Grow Your Own Magazine

Gonna have to bite the bullet (well bite the credit card!) and buy a free-standing electric cooker - it might be years before we're able to afford a new kitchen and seperate hob & oven, boo-hoo!

So has any one any recommendations for all electric slot-in cookers? How fast do 'fast ceramic' hobs heat up? Would it be worth looking for a cooker with a halogen zone, how much quicker is halogen?

Any brands to buy/not to buy?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Sorry Manda, can't help with what brand of cooker to buy but I did have (when in UK and didn't have a gas supply) a halogen cooker and imho they are much faster and more responsive than the normal electric cookers hob wise. We were left an induction hob wen we bought this house - pauvre nous!

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

MIL has a halogen hob - not as controllable as gas but responds a bit quicker than ordinary electric. I can't get to grips with it though and boil stuff over all the time (which I never do at home with gas) and end up in the bad books coz you have to be soooooo careful about things getting burned on to the halogen surface (so she says). Do you prefer electric to cook on? If not, get a gas one!!!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

? does that mean 'poor us'? We want to buy a place in France eventually, (very bloody eventually the way things are going, but....!!!!) and I have one of those little electronic dictionary translators, its very good but still relies a little on the nouse of the user (oh oh! )

Surely though with an induction hob you won't be able to take advantage of all those gorgeous copper pans? Whereabouts in puy-de-dome do you live if you don't mind me asking?


Can't get gas shirl we're in the middle of Wiltshire countryside, where the only gas is from the cows! I have wondered about lpg for a gas hob but not sure where the bottles would go as I think there's now lots of h&s regs?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

My mum had a calor bottle at the back of the house and a hole drilled through the wall which the copper gas pipe went through. Even with new regs I think the bottle just has to be a certain distance from the house.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I found cleaning a ceramic hob was a complete nightmare and would never willingly have one again! That said, you may be a more careful and conscientious cook than me!

Spot on Manda with the translation We were being ironic, bad sense of humour on our part, I guess.

Our induction hob is BRILL. We inherited it when we came here and it was just lucky that I had 1 (count it) 1, Le Cruset saucepan that worked on it. We had to go and buy a new set of saucepans for it but I don't mind a bit.

I didn't even know they existed before we came here but, I have nothing but praise for them.

I was going to write loads more but I realised that I was starting to go on, and beginning to sound like a saleswoman for iduction hobs

I'll pm you with our whereabouts but, suffice to say, we think it's one of the most beautiful parts of France - As my Dad said, it's like Devon or Cornwall in the 50's

Whatever you end up buying, make sure that it will accommodate a big jam pot so that you can make jams and chutneys etc from the wonderful recipes posted on here

Clare

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Hmm the OH is the cook and probably wouldn't be described as 'careful & conscientious'! Why is it so difficult, they look wipe clean? I've only ever used 'solid plate' electric cookers.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I think so too shirl, and our kitchen is at the front of the house, and as ex-council they have small 'open' front gardens. Shame really as the garage is to the side of the kitchen and would be very convenient.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I knew you were Clare, I was just having a 'dig' at your good fortune by pointing out that every silver-lining has a cloud! I've always fancied getting some posh copper pans to hang up (and maybe use) in a farmhouse-style kitchen, so induction is I believe a no-no?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

The 'difficult' bit for me was that any tiny (or not so tiny) splash and spill that occured whilst the hob was on, immediately became welded to the surface and you're not supposed to use any abrasive cleaners. It's not impossible to deal with of course, just harder work than I found at all interesting or entertaining!

Jings. I've had a ceramic hob for the past 25 years. All I ever do is give it a wipe over, or if burnt on, a spray and a wipe with a scrubby sponge. All goes well on the same hob for 25 years.
Maybe there are advantages on gas hobs in terms of controlability (don't know) but nothing can be easier than cleaning a ceramic hob. Jings - I'm seeing that gas cooker now - nightmare, take the thing apart and nightmare. Just wipe the ceramic hob every time.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

That's the beauty of induction. Don't know how it works but it only seems to heat up the bit under the saucepan? so any spills don't seem to "weld" themselves to the plate (no heat for the welding process). Mine is beautifully clean and I can assure you it has nothing to do with me managing to avoid spills :

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

We have a halogen hob on our free-standing cooker(second hand-80 quid) and I find it very effective.
As for the cleaning bit,I wipe it over with a damp cloth when I have cooked anything splashy and never look at it with my glasses on!!