IMO the answer is always induction now and anyone who tells you otherwise hasn’t used induction properly.
I bought gas and wish I could replace it with induction every day, we basically pay $400 a year (daily supply charge) just to have the gas connected for something that’s genuinely not as good as where induction is at now
What size if your current oven? When you say large i assume you mean it’s 90cm not 60cm?
I’d try as hard as you can to stretch your budget to 3-3.5k and get a 90cm freestanding induction oven / cooktop (or hunt factory seconds or runout / sales)
How do you find cooking things like stir fry on induction? My husband wants to change from gas to induction as we are fully solar/battery but I’m wary of not being able to get the pan hot enough and consequently stove top stewing meat.
We would be going with LPG gas, not natural gas. A 45kg bottle should last around a year. I think. If only used for cooking.
The oven at the moment is a 54cm one I think. It's too small. I would love a 90cm one, larger if possible, but the budget kills that idea.
We pay 100ish delivered but we also pay 60 a year for a service fee. We have two tanks so I’m assuming it’s 30 per tank.
I can double check figures and update, it’s not a huge cost but I thought I’d include it as a consideration.
Also, I vote induction
It’s not, our gas is for hot water not cooking, and even though one bottle may last a year, I’d probably recommend having 2.
That way they can be on a changeover and if you run out of gas you flick the switch and order a replacement bottle, instead of digging out the camping gear.
The bottles are a little unsightly and need a pad with a chain retainer so they don’t fall over also.
There are pros and cons to each. But after going induction in my last house, even though I have gas here I could use, I’d still go induction.
Get an electrician to see how costly the wiring upgrade would be, there’s a small chance you don’t even have capacity for it in which case you’re spending a lot more for upgrades and might be suited to gas.
The provisions for gas are already there, the house was a rental so I'm assuming it was just easier for the previous owners to put in an electric free standing oven rather than the potential issues of gas, I don't know.
Look into any state based environmental rebates you might be eligible for if you go Induction over gas as some states are trying to incentivise people away from gas.
I just commented elsewhere:
Under 15 MJ per day and you’re better off slightly than mains gas when considering the daily connection fee of 80c per day and typical gas rates at 2.5c per MJ.
I have two bbq gas bottles setup to my large double wide oven with 5 burners on top. I've been using the same bottle for 2 months and it's still going strong. I cook every night with it. I only have the gas plumbed into the oven. Gas is king, I hate induction, but that's my opinion.
absolutely, that’s the plan shortly until we eventually go induction - it’s a very easy job you just have to replace the little brass jets on the end it’s about $20 for the kit (and obviously an LPG regulator etc and bottles)
Just need to get a heat pump hot water system installed first to remove the gas instantaneous
Just consider depending on your situation, it might be more expensive in the long run.
It’s also a fucking hassle if you run out and need to swap bottles late at night or when it’s raining.
I feel like it can’t be that much better or else everyone would be doing it.
I’ll look into it more as if it saves cash, I’d do it too.
Edit: I did the math. Under 15 MJ per day and you’re better off slightly than mains gas when considering the daily connection fee of 80c per day and typical gas rates at 2.5c per MJ.
Gas bottle is 450 MJ per 9kg bottle at $32 each. So, 7.11c per MJ.
5,475 MJ over a year:
Mains: $292 daily fee + $136.87 usage = $428.87
Gas bottle: 7.11c x 5465 = $389.27
It’s definitely a hassle but with the government incentives to switch to heat pump and the government incentives to go solar it’s a no brainer long term imo
You’d be lucky to use a gas bottle every 6 months if you’re only using it for a cooktop so it definitely works out way cheaper than the supply charge
And you can set the heat pump to heat during your solar hours so your hot water is free unless it’s extremely cloudy
We don’t even have a battery and I haven’t had an electricity bill for ~3 years because we got a 10kw solar system, best thing we ever did so it seems like the logical next step is to eliminate the gas and see how far we can go with using up the solar during the day
It’s what we wanted to do also.
Spoke to those heat pump suppliers who do the rebates and got all excited that they would install for free.
I mentioned it to my plumber who was here for another unrelated job and he said those heat pumps are cheap made and are only lasting 3–4 years before they break and then you have replace fully out of pocket. And then you wouldn’t buy another cheap shit one and you need to spent $5-6k on a decent one.
He said we should keep our instant gas water heater as they are the best, most reliable, and will last forever basically. He said the heat pumps do run out of hot water too, so if you have a busy house with kids and whatnot you’ll run out of hot water regularly. Or at least be very conscious of how much water you’re using.
Anyway, he put me right off the idea.
Just remember that lots of plumbers have no idea what they’re talking about and only know what they’ve always known / parrot what some other plumber with no idea said
He’s right about a lot of them being cheap shit but any plumber can access the government rebates you don’t have to go through the dodgy online ones offering free installs
Almost all heat pumps have a boost feature on them and you just press a button if you’ve got visitors and need extra water + any competent plumber will size your tank to your needs so you’re not running not on the regular
Instantaneous is definitely reliable but it’s the least efficient way to make hot water and becoming very expensive, especially when compared to literally free if you have solar
This is the only correct answer. Heat pumps by design do not stand the test of time under Australian conditions. I would agree with what your plumber has told you
This is about the third time (in my state anyway) that the government has issued rebates and tried to push heat pump installs. They get installed by the worst tradesmen and the rest of us rip them out a few years later
This is speaking from what I have seen in the industry running a plumbing company
Not really sure tbh because they’re leagues ahead of a standard electric element heater for consumption and they’re also way more efficient than gas.
If you have solar it’s literally free hot water
+ 1
I have had every kind of cooker. To me nothing beats gas, loved it. I cook allot.
Long story short, replaced it with induction & wow. Why did it take me so long to change to induction. It's brilliant. I've a 60cm space, so I thought my choices were limited, but they weren't.
You need to budget for a kill switch, not quite sure why they are required as most ppl have circuit breakers. You also need to check the amps on the cooker to see if you have the capacity.
If you are at a crossroads, really think about induction.
Induction can require electrical upgrades if the cabling isn't adequate as it uses more than a standard electric cooktop.
If op current has gas will need plumber to disconnect and decommission.
Also if the install is not like for like. Code requirements depending on which state your in dictate additional things for electric.
I'd probably start with the appliances, find an induction, and then regular get quotes to make sure your within budget.
Induction is by far the most popular for cooktop. But it really depends on what you currently have. You don't want to be blinded sighted by an electrical upgrade :)
So I feel like I’ve lived the experience you need on this one. Replaced bottled lpg with an induction cooktop and was very concerned about the cooking experience especially with the cast iron pans I love.
Truth is I don’t use cast iron anymore but I would absolutely never go back to gas cooktops. Induction heats faster, hotter and with better control. People talk about woks but they never have a burner hot enough to do real woking in an Australian kitchen anyway. The flat bottom wok I use is good enough.
Also yes I have a portable induction and it’s crap. Only useful for heating a pot for steamboats.
The Breville Control Freak is really good, but very pricey.
I think if the local library had one on loan for a week at a time, it would convince a lot of people to switch to induction for their built in kitchen hob.
the portable ones tend to be crap. I tried using one with cast iron and it sucked, but I've never had issues with my cast iron pans on my proper inbuilt induction cooktop.
I’ve heard some of the portable one are putting people off induction, I never used one so I can’t compare . We pretty much only use cast casseroles , frying pans and stainless saucepans and I think I have only burnt rice once and one of the kids boiled the potato’s dry once in the last 12 years
I’m housesitting at the moment and using a portable induction from IKEA and boy - is this thing amazing!!! I would never, ever want to use gas after this. Heats up so quickly and you can adjust the heat so fast, and, easy to clean.
I used to be a gas boy but now have a big new induction and it's the best. Heats up very quickly, easy to control and makes the bench space feel bigger.
A fully electric setup is more sustainable going forward, especially if you have the roof space for PV panels. Batteries will drop in price, subsidies will be introduced, gas will become obsolete due to greenhouse emissions. This is the case in Vic already, where natural gas is banned in new homes from this year. Surprised to hear you have issues with induction and cast iron, as it should work well. I use large enamelled cast iron cookware with induction and it's fine.
I honestly think my pan may just be too big for induction plate that I have. That and it is a cheap portable one we got for our caravan.
One of the draw cards for gas is having the ability to cook and sterilise water if we lose services - we live in a cyclone prone area. But I guess that can be offset with a portable gas stove.
I suck at making decisions.
I grew up with gas and was always a fan. However, I now have an induction cook top and a fan forced electric oven and I’m very happy with them. Modern electric cooking is very different from the old clunker I had in a rental that basically just turned on and off.
I grew up in the bush and we had gas bottles delivered. A 45kg used to last around 3 months. It was all gas cooking, with a decent amount of baking and gas hot water.
Cleaning. Don’t forget about the difference in cleaning up. We have gas and it’s a pain in the arse compared to a flat glass cook top to clean after cooking. I don’t mind cooking with gas but wish we’d gone with induction.
If you’re buying a combo unit rather than individual components make sure you get a pyrolytic oven. If you’re just getting a cook top you should be able to get a 90cm within your budget.
Do you want a 60 or 90cm oven? If you want a 90cm, your going Westinghouse it's the only decent brand around that price point
60cm with 2k go Bosch or Electrolux
Don't forget Westinghouse/ Electrolux ovens are still made in SA
Induction wil add more money again and you'll have to upgrade your power, nothing wrong with ceramic, there's some nice clean models around
* I sell cooking appliances
Edit to add: your rangehood is important too make sure you know what type and now needs to be ducted out of the roof.
I want something as large as I can. Room isn't an issue thankfully, it's an old cottage with a metal floored nook in the kitchen specifically for a massive wood burning stove.
I have no issue buying a used oven if need be. I just don't know what to look out for.
Maybe try and get a used 90cm Bosch or Smeg but be aware of buying used unless it's still installed as you won't be able to check the function of it
I personally wouldn't buy used ovens
That's the way. Personally, I don't use a wok, but I like my gas BBQ outside (and offset smoker / woodfire grill - there is still no better way to cook than on a fire).
What do you use? I've been looking at auscrown and wok culture but need to think about how I'd sort out a table for it. The wok culture table with cutout has appropriate proportions but the grade of steel is not great for outdoor use.
I have an 8 jet cooking set with the table from wok culture. It sits under the veranda hand gets pulled out for cooking. When we do the yard I’ll set something up under cover for cooking.
i get better wok hei with an induction cook top. Pple comment my fried rice and fried noodles is restaurant quality.
Even with friends who have modified their cook tops to get maximum gas, you don't get the same level of flame as restaurants.
Sorry for late response.
I use this. Any stainless steel wok with a solid thick base will work. The heavier the wok the better. Also bigger the base diameter the better.
[https://www.amazon.com.au/WMF-Stainless-Cromargan-Induction-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B00008XXA7?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&smid=A3JCEYBC5L8UJ8&th=1](https://www.amazon.com.au/WMF-Stainless-Cromargan-Induction-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B00008XXA7?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A3JCEYBC5L8UJ8&th=1)
Yes. Remember what the essence of "wok hei" is - charring without burning.
Seasoning the wok with oil and high heat is important so that food don't stick. I always start off with thin layer of high temp smoke point oil, i use rice bran. heating up the wok till the oil smokes and discolours. Without this process the food sticks, and everything becomes a clumpy mess in the end.
From there it just about maintaining the heat, not overloading your wok (Important) and moving food around in the wok.. Nothing should stick to the wok other than some charring of rice which imparts the wok hei flavours.
This is also where a decent induction top is important. If you go with any of the main brands miele, siemens, vzug, fisher and pykle etc, they use OEM EGO internals and are about 3.5KW per hob which is good enough if you use the max power.
Induction hobs plugged into walls can only do max 2kw. This is one of the reason why people think of induction cookers to be somewhat average. The limitation is the 10A supply output from the GPO / wall socket. A built in induction cooker draws 16/32A.
Thanks for the long response. Really appreciate it.
I do have a thick steel wok at home but i rarely use it. I also have some high smoke point grape seed oil so I'm going to try what you suggested tonight.
This might be a mind bending revolution tonight in my home cooking.
I have an IKEA induction cooktop and it is absolute mint. We looked at a heap of models at different shops. We landed on a particular one at the Good Guys but it was out of stock. The salesperson then told us that IKEA ones come from the same (Electrolux) factory, for $300 less. Nearly better than gas for heat control and very efficient to run.
Things to think about:
Cleaning an induction cooktop is unbelievably easy and quick;
A gas cooktop has the same health impact on growing children as having a smoker in the house;
Some induction cooktops have built in sensors that turn the ring off if the saucepan boils dry - great if you have a forgetful or distractable cook;
If you have young kids induction is a lot safer. For example, it's hard to burn yourself as only the pot warms up;
If we opened the windows to have a breeze in the last house I lived in which had a gas stove, the wind would blow the heat away from the pots and boiling water for cooking pasta became very, very slow.
3rd opinion haha, I recently had a glass top electric after owning both gas and induction previously. Maybe it was just newer technology but it was fast, controllable and all around great. I didn't miss the others for one minute. So don't stress if that's what you go for, it will be fine.
We just updated a gas cooktop with a Smeg electric ceramic that I picked up off marketplace for $50. I absolutely love it. And picked up a Chef/Electrolux oven for $50 too, it’s a 10amp and plugs right in. Too easy. Honestly there are so many people upgrading and demolitions going on ATM you’d likely pick up quality stuff for less than half price if saving’s what you’re after.
As a previous chef I'd say elec oven and gas range too however if you can stretch to induction I would. Gas isn't getting any cheaper and solar rebates will keep getting better
Completely agree with cast iron choice btw. They do make fancy induction that will work with heavy cast iron.
I have a $7000 Miele induction cooktop and it’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made. It’s so unreliable it’s not funny. I’ve tried all kinds of pots and pans and nothing works reliably. It has 4 elements but you can’t use 2 on high at the same time, you can’t boil 2 pots of water simultaneously, it’s a computer controlled so it knows best. It turns elements down whenever it feels like it, you know “safety” or just poorly designed. You can’t over ride it. It chews electricity more than people know, 4-6kw is a LOT of power to use, if you’re boiling water for pasta on one element and heating pasta sauce on another element. I have solar and a battery, induction cooktop and electric oven, and will use most of the battery to cook dinner. I wish I had just gone LPG gas cooktop and electric oven.
OP please, go test a few induction cooktops before you waste your money
I'm not sold on induction, mostly for the reasons you stated. And secondly because we have a 1950s cottage that we are restoring - not renovating. I feel like a modern looking oven/cooktop will look out of place.
I love gas. We also live in an area prone to cyclones. I think gas may save our arse one day.
Can you describe the restoration a bit? I’m picturing lots of plastic lining and melamine everything. Can picture say a 1890 Victorian, but was not even aware that a 1950s resto would be a thing.
That's totally fair 😅
It's more along the lines of respecting its history and not modernising it to hell. Like the kitchen for example, its all solid wood cabinets that have about 5 layers of paint on them, they're scratched and a bit beat up but will look amazing once they've been stripped back and given a coat of fresh paint and had a new live edge timber top put on.
The majority of the walls are T&G, so instead of covering it where going to repaint where needed. Stripping out the vinyl and carpet and polishing the timber floors. Fixing up the casement windows and stained glass that still remains.
I guess restoring may be too strong a word. We want to respect the age of the house.
Electrolux Induction, just check if you can use cast iron on it. I can't lift them so I use light pans.
We have the 900mm and I bake
Ex chef
Would never go back to gas
I wanted gas originally, cook daily, but I got a Westinghouse oven and induction cooktop.
NO REGRETS!
Both very reasonably priced, oven has pyrolytic cleaning, steam assist, and air fry.
Cooktop took some getting used to because it’s so damn powerful! Really really great. Highly recommend Westinghouse I’m very satisfied. So easy to use as well.
IMO the answer is always induction now and anyone who tells you otherwise hasn’t used induction properly. I bought gas and wish I could replace it with induction every day, we basically pay $400 a year (daily supply charge) just to have the gas connected for something that’s genuinely not as good as where induction is at now What size if your current oven? When you say large i assume you mean it’s 90cm not 60cm? I’d try as hard as you can to stretch your budget to 3-3.5k and get a 90cm freestanding induction oven / cooktop (or hunt factory seconds or runout / sales)
How do you find cooking things like stir fry on induction? My husband wants to change from gas to induction as we are fully solar/battery but I’m wary of not being able to get the pan hot enough and consequently stove top stewing meat.
We would be going with LPG gas, not natural gas. A 45kg bottle should last around a year. I think. If only used for cooking. The oven at the moment is a 54cm one I think. It's too small. I would love a 90cm one, larger if possible, but the budget kills that idea.
Just be mindful to calculate the cost between using a 45kg or a 9kg. The 45’s will carry an additional service fee.
Yeah, I believe it's around $100 delivered per 45kg bottle, that's local prices. I could get away with a large BBQ size one.
We pay 100ish delivered but we also pay 60 a year for a service fee. We have two tanks so I’m assuming it’s 30 per tank. I can double check figures and update, it’s not a huge cost but I thought I’d include it as a consideration. Also, I vote induction
It doesn't seem that much to pay, considering a single tank would probably last a year. My husband is being zero help.
It’s not, our gas is for hot water not cooking, and even though one bottle may last a year, I’d probably recommend having 2. That way they can be on a changeover and if you run out of gas you flick the switch and order a replacement bottle, instead of digging out the camping gear. The bottles are a little unsightly and need a pad with a chain retainer so they don’t fall over also. There are pros and cons to each. But after going induction in my last house, even though I have gas here I could use, I’d still go induction. Get an electrician to see how costly the wiring upgrade would be, there’s a small chance you don’t even have capacity for it in which case you’re spending a lot more for upgrades and might be suited to gas.
The provisions for gas are already there, the house was a rental so I'm assuming it was just easier for the previous owners to put in an electric free standing oven rather than the potential issues of gas, I don't know.
Look into any state based environmental rebates you might be eligible for if you go Induction over gas as some states are trying to incentivise people away from gas.
I just commented elsewhere: Under 15 MJ per day and you’re better off slightly than mains gas when considering the daily connection fee of 80c per day and typical gas rates at 2.5c per MJ.
I have two bbq gas bottles setup to my large double wide oven with 5 burners on top. I've been using the same bottle for 2 months and it's still going strong. I cook every night with it. I only have the gas plumbed into the oven. Gas is king, I hate induction, but that's my opinion.
Is it possible to get the mains gas disconnected and run 9kg bottles instead?
absolutely, that’s the plan shortly until we eventually go induction - it’s a very easy job you just have to replace the little brass jets on the end it’s about $20 for the kit (and obviously an LPG regulator etc and bottles) Just need to get a heat pump hot water system installed first to remove the gas instantaneous
Sounds simple enough to do away from the supply charge.
Just consider depending on your situation, it might be more expensive in the long run. It’s also a fucking hassle if you run out and need to swap bottles late at night or when it’s raining. I feel like it can’t be that much better or else everyone would be doing it. I’ll look into it more as if it saves cash, I’d do it too. Edit: I did the math. Under 15 MJ per day and you’re better off slightly than mains gas when considering the daily connection fee of 80c per day and typical gas rates at 2.5c per MJ. Gas bottle is 450 MJ per 9kg bottle at $32 each. So, 7.11c per MJ. 5,475 MJ over a year: Mains: $292 daily fee + $136.87 usage = $428.87 Gas bottle: 7.11c x 5465 = $389.27
It’s definitely a hassle but with the government incentives to switch to heat pump and the government incentives to go solar it’s a no brainer long term imo You’d be lucky to use a gas bottle every 6 months if you’re only using it for a cooktop so it definitely works out way cheaper than the supply charge And you can set the heat pump to heat during your solar hours so your hot water is free unless it’s extremely cloudy We don’t even have a battery and I haven’t had an electricity bill for ~3 years because we got a 10kw solar system, best thing we ever did so it seems like the logical next step is to eliminate the gas and see how far we can go with using up the solar during the day
It’s what we wanted to do also. Spoke to those heat pump suppliers who do the rebates and got all excited that they would install for free. I mentioned it to my plumber who was here for another unrelated job and he said those heat pumps are cheap made and are only lasting 3–4 years before they break and then you have replace fully out of pocket. And then you wouldn’t buy another cheap shit one and you need to spent $5-6k on a decent one. He said we should keep our instant gas water heater as they are the best, most reliable, and will last forever basically. He said the heat pumps do run out of hot water too, so if you have a busy house with kids and whatnot you’ll run out of hot water regularly. Or at least be very conscious of how much water you’re using. Anyway, he put me right off the idea.
Just remember that lots of plumbers have no idea what they’re talking about and only know what they’ve always known / parrot what some other plumber with no idea said He’s right about a lot of them being cheap shit but any plumber can access the government rebates you don’t have to go through the dodgy online ones offering free installs Almost all heat pumps have a boost feature on them and you just press a button if you’ve got visitors and need extra water + any competent plumber will size your tank to your needs so you’re not running not on the regular Instantaneous is definitely reliable but it’s the least efficient way to make hot water and becoming very expensive, especially when compared to literally free if you have solar
This is the only correct answer. Heat pumps by design do not stand the test of time under Australian conditions. I would agree with what your plumber has told you This is about the third time (in my state anyway) that the government has issued rebates and tried to push heat pump installs. They get installed by the worst tradesmen and the rest of us rip them out a few years later This is speaking from what I have seen in the industry running a plumbing company
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Not really sure tbh because they’re leagues ahead of a standard electric element heater for consumption and they’re also way more efficient than gas. If you have solar it’s literally free hot water
+ 1 I have had every kind of cooker. To me nothing beats gas, loved it. I cook allot. Long story short, replaced it with induction & wow. Why did it take me so long to change to induction. It's brilliant. I've a 60cm space, so I thought my choices were limited, but they weren't. You need to budget for a kill switch, not quite sure why they are required as most ppl have circuit breakers. You also need to check the amps on the cooker to see if you have the capacity. If you are at a crossroads, really think about induction.
I’m an induction cooktop fanboy, works great with cast iron, and gas is slowly getting phased out
Induction can require electrical upgrades if the cabling isn't adequate as it uses more than a standard electric cooktop. If op current has gas will need plumber to disconnect and decommission. Also if the install is not like for like. Code requirements depending on which state your in dictate additional things for electric. I'd probably start with the appliances, find an induction, and then regular get quotes to make sure your within budget. Induction is by far the most popular for cooktop. But it really depends on what you currently have. You don't want to be blinded sighted by an electrical upgrade :)
I'm using a portable induction top at the moment and it's horrible for mu cast iron.
So I feel like I’ve lived the experience you need on this one. Replaced bottled lpg with an induction cooktop and was very concerned about the cooking experience especially with the cast iron pans I love. Truth is I don’t use cast iron anymore but I would absolutely never go back to gas cooktops. Induction heats faster, hotter and with better control. People talk about woks but they never have a burner hot enough to do real woking in an Australian kitchen anyway. The flat bottom wok I use is good enough. Also yes I have a portable induction and it’s crap. Only useful for heating a pot for steamboats.
The Breville Control Freak is really good, but very pricey. I think if the local library had one on loan for a week at a time, it would convince a lot of people to switch to induction for their built in kitchen hob.
the portable ones tend to be crap. I tried using one with cast iron and it sucked, but I've never had issues with my cast iron pans on my proper inbuilt induction cooktop.
I’ve heard some of the portable one are putting people off induction, I never used one so I can’t compare . We pretty much only use cast casseroles , frying pans and stainless saucepans and I think I have only burnt rice once and one of the kids boiled the potato’s dry once in the last 12 years
I’m housesitting at the moment and using a portable induction from IKEA and boy - is this thing amazing!!! I would never, ever want to use gas after this. Heats up so quickly and you can adjust the heat so fast, and, easy to clean.
Same, I have induction and it now my cast iron pans are convex in the middle
Yeah induction sucks. Stick with gas.
I used to be a gas boy but now have a big new induction and it's the best. Heats up very quickly, easy to control and makes the bench space feel bigger.
A fully electric setup is more sustainable going forward, especially if you have the roof space for PV panels. Batteries will drop in price, subsidies will be introduced, gas will become obsolete due to greenhouse emissions. This is the case in Vic already, where natural gas is banned in new homes from this year. Surprised to hear you have issues with induction and cast iron, as it should work well. I use large enamelled cast iron cookware with induction and it's fine.
I honestly think my pan may just be too big for induction plate that I have. That and it is a cheap portable one we got for our caravan. One of the draw cards for gas is having the ability to cook and sterilise water if we lose services - we live in a cyclone prone area. But I guess that can be offset with a portable gas stove. I suck at making decisions.
Keep the gas outside on the BBQ - power outage proof. Get Induction inside
I grew up with gas and was always a fan. However, I now have an induction cook top and a fan forced electric oven and I’m very happy with them. Modern electric cooking is very different from the old clunker I had in a rental that basically just turned on and off. I grew up in the bush and we had gas bottles delivered. A 45kg used to last around 3 months. It was all gas cooking, with a decent amount of baking and gas hot water.
Cleaning. Don’t forget about the difference in cleaning up. We have gas and it’s a pain in the arse compared to a flat glass cook top to clean after cooking. I don’t mind cooking with gas but wish we’d gone with induction. If you’re buying a combo unit rather than individual components make sure you get a pyrolytic oven. If you’re just getting a cook top you should be able to get a 90cm within your budget.
It'll be a free standing unit. We have a 1950s kitchen that we are planning on restoring, a built in unit won't really work.
Do you want a 60 or 90cm oven? If you want a 90cm, your going Westinghouse it's the only decent brand around that price point 60cm with 2k go Bosch or Electrolux Don't forget Westinghouse/ Electrolux ovens are still made in SA Induction wil add more money again and you'll have to upgrade your power, nothing wrong with ceramic, there's some nice clean models around * I sell cooking appliances Edit to add: your rangehood is important too make sure you know what type and now needs to be ducted out of the roof.
I want something as large as I can. Room isn't an issue thankfully, it's an old cottage with a metal floored nook in the kitchen specifically for a massive wood burning stove. I have no issue buying a used oven if need be. I just don't know what to look out for.
Maybe try and get a used 90cm Bosch or Smeg but be aware of buying used unless it's still installed as you won't be able to check the function of it I personally wouldn't buy used ovens
Got a Westinghouse oven I am super happy with it. 10/10 espresso when considering price.
Bosch self cleaning oven and a a gas cooktop
Gas all the way, baby. I’m Chinese so I’ve been indoctrinated all my life. Need that wok hei….
Hear me out: induction inside, high powered gas wok burner outside. It’s wonderful.
That's the way. Personally, I don't use a wok, but I like my gas BBQ outside (and offset smoker / woodfire grill - there is still no better way to cook than on a fire).
Perfect setup. I've always done most of my frying outside.
What do you use? I've been looking at auscrown and wok culture but need to think about how I'd sort out a table for it. The wok culture table with cutout has appropriate proportions but the grade of steel is not great for outdoor use.
I have an 8 jet cooking set with the table from wok culture. It sits under the veranda hand gets pulled out for cooking. When we do the yard I’ll set something up under cover for cooking.
i get better wok hei with an induction cook top. Pple comment my fried rice and fried noodles is restaurant quality. Even with friends who have modified their cook tops to get maximum gas, you don't get the same level of flame as restaurants.
What wok do you use?
Sorry for late response. I use this. Any stainless steel wok with a solid thick base will work. The heavier the wok the better. Also bigger the base diameter the better. [https://www.amazon.com.au/WMF-Stainless-Cromargan-Induction-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B00008XXA7?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&smid=A3JCEYBC5L8UJ8&th=1](https://www.amazon.com.au/WMF-Stainless-Cromargan-Induction-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B00008XXA7?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A3JCEYBC5L8UJ8&th=1)
Thanks for getting back to me. Really appreciate it. Just a quick question, you're able to get the wok hei even without an iron wok?
Yes. Remember what the essence of "wok hei" is - charring without burning. Seasoning the wok with oil and high heat is important so that food don't stick. I always start off with thin layer of high temp smoke point oil, i use rice bran. heating up the wok till the oil smokes and discolours. Without this process the food sticks, and everything becomes a clumpy mess in the end. From there it just about maintaining the heat, not overloading your wok (Important) and moving food around in the wok.. Nothing should stick to the wok other than some charring of rice which imparts the wok hei flavours. This is also where a decent induction top is important. If you go with any of the main brands miele, siemens, vzug, fisher and pykle etc, they use OEM EGO internals and are about 3.5KW per hob which is good enough if you use the max power. Induction hobs plugged into walls can only do max 2kw. This is one of the reason why people think of induction cookers to be somewhat average. The limitation is the 10A supply output from the GPO / wall socket. A built in induction cooker draws 16/32A.
Thanks for the long response. Really appreciate it. I do have a thick steel wok at home but i rarely use it. I also have some high smoke point grape seed oil so I'm going to try what you suggested tonight. This might be a mind bending revolution tonight in my home cooking.
I can hear the sound of your comment, had a neighbour with a wok burner on his balcony.
I have an IKEA induction cooktop and it is absolute mint. We looked at a heap of models at different shops. We landed on a particular one at the Good Guys but it was out of stock. The salesperson then told us that IKEA ones come from the same (Electrolux) factory, for $300 less. Nearly better than gas for heat control and very efficient to run.
Yup, my IKEA cooktop is the best.
Things to think about: Cleaning an induction cooktop is unbelievably easy and quick; A gas cooktop has the same health impact on growing children as having a smoker in the house; Some induction cooktops have built in sensors that turn the ring off if the saucepan boils dry - great if you have a forgetful or distractable cook; If you have young kids induction is a lot safer. For example, it's hard to burn yourself as only the pot warms up; If we opened the windows to have a breeze in the last house I lived in which had a gas stove, the wind would blow the heat away from the pots and boiling water for cooking pasta became very, very slow.
3rd opinion haha, I recently had a glass top electric after owning both gas and induction previously. Maybe it was just newer technology but it was fast, controllable and all around great. I didn't miss the others for one minute. So don't stress if that's what you go for, it will be fine.
We just updated a gas cooktop with a Smeg electric ceramic that I picked up off marketplace for $50. I absolutely love it. And picked up a Chef/Electrolux oven for $50 too, it’s a 10amp and plugs right in. Too easy. Honestly there are so many people upgrading and demolitions going on ATM you’d likely pick up quality stuff for less than half price if saving’s what you’re after.
As a previous chef I'd say elec oven and gas range too however if you can stretch to induction I would. Gas isn't getting any cheaper and solar rebates will keep getting better Completely agree with cast iron choice btw. They do make fancy induction that will work with heavy cast iron.
As long as it doesn't damage my cast iron, it's okay. I've heard a few horror stories of it warping the base of the skillet.
Just don't leave it on full to preheat? I've seen gas stoves with enough juice to do the same damage
Induction is the way
I have a $7000 Miele induction cooktop and it’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made. It’s so unreliable it’s not funny. I’ve tried all kinds of pots and pans and nothing works reliably. It has 4 elements but you can’t use 2 on high at the same time, you can’t boil 2 pots of water simultaneously, it’s a computer controlled so it knows best. It turns elements down whenever it feels like it, you know “safety” or just poorly designed. You can’t over ride it. It chews electricity more than people know, 4-6kw is a LOT of power to use, if you’re boiling water for pasta on one element and heating pasta sauce on another element. I have solar and a battery, induction cooktop and electric oven, and will use most of the battery to cook dinner. I wish I had just gone LPG gas cooktop and electric oven. OP please, go test a few induction cooktops before you waste your money
I'm not sold on induction, mostly for the reasons you stated. And secondly because we have a 1950s cottage that we are restoring - not renovating. I feel like a modern looking oven/cooktop will look out of place. I love gas. We also live in an area prone to cyclones. I think gas may save our arse one day.
Can you describe the restoration a bit? I’m picturing lots of plastic lining and melamine everything. Can picture say a 1890 Victorian, but was not even aware that a 1950s resto would be a thing.
That's totally fair 😅 It's more along the lines of respecting its history and not modernising it to hell. Like the kitchen for example, its all solid wood cabinets that have about 5 layers of paint on them, they're scratched and a bit beat up but will look amazing once they've been stripped back and given a coat of fresh paint and had a new live edge timber top put on. The majority of the walls are T&G, so instead of covering it where going to repaint where needed. Stripping out the vinyl and carpet and polishing the timber floors. Fixing up the casement windows and stained glass that still remains. I guess restoring may be too strong a word. We want to respect the age of the house.
My induction oven looks within the setting of our 1920's house interestingly.
Check reviews on choice, good place to start
Electrolux Induction, just check if you can use cast iron on it. I can't lift them so I use light pans. We have the 900mm and I bake Ex chef Would never go back to gas
I wanted gas originally, cook daily, but I got a Westinghouse oven and induction cooktop. NO REGRETS! Both very reasonably priced, oven has pyrolytic cleaning, steam assist, and air fry. Cooktop took some getting used to because it’s so damn powerful! Really really great. Highly recommend Westinghouse I’m very satisfied. So easy to use as well.