Which is better, induction or electric hob?

When purchasing a hob, the first thing a buyer encounters is its type. There are 3 types of stoves - electric, induction or gas. This article is devoted to a detailed examination of the differences between the first two devices.

Hob material

Modern electric stoves mainly use glass ceramics. It is quite durable, has good energy efficiency and looks much more modern and stylish compared to its predecessor - metal pancakes located on an enameled metal surface.

Plates made from such material are now becoming a relic of the past and are used by summer residents as a backup option in summer houses.

Heating in modern electric stoves is carried out using spiral elements made of special alloys. Halogen heaters are also common.

Induction panels also use glass-ceramic coating, as well as tempered glass. The latter has a number of undoubted advantages - it is cheaper, easier to clean, and even if it can be damaged, it does not fly into fragments, as happens with a ceramic coating. The disadvantage of a tempered glass surface is its edge.

Features of an induction hob

Despite the fact that an induction hob is also an electrical appliance, the principle of its operation is fundamentally different from a conventional electric stove, in which heating occurs due to thermal conductivity from the heating element of the burner to the cookware and then to its contents.

The induction panel works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. This phenomenon was discovered by the English physicist M. Faraday in the first half of the 19th century. An electromagnetic field is excited inside the induction cooker.

It is transferred to dishes with a metal base made of ferromagnetic material. The latter assumes the function of a closed conductive circuit in which an induced current arises. This is what causes the dishes to heat up.

As follows from the principle of operation, the dishes used must be made of a suitable material: ceramic or glass pans cannot be used. The bottom of the cookware must contain an electromagnet.

By the way, today we offer a wide selection of cookware suitable for induction cookers, as well as special pads and stands for using regular cookware.

REFERENCE.To check whether the cookware you are purchasing is suitable for use on an induction surface, but the corresponding marking is not visible on the packaging, hold a magnet to its bottom. If you feel the pull, the dish fits.

An induction cooker has a number of conveniences: its surface is easier to clean, it heats up faster and reacts to changes in temperature.In addition, it is approximately one and a half times more economical than a classic hob due to a higher heating rate (3-4 times) and higher efficiency due to direct heating of the dishes and the prepared dish, and not the tile itself.

Induction cookers are also safer:

• firstly, they heat up significantly less than electric ones, and heating occurs from the dishes, and not vice versa, so the likelihood of getting burned is significantly lower;
• secondly, the stoves have an automatic shutdown function if an empty pan is placed on the burner or all the liquid has boiled away from it.

Since such hobs are equipped with a built-in fan that cools the surface, they, unlike electric stoves, make little noise.

Advantages and disadvantages

Some of the advantages and disadvantages have already been described in previous sections. Let’s summarize what are the pros and cons of each type of hob.

Electrical panel

The advantages of the electrical panel include:

• lower price than induction analogue;
• ease of installation and connection - you can completely do it yourself;
• familiar dynamics of cooking;
• no special requirements for dishes;
• silent operation;
• Possibility of installation in combination with other household appliances.

The disadvantages of this type of hob are:

• low efficiency - from 30 to 60%;
• high temperature of the surface of the device, the possibility of getting burned;
• more frequent and painstaking maintenance of equipment;
• no smart shutdown;
• the possibility of damage to the glass-ceramic material of the hob, the presence of soot from food residue, especially salt and sugar.

Induction hob

The undoubted advantages include:

• record efficiency – up to 90%;
• as a result – high efficiency during operation;
• increased safety compared to any other stoves, including gas ones;
• saving time due to significantly faster heating of dishes with food or water;
• easy cleaning of the surface after cooking;
• the presence of a greater number of functions than cooktops;
• more accurate temperature conditions and quick response to its changes, both up and down;
• Wide choice of design solutions: in addition to different color solutions, a variety of shapes are available.

The disadvantages of induction cookers are:

• relatively high price;
• unsuitability of cookware that does not contain ferromagnetic material;
• the impossibility of using cookware that covers insufficient burner area - in particular, you cannot brew coffee in a Turk;
• the possibility of a negative influence of the electromagnetic field on other kitchen appliances, compatibility must be taken into account;
• additional requirements for electrical wiring, since heating technology requires large currents in the circuit;
• low noise level.

Conclusion

The choice of any equipment, especially kitchen equipment, is always individual. It depends on the tastes and preferences of future owners and users.

When switching to an induction model from an electric one, a housewife will at first experience discomfort and unfamiliarity due to different cooking speeds, which at first may burn and dry out. The higher the age of the owner, the longer adaptation may take.

It is also necessary to take into account that induction cookers are not compatible with all pots and pans, so when changing appliances, you will most likely have to reconsider the composition of the cookware, which may become a source of additional costs.

IMPORTANT! Be sure to pay due attention to the electrical wiring. The thickness of the wires and the rating of the circuit breaker must necessarily correspond to the connection power specified in the technical data sheet.

In other respects, induction technology is superior to its technological predecessor - it is more economical, functional, intelligent and safe.