' to show which area is still hot. As for scratching, ours seems quite robust but I'd rather a few scratches and ceramic than sealed plates. They are much more immediate heat-wise, not as quick as gas but good to use.

Momma_H

Thanks everyone for your feedback, unfortunately Inductions are out of my price range. And as I'm in need of getting a cooker sooner rather than later, I'll have to put it on my wish list lol.
I'm definitely leaning more toward a ceramic just need to go back and discuss it with hubby.

@Firefox I did look on Amazon but it's just mainly showing built in hobs.

Fire_Fox

Momma_H wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your feedback, unfortunately Inductions are out of my price range. And as I'm in need of getting a cooker sooner rather than later, I'll have to put it on my wish list lol.
I'm definitely leaning more toward a ceramic just need to go back and discuss it with hubby.

@Firefox I did look on Amazon but it's just mainly showing built in hobs.

Ah I see, didn't realise you were looking at a freestanding cooker. I have a Which? Subscription if you are interested in their reviews/ test results of any brand/ model.

Their Best Buy electric cookers are £650+ :eek: but their Best Value is a more reasonable £330 (July Which? magazine so may be cheaper now).

bertiewhite

Momma_H wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your feedback, unfortunately Inductions are out of my price range.

What is your price range? AO do them from £500.

I had an induction range cooker which I included in the sale of my last house and it'll be one of my first purchases for the next house as I think they're brilliant.