After a fairly recent thread here, we decided on an induction hob when we replaced a rather ancient cooker. And it is truly amazingly much better in, I think, every way than ceramic hob that went before.
Now ongoing problems with electric kettles make me wonder whether there would be any significant loss of efficiency in using a hob kettle than an electric one? Obviously depends on whether there are suitable hob kettles available...
Aren't most things better in any way than a ceramic hob? Ok, maybe not the old style wound elements, but...
Probably not - IIRC some friends measured it and it came out similar.
Well it's not difficult to be better than any normal electric hot plate be it ceramic, solid or ring. Have you ever cooked on gas? If so how does the induction compare?
There must be losses in the electronics driving the induction plates. A kettle won't have those losses. There is probably more thermal mass in a kettle suitable for an induction hob as well. Wether these add up to anything "significant" I don't know. I'd expect no more than
100W of losses in the electronics, that would be 4% for a 2500W plate.Probably wise to go kettle shopping with a magnet in your pocket. B-) But a quick google shows that they do exist.
Doesn't that depend on the behaviour of the users as well as the equipment? I have in mind that (most) electric kettles will boil hard briefly but then turn off automatically. If the users stand by the induction hob they might turn the kettle off as soon as it boils, saving a few seconds. OTOH if users sit down to wait for the kettle to boil and do not move fast then the hob kettle may boil on for longer than the electric. And if the users happen not to turn the hob off before answering the door, going to the loo, etc .......
Perhaps you could get a grant to instal the necessary cameras and carry out some research?
It is quite some time since I really cooked by gas. Used to much prefer gas, then circumstances changed... But I have to say that there are several advantages to induction - some of these are with respect to gas, some wrt to anything else...
o The lack of hot gases/air rushing up the sides of the pans. This also seems to make washing up easier. o The delightfully cool and easy to clean flat surface. o The incredibly low minimum settings - without feeling a flame is going to go out or that you are just heating one tiny area of the pan. o The seemingly much more even heat distribution across the base of the pans. o No gas smell! o Lack of any consideration of "ignition". o The very fast heating. o The instant off. o The impossibility of leaving a ring 'on' without a pan.
In so many ways it reminds me of those incredibly dated adverts of the
1940s/50s proclaiming the advantages of the modern all-electric kitchen. But this time it is delivering.Ah but "suitable" includes all sorts of factors beyond simple existence of ones with suitable bases - like colour. :-)
If anyone wishes to make donations for said research, let me know.
Can't say that has ever bothered me, just adjust the size of the flame so that it under the pan. Some people don't appear to know that.
That appeals, having has a ceramic hob and having to clean off the carbonised deposits of the inevitable food spills.
That is what *really* appeals. The on/off "control" of an electric ring means the temperature at the pan base has a tremendous range from barely warm to scorching hot, trying to cook anything that might catch on the bottom of the pan is nigh on impossible.
Modern gas cookers seem to have a minimum setting that is also on the high side. the gas cookers that I was brought up with didn't have such a "safety" feature.
Well it is heating the whole base of the pan, electric only heats where it touches and gas where the flame is. Thick based pans can help with that but on electric that just makes the lack of fine control even worse.
Niether of those bother me.
But they do. The several minuet delay whilst everythng gets up to temperature with electric really bugs me. If you start at the setting you want it takes an age to get there, if you start at max you have to watch it so you don't melt the pan! Very much a case of the tail wagging the dog.
A nice to have feature but what happens when you lift a pan off to add something then put it back? Does it remember the setting or do you have to reset it manually? If it does remember how long does it remember for? IS there some indication that a given ring is on but not active?
Have a google, there does seem to be quite a range of style and colours of hob kettles suitable for an induction hob. But overall I'd say a decent electric kettle (fast/rapid boil) will be quicker and more effcient. As others have pointed out you may leave a hob kettle on the hob and "forget" about it but then a decent whistler is hard to ignore, if you are about...
I didn't realise what an impact that had until getting one that doesn't.
Thick bases help - but induction seems to solve.
This model has a special setting - turn up to 9 (max.) then a bit further. It puts onto supercharger for a short while.
If you just lift off for a minute and put it back, it goes back exactly where it was.
The rings have indicators - number for setting, changes to special symbol if pan lifted (like an underlined 'U'), even an H when hob itself is above IIRC 60. I'm sure these features do vary.
Induction also has an overheated pan sensor. Think it switches off if it gets too hot. Understandably, have not tested this yet.
Also got a rather neat 'combine rings' settings - the two rings on the left can operate as one - and I think it heats the entire area - not just the two circular areas, IYSWIM.
Agreed that an electric kettle has advantages. Need partner available before worth googling beyond finding out they exist.
But can you do a decent wok-stir-fry on one?
You can change the minimum setting on at least some - ours has it turned down from what it came with.
That is the one thing we have discussed here - and suspect that while it will be better than ceramic, it will be nowhere near as good as a monster gas flame.
But of no consequence to us these days.
IME, yes. We were umm-ing and ahh-ing about buying an induction hob, so I bought a cheapo single ring one off t'web. The one thing it's really good at is wokking. I imagine a HOOJ gas flame would be better, but we don't have one of those.
If anyone wants to experience induction hobs on a budget, there is a free standing 2Kw single ring on sale in Lidl at the moment. We bought one to provide an electric ring for our camper for use on electric hookup. Where there is enough juice of course - some hookups might not take 2Kw as they are nominally rated at 6 amp.
I've played with it in the kitchen and it is quite interesting - it has two modes, a power setting from 1-10 and a temperature setting which in theory lets you keep the pan at a regular temperature but I am dubious about the effectiveness as it takes a while for heat to transfer from the pan to the hob.
The low power settings seem to operate much like that of a microwave - full power for a short period, then no power.
Overall I have been very impressed. The rapid heat up is awesome.
Compared to gas the low power setting might not be quite as good, but on full power you don't get waste heat flowing up the side of the pan.
I haven't tried a wok on it - I suspect a traditional thin steel wok might not have enough thermal mass to hold the induced heat compared to the quick transfer of heat from a large gas wok burner. However you can get wokish pans with thicker bases which might do. Not the traditional wok experience, but you could probably stir fry. Although you might be better off with a flat heavy based pan - I think woks are really designed to work at all angles over a high gas flame or other radiant heat source such as charcoal.
Oh, and ceramic hobs are absolute crap and come the revolution the one we inherited in this kitchen will be hurled.
Dream kitchen might be a gas hob with wok burner, plus one or two induction rings. Oh, and an indoor charcoal grill, and a large griddle, and.....
Cheers
Dave R
you surprise me. heatloss from a ring is way over that of a kettle surely?
I believe Dennis is our resident expert on induction hobs.
So that's a 'no expert exists' then is it?
Four burners - left column is normal kilowattage - right column is supercharged:
1.85 3.00 1.85 3.00 1.40 2.20 2.30 3.70(There are limits - you cannot have them all boosted at once!)
So way below a commercial wok burner but above what I have ever seen on a domestic electric hob.
It is a very ordinary Belling FSE60i.
And did you manage to do this without starting a fire as dennis did?
Shame on you for even considering such a thing.
And VAT, building regs, CCTV, electrical installations, European geography etc.
He's very talented you know:-)
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