When it comes to cooking, having a reliable stove is a must. Buying a new kitchen hob can be overwhelming when you haven't been in the market for some time, things have probably changed, and you have new things to consider when making your selection.
We have created a helpful buying guide to help you choose the right stove (induction or gas stove) for the way you and your family cook. Take a look at our tips below on how to buy the right induction or gas stove for your kitchen.
1. Stove & hob sizing: Things to consider
When researching for a new kitchen stove, it’s important to consider all elements of its size. You need to consider not only the width of the hob but also the number of different cooking zones it offers and whether they have flexibility.
The standard stove size is 60cm, enough for most households, however some brands offer stoves as small as 30cm, slightly bigger at 70cm and the largest being 90cm. You may look at pairing a 30cm gas or induction stove with a 60cm stove of a different type, giving you ultimate flexibility in the kitchen.
When looking at number of burners, it is common to have 4. However, you may also find other combinations below:
- 3 burners - 2 small and 1 large
- 4 burners - varying sizes with 1 having adjustable sizing between small and large
- 4 burners - varying sizes with 2 able to become 1 large zone
2. Types of stoves
Induction stove
Whilst not currently the most chosen type, induction cooktop continues to rise with it being integrated into most modern kitchen designs. With its precision in temperature control and overall efficient performance induction cooking in a lot of ways comes out on top.
>>> Read more:
Ideal for:
- Small family - large family
- Apartment living
- Rental properties
Consider these following features when buying an induction stove:
Boiling or high heat in no time
PowerBoost offers you a rapid boil or high heat in a matter of seconds, giving you more time back in or out of the kitchen.
Hands-free convenience
When selecting a new stove, it may be worth considering a new cooker hood. With modern technology such as Hob2Hood, you want to ensure you purchase a compatible cooker hood to get the most out of your new stove. Hob2Hood works with an infrared connection between the two, where the cooker hood will automatically turn on and adjust the fan speed and airflow to match your cooking.
Clean and sleek with precise control
With a flat, easy to clean surface, an induction stove offers not only a design that fits seamlessly into any kitchen aesthetic but complete temperature control with a slide of a finger.
Safety first
Kitchen safety comes before everything else. Induction stoves come with residual heat indicators allowing you to know when the stove is completely cooled and a child safety feature which locks the controls so small wandering hands cannot create mischief in the kitchen.
One touch to pause
The pause function comes in handy if you must leave the kitchen momentarily. At the touch of a button all cooking zones in active will be dropped to the lowest heat level to ensure dishes stay warm but won’t be overcooked.
No risk of outages
The Power management function helps automatically redistribute the electrical load between cooking zones when it is about to exceed the limit.
Place pot, activate controls
Isn’t it great to have the hob adapt your cooking style, not the other way around? Sensors automatically detect where pots are placed on the cooking surface and illuminate the controls.
Choose the suitable induction cooktop from our recommended products below:
- Self-sizing cooking zones adapt to your pots
- Direct touch control for every zone
- PowerBoost function to get dishes ready faster
Ceramic stove
Whilst there is common misconception that induction or ceramic hobs are the same, you will find that ceramic electric hobs generally take longer to reach the desired temperature and the heat reaction time isn’t as instant,
Ideal for:
- Medium family
- Rental property
Here are some factors to consider when choosing a ceramic hob:
Easy to clean
With a durable glass surface, a ceramic stove is easy to clean. With a quick wipe you are able to maintain your kitchen looking its best.
Touch control
The glass surface of a ceramic stove allows you to adjust your stove temperature with ease of a fingertip.
Pause when you need to
Coming with a pause function, ceramic stoves allow you to pause what you are cooking and return to the heat you were at with a touch of a button
Indicates when hot
The residual heat indicator lights up when the stove is hot during and after cooking to avoid accidents. Also, the indicator automatically switches off when the stove is safe to touch.
Choose a suitable ceramic hob from our recommended products below:
- Residual heat indicators reveal which zone is still hot
- Clever child lock to protect your children
- Independent design to let you install anywhere you want to
- Extra-large cooking zone to prepare several dishes at once
- Put your cooking on hold with the Pause button
- Oval FishZone offers perfect spot for your oval fish pan
- Oval FishZone offers perfect spot for your oval fish pan
- Power is distributed between activated zones for higher efficiency
- Put your cooking on hold with the Pause button
Gas stove
Providing rapid and powerful heat, gas stoves are popular amongst cooking enthusiasts and more traditional homes. Coming with an electric ignition, you can start cooking within moments. A great advantage of cooking with gas is a clear visualization of the heat via the bare flame.
Ideal for:
- Family
- Entertainer
- Serious Home Cook
Make sure to consider these factors below when buying a gas stove:
Flame out. Gas off.
When cooking with gas, at times the flame will unexpectedly go out. Our Flame Failure Device will automatically shut down the gas supply, allowing your family to stay safe from poor air quality.
Flexible flame control
The wide rotary knob is designed for maximum flexibility at your fingertips but still ensures precise flame control for perfect cooking results every time.
Sturdy and stable
Sturdy cast iron supports make sure that your pots and pans stay firm while cooking.
Choose a good gas stove from our recommended products below:
- Use 20% less energy while cook quicker
- Powerful Wok burner delivers extra heat for delicious flavours
- Cast Iron Grid offers durable & professional finish
- Deliver more powerful flame while save 20% on energy
- Extended pan supports give better stability for different-sized pots
- Easily adjust flame level to get the right heat
- Let you build your own tailored mix of cooking methods
- Offer 2 sizes of burner to fit different-sized pots & pans
- Easy to clean ceramic glass surface
>>> Read more: Induction Hob, Gas Hob Or Radiant Hob
3. Stove design & other considerations
Installation costs
Something to consider with any appliance purchase is installation costs or kitchen adjustments that need to be done to fit the appliance.
When looking at a gas stove, you will need to ensure you have a gas connection and whether your connection is natural or LPG ensuring the stove you choose is compatible. If you are leaning toward induction cooking in your kitchen you will need to assess whether you have enough amps to power an induction stove.
New cookware investment
Most modern cookware is induction friendly, however, there are still a lot out there that are not. This may mean that you need to purchase new pots and pans.
Before you do the mental calculations of the extra costs grab a magnet and see if the base of your pots and pans attracts the magnet, if they do you should be cooking with induction in no time.
4. Support & service
We have a Customer Care team available to assist you over the phone seven days a week, and a national network of experienced technicians and selected service agents. Offering a fixed price guarantee with no additional hidden labour costs, giving you peace of mind that your appliance is in good hands. Click here to contact customer care.
Stove & hob FAQs
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What is an induction stove?
An induction stove is an electromagnetic flat surface stove that ensures fast heating using direct induction heating of cooking vessels. It is a seamless, cost-effective, and time-efficient stove.
With induction stoves, the heat is instant as your pan is heated by a magnetic field instead of a flame or electric element. This makes the pot or pan the heat source not the stove surface, allowing it to heat up faster and create a safer cooking environment for you and your family. -
How does induction cooking work?
When a suitable cooking pot or pan is placed on top of the induction stove an electric current is passed through a coil of copper wire that is located underneath the ceramic plate.
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Do I need new pots and pans?
To ensure your pan is compatible with an induction stove it needs to have magnetic capability. This can be simply tested by placing a magnet on the bottom of your pan to see if it attracts, if so then your pan should work on the stove.
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Is induction cooking better than gas?
Cooking with induction gives you precise temperature control. It is more precise than gas or electric counterparts. Not to mention the flexibility to accommodate different types and amounts of cookware (pots and pans with magnetic capability).
Induction cooking is also highly efficient because very little heat energy escapes-unlike with an open gas flame, the heat goes around the cookware and just a minimal residual heat is left when you remove the cookware. -
How do you clean an induction stove?
These are simple tips to clean and maintain an induction stove:
- Make sure you switch off the stove before cleaning.
- Let the stove cool down before cleaning.
- Dab a small amount of glass ceramic stove cleaner onto the stove.
- Make use of a damp sponge to wipe away spills on the stove.
- Wipe off the stove with a clean, dry cloth.
