Which is better. An electric or induction hob? Features, differences, pros and cons of
Electric and induction hobs have long become an excellent replacement for gas analogues. However, in order to choose the right model with which it will be comfortable to work, it is important to know about the principle of operation, features, pluses and minuses of various devices.

Functional, ergonomic and stylish hob. The dream of every housewife.
Thanks to the variety of devices presented, customers have the opportunity to purchase a high.Tech and reliable device, which will fully comply with the requirements of experienced consumers.
The only problem is which model to choose: electrical or induction, as well as what their differences.
Features of operation
Which hobs will look better in the kitchen. Electric or induction? The difference between them is the following nuances:
- Features of the operation of devices;
- Use of suitable dishes;
- Work safety;
- Heating speed;
- Efficiency of the cooking process;
- Easy to care.
The main difference is the principle of operation of both devices. The electric stove will first heat itself and only then heat to the dishes located on it. The induction embedded in the technique of the same name works diametrically opposite: a coil that activates magnetic currents in the dishes itself is located under the working surface of the hob. This leads to the fact that only pans and pots heat up, you can not be afraid to burn yourself. There is a difference in many other factors.
- The previous difference between the induction stove indicates the use of a certain dishes, which has the properties of magnets. To save the budget, ferromagnetic stickers are also suitable, which “sculpt” on the existing household utensils. But the electric stove is “favorable” to any types of pots and pans. They can be covered with both aluminum and enamel.
- The induction stove is much safer than usual. It will not turn on until the dishes are installed on it. Over, the latter should be complete.
- Another significant competitive difference is the speed of cooking. The induction version definitely wins here. The answer is again in the features of the work: the panel does not need to warm up for a long time to the desired temperature, thanks to the actions of electromagnetic vortices, everything happens much faster.
- Since both types of equipment eat from the mains, the induction method of cooking is much more economical. Calculations show that in this case it is spent 1.5 times less than electricity. Read more about the consumption of electricity stove here here.
- If food enters the surface of the electric stove, with untimely cleaning, it will be much more difficult to get rid of traces of cooking in the future.
So, the induction panel will differ first of all, no matter how strange it sounds, with its mind. It will distinguish just as much heat as necessary to warm up the dishes of the desired diameter.
The advantages and disadvantages of induction stove
The main advantages of equipment of this type include:
The efficiency of such a device reaches 90%, while in a traditional gas stove it does not exceed 60%, in glass.Ceramic. 50%, and in electric. 30%.
Very high efficiency: about 90% of all the released heat heats directly food.
This concentration allows you to save time: the pan is buried faster than on an electric stove, therefore the dish is cooked faster. If the plate works a shorter period of time, then the energy is spent less.
Reducing time costs for cooking.
It is achieved due to the fact that the cooking process begins immediately after installing a pan or pan on the stove.
If you accidentally put the fork on an active burner, it will remain cold. Therefore, even the stove turned on will not harm children and pets.
The induction stove consumes much less electricity than a standard electric stove.
One of the main advantages of the induction stove is its efficiency.
According to their cooking technology, induction plates save not only time, but also electricity. The stove consumes energy several times less than any other.
This is due to the fact that the heating of the configuration of the pan allows you to choose the optimal mode that provides minimal electricity consumption. That is, the plate is automatically adjusted to the diameter of the bottom of the pan and heats only the necessary area of the coating. The stove will not start working without dishes on it.
Over, if the pan or pan is empty, the stove will also not turn on. By the way, heating objects, the diameter of which is less than 12 cm, is blocked by a special sensor. Therefore, if on the stove they accidentally left a spoon, fork or knife, they will not be heated and the dangers will not be burned.
In the process of cooking, the device heats only the bottom of the dishes, but not the burner, so if food gets on the panel during cooking, then it does not burn and liquidated by a napkin or soft sponge without much effort.
The induction stove does not get out of excess heat, so there is no increase in air temperature in the room.
Automatic shutdown of an unused device.
If you remove the pan from the stove, then the equipment is turned off. This ensures the maximum safety of its use.

This is especially important for those catering enterprises in which cooking is performed before the eyes of customers.
- Sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation;
- The need to use special dishes;
- The fragility of the glass.Ceramic panel.
It is worth remembering that the desktop induction plate compared to gas and electric has a higher price.
It is possible that you will not be satisfied with a specific sound accompanying the work of the induction stove. In some cases, users do not withstand this buzz and noise, it interferes with it.
Which plate is higher than cooking the dish and why
On this issue, users of both models have already conducted numerous experiments. Some of them are published in various sources. I will give only two examples of such studies.
In the first case, the same volume of water boiled after 3 minutes 35 seconds on the induction panel and after 5 min 30 seconds. At the electric.
I simply show the results of the second test with a picture. Natural gas still participated here.
Such information can be easily found on forums where the advantages and disadvantages of induction plates and their analogues are discussed. In all these experiments, the first place is occupied by Induction Top.
She always works faster than her prototype with resistive heating elements. At the same time, not only electrical energy is saved, but also the time to cook food or other classes is released.
And this is explained only by the fact that the heat that is released in the bottom of the dishes immediately affects the processed food, bypassing any intermediate elements.
And in this obvious advantage one of the disadvantages of cooking culinary delights is hidden.
For example, fast cooking soup with pieces of solid products on induction will lead to the broth to boil accelerated, and everything else will slow down the cooking. You will have to reduce the heating power, increase heat treatment time.
We pay attention to another important point that affects the heating rate of the model under consideration. The photo below shows: how the high.Frequency coil zone really works.
In a pushed frying pan, the water boiled only in the place where vortex currents of Foucault are induced. The rest of the dishes heats the products only due to heat transfer from this site.
Therefore, manufacturers always denote the working area with concentric lines. The optimal heating will only occur when the boundaries of the bottom of the pan or pots with the applied designations coincide.
The dishes should be correctly selected and accurately installed along the lines applied by the manufacturer of the marking.
I will not hide that among non.Honest manufacturers there are cases when the boundaries of the working area are specially shown by an increased diameter. This allows you to sell low.Quality goods at an inflated price.
It is not difficult to recognize this trick: just observe the picture of the start of boiling water, as in the photo above. If the pan closes the entire space of the drawn circle completely, and the air bubbles are not released evenly and only from the central circle, then the deception is evident.
When frying meat or fish dishes on such a plate in the central part of the pan, the food will be burned, and the heat is not enough for its normal cooking. Over time, deformations will arise in such a bottom due to its uneven heating.
When the dishes are less than the area of the heating zone, the high.Frequency magnetic field does not work effectively. I show the next photo the process of boiling water in a pan with a reduced bottom area and pieces of ice located nearby.
Water boils, but the ice does not melt. This indicates that the glass.Ceramic surface of the panel does not heat up, and heat is created only inside special ferromagnetic dishes.
Comparative characteristics and differences
In order not to make a mistake in choosing a device, you need to pay special attention to the main technical parameters and differences of glass.Ceramic and induction models.
It is most convenient to make a comparison and see what is the difference using a small table.
Characteristics | Glass.Ceramic slab | Induction cooker |
Heating speed | The installed dishes are heated for a couple of minutes | Dishes heat up in just a few seconds |
Dishes | The ability to use dishes of completely different shapes without mechanical damage | The use of exclusively dishes with ferromagnetic properties and a perfectly smooth bottom |
Control | Mainly mechanical inclusion and regulation, but sensory | Automatic inclusion and convenient sensory regulation |
Security | There is a little probability of getting a burn, but the unit is safer than gas analogues | The device is absolutely safe for young children and animals, but not recommended for use by people with pacemakers |
Economy | Increased electricity consumption | Minor electricity consumption |
Cleaning | Regular cleaning is carried out without much difficulty, but complex pollution and old spots are removed worse | Pollution is easily eliminated with a soft sponge and non.Abrasive detergent |
Noise | Work with a reduced level of sound support | Perhaps a quiet buzz |
Efficiency | 60% | 90% |
Parameters to which you need to pay attention when choosing
We will figure out the main parameters, which you need to pay attention to the purchase of an induction stove.
Dimensions and type of structure
- Separate ones.These are relatively large products that combine the hob and ovens. As a rule, 4 burners are located on it. In a small kitchen, such plates take up a lot of space and require special powerful wiring.
- Built.In.The hob is equipped with a control unit and integrated into a kitchen set. There is no oven, if desired, it can be built separately. The size and appearance of the plate can be anything, not necessarily a square.
- Compact.These are portable small surfaces that have 1-2 burners. As a rule, cooking is no longer required, so they are widely popular. Despite the small size, they have all the functionality as large models.
Induction Energy Experiments
The number of temperature conditions
The number of temperature conditions on advanced models can reach 20 options, in ordinary models there are approximately 10-12.
The wider the possibility of adjusting the heating power, the better, because you can achieve exactly the temperature that is needed to prepare a particular dish.
The number of burners
Traditionally, the plates are equipped with 4 burners, but in most families, so many surfaces are never used.

For preparation for a family consisting of 1-2 people, 2 firepower will be quite enough. Even for a large family, no more than 3 are usually used.
It is useful to have burners of different diameters to warm up well both dishes of small diameter and large.
Panel material
Hobs are made of two materials. Glass ceramics and hardened glass.
Outwardly they are almost no different, but have different quality. Hardened glass is less demanding to care and it is more difficult to spoil it.
If the surface still breaks, then it will not fly into small pieces, but is covered with cracks. You will need to pay more for such material than for glass ceramics.
Power usage
Despite the fact that induction plates have great power, unlike electrical and gas devices, they consume the least electricity.
Need to know! This is due to the fact that the working surface quickly heats the dishes, respectively, the cooking time is significantly reduced.
The more powerful the induction stove, the less electricity it will spend.
Electric and gas stoves take time to heat their working surfaces, then the air between the stove and dishes, and then the dishes itself.
Useful tips
Choosing an induction stove, it is useful to listen to the following tips.
- When choosing the size (number of firewood) induction, it is necessary to take into account the volume of cooking and the area of the kitchen. The larger the family, the more you need a stove. Most often, buyers stop on 3-4 fireplace panels, with one of them a large size and power. Different diameter of the burner allows you to prepare coffee in Turk and something large-scale in a large pan.
- The higher the class of emergency efficiency, the less electricity accounts will come. It is better to take a plate at least a, or a class.
- Sensory management is convenient and practical. The control panel is usually built into the surface itself, without protrusions in level. Removing such a plate is very simple, there is no need to clean the buttons and regulators, just wipe the entire surface.
- To get a guaranteed high.Quality technique, it is better to take it from the manufacturer, who specializes in the necessary form. Good induction plates are produced by electrolyux, Bosch and Zanussi. From the “relatives” standing kitchen technique is at Kitfort and Gefest (Belarus).
- Security and protection options are a big plus, and in a family with young children. A real necessity.
Sensory control of the plate is convenient
Induction Hob (Cooktop) Pros & Cons | Is It The Best Choice For You?
What to look for when buying
It is easiest to determine the type of stove, but it’s not always easy to understand modifications and additional options. What should you pay attention to when choosing a good induction panel?
- The number of firewood. It can be different, it is worth determining what is optimal.
- The number of cooking modes can vary in a large range, the average value is 15.
- The size. For many dimensions of the household appliance, I play an important role, if there are not many places in the kitchen, you can look at portable or built-in 3 fireplace models, they will be quite stylish and will allow other kitchen household items nearby.
- Boost intensive heating function is useful for those who live in a hard rhythm. It will allow you to quickly heat the kettle, water for soup or pasta.
- The functionStopgo function makes it possible to suspend the cooking process for a short period of time.
- Maximum cooking time. Often it is limited to 3 hours, which goes against some recipes. Naturally, the cycle can be extended, and the device will continue to work.
- Switching modes. Not every induction surface will establish different modes on different burners, most often, such an option is absent in budget models.
Understanding what an induction stove is, what options can it possess, it is quite easy to make the right choice in finding a new kitchen slab. Comparing the induction and traditional electric stove, you can identify the pros and cons of both options. In general, induction hobs have an intuitively understandable intensity, a number of security systems and convenient cooking modes.
Which plate to choose: induction or electric?
If we talk about the stoves, you can easily buy electric stoves with heaters of any type, but induction separate stoves are found on sale much less often and are represented by only a few models. Therefore, when buying a slab with an oven, you will have to choose from what is, and in most cases it will be an electric stove.
A great option for solving this problem is to make a small repair in the kitchen, install a nice set and buy an built.In induction surface and oven for it. Maybe it is the updated kitchen and convenient preparation zone that will inspire you to culinary achievements and will bring joy.