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Things have moved on in the last 8 years and KISS

RogerS

RogerS

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And off to pastures new
Regular readers will know that me and the Missus have moved house down South. It needs some work including a new kitchen. Which means new equipment. The fridge we have is light years ahead of what we bought 8 years ago. But bottom line neither of us are that bothered TBH about whether or not something does this or that. My cooking is Thai and Indian. A good hob works for me and on the odd occasions I need an oven then the combo microwave works just fine.

LOML. She cooks (rather well) and makes her own sauces using the hob and so when we got to the rental with its 1960’s cooking facilities she wasn’t too happy, She also uses the ovens a lot. So when it came to us choosing new kitchen I suggested she chose the hob and oven.

So now we have an induction hob ….which we have never had before..and naturally new pans..which has yet to be turned on as it’s ’too complex’. I turned on the new oven that she chose and was asked for my WiFi password. WTF? Then it did a software update FFS. I turned it on for her this evening. Lovely colour screen. Scrolled through all sorts of things. “I’m not going to use that” she said. I kept shtumm. It’s never going to be used and will remain pristine!

What happened to KISS.?
 
Similar problem when buying a new car. Have you noticed what driver “aids” come as standard now even on the most basic models? Missus has to collect said new car on her own tomorrow, I pity the poor salesman. She will wany everything switched off. 🤞 it’s still in one piece when I get to see it.
 
A few years ago we had a new kitchen finished just in time for Christmas. The ovens maiden outing was to be Christmas dinner, and Christmas morning in went the Turkey. The obligatory trip over to the in-laws then proceeded for Christmas breakfast, but careful calculations had been made on cooking time.

Whilst we were there my phone buzzed, the temp probe in the turkey had reached target temp and so via the app the oven was powered down to keep warm setting. When we arrived home we had one perfectly cooked and moist turkey.

Since then my wife hasn’t asked why I’d paid extra to have the fancy oven (I do 90% of the cooking).

Also means I can preheat it on the way home from the pub, so it’s all ready to cook the supermarket pizza as soon as I get through the door, saving precious post beer food time.
 
We've had an induction hob for years Ropger and it works very well indeed. As for the WiFi over, well you can keep that.
 
We just purchased a new oven cook top unit, as basic as you can get. Turn knobs for the top burners and unfortunately digital for the oven.
No wifi thank god. Very similar to the old one which started to fail, so I guess in 12 years I'll need to buy another.
 
We could start a thread titled 'Things society never needed'

'Smart' anything
Facebook
Twitter
X
Any other social meejah site like the above 3
Driver 'aids' especially those that cannot be switched off.....good luck with your missus on that one, AndyP
 
I think you have to be selective. I have never used Facebook, personally I think it is the work of the devil. However, my wife uses it and she finds it very useful for keeping up with what is happening at a local level and for selling stuff.

As for smart things, yes things have gone a little over the top with smart fridges, freezers etc. However, things like Smart light bulbs are very useful particularly for those with certain disabilities or limited mobility. And security cameras and smoke/CO2 detectors with smart features enhance home safety.
 
As a designer, although I'm now growing into the age where I can moan about the overcomplication of things, I've never liked "smart" this and that. It's just another way to build in obselence all the while convincing the consumer it is the best thing since sliced bread. Talking of which, smart toaster? No thanks I'll stick with my 1950s Morphy Richards toaster the only one I've ever owned and ever will.

Do have an induction hob though, which other than the need to be careful when putting pans down (we use heavy all Le Creuset) is incredible. Much prefer to gas and wouldn't go back.
 
MattS said:
...

Do have an induction hob though, which other than the need to be careful when putting pans down (we use heavy all Le Creuset) is incredible. Much prefer to gas and wouldn't go back.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. Are induction hobs 'weaker' these days than their normal equivalent ?
 
I've been using Induction for ten years. I had a Neff 5-ringer in the UK, which was fantastic, and I now cook on a plug-in IKEA 2-burner. Temporary measure (all being well). I would never go back to gas, both have been excellent, although the 2-burner is a bit limiting.
I'm planning a new kitchen but we have to careful about the load. Our limit, as things stand is 6KVA, which is very common in France, but was probably set when electricity was first installed in the house and electricity was just for lighting and possibly a fridge. The electrician had to change the main fuse. He reckoned it was 60 or 70 years old. We can get 9KVA on our existing supply, but not 12KVA. We already trip occasionally.
Roger - Your manual will tell you what power each ring is. Pans have to be a minimum size in order for the machine to recognise their presence, so if you put a small pan on a big ring, it might not work. You should find that your hob has different-sized rings for different-sized pans.
 
Lons said:
We've had an induction hob for years Ropger and it works very well indeed. As for the WiFi over, well you can keep that.
Click to expand...
Same here, we're on our second induction hob. They be simple, easy to clean and they work but we did have to buy new pots n'pans to use on it. We also hardly ever use the main oven now as the hob, microwave and air fryer have made it pretty much redundant - Rob

Edit - not forgetting the bread maker and Gaggia:cool:
 
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RogerS said:
We could start a thread titled 'Things society never needed'

'Smart' anything
Click to expand...
With the capabilities and failings of the 'smart' things currently available, I have to agree... except for lighting and, oddly, the automatic cat litter box. Light bulbs that can change between daytime cool white and night time warm white make a huge (positive) difference, and having a notification on my phone when the waste bin on the automatic litter box needs emptying is much nicer than having to check twice a day that there's no flashing light on the front of the device.
 
MattS said:
Just going from gas with metal trivets to a piece of glass I'm very aware of putting pans down gently!
Click to expand...
We've had a toughen glass drainer (with inset SS sinks) for a few years now and it's surprisingly hardy; I've managed to put one tiny little ding in it which is hardly noticeable - Rob
 
Steve Maskery said:
I've been using Induction for ten years. I had a Neff 5-ringer in the UK, which was fantastic, and I now cook on a plug-in IKEA 2-burner. Temporary measure (all being well). I would never go back to gas, both have been excellent, although the 2-burner is a bit limiting.
I'm planning a new kitchen but we have to careful about the load. Our limit, as things stand is 6KVA, which is very common in France, but was probably set when electricity was first installed in the house and electricity was just for lighting and possibly a fridge. The electrician had to change the main fuse. He reckoned it was 60 or 70 years old. We can get 9KVA on our existing supply, but not 12KVA. We already trip occasionally.
Roger - Your manual will tell you what power each ring is. Pans have to be a minimum size in order for the machine to recognise their presence, so if you put a small pan on a big ring, it might not work. You should find that your hob has different-sized rings for different-sized pans.
Click to expand...
Bit more complicated then that, Steve

Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 15.24.09.png
 
—Tom— said:
A few years ago we had a new kitchen finished just in time for Christmas. The ovens maiden outing was to be Christmas dinner, and Christmas morning in went the Turkey. The obligatory trip over to the in-laws then proceeded for Christmas breakfast, but careful calculations had been made on cooking time.

Whilst we were there my phone buzzed, the temp probe in the turkey had reached target temp and so via the app the oven was powered down to keep warm setting. When we arrived home we had one perfectly cooked and moist turkey.

Since then my wife hasn’t asked why I’d paid extra to have the fancy oven (I do 90% of the cooking).

Also means I can preheat it on the way home from the pub, so it’s all ready to cook the supermarket pizza as soon as I get through the door, saving precious post beer food time.
Click to expand...
What oven is that...?
 
You talk about the oven uses WiFi but there are now cordless tools that you can talk to as well, I believe the Bosch brand has gone down this route. The best way is to avoid anything that claims to be smart because that seems to be the latest buzzword used by marketing to sell you something you don't really want, it is part of their vocabulary along with other terms such as luxury apartment, just read flat or designer goods which is just a blatant rip off for the gullable. If you believe in the KISS philosopy then nothing beats a good gas hobb and electric oven with steam facility.
 
Pro kitchens do not have this nonsense. And it is ludicrous. I've just bought two 1400 litre double door new fridges. Zero tech. All you want is a stable temp and (for pro use) fan control.

We have a big induction hob. It is touch screen control and takes 7 seconds to come on. I hate that - much prefer knobs. No one needs apps to control cooking kit. The Tepinyaki is knobs and dead simple. Fryer likewise - three knobs: time, temp and drain.

We have three ovens (combi steam injection, steam combi and rotisserie) and the first two are touch screen and touch to open. They are OK but, extremely accurate (to within 1C) and everying pulls out on sliders, but the big rotisserie oven is quicker and much easier to use.

Cooking is unsuitable for tech in my opinion if you can actually cook.
 
Some tech is good, some pointless…
My wife (fab cook) always swore by gas but we moved into this house during Covid lockdown and found a non working cooker and no gas supply to the kitchen - our only option was an induction cooker and now she loves it.

When we re-built the kitchen we put in a very nice NEFF induction hob - I wanted one with a physical dial because I find the touch buttons don’t always work for me so we bought one with a magnetic dial that works really well… except that it is magnetic so that it can be removed to clean the hob - which also means that it has removed itself attached to baking trays twice - once to go through the oven and melt, once to go through the dishwasher - we are now on our third at £70 each!

Our dishwashers and ovens and hob etc have a mixture of WiFi or not because in Covid they removed it from some items due to lack of chip supply - can’t say that we miss it! My wife wanted it for the ovens so that she could turn them on when leaving from work but instead she send me a message as I work from home - so the ‘staff’ puts the ovens on instead!
 
In an ideal world I would have Athanor induction. Knobs only (below the worksurface) and a gas grill. No gas here sadly. In fact we barely have internet!
 
We have a Zanussi oven with an induction hob, no gas here. I wouldn't change the hob, it's as quick as gas and way easier to clean. The drawback? The control panel is on the top surface between the rings - if you put a large roasting pan or steel griddle plate across it it cuts the power off.
 
When I worked in Norway my employer housed us in a cabin with one of those fancy modern stoves.

On more than one occasion I was forced to cook on my old Primus caming stove because that modern thing just didn't work.
 
Phil Pascoe said:
We have a Zanussi oven with an induction hob, no gas here. I wouldn't change the hob, it's as quick as gas and way easier to clean. The drawback? The control panel is on the top surface between the rings - if you put a large roasting pan or steel griddle plate across it it cuts the power off.
Click to expand...
We have a Zanussi hob as well and it's excellent. The control panel on ours is in the bottom rh corner, but again, if I just wipe it with a cloth to mop up split liquid (say) the power cuts off for about 20 seconds before I can reinstate power....which can be irritating at times - Rob
 
Those of you who have an induction hob with proper physical knobs, can you point me in the direction of one please? All the ones I see on offer here are touch-screen controls.
S
 
Well, as an IT specialist of almost 4 decades it might surprise some that I do agree with the sentiment. I hate, repeat HATE, IoT devices. Recently I had to return a new TV because, after a month, it refused to do what it was bought for. The reason: it thought it hadn't been updated for too long. I had specifically searched for a TV that would work without a network connection. So when this LG was clearly not honouring this requirement it went back. The seller was very understanding about it and made no problem of it. Now I have a simple Samsung. (From the same seller, service needs to be rewarded in my eyes.)

However... (dare I say it...), I do like a bit of intelligence in some devices. I have a Miele steamer that has an extensive menu for choosing the correct preparation times for many products. And I have to say I do like it. I use it quite often. It also has an option to control it with your phone (which admittedly can be handy). Needless to say the WiFi has never been enabled. I don't need no one knowing what I eat. And I know all too well how easy it is to hack such devices. When privacy and security are weighted against ease of use I will always chose the first.
 
Steve, this is the newer version of my range cooker. It does have physical knobs. However, at 110 cm, it is wider than regular hobs. Therefore, it might not fit in the space you have for it. It is a great hob though. We especially use the slow cooking oven very often.

Falcon Excel 110:

falcon-excel-110-induction.jpg
 
RogerS said:
We both loathe the induction hob
Click to expand...
You cannot beat a good gas hob, it looks and feels right compared to the induction hob which shows no signs of producing any heat, maybe they need to put an artificial red flame effect on them like they do with electric fires.
 
In my last kitchen I had an induction hob which was brill, but I can't remember what make it was.
I also had a Neff hide&slide oven, which was fantastic, especially in a fairly narrow kitchen.
I've been lookin at ovens here and the H&S one is over €800! And they go up from there!!! I know I didn't pay anything like that (although it was 2017, IIRC).
Does anyone else make a Hide&Slide door oven? I bet Neff have patented it and no-one else can make the same system. Do I really want to spend that sort of money on a hot box?
S
 
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I’ve no answer Steve but I know your pain and sympathise. Try finding a normal built in double oven. Apart from the high end makes ie, SMEG , they are not available. When we fitted our kitchen here about 10 years ago I could get a Bosch double in the UK for around £300 , they didn’t back then and still do not market a double oven here.
The only place we could get one then was IKEA of all places who sold a badged Hotpoint.

The market, demand and supply?, is very different here.
 
I wouldn't call SMEG high end. (Think Red Dwarf...)
When I was married, we did our kitchen and everythng was SMEG. Regular oven, combination oven, grill, something else, I can't remember. Maybe extractor. Four units anyway.
Every. Single. One. Failed.
Two failed within a year and were fixed under warranty. The third failed after 13 months. In fairness, they did fix that as well. The combi multi-function thing died slowly, one function at a time. In the end we replaced them all with Neff and never looked back (althoug I know that some people claim that Neff is not the brand it once was - I'm talking early 90s here).
SMEG are excellent at making eye-catching designer appliances. But my experience is that they are form over function.
S
 
Spectric said:
You cannot beat a good gas hob, it looks and feels right compared to the induction hob which shows no signs of producing any heat, maybe they need to put an artificial red flame effect on them like they do with electric fires.
Click to expand...
LOL…..we’ve never had one and so can’t comment. Electric normal hob works just fine for us.
 
Steve Maskery said:
In my last kitchen I had an induction hob which was brill, but I can't remember what make it was.
I also had a Neff hide&slide oven, which was fantastic, especially in a fairly narrow kitchen.
I've been lookin at ovens here and the H&S one is over €800! And they go up from there!!! I know I didn't pay anything like that (although it was 2017, IIRC).
Does anyone else make a Hide&Slide door oven? I bet Neff have patented it and no-one else can make the same system. Do I really want to spend that sort of money on a hot box?
S
Click to expand...
I don’t recall the one we’ve bought. It is H & S…never realised they existed and never switched it on! We’ve got a new dishwasher. Never used.
 
RogerS said:
Thanks for the tip. Are induction hobs 'weaker' these days than their normal equivalent ?
Click to expand...
We have bog standard Zanussi induction hob (cheap as chips) and I do all the cooking. I'm none too gentle with it and treat the toughened glass surface almost (not quite I don't think) as any other kitchen area; pans n'plates and various other bits of cooking gear get dumped on it with no adverse effects. FWIW, our double drainer kitchen sink also has a toughened glass drainer thingy (ss sinks) and that get fairly robust treatment as well. Thus far, there's only one teeny tiny ding on one of the edges where a pan caught it a couple of years ago - Rob
 
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