If you are a working professional living in an urban center struggling to maintain a healthy diet, you know how important a quick, delicious home-cooked meal is. Often, working professionals have to rely on takeaway or instant meals as they do not have the time to cook a nutritious meal at home. However, there is an answer to their prayers – an induction hob!
Yes, adding an induction hob to your kitchen is a good decision. If you are planning on buying an induction cooker, we bring you an overview of things you must remember when purchasing one.
How do Induction hobs work?
Before going any further into what you should remember when buying a hob, you should have a brief idea of how these devices work.
Induction hobs use the physical principle known as Faraday’s law. A magnetic field is generated between two surfaces: the plate and the base of the utensil. This magnetic field becomes heat which is transferred into the ferromagnetic surface of the diffuser base of the kitchenware. Hence, one of the most important things to remember when buying an induction hob is that it will require specific utensils that work both on these hobs and a gas stove.
The benefits of owning an Induction Hob
Inductions hobs are an excellent economic investment. They require less electricity. They also reduce your cooking time as they heat up items faster than gas stoves. This is why induction hobs are an excellent investment for your kitchen.
Below are 5 benefits of owning an induction hob:
- Safe: These devices are ideal if you have children or elderly people at home because the heat is only transmitted between the plate and the bottom of the pan or pot. This means that if you put your hand on the top of the pot, you will not get burned.
- Easy to clean: In case you spill food on the induction plate, it does not get dirty. You can clean it easily unlike gas or glass-ceramic cookers where the food burns and/or sticks.
- High speed: As explained in the theory above, the way induction cookers work makes them heat up very quickly. The time taken is approximately half of other electric heat sources. This makes them more efficient than gas stoves which also require a long heating time to work properly.
- Low consumption: The cost of electrical consumption of an induction hob is much lower than that of a glass-ceramic hob (approximately less than half). Similarly, they can have lower consumption/cost than that of a gas stove.
- Ecological: Using induction hobs is environmentally friendly. Thanks to the low consumption of electricity and no consumption of gas, they are great for the environment. For households that are ecologically conscious, these hobs are the best option. They provide the exact right balance of taking less time and using less electricity or gas, which is a great combination for users.
What to keep in mind when buying an Induction hob
Are you looking to buy a new induction hob but don’t know where to begin? You could be upgrading from having just a gas stove or changing your older induction hob. Either way, you definitely would want the best induction cooktop for home use. Before you shop for an induction hob, keep the following things you should keep in mind-
Dimensions: The most usual size is a width of 60 cm with three cooking zones so you can make multiple dishes simultaneously. They are also available in 80 or 90 cm sizes. These are generally wide and can have one or more burners. You can pick the dimension of your preference based on the size of your kitchen and how often you believe you will use your induction hob.
Power levels: The greater the number of power levels and options, the greater the degree of precision by which you can control the power. ‘Power level’ here stands for the temperature at which the food will be cooked and must be adjusted based on the food you are making. The device can have a touchscreen keypad or buttons for you to click to modify the power levels on the basis of your needs.
Timer: Having a timer on your cooking device is an essential feature in today’s day and age, where most people don’t have the time to stand around waiting for their food to be ready. You can safely choose an appropriate amount of time to cook your dish and leave it to prepare while you do other chores or relax.
Guarantee: Most gadget companies these days offer a guarantee and a warranty to their users. Remember to check for the same and pick a hob on which you get a sufficient amount of guarantee/warranty.
Finishes: For many users, aesthetics are important, and having a device that matches the kitchen’s decor is essential. Depending on the model, your hob can be flush or raised on the countertop, with stainless steel or metallic glass finish. They also come in different colors and therefore, keep the finishing in mind when buying an induction hob for you.
Flexible features of some models: Different models offer different features. These include an option to boil milk, make certain bread, fry vegetables among others. Also, there is a difference in how many hobs are in one induction cooker as mentioned above. These hobs can be of different sizes just like gas stoves. This means you can utilize big and small pots at the same time.
