Induction hob

[Joeboy]

Through a cunning combination of reason, bribery, grovelling and reverse pschology I have managed to move SWMBO one step closer to changing out her much beloved 5 ring Smeg gas hob for an induction hob. It's only cost me a full set of worktops, splashbacks, a new sink and fancy tap so far in the negotiation. I'd appreciate if anyone has run through all this before and can offer advice on best make for induction hob and pots/pan set.

The deal maker has been I think that it's that or mobile element cooking forever...

[spread-tee]

I've fitted quite a few Bosch hobs over the years and had very few problems with them, as with all things they are not the cheapest but do seem to be good value, pots and pans I'm not sure about, we still cook on gas here, Mrs Desp loves it and who am I to argue??

Desp

[Joeboy]

I've fitted quite a few Bosch hobs over the years and had very few problems with them, as with all things they are not the cheapest but do seem to be good value, pots and pans I'm not sure about, we still cook on gas here, Mrs Desp loves it and who am I to argue??

Desp

just hit a Stumbling block, 'I didn't get all these pots and pans together to change now'

[Countrypaul]

You didn't mention that it is an order of magnitude easier to keep clean - who cleans your current one?

We have a NEFF 5 "ring" version that SWMBO is very happy with (so am I but I don't use it anything like as much). It has a continuous flat "glass top" so no fittings to remove or work around when cleaning. It sits about 6mm above the worktop. Surprisingly her preferred pans seem to be from M&S at the moment. I have a large set of Steller 8000 pans, but unfortunately they are not induction compatible - the newer ones are.

NEFF and Bosch seem to share an awful lot with many items being identical, we bought a full set of itms for the kitchen
in one go Fridge, fridge/freezer, oven, combination microwave oven, hob and probably something else, all of ended up being NEFF to get the best price but none of it has gone wrong yet.

I can't say it is any better or worse than any other as we have only used this one for the last 4 years.

[Mr Gus]

Ikea pans prices or or panned wallet for le creuset... tough call matey! ,

NB other heavy cast iron brands are available.

[Beau]

We fitted a Neff induction hob 10+ years ago and it has been faultless. In use, I think I would still like a knob for adjusting temps but it is nice having an easy wipe-down surface.

We got a set of Stellar pans on a half-price offer. They have been very good but the aluminum rivets are corroding badly to the point I have had to rehandle a couple of pans. Suspect its the dishwasher causing the damage

[Oliver90owner]

Gas is sooo much cheaper than leccy - unless using home generation leccy.. A factor approaching four, taking into account efficiencies.

That said, induction is a good option - but halogen is likely more efficient, after that few seconds of initial heating the hob plate, as cleaning is just as easy (and Beau could still have had a knob to set the output with infinite control). Repairs may be yet another issue, of course.

Induction hobs clearly need to blow away the excess heat dissipated by the inner workings, so may be quite a bit less efficient.

I am wondering which, of a microwave or induction hob, would be preferable for heating a mug of water. Both obviously need to dissipate internal heat, but the induction hob has the advantage of convection heating, while operating.

Unless anyone has tried it and can provide the figures, I expect I will have to experiment myself. Steel mugs wouldn’t be so likely to break, either.

I noted, recently, that some idiot journalist was telling readers that heating a mug-full of water in a microwave was more energy efficient than using a kettle. Brainless, IMO. And millions, out there, will likely believe it.

[AE-NMidlands]

I noted, recently, that some idiot journalist was telling readers that heating a mug-full of water in a microwave was more energy efficient than using a kettle. Brainless, IMO. And millions, out there, will likely believe it.

Please explain! Is it an open-and-shut case?
I could see that the mug means that only the water gets heated, so if the mug is thin china (M.S.delta T) the only wastage is in the microwave turntable and fan, - unless I have missed something which has already been explained somewhere.
Kettles have elements and metal or plastic shells to be heated up as well as the water...
A

[Mr Gus]

I was replacing aquarium water a few days ago, base temp of 22c I was heating up a pan of chlorinated water on the hob & mixing it in, likely 500ml for 40 seconds, no other temp reading taken, but it was damn fast, water boiled in a microwave tastes foil for reasons unknown, as does reheated tea.

[nowty]

The microwave vs kettle argument is not so simple.

The kettle being a resistive element is near 100% efficient, but folk typically heat more water than they need and there is the kettle mass to heat up too.

Microwaves are not that efficient, my 900w rated microwave uses about 1.6kW. Its not just the fan but the magnetron it uses gets very hot, hence you need a fan to keep it cool. But they only heat what you are going to eat or drink so in that respect they are very efficient for heating a mug of tea or a microwave meal.