The Heat Is On

The latest innovations in stoves, hobs and ovens offer endless cooking possibilities, writes Guinevere Davies

- Guinevere Davies

Fast, fuel-efficient and completely customisable, cooking appliances are now tailored to meet almost every user’s needs. Whether you’re a dedicated foodie or someone who prefers to have a device do all the cooking for them, there’s a stove, hob or oven to suit.

ALL ABOUT INDUCTION

While it might not be the easiest option as far as installation is concerned, gas hobs have always topped electric in terms of speed, accuracy and eco-friendliness. But thanks to the latest technological advancements of induction hobs, the choice between gas and electric is suddenly a lot less clear.

As far as Culinary Equipment Company’s managing director Stefan Gutstadt is concerned, there are quite a few reasons to choose induction. “An induction stovetop is a fast, efficient and safe cooking method that continues to grow in popularity in South Africa. It allows you to keep the ambient temperature lower, as the integrated pan detection system only heats up when there is induction cookware present. Induction hobs also allow you to cook in a much shorter time thanks to precise temperature control and rapid temperature heating and cooling, which occurs almost instantaneously.”

Euro Appliances’ Derk Jan van der Veen agrees. “Induction hobs offer the two major plus points of speed and efficiency. With induction hobs, 90% of the energy used is directed towards cooking, whereas with gas, it’s less than 70%. As they’re made of glass, an induction cooktop is also generally easier to keep clean.”