Induction hobs - can you afford one?

[Jay Arr]

For the second time in three months the glass has shattered on my superb Hotpoint induction hob after dropping a metal item ( pepper mill/ kitchen knife) from an overhanging ledge Cost of replacement is £200. It's a DIY job. Why did my previous bog standard glass-topped Horpoint hobs never seem succeptible to such occasional ham-fistedness?

I've had to adopt the safety procedure of covering the induction hob with a piece of vynil when not in use.

Between times, when I have been forced to revert to a bog-standard hob during repairs, it has proved that the induction hob is miles ahead in power and speed and cleanliness.

Thought you'd like to know!!

Jimmie (£400 down but still in love with induction).

[peter]

Have you thought about adding 'accidental damage' to your home insurance cover?

[Stephen Dawson]

Have you thought about adding 'accidental damage' to your home insurance cover?

Why, so the rest of us pay for it as well!!

[Peter Parry]

Wouldn't it be easier to move the shelf?

[Guy King]

The message from "Jay Arr" contains these words:

Dunno, but I'd sure shift the overhanging ledge.

[PeTe33]

Best solution I'd say.

Or, if that's not viable just keep often used items on the work surface next to the hob and if the shelf _must_ remain then put rarely used things on it... like... cookery books.

[Andrew Gabriel]

When you take out the last screw, just be very careful you don't drop it ... ;-)

[Shokka]

Ever seen a professional chef use an induction hob? No...

shokka

[PeTe33]

I think the hob would be able to handle a single falling screw without too much damage.

:¬))

[PeTe33]

Don't they have non-professional types to clean up after them too?

Our Induction hob gets used pretty infrequently, but the ease of cleaning alone justifies the premium price tag.

Wouldn't go back to any other type of hob... Unless I was really clumsy and kept dropping things on it!

:¬)

[Owain]

Actually yes, but only on board ship where fire regulations prohibited any form of flame.

Owain

[Shokka]

Induction hobs are hugely expensive (Roughly 7 times that on a conventional hob) and and have half the system efficiency of a gas hob.

They are also less reliable, more expensive to repair than other types of electric hob and are rather fussy about the cookware you use.

Yes, they are easy to clean but then so is a halogen hob which is cheaper!

Apart from "poseur" value, I really don't see the benefit at all!

[Grunff]

A very cheap conventional hob perhaps - our DeDietrich was ~£600.

Now that /is/ total rubbish - they're not far off 95% efficient, as evidenced by the tiny heat loss though the cooling fan.

Certainly not my experience.

Your first correct assertion.

Only in that you need to use pans with relatively thick bases.

But a halogen hob fails to perform its primary function, that of transferring heat to pots and pans, with any degree of adequacy.

No, I'm sure you don't. I'm guessing you've never actually used one.

[dingbat]

Yes, plenty.

Some think they're the best type of electric cooker.

Some think they're the best type of _cooker_.

[Owain]

Only that you need to use pans with ferrous bases, readily available from QVC, hardly the most exclusive purveyors of culinaria, and the appropriate ranges are helpfully demonstrated by Adrienne with the assistance of a magnet.

Owain

[Jay Arr]

I have a Hotpoint induction hob. It was expensive. It is a delight to use. It pumps out power when I want it and gives exceptionally fine control over low heat settings. It is magic to clean since the induction principle heats the pot and not the glass cooker surface. No knobs - everything touch control. It beats every device I have used for the past

50 years including a Kelly Kettle, an outback camp fire, a military field kitchen flame thrower and my granny's gas cooker. A recent repair to replace the smashed glass top was £200 for the part alone but examination of the innards during the repair process revealed why these devices are expensive. Would I buy another? Yes.

Jimmie

Cordon Bleu

[sm_jamieson]

Could you give us some indication as to what you found in them there innards ? Lots of coils wound in pure gold, etc ... Simon.

[sm_jamieson]

May be of interest.

wonder how much power he was using to heat those items to white hot. Simon.

[Frank Erskine]

Oxygen-free litz wire?

[Michael Chare]

You just have to have the right type of pans. Once you have them it is not an issue

Efficient as heat is gnerated in pan, very rapid response to changes in control settings, no heat is given off if pans is removed.