In your kitchen, the hob is undoubtedly where you’ll spend a lot of your time, whether it’s throwing together stir frys or delicately creating the perfect sauce. There is a good chance you’ve been using a gas or electric hob to do all your cooking, but we’d like to open your eyes to the incredible world of induction hobs. We believe they’re simply better than gas or electric hobs, let us show you why…
Gas, electric and now induction hobs
For many years now, we’ve relied on two types of hob: electric and gas. You’ve either been a lover of the electric hob’s simplicity, or a die hard fan of the gas hob’s controllability. There are disadvantages to both types: gas can be dangerous if you leave it on without it being lit, and electric stays hot for a long time after use. At some point over the past 15 years there was a new kid on the block, the induction hob, but this was quickly dismissed as a gimmick or as simply inferior compared to the traditional gas or electric. However, in recent years the induction hob has been rapidly increasing in popularity and now looks set to overtake gas and electric together.
To fully appreciate why induction hobs are so good it’s important to understand exactly how they work. Induction hobs use electromagnetic induction, which to put it simply means that these hobs use magnetic waves to heat up your pans, rather than the thermal conduction used with gas or electric hobs. This new technique of heating the pan means that your induction hob will have improved thermal efficiency and more consistent cooking than your gas or electric hob. Also, because you’re not heating the hob, you’re just heating the pan it means that only the area where your pan is becomes hot. This means that your hob is not a danger zone for a long time after you’ve finished cooking (great for those with kids) and that any spillages are not burnt onto the hob. This video from YouTube shows the uniqueness of induction cooking:
Induction hobs do however require a particular type of pan to work correctly, it needs to be a ferromagnetic metal such as cast iron or some stainless steels. Most pans produced these days are made of a ferromagnetic metal, so there is a good chance you’ll be able to use your existing pans. Or you can buy a ferromagnetic disk if you have a particular old favorite pan which you would like to keep using. These disks can also make a great hot plate!
Introducing the incredible Siemens flexInduction
At Designer Kitchens for Less we sell an array of different induction hobs in all different sizes. One of the most impressive hobs we sell regularly has to be the Siemens flexInduction, this takes induction cooking to a whole new level! They’ve really turned up the heat in the market (sorry, couldn’t resist!) and created a product which takes what is great about induction hobs and made something that simply wouldn’t be possible with gas or electric. Our lovely Sue explains all in this video:
The flexInduction technology promises a smooth and controlled cooking experience with the ability to cook almost anywhere on the cooking surface, and with several pans in the same area. Whereas most induction hobs are limited to round pans, the flexInduction’s rectangular cooking areas means you can cook just as well using rectangular pans. All of this is controllable using a slider control, which even works great with wet hands! Plus, if you’re in a rush then you can put on the powerBoost option for some seriously quick heating.
Once you’ve tried induction cooking, you’ll never go back!
OK we’ll be fair, when the first induction hobs came out they weren’t exactly great, gas and electric hobs do the job really well. However, induction cooking has come a long way since their introduction, that’s why more and more people are turning to induction cooking. Induction hobs are more energy efficient, safer and need less cleaning.
If you haven’t started seriously looking at induction hobs then now might be a good time to start. Call us today on 01279 504230 or email info@designerkitchensforless.co.uk to talk to us about our range of induction hobs.