Forum Topic

Gas  or induction hob?

I am thinking of replacing our gas hob but having heard good things about induction ones I would appreciate other people's advice.

Adrian Irving ● 1718d25 Comments

I used to swear by gas until I moved home and became the owner of a Siemens induction hob.  It’s brilliant.  I would never go back to gas.  Just be aware that a few pans won’t work on an induction hob, eg copper ones, but most will.

Alastair Banton ● 1718d

Would an induction hob generally take longer to cook things than gas? Interested in experience of others, as was not impressed with length of time  taken to boil water/vegetables on induction hob at a holiday apartment this summer.

Adam ONeill ● 1718d

Probably depends on the hob.  As far as I can judge mine is just as fast as gas.

Alastair Banton ● 1718d

Induction hob — you will never go back! Compared to gas it is just as responsive and quick, and so much easier to clean/maintain. 
 All the best. 

Angela Knight ● 1718d

I was thinking but decided on gas again but electric oven Dont forget about ampage as your choice might mean new wiring

Julian Pavey ● 1718d

You get used to an induction hob pretty quickly but I prefer the immediacy of gas although they take longer to clean. Also when someone chips the induction hob it causes a lot of strife. And no, it wasn’t me.

Stewart Jones ● 1718d

I love my induction hob after years of swearing by gas. However we made. mistaken initially and bought a plug in induction hob which plugs into a standard 13amp socket. When all rings were used it would lose power (common with plug in variety) We now have a more powerful hardwired induction hob which requires a dedicated feed (you may need to upgrade consumer unit to accommodate this). My recommendation is steer away from plug in ones. Also recommend getting one with a heat control that you just swipe across with your finger rather than having to tap a few times. Ours is AEG. Go to Coopers in Sheen they are so helpful and will price match.

Alina Dansord ● 1718d

I recently did a new kitchen. I've always had electric oven and gas hob in the past.  I went for induction hob this time. Mine is AEG and heats as fast, if not faster than gas. They are now fitted in a lot of restaurant kitchens, one reason being they don't heat the air so the kitchens are cooler. Adrian, you are welcome to try mine if you want. There isn't a substitute for trying one.

david ward ● 1718d

I have gas and induction hobs and can confirm induction is much quicker at boiling a pan of water. I forget sometimes and am surprised when I use the gas how long it takes. You need to almost re-learn to cook with induction as it's so different to gas or electricity, so that's a downside. I've found simmering quite tricky as it looks like it's doing nothing and then all of a sudden starts bubbling then dies down, etc. You need to keep in your head that just because it's not actually moving doesn't mean it's not cooking, it's still at the right temperature so it will be cooking even though we're used to seeing food move when it cooks on gas and electric. Takes a while to get used to.  Once you get the hang of it, I personally think induction cooks much better than gas.

Tania Bapuji ● 1718d

I have found the speed of heating on an induction depends on the type of pan -  stainless steel are by far the best and super quick, "induction compatible" aluminum / mixed are rubbish on the whole. Love mine, especially as so easy to clean. My single issue is you can't tip the pan while cooking as it needs contact with the hob to work (eg when cooking fried eggs and wanting to baste the top with the hot oil). But this is pretty minor

Ceinwen Mailvaganam ● 1718d

My Le Creuset pans are in store so haven't tried those yet. Do they work?I would worry about moving those around on the glass because the bottoms are rough and may scratch it

david ward ● 1718d

Yes, Le Creuset pans work fine.

Alastair Banton ● 1718d

… and no scratching yet, after more than two years frequent use.

Alastair Banton ● 1718d

Cast iron pans work well with induction.  Aluminium, 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel will not, unless a base has been added which includes ferritic stainless steel.. It’s easy to check. If a magnet sticks to the base of your pan it will work on induction hobs.

Barry Jacques ● 1718d

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/induction-hobs-and-pacemakers Just to draw your attention to the above because I had to take this into account when considering one.Induction hobs are brilliantly easy and less fiddly to wipe clean than gas hobs.  You don't have that worrying open flame.  Since they are flat you can't accidentally place a pan so that it tips up and spills hot liquid or dislodge the things the pans sit on or clog the gas jets.  New ones should all have a cut off in case the flame goes out.There is another flat easy to use hob that keeps its heat after use so you must be more aware not to touch or put anything on what seems a nice clear space!  (Is it ceramic?)I found that the control knobs needed a lot of investigation  - so that you don't have to lean over the hob and they are easy to use and to tell which controls what etc.https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/induction-hobs-and-pacemakersDon't forget you can cook a lot of things in a microwave.  I don't have one and am unused to them but others seem to use them a lot/only use them.  They are good for more than just heating soup, making porridge and reheating cups of tea.  I miss the brilliantly fast baking of potatoes...Good luck.

Philippa Bond ● 1718d

We've had an induction for 15 years or so now. Our surface is still clean and scratch free, the unit itself pretty much works as new, but occasionally turns off but not very often.Its quick and very easy to adjust to, once you get the right pans and get used to it.I'd also say, Gas prices are only ever likely to go up over the long term. Electric is bound to become cheaper and more green over time. So in the long term its probably the way of the world.

Jiten Patel ● 1718d

Thank's everyone, a lot of useful feedback and advice.I was unaware that it is preferable to run heavier wiring.I will need to get my electrician to take a look a first step because between the hob and the fuse box is some solid flooring. Could be tricky.David, thank you for your offer to try before going ahead. I will keep in mind.Thank's again all.

Adrian Irving ● 1717d

If you have an electric oven, this should be on its own circuit so there will be a way of getting the wiring between the consumer unit and the kitchen for this.

Michael Robinson ● 1717d

When I was debating buying mine the retailer commented that they hardly sell any gas hobs now and almost everyone choses induction. The power requirement is an important matter though. Mine consumes 7.4kw, if all the 'burners' are on but mine is a 90cm. The 60cm use less

david ward ● 1717d

Induction without a doubt.  I've had induction hobs now for 16 years.  The heat is just as responsive.  Also so much easier to clean afterwards - just a quick wipe down.Are you sure the appliance you were using in your holiday cottage wasn't a ceramic hob?  They are painfully slow in my experience.

Anna Beck ● 1717d

Induction hob for sure.  It is safer, cleaner and you don't run into getting fatal gas leak!

Anthony Tan ● 1717d

Good idea to get electrics checked.  One of my family was given a new oven for Christmas to replace an inherited one to cook the family get-together meal in but when it was delivered the installers discovered it could not be installed as the electrics wouldn't support it.  They had to use the old one.  There is quite a long wait for an electrician where they live.

Philippa Bond ● 1717d

Oh and it was a good thing that they had arranged for the old one to be taken away by the installer - or otherwise they might have ended up with no oven at all over Christmas and New Year.

Philippa Bond ● 1717d

@ Ceinwen Mailvaganam.  Yes, but the temperature of the oil in the pan doesn't drop to zero does it? It's not really a problem at all. You just tip the pan up, scoop out some hot oil with a tablespoon and pour it over the egg, for example. Takes less than 10 seconds. We've had a Stove induction hob for 4/5 years and wouldn't be without it. Highly recommended.

Brian Joseph Coyle ● 1715d

That is an annoying thing about inductions. When you tip a pan to shake or baste or toss pancakes the hob ring beeps and cuts out. It does come on a soon as you return the pan but the beep is annoying.

Alina Dansord ● 1715d