Your kitchen is the heart of the home, but at the heart of your kitchen is your hob, it’s where you’ll spend a lot of your time in the kitchen. And it’s likely that you’ve been doing all of you cooking on a gas or electric hob, but we’d like to introduce you to something better… induction hobs. These hobs will make your cooking life easier and you won’t lose everything you love about your gas or electric hob.
Gas, electric and now induction hobs
For decades the battle of the hobs has only been between two types: electric and gas. Kitchen lovers across the country have been split into two camps, they’ve either been a gas lovers or electric lovers. Each has their benefits and drawbacks. Electric gives you simplicity, but can be slow to heat up and stays hot long after you’ve finished cooking. Whereas, gas hobs are quick and highly controllable, but can be dangerous if unignited gas is left on. There is now, however, a third option, induction hobs!
Induction hobs have been around for a few years, but they were dismissed to be as useless as the Sinclair c5, with everyone sticking to their reliable electric or gas hobs. However, induction hobs have come a long way since then and their popularity looks set to overtake the ever steadfast gas and electric hobs.
To really appreciate the induction hob though, you must understand how it works. Inside the induction hob there is a copper coil which is located directly beneath your cooking pan, an alternating electric current is then passed through this which generates a magnetic field. This field then reacts with the pan, which in turn heats it up. This magnetic current can be finely altered depending on the amount of heat that you want.
These hobs do however require a slightly different pan for cooking, they require a pan which is made from ferromagnetic metal such as cast iron or stainless steel. Although, most pans in the shops these days are made of a ferromagnetic metal, it is likely that you’ll have at least a few compatible pans in your cupboard. Or you could always use a ferromagnetic disk, which means you can still use those old favorite pans. These ferromagnetic disks also make a great hot plate when you’re preparing the Sunday roast.
Due to the unique way in which induction hobs work, they benefit from an improved thermal efficiency and a more consistent cooking experience compared to your gas or electric hob. Also, they’re safer because unlike electric (and some gas) hobs, induction hobs do not stay hot for a long time after cooking. This is great if you have young children around. Plus, because induction hobs do not heat up the surface, just the pan, it means that any spillages do not burn on and can be easily wiped off. This video from YouTube shows the unique properties of induction cooking:
The Siemens flexInduction
There are now many many varieties of induction hobs on the market to suit any budget and cooking ability. Easily one of the best we’ve work with has to be the Siemens flexInduction hob, this hob really pushes the boundaries in induction cooking! Siemens have created a product that is easy to use and gives you a fantastic cooking experience, what they’ve created simply cannot be achieved using gas or electric hobs. Let Sue from our Kitchen and Bathroom Experience Centre explain…
As Sue explained, the flexInduction allows you to cook with seraval pans at once in a cooking area or with large rectangular pans, giving you true flexibility in your cooking. All of this being controlled using the smooth and responsive (even with wet hands) touch slider control. Whatsmore, if you’re rushing around and need to bring a pan to the boil ASAP then the flexInduction has a powerBoost function, heating up your pan super quickly!
Induction hobs: 21st century cooking
Induction hobs have taken a while to find their feet in the market and for the technology to develop, but now they’re well on their way to becoming the most popular type of hob. More and more people are turning to induction hobs because of their energy efficiency, safety features (hob not staying hot for long) and ease to clean. Science is constantly improving the way we heat, eat and live, and this very efficient method of cooking really shows this. Step into the 21st century kitchen and cook with induction hobs.
If you’d like to talk to us about our range of induction hobs then call us on 01223 213266, email info@cambridgekitchens.co.uk, or visit us at a nearby showroom. We have showrooms in Cambridge, Newmarket, Bishops Stortford and a Kitchen and Bathroom Experience Centre in St Neots.
