Do you choose ceramic or induction? It’s the question an employee of a large electronics store once asked me. For a moment I was tongue-tied and didn’t know exactly what to say, because what is really the difference? Fortunately, the employee was kind enough to explain it to me. Now that I know the difference, it is my turn to explain it in this blog.
Do you choose ceramic or induction?
That we are all going to get rid of gas in the Netherlands seems obvious by now. More and more new-build homes are no longer supplied with gas at all, so the only option is to go electric. But here the question – ceramic or induction – is indeed in place. Which is better? Which is more user-friendly? And which is better for the climate now?
Similarities and differences between ceramic and induction
The similarity between the two cooking systems is, of course, that they both run on electricity. The only difference is that where a ceramic cooktop uses heating elements with infrared or halogen lamps, the induction cooktop cannot actually be called a heat source at all. This is because the induction cooktop uses a magnetic field.
How does a ceramic cooktop work?
A ceramic cooktop is a glass plate with elements underneath that can heat the pan. Actually, you can put any pan with a flat bottom on this and you can prepare your food with it. Depending on the quality of the cooktop, you can control the temperature and set the time that such a plate should be hot.
How an induction cooktop works
An induction plate works very differently. There are no heating elements in the plate, but is more of a device that generates a magnetic field. The bottom of the special pans for this plate is magnetic and the small particles of iron vibrate to the point that the pan itself becomes hot. The pan gets hot, not the glass.
Warm-up time
One of the biggest advantages of the induction plate is that the contents of the pan boil quickly. With the ceramic plate, it really does take a lot longer for the pan to finally heat up and for something to come to a boil. On average, a liter of water boils about 40 percent slower.
Spill
Because the cooktop gets very hot, spilled food on a ceramic cooktop will quickly burn in, which is not so good for the plate. With induction, the plate does not get hot, so you can wipe up spilled food very easily without it being able to destroy the glass plate.
Safety
Whereas a ceramic plate often has to cool down for minutes, the induction plate is not hot at all when you take the pan off. So no child can burn themselves on the hob (only on the pan bottom) and neither can you. So always be careful with the ceramic plate when you have already put the pans on the table.
Cost
The glass plate with ceramic is often much cheaper than an induction cooktop, but because it is more expensive to use, the final cost will come closer and closer together after a number of years. Also, the connection costs with an induction hob are lower because a dedicated electrical group is not always needed in the meter box. Also keep in mind that the induction plate requires special pans. Not every pan from your old kitchen can still be used.
Which one to choose now
Although after all these years I still haven’t figured out what exactly is better for the wallet – it’s different with every model – that the induction hob is generally more energy efficient, safer and faster seems to be a fact. The choice is now yours.
Note: if you have a pacemaker, an induction hob is not recommended. This is because you will be sensitive to electromagnetic fields.