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Gas or electric?

(41 Posts)
grannyrebel7 Thu 02-Sept-21 21:18:58

I'm going to buy a new cooker and hob, but have a dilemma. At present I have an electric oven and gas hob. Looking at the new gas hobs they don't look any different from the one I've had for 17 yrs whereas the electric ones look very sleek and modern. However as I'm not used to an electric hob would I like it as much as gas and would I get on with it?

V3ra Thu 02-Sept-21 21:29:09

We have an electric induction hob and I love it.
It is a lot faster and more controllable than a previous gas hob, or indeed a previous electric ceramic hob
It's also far easier to keep clean, as it's basically just a sheet of black glass!
An induction hob needs pans that will attract a magnet; some of mine were ok, some needed replacing.

aggie Thu 02-Sept-21 21:29:11

We had a break in electricity supply today , just as I was about to heat my lunch time soup in the microwave ! The gas hob saved the day ! I had an electric hob temporarily but never got on with it
I’m sure someone will put the other side soon

Charleygirl5 Thu 02-Sept-21 21:31:37

A few years ago I had an electric hob and it was so slow to heat up and cool down I exchanged it for a gas hob. Times have changed and they may be better now but I doubt it because my newish electric oven takes forever to heat to eg 220 degrees.

MawBe Thu 02-Sept-21 21:34:14

Gas is on the way out though isn’t it?
We are all going to be encouraged (and/or incentivised) to go for heat pumps instead of gas boilers and electric induction hobs and electric ovens instead of gas cookers.
I would definitely go for the induction hob, so much easier to clean and I believe more economics. (Not hard to get used to either)

MawBe Thu 02-Sept-21 21:56:40

“Economical” oops!

SpringyChicken Fri 03-Sept-21 07:08:28

I changed from gas to an induction hob fourteen years ago and wouldn’t change back. It’s quicker than gas to cook with, just as responsive and so much easier to keep clean. The kitchen does not become hot like it did when the gas hob was on.
One drawback though, it is more likely to break down than gas. Gas hobs seem to last forever. I’m on my second induction hob.

kittylester Fri 03-Sept-21 07:20:54

If you like gas, go for it. I think new gas hobs will be able to cope with the natural gas/ hydrogen mix that is proposed to replace the current gas supply.

Katyj Fri 03-Sept-21 07:51:17

Oh I love my induction hob. Only had it a couple of years and it did take a bit of getting used to because it’s so fast. So much cleaner than gas.

Lincslass Fri 03-Sept-21 07:54:45

Love my induction hob, Gas previously, but wouldn’t change back. New hob faster, easier to control, and much easier to clean. New electric oven heats up faster too.

Grammaretto Fri 03-Sept-21 08:17:23

I'm listening closely to this discussion.
My gas Rayburn was condemned a few months ago and I have yet to decide what to do about cooking.

I have an electric ring, a microwave, a kettle and an immersion for the water but as MawBe says, gas is on the way out and will we will probably be fined or put in prison if our old faithful cookers are still going in 10 years time.
I much prefer gas, having tried alternatives in holiday homes over the years.

Maybe I should turn the kitchen into a hotel lounge suitable for eating takeaways and forget about cooking!

The electrician suggested I buy an old electric range, with gas hob, which has been knocking about in his garage after a customer had their kitchen revamped.

Don't you need special pans for an induction hob?
Please let me know how you get on grannyrebel and why you are changing?

Greyduster Fri 03-Sept-21 08:31:51

We changed a gas job for an induction and have never looked back. Very fast and super clean (no pan racks or burners to clean - just a quick wipe over). Yes you will have to change your pans to ones that are induction compatible if yours aren’t, but most modern pans are compatible and are not expensive these days.

glammanana Fri 03-Sept-21 08:34:25

I have used both over the years and find my electric induction hob just the best I have ever used,its so clean and easy to use I can turn off the cooking and it will carry on cooking for a good 15mins saving me money all the time.

Shrub Fri 03-Sept-21 08:45:28

Another vote for induction hob here! For all the reasons mentioned by others.

Notinthemanual Fri 03-Sept-21 08:47:54

This is all very interesting. How do you know if the pans you own are induction compatible and what happens if you use ones that aren't?

Kim19 Fri 03-Sept-21 08:48:02

I moved to electric after many years of gas. Told by my children it was 'the way to go'! Happily it has rings which glow. I simply played with it for a couple of hours and familiarised myself with the settings. No problem at all now and it certainly is a whizz to keep clean.

maydonoz Fri 03-Sept-21 09:56:41

I also love using my electric induction hob, clean and easy to use/control. I've used gas in the past but never liked it, just trying to light it, was a problem.
NITmanual, there is a usually a sign and also it's written on the back of the saucepan to show it is suitable for induction cooking. If it's not, nothing happens, it just won't work.

Notinthemanual Fri 03-Sept-21 10:30:46

Thank you Maydonoz.

grannyrebel7 Fri 03-Sept-21 10:32:07

There's nothing wrong with my gas hob, but my oven was overheating and burning everything. Apparently the seal had gone on it. Every time I cook something the smoke alarm goes off within minutes. I have now bought a new oven, but have decided to wait a bit before choosing a hob re the environment thing with gas. Thanks for all your comments, it sounds like electric is the way to go though.

EilaRose Fri 03-Sept-21 11:10:55

Another who upgraded to induction when installing a new kitchen a few years ago. Would never go back to gas or other electric, induction (as has already been mentioned) is much quicker, uses less power (cheaper to run), doesn't get hot and wipe it over with a slightly damp cloth. What's not to like about that?

* Notinthemanual* Induction friendly pots 'n pans need to have ferrous metal, just hold a magnet next to the base and if it attaches then you are good to go. Another way is to put a small amount of water in the pot, place it on the induction unit and power on. If it's not compatible then it won't heat and you will probably get an error message/code.

Most new cookware is stamped onto the base, but if you carry a magnet when shopping for new pots 'n pans it only takes a minute to check.

Hope this helps?

Ullabirgitta Fri 03-Sept-21 11:23:14

I also changed from an electric to an induction hob 14 years ago and wouldn’t have anything else. It heats up fast, the temperature is quick and easy to regulate and so easy to clean.

Lauren59 Fri 03-Sept-21 11:26:58

I bought a 1954 all gas cooker to match the style of my house. I marvel at its reliability after almost 79 years on the job. I know it will outlast me!

annodomini Fri 03-Sept-21 12:06:24

My sons and partners have induction hobs and I would love to have one too, but my gas hob is both quick and reliable and i'm used to it. I wouldn't pay out to replace something that has stood me in good stead for 16 years.

Casdon Fri 03-Sept-21 12:13:06

I’ve got an Everhot electric range cooker with an induction hob incorporated, it’s the best ever combination for my house with open plan kitchen as it keeps it warm all year.

GillT57 Fri 03-Sept-21 13:05:43

aggie

We had a break in electricity supply today , just as I was about to heat my lunch time soup in the microwave ! The gas hob saved the day ! I had an electric hob temporarily but never got on with it
I’m sure someone will put the other side soon

This is exactly why we had a gas hob installed in our kitchen. I loved my induction hob in our previous house, really fast, smooth, sleek, easy to clean, but one day we had a major power cut, in the winter, so no heat, no hot drinks. We figured that by having a gas hob we could at least make something to eat and drink and fill a hot water bottle! We have overhead power supply and windy days, tree branches sometimes lead to outages.