One of the features people look out for in this era of modern stoves is its cooking speed. This is quite an important feature you should consider when looking for a cooker.
Due to the importance of the cooking time to both the chefs and those who live a busy life it’s unsurprising that there’s a debate on which is better between the halogen and induction hob.
We’re going to look at both hobs and see if they are the same as each other, what are their differences, and which is quicker. Let’s begin by understanding what both hobs are.
What is a Halogen Hob?
Based on research on some cooking forums, there have been different definitions of the halogen hob. Some say it works some magic, others say its brilliant kitchen equipment but none of these give a clear description of the halogen hob.
A halogen hob is a type of electric hob that’s made of ceramic that uses infrared light to produce heat. This hob produces the same instant heat as gas while being electric powered. So while the halogen bulbs within the hob send infrared light, the light heats up the surface of the cookpot where your pot is placed.
What is an Induction Hob?
An induction hob is a different thing totally. This hob cooks food in a different way that involves heating your pot or pan through electrical induction. So it doesn’t cook like the halogen or gas hob rather it has within the glass compartment a coil of copper wire that receives an alternating current pressure that heats up the food when the pot is placed on it.
Each of these hobs has its advantages and disadvantages which we would consider below.
Pros and Cons of Halogen and Induction Hobs
1. Halogen Hobs
Pros
- Halogen hobs allow the use of any type of pan and pot
- It wastes no time in heating up which is far better than most electric hobs
- Easy and safe to clean
Cons
- Though it heats up easily it’s not the best when it comes to heating food quick
- This hob usually require servicing more than other electric hobs
- This cookpot transfers only 80% of the heat to the pot
2. Induction hob
Pros
- This hob is the latest technology so it heats up pan faster
- It also cools down its hob in the same quick manner
- It’s easy and safe to clean
- Uses about 98% of its heat on your pot
Cons
- Since it’s a new technology, it’s quite expensive
- You may need to buy a certain type of pots and pans
What is the Difference Between Halogen and Induction Hobs?
There are lots of significant differences between the halogen and ceramic(induction) hobs; from its speed to design to technology. We would compare both hobs in the same category.
- Speed
A halogen cookpot requires some time to enable it to heat up. This is due to its process of operation where the heating elements first get charged before it heats up your pot. So before you can cook, you have to wait a bit for the hob to heat up. You can use any types of pots and pans on this surface because of its heating elements.
The induction hob heats the pan via a magnetic field. So there’s no need for a heating element but rather it heats up your pan almost instantly. For this cookpot, you need pots and pans with a special magnetic bottom.
- Energy Efficiency
The halogen hob makes use of so much energy when it wants to heat its cooking zone. The equipment still remains hot for a while before it cools down.
The induction hob is better at managing energy because the contact is directly on the pan. If you detach your pan from its surface, it goes off immediately.
- Flexible cooking system
The heating elements of the halogen hob are fixed. The difference between them and some other electric hob is that they have elongated zones for expandable cooking zones. Because this cooking system works with heating elements you should always place them on the cooking spot for your pot to heat up properly.
For the induction hob, they have flexible cooking zones which are made up of a large cooking zone and two separate cooking zones. You can position whichever cooking zone you need with a touch of a button.
Conclusion
These are the details of the halogen and induction hobs and clearly, you can see that the induction ho is much better than the halogen hob but they’re not of the same class as the induction hub is more expensive than the halogen hob.