Has anyone got Phil Vickery's address?

How horrible Phoenix, I hope you somehow got the blinking bird cooked and were able to enjoy your Christmas dinner.

A year or two ago, I managed to blow the fuses in the entire harbour in Nijmegen while cooking Christmas dinner - that was no fun either! Happily, someone was able to sort out the problem.

To anyone considering changing from gas to an induction hob I say go for it! I was very dubious, but an induction hob is quite literally as easy to regulate as a gas one.

The only problem to start with is that you may need new saucepans and frying pans. You cannot use enamel, aluminium or copper pots on an induction hob. Anything else that has a level and clean base, plus attracts a magnet, should be all right, so you won't need to get rid of all your old and trusted saucepans.

The induction hob has the added advantage that you can set a timer on it, so you don't forget to turn things off, and if anything boils over, it switches itself off, (not sure that last is an advantage.) On our hob you can set the timer to switch on at a certain time, so food is ready when you come home! In theory, I have not needed the function.

The only disadvantage is that the hob can and probably will crack if you drop anything heavy onto it.

We bought the cheapest on the market for our boat and a slightly dearer one for the house - a friend who is an electrical engineer read the specifications and said there was no difference between the cheapest and the dearest except the price!

What a sorry saga (at least not an aga!) - ever since we discovered K.... Bronze turkeys our Xmas mornings have been transformed. They need no foil, take 2 - 3 hours to cook so no early starts and are very moist and delicious. Perhaps more expensive but cheaper than a new hob and the oven is on for less time. Hope you have a new hob soon. P.S. PV lives in our neck of the woods but I don't know the exact address otherwise I would offer to go round and let him know! Happy New Year everyone.

Hi Phoenix, have you got a working hob yet? I think that I would like an induction hob, but with a gas one, at least you can cook with an electricity power cut, ( you do need a box of matches). It also gives a light when the rings are on. So I won't be changing it just yet.

So sorry to hear about the cracked hob phoenix, so annoying.
I used to swear by gas, but when I had new equipment installed for two of my children we chose induction hobs and have had no regrets - in fact I was so impressed by them that I've replaced my own gas hob with induction. Very easy to clean, heats up super fast and is just as responsive as gas, with added extras such as being able to turn the hob on for a set period using the timer. The heat is very controllable and I find that I can use it like a slow cooker.
Sometimes people complain that they need new pans, but many of mine still worked and I got a free set of nice new steel pans with the hob. Also my old Le Creuset casseroles work like a dream.
On top of this you have the advantage that electricians tend to be cheaper than gas fitters.

First time I've tried the Vickery method. Followed instructions to the letter and timing to the minute.
Heavy roasting tray over two gas burners and straight into electric fan oven.
Perfect!
Have had a ceramic hob but don't think I'd have risked it.

I should add that I have a gas aga so I don't have Autieflo's problem with power cuts.

Hello all!

To answer some of the questions, Christmas dinner was lovely, and in fact next year I will do the Delia, but with some wine and stock lobbed in carefully added, so a new method has been created! (well, for me at least!)

We are just about able to use 2 rings of the hob, if we are careful. No one has starved!

Having looked at induction hobs, have decided that they are not for me BUT some of the new "ordinary" ones have some great features, individual timers for each ring etc! Auntieflo no mains gas here, would have to switch to bottled.

Now, this is an email I got from my wonderful local appliance specialist today ( he is going away tomorrow)

" I can get a black Amica frameless touch control hob today for £210 fitted has a 2 year warranty. Looks like what you want but not granite. Or
Hotpoint with a chrome surround for £220
I would need to know before 12 to get one for this afternoon."

How wonderful is he? If I buy one myself, he will still only charge £45 to come out & fit it (AO.COM wanted £89.99)

He has twice fixed my 12 year old washer/dryer, first time cost £45, second time £35 and he was here less than an hour and no new parts were needed!

No wonder he's in demand! (he's also the one that didn't bat an eyelid at sweeping up the mummified frog that was behind the machine last time he came out )

Phoenix, your appliance specialist sounds like he should be bottled and sold for a premium. Cherish him at all costs.

Auntieflo, he is absolutely bloody great! Been using him for years, cannot praise him highly enough. One of the few that doesn't do that "Oh well, it is over 10 years old, done pretty well, have you thought about a new one?" sort of thing.

BTW, didn't mean to post a link to ao, even though I have found them to be very good!