What is Induction Cooktop Technology?

Working with magnetic fields rather than elements, the heat is transferred directly to the food itself, so it is the contents of the pan that heats up, not the cook-top.  This technology has a distinct safety advantage because the cooktop itself does not become hot, this is great if you have young children.

Once the pan is removed, the energy transfer stops, therefore minimising the risk of accidental fires caused by leaving the stove turned on.  During the cooking time, approximately 90% of the used energy is converted into heat, resulting in a method which is about twice as fast as conventional cook-tops and a reduced energy bill.

With only one piece of glass, no elements, and no trim, cleaning is a simple, easy wipe away.

Induction cooktops come with advanced features, such as stand by, non-operating mode, auto stop function, automatic scanning functions and small objects detector. They are also available as portable units.

Pots and pans made of iron, enamel steel, certain stainless steels and types of glass cookware with metal bases can be used successfully.

Why choose a Gas Cooktop?

The design, innovation and efficiency of gas cooktops have improved over the past years, with changes such as; pilotless ignitions have eliminated the need for a constant pilot light and can save as much as 50 percent in energy use.  Also the ease of cleaning has improved with sealed surface burners and upswept cooktops.

The addition of a wok burner will bring out the gourmet in you. Gas cooktops are more suitable for specialty cooking such as woks because they use an open flame, so you can better observe the flame and control your results.

An important advantage of gas cooktops: changing from electric to gas cooking can save around half a tonne of greenhouse emissions per household each year.

Why choose an Electric Cooktop?

Electric cooktops use two types of heat:

• The standard coil burner is the traditional electric Cooktop, where the coil sits above the surface of the cooktop.  It provides precise, steady cooking heat and the elevated elements accommodate a wide variety of cookware.  The open exposure of the heating element makes it vulnerable to spills from over-boiling pots and other cooking messes, but drip pans capture spills and are generally easy to access, remove, and clean.  Some models have deep porcelain drip pans, which retain their luster longer.  Drip pan accessibility and ease of cleaning are important maintenance features on coil burner models, so ask your salesperson about these features before you buy.
  

• Ceramic cooktops are versatile, economic and a popular cooktop choice.  The heating elements are contained under a plate of ceramic glass, which presents a modern and stylish look that is exceptionally easy to clean. The flat, uninterrupted surface provides extra bench space or preparation areas when the cooktop is not in use. Ceramic cooktops provide rapid heat transfer with speed and temperature control, allowing you to heat food quickly and evenly - ideal for every kind of cooking.  

There are some extra features that are also worth considering, these are:

• dual circuit elements, which allow you to select only the inner circle when heating a small pot, thus saving energy.
• automatic boiling,
• safety features, i.e. child locks,
• timer functions.