Ceramic Hob or Induction Hob - Which is Better?
I'm in the process of shopping for a new hob for my kitchen and a very interesting question occurred. Should I buy a ceramic hob or an induction hob and what is the difference between the two?
22/09/2020
Faster and more energy-efficient, an induction hob only heats the pan or pot.
In the kitchen, the hob is one of the hardest working appliances in a home. You use it to make breakfast and supper, and possibly even lunch too. Nowadays, there are 3 choices when it comes to installing a hob in the kitchen: ceramic with heating element, induction hob or gas hob. But which one of the three is best for you and what is the difference between a ceramic hob with heating elements or an induction hob?
Whilst shopping for a new hob for my kitchen, a question that came to mind as I looked at the various hobs available was, do I want a ceramic hob or an induction hob and the difference between these two hobs. I know there is a difference between a ceramic and induction hob but I had never really bothered to look further into the matter until I was buying new cookware and was asked what type of hob I had.
Conventional hobs that use heating elements waste energy.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CERAMIC AND INDUCTION HOB
They might look the same at first glance and, apart from the cost, and you will come to understand why there is such as big difference as you read on, the main difference between a ceramic hob and induction hob is how they use energy to cook food.
A ceramic hob has coiled heating elements under the ceramic glass top that heat up to cook food. An induction hob has no visible heating elements and doesn't use conventional energy to heat up food, instead, an induction hob uses electromagnetism to heat up the base of a pot or pan rather than heat the ceramic glass. This means that the hob does not become hot during the heating process but the pot or pan does. which means a precise amount of energy is used to heat and no energy is wasted..
FASTER AND MORE ECONOMICAL
Because an induction hob heats the base of a pot or pan, no energy is wasted as it would be with a heating element. Heat is applied directly to the base of whatever size of pot or pan you are using. This method of heating is also much faster than a heating element, although not quite as fast as using a gas hob.
Pots and pans with an aluminium or copper base, or glass cookware, will not be suitable for use on an induction hob.
BUY THE CORRECT POTS AND PANS
When installing or using an induction hob you can only use pots and pans that have a cast iron base or other magnetic-based material such as stainless steel. Not all pots and pans are manufactured using these materials on the base, so you need to check before you buy that the set you are interested in purchasing can be used on an induction hob.
GOOD TO KNOW: A quick and easy way to determine whether or not your pots and pans will be suitable is to hold a magnet against the base of a pan; if there is a magnetic force, you can use on an induction hob.
HOW AN INDUCTION HOB HEATS POTS AND PANS