Neff’s Dawn Elsom discusses the advantages of induction hobs and what you can and cannot use to cook on them with a short plug for e-cloths. This was at one of the Neff cookery demonstrations held at the Anglia Factors showroom in Martlesham, Ipswich. Read more about hobs here
Induction hobs
Induction hobs are relatively new and extremely popular. It’s easy to see why, as they’re simple to use, fast, responsive, energy efficient and easy to clean. Heating the pan directly, they achieve instant, even and precise heat by creating a magnetic field between the induction element in the hob and the pan (the energy is transferred from a copper coil under the glass surface). This means only iron-based pans will work. However, energy is only used when the pan is on the surface, so when it’s removed, the hob stops, making it eco-efficient. You can even touch the hob almost straight away and, unless your hand is made of ferrous metal, it won’t get burned!
Induction hobs offer two choices of pan placement too. Either feint marks on the surface to show where your pans should go, or a zone-less option that cleverly detects where the pan is – bringing great flexibility for larger pans. The only downsides are cost, needing new pans and the potential risks of the electromagnetic field for those with a pacemaker.