Thoughts on induction cooktops

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nofam

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#203174 20-Sep-2016 15:53

Keen to get some thoughts from people using these, as I'm looking at putting one in the house we're building, and am using one in the house we're currently living in and have mixed feelings about them if I'm honest.

They're certainly lightning quick to boil water, but I find the heat very hard to read, in the sense that pots and pans don't get hot all over like they do with a radiant heat-source, and they also seem to struggle to hold a constant temperature, again I think because of the lack of residual heat in the sides of the pots and pans.

In our previous house we had gas, and I really liked it, but it's not an option for the new build.

The cooktop we're using is a Bosch, so not a cheapie, although the cookware is a Rachael Ray set that Harvey Norman threw in as a freebie, so wondering if that's the issue?

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Hmm, what to write...
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#1636624 20-Sep-2016 15:59

You must have a got a dud one or the posts are a bit squiffy, we have a Fisher and Paykel one and it is brilliant, very good heat control easy to use. Certainly none of the problems you mention in your post.

The whole put should get hot, the laws of physics still apply and metal is a good conductor of heat. The top only slowly gets hot because it is made out of not so conductive glass

Matthew

MikeB4

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#1636629 20-Sep-2016 16:06

We currently have one but with our kitchen upgrade underway we are dumping the induction and going back to gas. Although induction is fast it is restrictive as to the pots and pans one can use especially Woks, Griddles and skillets.

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
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#1636634 20-Sep-2016 16:12

MikeB4: We currently have one but with our kitchen upgrade underway we are dumping the induction and going back to gas. Although induction is fast it is restrictive as to the pots and pans one can use especially Woks, Griddles and skillets.

Woks are no go (well you can get a stupid adaptor...but its...well stupid) but our cast iron skillets work really well (you have to use the painted ones unless you want to scratch the glass)

Matthew

Kraven

729 posts

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#1636660 20-Sep-2016 16:32

Recently replaced our ceramic hob with a cheap induction one and it's 1000 times better. I can actually cook a steak now!

timmmay

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#1636667 20-Sep-2016 16:40

Our Beko induction cooktop is great. Super fast to heat, and easy to keep the heat steady. I use 7 or 8 out of ten to cook, only time I use lower is to keep warm. I wouldn't go back to ceramic or traditional style. I've used gas, I think I prefer induction - works well and easier to clean. Woks are ok but you the sides don't get so hot. Beko oven is only ok, just little things like the rail positioning and rail types aren't awesome.

darylblake

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#1636669 20-Sep-2016 16:44

I think some brands are good. Remember you need to get the right pots & pans. My parents put in induction and once they got used to it they liked it. They have since moved back into their other house and sold that place so are using electric cook tops again.

I am building at the moment and personally going natural Gas (CNG) for cooking and hot water, but this is obviously not an option for everyone unless you want to use a 9kg or 45kg LPG bottle.

I think induction is good, but get read reviews on the hobs before your purchase it. Some have been not so flash.

PhantomNVD

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#1636710 20-Sep-2016 17:26

Any reason why gas isn't available? Even bottled gas rocks for a job (and was put in our newly completed build)I'd never change back than electric hob for any reason!

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scuwp

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#1636784 20-Sep-2016 19:08

Had both. Far prefer gas. The few seconds more it takes to heat initially makes no difference in the scheme of life and you can bash any old pot or wok on there are go for it. far more robust and easy to care for. Cheaper too. Get a couple of bottles if you don't have a mainline service and you are good to go.

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Batman

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#1636789 20-Sep-2016 19:26

scuwp:
Had both. Far prefer gas. The few seconds more it takes to heat initially makes no difference in the scheme of life and you can bash any old pot or wok on there are go for it. far more robust and easy to care for. Cheaper too. Get a couple of bottles if you don't have a mainline service and you are good to go.

I like this

antoniosk

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#1636791 20-Sep-2016 19:29

nofam:

Keen to get some thoughts from people using these, as I'm looking at putting one in the house we're building, and am using one in the house we're currently living in and have mixed feelings about them if I'm honest.

They're certainly lightning quick to boil water, but I find the heat very hard to read, in the sense that pots and pans don't get hot all over like they do with a radiant heat-source, and they also seem to struggle to hold a constant temperature, again I think because of the lack of residual heat in the sides of the pots and pans.

In our previous house we had gas, and I really liked it, but it's not an option for the new build.

The cooktop we're using is a Bosch, so not a cheapie, although the cookware is a Rachael Ray set that Harvey Norman threw in as a freebie, so wondering if that's the issue?

We put in a miele one. I like them and can cook a steak very well, but like all these things will take a few sessions to learn the heat and how well your model works.

Of all the pots we used, only one didn't work at all, and we were ok to move it on. Every pot we have buzzes slightly but you get used to it. A full iron pan won't buzz, most pots have a ferrite disc in the base that vibrates with the magnetic waves of the hob. Honestly not a biggie but just be aware of it. We use ZIP pots from briscoes and they work fine.

Like a ceramic cooktop, these are glass units so get ready for cleaning using cooktop cleaner etc...

________

Antoniosk

oxnsox

1923 posts

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#1636800 20-Sep-2016 19:43

Induction cooking is about have the right sort of pots/pans.
If you think yours aren't hot enough, buy 1 decent one and see if it makes a difference.
Weight in cooking hardware is generally a good thing.

richms

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#1636803 20-Sep-2016 19:47

Tried a friends really expensive one and was quite impressed at the speed of its heating, but the contol seemed to be very stepped, not like gas. But much better than a crappy old simmerstat style control that my cheap kmart inductive single element cooktop has - that just bashes off and on at one of 10 ratios, so you boil the crap out of stuff, then it stops and sits doing nothing for ages, then boils like crazy.

The fancy one did reduce power like you would expect, but I found it hard to get a decent simmer going on with 2 being not enough and 3 being too much. Moving the pot slightly out of zone was how I got around it.

Richard rich.ms

empacher48

368 posts

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#1636818 20-Sep-2016 20:18

We recently replaced our old ceramic coil cooktop with a Fisher and Paykel induction cooktop. It has cooking zones rather than rings, so with small pots you can place two pots in one zone. Or you can bridge the zones to cook over a very large pan. Have had no problem with getting the heat settings right.

We use scanpan pots an fry pan also an induction capable wok and skillet. Buying the cooktop is half the equation, good pots and pans help heaps too.

Dingbatt

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#1636819 20-Sep-2016 20:21

When we updated our kitchen 2 years ago we ditched our stove with a ceramic hob in favour of an induction hob (and a separate pyrolytic oven). We discussed the possibility of a gas hob, but my wife thought them ugly as she wanted a clean look to the kitchen.
We went for a Samsung induction hob, which was at the lower end of the price range ($1200), and although it works well, it is just starting to do a few random things that make me wonder about its reliability. Next time i will get a Miele induction hob.
We made sure to buy some good quality pots and pans. Those with a decent base seem to work best as you would expect for even heat distribution. Can't see that HN would be providing high quality cookware as a giveaway.
I like cooking with gas, but will stick to using it on the barbecue.
There are induction hobs with flexible zones, where the pot/pan can be put anywhere on the surface. They tend to be more expensive. All our cookware is round so circular cook spots are sufficient but there are some good looking rectangular skillets around that would benefit from the flexible zone.
Installation of the hob will require a dedicated circuit breaker and high current wiring similar to that required for a range. You also need to be careful what goes under the hob in the cabinetry.

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nolanz

83 posts

Master Geek

#1636850 20-Sep-2016 20:48

We used to have gas from two 9kg bottles. We sold our house and while our new house was being built we lived in a friends basement. We managed using a portable single induction hob and a microwave. In our new house we have all Belling appliances including a Belling 90cm 5 element induction hob which my wife absolutely loves. Our original set of Kinox pots, still good after 25 years or so were not induction friendly, so initially we bought some pots from Briscoes, which proved the worth of induction. We have bought a full set of Circulon pots now for the induction hob, and to upgrade to match the new kitchen. These heavier more substantial Circulon pots and pans I am sure even out the heating by conduction throughout the pan.

Incidentally if you do want to use a caste iron pan, to prevent scratching the glass, it is possible to cook through a cloth or cardboard over the element for a short time. just make sure that the pan does not get hot enough to scorch the protective material.

Some induction hobs such as our portable unit will switch themselves off or not start if the glass temperature has reach a set heat. This can happen when a large pot of substantial content is heated up and left on the element for a long period after being turned off.

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