Hi,

I'm new to this Forum (in fact it's the first Forum I've ever done!).

I was wondering if anyone has used an induction hob. I'm having my kitchen refurbished and want to get a new cooker. I read in a magazine that an induction hob was the most eco-friendly because it's the most energy efficient.  I've never used one though and don't know anyone else that has one. I'm quite a keen cook and about to go off on maternity leave for baby number 2 so plan to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I don't need a professional / range style cooker but do need something that is reliable and flexible enough for lots of family cooking.

Any one got any experience of this kind of hob? What make would you recommend?

Also, I hope to get a tiled floor (for easy cleaning up after toddlers) - any ideas on what to look for to source eco-friendly tiles? Which materials are best?

Hope you can help. Thanks.

Natasha DH

I'm so glad you started this thread as I too am looking to redo my currently awful falling apart kitchen. I've only got as far as asking friends who they've used as I'd like to go with a local company rather than the big chains, although the pennies (and lets face it a kitchen is alot of pennies) will obviously have to be taken into account too.  :(

I looked into them too, but my gut reaction told me that they weren't good.
I am not an advocate of microwaves, we don't have one in the house, and to my limited knowledge this is how an induction hob works. The fact that you need particular saucepans to create a 'circuit' just didn't feel right to me. There must be some kind of magnetic force working to make these work  ???

Certainly they are amazing from an eco point of view. A pint of water will boil in seconds (I had a demonstration in a showroom and it was astonishing), they are cold to the touch, they only heatthe part of the saucepan that is in contact with the hob etc but I just didn't feel easy about them…............

Starchild x

Induction hobs are the most efficient hobs available. 
The pan must be metal - any metal (most pans are!) 
would reccomend brand 'NEF' for good quality and reliability
cost £600+

If you're having under floor heating then stone or porcelain holds heat well.  The energy used in manufacturing different types of tiles is debatable as one is made in a factory and the other is dug out of a quarry. 

Good porcelain tiles would need to be imported from Italy or Spain which is not very eco friendly however they are made using sustainable materials. Saying that other natural stone tiles would come from further away like Brazil.

If I could afford it my choice would be beautiful Welsh slate (hard to get and expensive)

My fiance works in a kitchen and tile shop, thats why I know these things

Back to induction hobs, - the reason they are so efficient is they transfer energy directly into the contents of the pan. A ceramic hob heats an element which then heats a pan which then heats the food and energy is lost at every stage.

Saying this, natural gas is still the prefered choice of nearly ALL chefs.

we have vinyl tiles in the kitchen and laminate in the rest of downstairs, no idea about the eco-friendly-ness but *far* more small-child-friendly than ceramics IME.  The vinyl tiles (from amtico) have an odd self-cleaning type property.  Oh and we have UFH too, the gypsum/newspaper block with plastic piping laid in was the best solution for us at the time.

I agree, stone and tiles are 'hard' to fall on! 

A wooden floor is natural and has a nice bounce