cooking hob information

hi,
i'm building a new house and am putting in a kitchen. i'm looking for information on where to get an induction hob and if they are a good idea or not.
i'm also looking for information on where to get a downdraft extractor fan and if anyone has one could you let me know what its like to live with, it it loud, does it take up a lot of space that kind of thing.

Any information would be great i only found out induction hobs and downdraft extractors exist over the weekend.

I was going to go with a gas hob set in an island, now i'm just trying to find out what other options are available to me.

thanks

I don't know how good they are, I looked at them myself momentarily until I realised how expensive they are compared to say ceramic hobs. If you do decide they are for you Ikea do them http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/search/?query=induction+hob - they even do one that's half induction half ceramic

Induction hobs are great and work really well, but remember your pots have to be steel (not stainless steel)

There are some previous threads on induction hobs.

We have a Bosch induction hob and are very happy with it. I found it easy enough to get a set of Pans from debenhams and was also able to continue using pans bought in Aldi! If a magnet sticks to the base they will work. A non stick frypan was harder to get but I picked one up in Aldi. Induction is very responsive and the rings stay cool, this also means they stay cleaner than ceramic as stuff doesn't tend to burn in if it overboils (the pan heats not the ring). Safe with kids also.My only gripe is that the Bosch model we have you have to cycle through the rings to turn them on/up/down/off. Would have no hesitation in getting induction again.

I've experience with gas, ceramic, and induction hobs

Induction is my favourite.
You have all the control of gas, with none of the disadvantages of gas.

The best thing is that when you lower the heat, it's effect is immediate. This is because the induction hob does not itself get hot. It somehow transfers the heat directly to the pan without getting hot itself. It's more energy efficient than Ceramic, and your kitchen wont be so hot.
They cost a good bit more than ceramic, because they havent hit the mass market yet, but in my opinion they are definitely worth it.
You'll need t buy new pots and pans, none of my old pots and pans were compatible with induction because they were aluminum and stainless steel.
Only special pots with the induction symbol are compatible (magnetic).
The vast majority of pots and pans are not compatible, for example 95% of the pots and pans in my recent trip to tesco were not compatible.

thanks, thats a lot to think about.
what brands do induction hobs?

bluebubbles said:

thanks, thats a lot to think about.
what brands do induction hobs?

Click to expand...

Both Ikea and Bosch have been mentioned in this very thread as doing them

bluebubbles said:

what brands do induction hobs?

Click to expand...

I've Neff induction and am very happy with it, there is one with a "point & twist" control and I'm slightly sorry I didn't go for that as it would be handier than the controls I have. It's dead easy to keep clean as spillages don't get burnt on, I just use washing up liquid and then glass cleaner to shine it up.

Something that took me a while to discover is that Le Creuset pots & pans work on induction hobs, the only thing is that you have to be very careful with them as they are so heavy.

Having lived with induction for almost 2 years now I wouldn't be tempted to go for anything else.