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Hobs gas/electric

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby jollyoldowl » Tue Sep 01, 2020 1:46 pm

An induction hob is the most wonderful invention since the wheel in IMHO. When we renewed our 1973 kitchen in 2006 my OH recommended an induction to replace the ceramic hob. I've never looked back. Instant heat and the most wonderful hob ever to clean. I just use fairy liquid as nothing burns on. When we first bought the ceramic hob I made jam which unfortunately boiled over. It was a nightmare to get off even though I tackled it almost instantly.

In my mother's house in Spain she had a gas hob which I hated. When we took the house over after her return to the UK I bought a single induction ring (my OH was concerned the power supply wasn't strong enough to take two rings) which I used constantly. Would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to buy new.

Bye the way, I would like to say Hallo. My other name was Jollymrsowl but I suddenly couldn't log in and had to change it. I don't post often but thoroughly enjoy reading all your news. :bounce:

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Busybee » Tue Sep 01, 2020 1:54 pm

I have a Rayburn which I use most of the time plus a two ring induction hob and electric oven for the summer. I do like the induction hob, it’s an Ikea one and fairly old as it has tuneable knobs instead of the almost ubiquitous touch controls you get now.

If I’m baking I tend to use the electric oven as I find the Rayburn doesn’t cook evenly, but you can’t beat it for long, slow cooking. It’s added bonus is that it heats both the hot water and the whole house, both traditional radiators and the modern underfloor heating. It also throws out enough heat in autumn and spring to put off using the full central heating, it makes the whole house feel cosy.

If I lived elsewhere I’d certainly go induction. Fast, clean and reliable.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Pampy » Tue Sep 01, 2020 1:56 pm

Mention of the power supply reminds me that I was advised to have a separate, heavy duty, power supply put in for the hob (and also the 2 pyrolytic ovens) because the load when using the power booster (or the pyrolytic function on the ovens) can be too much for the normal house electrical wiring and so could start a fire. I actually know of someone who ran her pyrolytic oven on the normal wiring and it caused a fire, which her insurer refused to cover.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby aero280 » Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:01 pm

Most of the high power items in the house need a separate feed. Anything over 13 amp, which is the limit for anything on the general house ring.

The house ring is wired using 2.5 sq mm cable, and the fuse is 30 amp.

My cooker is rated at 42 amps and the instant shower is quite old at 7Kw (30 amps), so they each have much bigger cable and a dedicated fuse. Cable is 6 sq mm and 10 sq mm.

Items shouldn't catch fire. The fuse should blow or trip. I wonder if the installer used the standard ring main and replaced the 30 amp fuse with a bigger one? :o :o It's why I try to do all my own work.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:05 pm

Gas for me any day. When we moved 11 years ago, the house already had an electric cooker. I hated it then and still hate it now. Totally uncontrollable and yes, it may be easier to clean, but that´s not the point of a cooker, is it? The point is, does it cook properly? 8-)
It´s also virtually impossible to use my cast-iron grill pan on the electric hobs, since it seems to stain the enamel.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby cherrytree » Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:29 pm

And you don’t get hot pan handles with induction either!

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Badger's Mate » Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:44 pm

I started with town gas, then electric, now gas again. When we had the kitchen done, I had the option of gas or induction hobs or a mixture and I chose gas. I didn't go top price because that model wouldn't work in a power cut :roll: On reflection and with the benefit of hindsight I might have preferred a mixture. Our cottage in Norfolk (it's not really ours :D ) has got an induction hob and I do like that.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:16 pm

I hate basic electric hobs, with rings and not keen on ceramic hobs - mum cracked hers spectacularly

We’ve had a couple of ceramic hobs in holiday lets that have had touch responsive controls like some kind of games console :evil: They are often described as touch controls but of course you can’t control them by feel as they are just very dim lights behind glass - we had one I actually couldn’t see at all.

I have preferred gas for responsiveness and because I’m used to it but will get induction next time for ease of cleaning and safety, I have used induction and love the precision. I notice that chunky controls that can be turned with wet or greasy hands are coming back in, so I should have a choice

I do still think gas grills are better than electric though

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Earthmaiden » Tue Sep 01, 2020 5:52 pm

Agree re the controls, Sue, even though my eyesight isn't too bad. At cookery classes we had induction hobs with the digital controls at the front and it was all too easy to pull a pan forward and have it turn the control off by mistake. We all messed something up at least once by inadvertently doing so and not realising. Chunky controls would be at the top of my list too.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Seatallan » Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:05 pm

jollyoldowl wrote:An induction hob is the most wonderful invention since the wheel in IMHO.


I so agree! I adore mine. Its a Stoves one and so user-friendly. Really easy to operate. :thumbsup
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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:48 pm

Interesting discussion!
I just wonder how many restaurants have got electric/ceramic cookers, and whether they use induction hobs?

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:12 pm

karadekoolaid wrote:Interesting discussion!
I just wonder how many restaurants have got electric/ceramic cookers, and whether they use induction hobs?


Huge difference between a ceramic hob and an induction hob, not the same animal at all

Marcus Wareing certainly has them in his London restaurants, we went to hear him talk, among other things, about reopening the restaurant in the St Pancras Hotel, he really likes them. Very responsive, very safe (try setting a dish cloth on fire on one, let alone your sleeves) and which is important in a cramped professional kitchen, heats up the kitchen much less. I'm pretty sure they said they had induction hobs at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal as well

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Suelle » Tue Sep 01, 2020 9:28 pm

Suelle wrote:
Gas appliances are being phased out over the next decade or so, so we'll all be cooking with electricity soon - if we live that long.


I was a bit premature in saying that! Gas boilers are due to be phased out starting in 2025 - if Government announcements can be believed - but no mention of gas cookers yet. Although if gas isn't used for heating, there will be no incentive for builders to install gas supplies to new houses.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47559920
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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby OneMoreCheekyOne » Tue Sep 01, 2020 9:43 pm

My OH is an ex chef and has always preferred gas, he prefers the heat control it gives you. It can be messier though. We put the rings in the dishwasher a few times a week to give them a good clean on top of daily kitchen spray cleaning.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:57 pm

OneMoreCheekyOne wrote:. We put the rings in the dishwasher a few times a week to give them a good clean on top of daily kitchen spray cleaning.

You can’t do that with mine - they are aluminium and not dishwasher safe

I use e over hob & oven spray - it’s pretty good

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:58 pm

My OH is an ex chef and has always preferred gas, he prefers the heat control it gives you. It can be messier though

Exactly.
And after a day in the kitchen, it´s clean-up time!

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby halfateabag » Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:30 am

mum had a belling cooker, old fashioned rings. i got used to it then used a gas ring....wow.....instantaneous..... total convert. r 1st house had gas and i loved cooking on and in it, gas toast was just perfect. then back to tricity in the 2nd house boringly slow.... i now have a ceramic 4 ring hob, 2 rings ultra fast, 2 slower. oven is fab, fan assisted and i can stuff it full and everything comes out great. also have a 5 ring gas bottle freestanding hob with electric fan assisted huge oven underneath. great for heating lots of crockery when cooking is being done in the other oven. it doesn't happen much these days..... i have 2 m'waves and a small free-standing mini oven - i am spoilt for choice.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby herbidacious » Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:37 am

We have gas both here, and even in France, without mains gas. I struggled with my MIL's induction one. It didn't feel flexible enough. Didn't respond quickly enough, I guess, and something else that didn't work with the way I usually operate. Possibly my habit of taking a pan off the hob for a few seconds to adjust heat e.g. when cooking with butter. But maybe you don't really need to do this with induction? But the response time was still an issue, and if you take the pan off the heat then the heat source turns off, of course.

It may have all been down to my ignorance and her inability to explain it to me. (She was too busy implying I was stupid to get round to telling me what to do, at the time. Let's put this down to her then-recent hip operation and not liking someone else using her kitchen... :? )

Still, you have to give it to gas - pretty idiot proof and user friendly, unless you leave it on unlit... I spent an hour in the small hours in Lisbon googling how to turn the damned thing off (for sure) after spending ages googling to turn it on to heat some insomnia-required warm milk.

I suppose I do end up putting a heat mat on my gas for a low simmer, though. A really low heat source would be good.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby smitch » Mon Sep 14, 2020 12:00 pm

My induction hob doesn't completely switch off if you lift the pan off the ring.

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Re: Hobs gas/electric

Postby jeral » Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:28 pm

On induction, can you set a pan half on and half off a ring? On an old elec hob, I'd do that, or set two rings going, one hot the other low to switch across as needed for instant change. No good if some induction plates work only if in pan contact though.

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