How to choose an induction hob

An induction hob saves energy, heats the contents of pots faster and pleases housewives with ease of care. You no longer need to enjoy the aromas of burnt food and scrub away drops of fat stuck to the surface. But finding the optimal price-quality ratio is still quite a difficult task.

Selecting an induction hob

Safety and efficiency make such a stove a welcome assistant. But these qualities are combined with the high cost of an induction hob, which forces you to approach the issue of choice wisely. The point is not the theoretical need to change the dishes, because if the old one is in good condition and is attracted by a magnet, then it is suitable. And not about the coating, since with proper care, both glass ceramics and more expensive tempered glass will last the same. The correctness of the choice is dictated by other parameters.

Information about the burners

Round classics are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Manufacturers are increasingly marking burners with squares, diamonds or hexagons. Often there are also ordinary crosses that mark the center. But the speed of cooking and quality of food are not affected by the imagination of designers, unlike the size of the burners. If the bottom of the pan covers less than 70% of the area, the stove will not turn on.The standard diagonal of the burners is from 14 to 21 cm, but in some models automatic adjustment of the heating zone is possible.

For those who use gas or do not want to completely abandon the electric classics, combined models are available. In them, part of the cooking surface is allocated for gas burners or heating element burners.

Size and Design

A one- or two-burner stove will satisfy the needs of a small family. If you need to cook for 3-5 people, then the cooking surface area should be much larger. And equipping the model with an increased heating zone will not be superfluous.

The color palette of induction hobs is impressive and has long gone beyond the black and white palette. Their shape is also not limited to the usual square and can be either rectangular or oval, or completely futuristic. But the minimum width is always at least 30 cm. For 3-4 burners, this parameter increases to 45 cm. And the minimum for 5-6 heating zones starts from 60-80 cm.

The average thickness of such slabs is 6-8 cm. But there are both thin ones - from 4 cm, and 10-centimeter “fat ones”. However, there is no need to particularly focus on this parameter.

Dependent and independent

Dependent induction hobs are rare. There are two explanations for this. The first is practicality. When the oven is located under the stove, it is not very convenient to use. And a common control panel in the event of a malfunction of one of the devices will leave the owner without both overnight.

The second is technical limitations. There should be no massive metal objects near the induction hob. When creating a dependent version, the manufacturer is forced to think about its insulation from the oven so that its casing does not affect the operation of the stove.And this will not add beauty and practicality. And it will reduce to zero the main advantage of dependent panels - the reduced cost of a set of household appliances compared to purchasing separately.

Manufacturer

An impeccable brand reputation is a guarantee of a long service life of the purchased equipment. European manufacturers offer high-quality performance in different price categories. But this does not mean that it is impossible to find a decent induction cooker among little-known brands. You just need to read customer reviews before purchasing.

One of the parameters that you should pay attention to, regardless of the manufacturer, is the energy efficiency class. For induction panels it should not be lower than A. A+ is even better.

Economical

The main advantage of such hobs is their high efficiency, approximately 90%. This means that if a heating element or gas boils water in 10 minutes, then an induction cooker of similar power will cope with the same volume of liquid in approximately 5 minutes. Moreover, the heating element turns off immediately after removing the container from the burner.

The result: relatively low electricity bills, even if you choose a powerful panel. And a relatively high cooking speed, if the economical version is your favorite.

Possibilities of modes and functions

Locking the control panel is important if there are children in the family. A protective shutdown will help out the housewife who missed the milk. The timer will help out often distracted cooks. Pulling the power of the neighboring burner onto the burner, the Power Boost mode will be useful during the morning rush.

But the list of functions does not end there. When choosing an induction hob, decide how necessary the following will be:

• power adjustment (up to 16 heating levels);
• induction without boundaries (the opposite of strictly defined burners, the stove turns on itself under the cookware);
• regulation of electricity consumption;
• pause;
• residual heat indicator.

To increase comfort, manufacturers can also offer functions such as heat maintenance modes and constant temperature adjustment. These are software modes, the absence of which is easily compensated for by manual power adjustment.

Induction hob rating

The most expensive panels can even be equipped with displays along the contour of the burners showing the current power of the heating zone. But the list of features of an induction cooker directly determines its cost. Therefore, it is recommended to cut off everything that is not useful in everyday life - this way you can save money wisely.

Among the well-known brands is Electrolux, which specializes in the production of combined hobs. Hotpoint-Ariston and MAUNFELD offer the best price. Hansa and Gorenje delight their customers with original designs. LG induction panels are recognized as the most economical. But the “golden mean,” according to customers leaving reviews, turned out to be Bosch equipment. Some of the panels of this brand consistently hold the lead in the ranking of the most purchased ones.