What is better induction or electric hob

When purchasing a hob, the first thing a buyer faces is its type. In total there are 3 options for tiles - electric, induction or gas. This article is a detailed discussion of the differences between the first two devices.

In modern electric stoves, glass ceramics are mainly used. It is quite durable, has good energy efficiency and looks much more modern and stylish in comparison with its predecessor - metal pancakes located on an enameled metal surface.

Slabs of 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 a glass-ceramic coating, as well as tempered glass. The latter has a number of obvious advantages - it is cheaper, easier to clean, and even if it can be damaged, it does not fly apart by fragments, as happens with a ceramic coating. The disadvantage of the tempered glass surface is its edge.

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

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 induction current occurs. It is the reason for heating dishes.

As follows from the principle of operation, the dishes used must be made of a suitable material: ceramic or glass pans can no longer be used. The bottom of the dishes must contain an electromagnet.

By the way, today a wide selection of dishes suitable for induction cookers is offered, as well as special linings and supports for using ordinary dishes.

REFERENCE.To check whether the cookware purchased is suitable for use on an induction surface, and the corresponding designation is not visible on the package, hold the magnet to its bottom. If you feel the attraction, the dishes fit.

The induction cooker has several amenities: its surface is easier to clean, it heats up faster and responds to changes in temperature conditions. In addition, it is about 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 dishes and cooked dishes, rather than the tiles themselves.

Also, induction cookers are safer:

• First of all, they heat up much less than electric ones, and heating comes from dishes, and not vice versa, so the probability of getting burned is much lower;
• Secondly, in the stoves the function of automatic shutdown is implemented in the event that an empty pan is put on the burner or all the liquid has boiled out of it.

Since these hobs are equipped with a built-in fan that cools the surface, they, unlike electric stoves, emit insignificant noise.

Partly the advantages and disadvantages are already described in the previous sections. To summarize, what are the pros and cons inherent in each type of cooking surfaces.

Electrical panel

The advantages of the electric panel include:

• lower price than induction analogue;
• ease of installation and connection - you can completely cope on your own;
• habitual cooking dynamics;
• lack of special requirements for utensils;
• silent work;
• the ability to install in combination with other household appliances.

The disadvantages of this type of hob are:

• low efficiency - from 30 to 60%;
• high surface temperature of the device, the ability to burn yourself;
• more frequent and painstaking care of the equipment;
• lack of intellectual shutdown;
• the possibility of damage to the glass-ceramic material of the cooking surface, the presence of soot from the rest of the food, especially salt and sugar.

Induction panel

Undoubted advantages include:

• record efficiency - up to 90%;
• as a result - high efficiency during operation;
• increased safety in comparison with any other stoves, including gas;
• time saving due to significantly faster heating of dishes with food or water;
• easy surface cleaning after cooking;
• the presence of more than the hobs, the number of functions;
• a more accurate temperature regime and a quick reaction to its change in both up and down directions;
• wide selection of design solutions: a variety of shapes are available along with various color schemes.

The disadvantages of induction cookers can be considered:

• relatively high price;
• unsuitability of dishes not containing ferromagnetic material;
• the inability to use dishes that cover an insufficient area of ​​the burner - in particular, you cannot make coffee in a Turk;
• the possibility of a negative effect of the electromagnetic field on other kitchen appliances, compatibility must be considered;
• additional requirements for electrical wiring, since heating technology requires high currents in the circuit;
• low noise level.

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

The housewife, when switching to an induction model with an electric one, for the first time will experience discomfort and habit due to other cooking speeds, which at first may burn and dry. The higher the hostess's age, the longer the adaptation may take.

It is also necessary to take into account that induction cookers are not “friends” with all pots and pans, therefore when changing the appliance you will most likely have to reconsider the composition of the dishes, which can become a source of additional costs.

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

The rest of the induction technology surpasses its technological predecessor - it is more economical, functional, intelligent and safe.