Heya Ozb community,
I'm on the lookout for an induction cooktop, my current apartment (apt) initially came with a ceramic/hot-stove cooktop and it's kinda ass. Gas isn't available in my apt.
Doesn't heat evenly, if you turn on more than 1 stove, it 'shares'/takes away heat from other stoves which is unpredictable and very annoying.
I'm hoping an induction stove would be better, and wanna save for one, but know nothing about the space, hope some of y'all do!
Oh ya? A scheme to replace hot-stove cooktops?
No they won't.
Scheme to replace gas to electric.
Yea thought so
We swapped out a gas cooktop and a Smeg was the only one we could find to fit the cutout. It’s pretty good so far.
If I could have fitted whatever I wanted I would have given a Haier a punt.
Recently swapped out a ceramic cooktop for a Bosch 80cm Induction. Took a bit of getting used to but happy with it now.
Also, the induction cooktop must have a dedicated power cable, so cannot share the oven power supply. Check with an electrician first before you buy the cooktop.
Check with an electrician first before you buy the cooktop.
This is what I was going to say. Especially in an apartment you might not be able to 'have enough power' for one.
If that is the case, you could buy a single induction hob that will plug into a normal powerpoint as your main cooktop and the existing ceramic one only when you have to.
Thanks! Good suggestion
I bought my first single induction hob somewhere in 2008-9.
I think it was a Breville and cost $150. My best buy yet. I now have two and very rarely use my electric stove. Since I live on the coast north of Brisbane not having to use a stovetop/oven in summer, or winter for that matter, is terrific.
Electricity usage is a lot lower.
I bought a single plug in just to try and found that it did not keep temps constant esp low temps. It seemed to surge hot then off, hot then off. In my basic research via Google not many have the ability to hold a temp perfectly. If you want low temp cooking like slow cooking I really don't know where you can go. Those supposed fancy ones you see demonstrated at shows (similar to what they have on TV shopping channels) that are meant to be all things don't actually do it either. I had to press the hard selling spiv and he eventually admitted it doesn't keep low temps all that even. If you find one would love to see what you got.
Going through the installations stage myself. Needs 32amps.
Man 32amps…
Which model? I thought 15 amp was usually enough.
Fairly sure it's the Westinghouse whi643bc.
I'm just going off the salesman said - he actually stopped me the first time I was buying so I could check. I checked with my electrician and he said it was 32 amps. It previously had an electric stove connected and it's a 1970s apartment.
The manual mentions 32A in the installation section and the main cooking zone can draw 3600W. It's 16A for the two cooking zone model.
can you comment on how loud it will be? ( I heard induction will be loud sometimes).
I cant hear any noise from my cooktop
G9t a Delonghi and it's quiet. They all make a little noise, but it's negligible.
I needed a second power point for mine (new home).
You'll never want to go back to gas or standard electric once you get used to it. Especially not missing the cleaning.
Have a Siemens i70. Essentially a Bosch. Must have dedicated power supply.
I swapped out my regular cooktop with an induction.
Made sure you buy the right size for the cut of the bench ( google the cutting size/hole). they are relatively standard, and if the bench is timber and you need to enlarge the cut out then a belt sander or angle grinder is your friend.
I got my replacement cooktop off facebook marketplace.
Ikea induction for $25 brand new - guy ordered it, it arrived with a small chip (5cent coin size) on a back corner, ikea sent a replacement and told him to keep the chipped one.
an electrician (which you need to replace the cooktop) will turn off the dedicated fuse/switch at the fuse box, then lift up the old cooktop (usually held in place with some adhesive or double sided tap), disconnect the old wiring (either a plug or wire junction box), remove the old cooktop, wire in the new cooktop , and place the new cooktop in place in the cut out (usually held in place by double sided tape). then the electrician turns on the cooktop fuse/switch and tests that the cook top is working.
it's a very very very incredibly complicated process to install a new cooktop (as long as the wiring and fuse or all rated for the new stove)
"very very very incredibly complicated process"
Naah, not really. Other than run a new cable from the fuse box to the isolator, I or anyone who is handy can do it.
Being in Australia only a licenced electrician can.
sorry, I was being slightly facetious.
it is easy peasy.
but yes, requires a licensed electrician.
went over my head.
In WA, the gov't gave out free water-saver shower heads with instructions just like that.
Along the lines of "Your plumber will unscrew the old shower head and screw on the new one" (wink, wink)
Though it did go over some heads.
Man… I was hoping I could diy it to save money, I have an electrical diploma from way back when, would that cut it 😬
You can have a masters degree in electrical engineering, have designed and built the cooktop yourself, oversee the work of 200 electricians, but you are still not "allowed" to plug it in yourself in Australia.
I had my stove top (induction) replaced 2 weeks ago, as the old one didn't work any longer. It was cheaper to replace it then repair. Ordered one online, came next day. Then the electrician replaced it. Took around 20 minutes.
Doesn't heat evenly, if you turn on more than 1 stove, it 'shares'/takes away heat from other stoves which is unpredictable and very annoying
Going to happen with induction too. Problem is actually with how much current can be supplied in total and how many points you are using.
For a mains induction you will need probably a new dedicated circuit. You can buy a plug in 60cm built in from Delonghi 10A plug. You will still run into power limits.
Are you srs, big sad if true
It depends because usually 2 burners are 2000W max and 2 burners are 1500W. You can't turn all of them on max at once.
You might go to 10/10 to heat up water quickly then move it to 5/10 to maintain heat. You might be able to run 3 burners at 50% or all of them at 30%
Pretty much like car, you don't red line it all the time.
My experience is different. Can have all three jets going and it's fine. I rarely need three, though.
Bosch for value for money.
If you have money to burn, NEFF with TwistPadFire
If you have limited funds, go Ikea
Look for the power output, the higher the better.. other than that, there's not much difference between induction cooktops. Think cheap vs expensive kettle.
You will have to check if you need to uprate your cable as induction draws more power than ceramic.
Thanks!
I've had an IKEA Smaklig 4 burner induction for 8yrs. It's great, but if I were to replace it I would get one with more heat settings. The more settings the finer the heat adjustment is. Current one has 1 to 9, I often find I'd like 5.5 or 6.5.
Ohh fair, good suggestion! Good to know IKEA ones would work just fine
Ikea ones have 5 years warranty too.
Quite happy with our Bosch
those who are happy with induction, can you comment on how loud it will be?
manageable?
loud? huh?
Is that any good?
The portables I've seen are bad at low power, they pulse on and off like a non-inverter microwave in defrost mode.
It's not a high power model but I know someone who uses theirs for fried rice - way better than a regular electric cooktop. Customer reviews are generally positive.
I have the older version of that model (has a timer function) and that has become the main hob in my kitchen. So much faster and more efficient compared to our gas burners.
It pulses a little on lower power settings (1-2) but it hasn’t really affected anything we cook / not sure how that’s bad.
Been using it daily for 2 years now and hasn’t skipped a beat.
We had 2 induction cooktops blow up on us over the years which had to be scrapped. Now we've got an elcheapo Kogan non-branded one which we bought with a 5 year warranty. It is the third of the usual price and works well….
We bought a Bosch 90cm induction cooktop a few years back, and I've never had any issues.
I have a few friends who have purchased Ikea cooktops, also with no issues.
I use and recommend to get some silicone fiberglass magnetic cooktop scratch protectors.
We installed a Linaire Toulouse 6 months ago.
First time we have used induction, no complaints from us.
https://linarie.com.au/collections/induction-cooktop
Before the big jump to install an induction cook-top you might want to try the individual ones sold by Kmart at only $55.
They do work very well but their internal cooling fan is rather noisy (which could be reassuring it does work).
This cheap low cost Induction Cooker will convince you or otherwise to go (or not) full induction cooking.
My electrician suggested I simply get an ikea one. They are considerable cheaper than known brands and arent branded ikea on the glass. It has not missed a beat in 6 or 7 years. They are made by electrolux here apparently.
Is your electrician a cook? From an electrician’s viewpoint I agree (i have one - an IKEA not an electrician). From a cook’s perspective I would prefer more than the 9 step heat settings on the IKEA Smaklig. Some other brands have up to 20 settings I believe. It makes a difference when trying to simmer or pan fry. Eg 5 is not enough, 6 is too much, and unlike gas you can’t fiddle it to in between. Am I going to rip my 8yr old IKEA out though, no I get by, but when it dies I’ll upgrade. Overall it’s been great (and so clean).
When I renovated my kitchen I used an IKEA induction cooktop. They have quite a range from basic to quite featured (i.e. flexible zones). Once you have gone induction, you will never go back.
Wait for it if you are in VIC
Govt might launch a scheme to get it replaced