Induction Magic (Malata Induction Hob MC-200V)

Name: laramax

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Product:	Malata Induction Hob MC-200V
Date:	19/03/08 (310 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast and responsive way to cook

Disadvantages: You need either stainless steel or cast iron pans

If you want a responsive, fast and efficient cooker hob then look no further than this little induction hob. I have to admit I was really curious when I saw it advertised in the Scotts of Stow catalogue as I hadn't really heard of induction hobs although I had seen one demonstrated on QVC a little while ago which had intrigued me. This hob was around half the price of the QVC one at just £29.99 so I was keen to find out more and, being something of a gadget freak, that meant doing a bit of research first to see what induction cooking was all about.

Let me stress here that I am not a scientist so for the purists amongst you I accept that my explanation may leave something to be desired but it made sense to me so I hope it will be understandable to others. Basically an induction hob is an electrically powered cooker hob but it is completely different from anything I have seen before.

Unlike a traditional electric ring it doesn't take time to heat up, in fact the hob itself doesn't heat up at all. It works by means of powerful magnets which actually set up a circuit which causes the pan to get hot rather than the hob. There is some heat from the pan that transfers to the glass top of the hob so it does feel hot to the touch when you remove the pan but only where the pan has been standing, all around the pan stays cool - that means if you spill something on to the hob it doesn't burn on. Also if you switch the hob on but don't put a pan on it then it doesn't get warm at all, in fact on this hob it switches itself off after a minute. Induction hobs are said to be 90% efficient as they heat the pan and not the hob and this compares with a suggested 40% efficiency for a gas hob so they do help reduce wasted energy.

One of the big benefits of induction cooking is that the heat is very responsive, if you turn it off the heat stops being produced immediately like it would on a gas oven and totally unlike any electric cookers I have ever used.

Having read about the background it definitely made me keen to give it a try so I duly placed my order and within a couple of weeks it arrived. The unit itself is quite smart and very compact measuring just 2½" x 11½" x 13¼". It is also quite light and has a maximum power of just 1800W.

It has a number of different settings you can select or you can choose the temperature for yourself and then adjust it up and down. The settings are :

Chaffing dish - designed to cook a hot pot and you can adjust the heat up and down.

Sauté - again you can adjust the heat - they do say not to use the 'Chaffing dish' or 'stew' modes for sautéing as the 'maximum safe temperature feature' may trigger so it look like if you choose one of their selections they built in a safety feature to prevent you burning the food.

Boil - designed to boil water automatically - water is heated using the highest power level and then it seems to hold it at boiling temperature - it switches off automatically after 15 minutes

Cook - designed to cook rice - the cooking is controlled by a micro computer which automatically adjusts power according to the temperature - it says that once the rice is cooked the machine turns off! How does it know? Clever or what?

Stew - designed to be operated by microcomputer which will adjust the power as necessary to avoid spillage. The programmed time is 1 hour but this can be adjusted by using the hour and minute timer buttons. It starts at 1800w and then after 15 minutes it shifts to 400w. When the time is up it switches off.

Fry - the safe frying temperature is pre-programmed - if the cooking temperature exceeds the pre-set level the cooker will stop producing heat until the temperature drops - you can adjust the power if you want.

I was absolutely amazed, it seemed like a lot a features for what was basically a budget product so I could hardly wait to try it out. Be warned however that you can only use pans on an induction hob which can conduct a current so it won't work with aluminium pans and you need either cast iron or stainless steel (check the labels to make sure they are compatible with induction hobs).

I took out my stainless steel pan, filled it with water, switched on and pressed the button marked 'boil'. Very quickly bubbles started to rise and I could hardly believe how quickly it boiled the water, I switched it off and the response was instant, the water stopped bubbling straight away. So far so good, I was keen to try it with real food ........

I was planning to slow cook some steak and kidney and I always like to braise it first in the frying pan. Usually I would do the food prep whilst I am heating up the frying pan but with the induction hob it heats up so quickly that it is best to have the food prepared at the start. I switched on, pressed the 'fry' button popped my oil in the pan rapidly followed by the chopped onions. Within seconds it was ready for the chopped floured meat and the beauty of the hob was that it kept my pan at a steady heat for frying during the whole braising process. Not being the tidiest of cooks I did spill a little flour on to the hob as I transferred the meat but, as the hob didn't get hot, the flour didn't burn at all - excellent. Once I had finished all that was necessary was a quick wipe over on the hob with a damp cloth and it was as good as new.

Would I recommend it?
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I certainly would. If like me you live an area where there is no gas this is an excellent way to have a responsive hob which is fast to use and simplicity to keep clean. You can use it to time your cooking if you wish, it is 90% energy efficient as compared to 40% for gas and it is safe to use as only the area where the pan sits gets warm.

I love it - not only is a dream to use but I can put it wherever I want as long as I have a power connection so I can (and do) use it on different worktops in the kitchen and could use it for table dishes if I wanted or even take it out on to the patio. This is available at a very reasonable price so that you can try out the concept before you buy the full works for your kitchen - I was really impressed with my purchase and if I refit my kitchen anytime soon I will be fitting a full induction hob if the budget allows!

Summary: A great little hob which is fast and efficient and can be used anywhere