COOKING ON INDUCTION

AD This post was sponsored by AEG. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I would never recommend anything that I don’t love.

My name's Amanda and I’m an Induction convert. My background of cooking on gas came from my childhood influences of watching my Dad cook a curry on the hob or cook up a stir fry in a wok. It was only when I began planning my own kitchen design that I started researching the pros of induction cooking. The pros being that it’s so much easier to clean, it’s neater on top of the worktop, and that it’s eco-friendly being A+ Energy rated. It’s also safer with our toddler around as the heat touch never gets as hot as a gas hob would, and most importantly cooking on it is a dream.

I opted for the AEG ComboHob (product ref IDE84243IB), which has a built in extractor fan. It’s practical and looks great as I don’t have to have an ugly extractor above it. This meant I could have it sitting pride of place on my kitchen island, which is where I wanted to have it as its more sociable to be able to cook and chat to my husband who’s usually on the other side of the island.

I think there’s a misconception with induction cooking that you can’t cook your favourite foods as you would on gas, but there’s a whole world of induction cooking accessories that can bring the Michelin star cooking experience to your home. In today’s post I’m going to talk you through a few of my favourites.

AEG Cookware Set (product code A3SS) RRP £130 and AEG MaxiSense® Plancha Grill for Induction Hobs RRP £179.99 (Product code MAXI-GRILL)

AEG Fusion Wok (Product code Fusion-Wok) RRP £179.99

Traditionally, a wok would sit inside a hob ring, which would mean it’s a no-go for us flat surface induction owners. Well, that might have been the case, but not anymore! The clever guys over at AEG have created the perfect curved bottom wok to sit in its own support ring, which means you can have all the benefits of wok cooking, but with the speed and energy efficiency of induction cooking. It also means you can easily transfer the wok with the support ring to your dining table making it easy to serve straight from the wok if you're cooking up something that you want to share.

The fusion wok looks pretty cool, too. Its sleek ergonomic design has bridged the gap between function and beauty. Its rounded bottom design makes it ideal for stir frying, braising, sautéing, simmering and other techniques to bring out all the flavours. By using it with its traditional movements, the induction will heat up the wok faster than gas and is also energy efficient.

AEG Fusion Wok

AEG MaxiSense® Plancha Grill for Induction Hobs RRP £179.99 (Product code MAXI-GRILL)

Hands up if you like to griddle your asparagus or sear your steak? AEG have created the Plancha Grill which is compatible with all of their MaxiSense® induction hobs with bridging zones, including mine. (Did you know with a bridging zone you can combine two smaller zones to make one large zone?!) This custom made kitchen accessory combines style and function, allowing perfect heat distribution on MaxiSense® induction hobs. The extra-large non-stick surface is perfect for grilling, sautéing or browning with no added fat. It has a sturdy base and high-quality coating, which makes it the perfect cooking tool for your induction hob by bridging two hobs together to create a bigger cooking zone. Plus it’s also suitable for ovens, up to 200°C, so can also be used as a baking tray. I cooked steak on it last week and it sure does give it that crusty smokey sear, whilst keeping the meat succulent inside. It’s also very easy to clean. Have I mentioned how much easier Induction hobs are to clean compared to gas?

AEG Cookware Set (product code A3SS) RRP £130

A new hob calls for new pans. Especially in my case as I’ve recently moved over from gas.

This three-piece cookware set from AEG provides the tools for mastering more recipes as the set comprises of a frying pan (24cm) and two saucepans (16cm, 20cm)  which are kitchen essentials.

One of the huge benefits to this set is that they are all induction and gas compatible. The stainless-steel surface means you get optimum heat distribution, ensuring the best cooking results every time.

The thick base is stable, meaning an even better connection with induction hobs – evenly distributing heat across all their surfaces.

They’re also all coated to ensure non-stick cooking, meaning no excess oil or butter is required. The non-stick surface also means cleaning is more efficient, as there’s no scrubbing- and they’re dishwasher friendly, too.

In essence, if you’re at that cross road and aren’t sure if you’ll have the same cooking methods on induction as you did with gas then let me reassure you the choices on induction cooking accessories are endless, and if you want more inspiration then have a look at AEG’s accessory page.

I’m officially an induction convert and won’t be returning to the gas side anytime soon.

I’m using AEG Cookware Set (product code A3SS) RRP £130 and AEG MaxiSense® Plancha Grill for Induction Hobs RRP £179.99 (Product code MAXI-GRILL)

DESIGNING OUR KITCHEN AND CHOOSING OUR AEG APPLIANCES

Our green and brass kitchen. Kitchen cabinets by Teco Bespoke, all appliances by AEG and are the Matt Black Collection appliances, handles from Corston Architectural, Flooring from 3Oakflooring, Worktops from Caesarstone and are the ‘White Attica’ engineered quartz and sprayed brass all from Quirky interiors.

I knew early on how I wanted the kitchen to look. The colour, the style, the brass accents and the marble look quartz worktops. I’m obsessed with brass accents and we have them all over the house in the form of light switches, sockets, handles and lights and I knew I wanted some brass accents in the kitchen really early on.

My Kitchen Mooboard

The only problem was getting around the stainless steel elements which you find on *most appliances. I hadn’t actually given the appliances much thought until the kitchen planning kicked in. I decided to attend the KBB (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom) Event in Birmingham back in February 2020- before Covid-19 had stopped any kind of human interaction and when you could see the launch of new ranges, and thats where I first saw the Matt Black Collection from AEG.

I went to the event in hope of some kitchen inspiration and it served up plenty of it. AEG were at the KBB event showcasing their new Matt Black collection which was due to launch in the summer of 2020 and this is where this love story starts. I mean what’s not to love really, Matt black, appliances with minimal or next to nothing chrome accents -hell yes!

The Kitchen Design

We had just over 6.5 meters of run to work with on the back wall of the kitchen, and although the appliances were going to be on show, the main feature of the kitchen was going to be the island and a floating stone shelf on the back wall. See Kitchen drawing below.

Our Kitchen plans, designed with Teco Bespoke with our AEG Matt Black Collection appliances.

The stack (appliance stack) was going to be on the right of the kitchen run - balanced with our pantry on the left, and being the true Virgo which I am the stack had to look symmetric with the appliances. I knew we needed an Oven and a Microwave Oven as these were essential. A Warming Drawer, wine cooler and, Coffee Machine were nice to haves, and luckily we were able to add them into the design whilst still keeping the stack look balanced which pleased me no end. This is my dream kitchen at the end of the day, in our forever home, so I’m glad we didn’t compromise on the design and style.

We also knew we wanted an island- and the big question was where to put the hob? Do we put it on the island or the kitchen run? Well, I’m super pleased we added the hob to the island for multiple reasons, but I’ll list a few for you..

• We don’t leave dirty plates on the island which would be more of a focal point. This will be handy when entertaining too (when i't’s safe to do so).

• It’s more family friendly to cook and watch Otis from the hob/ island as theres a tv and sofa just in front of where I will stand to cook.

• Who does that much washing up? ha! Just kidding, but being on the back run it means it’s also next to the dishwasher which is handy for plumbing too

Our AEG Matt Black Collection appliances

Our AEG Matt Black Appliances

The Matt Black Integrated Coffee Machine from AEG

As I mentioned before that I was drawn to AEG’s new range because of the sleek Matt Black design, but also because of their amazing features and benefits which I’ll go into more detail one by one.

Starting with our starting with our integrated coffee machine. Located in our kitchen stack on the top right, this guy was a real treat to have integrated freeing up more worktop space.
Mr Lusty is a coffee connoisseur so when we designed our kitchen, this was his main request - it also keeps me pretty happy as I don't have to have a bulky coffee machine cluttering up our worktop.

Not only is this Matt Black as the rest of the appliances, but it also blends perfectly against our dark green cupboards and has some pretty nifty features. It can make Espressos, long and mug coffee and it has features to adjust the strength from Mild to intense. Plus you can even adjust the temperature making Mr Lusty one happy guy.

This appliance is model model number KKK994500T and is the Matt Black Integrated Coffee Machine from AEG.

This is the Matt Black Integrated Coffee Machine from AEG and model model number KKK994500T.

Matt Black Collection Integrated Combi Microwave Oven from AEG (KMK968000T.)

The integrated Combi Microwave Oven is located at the top left of our appliance stack.
This Combi Microwave Oven has a series of special features like its fast grill mode, meaning total versatility when cooking from melting mozzarella to hardening a creme brulee's sugared lid- all in one microwave which is genius! It has a fast heat up setting which uses less energy, preheating the oven 40% quicker than a conventional oven and it's command wheel gives me the option to adjust the temperature, timings and a whole host of different functions from defrosting to re-heating drinks so handy for me and that cold cuppa or for Otis' bedtime milk!

It also has an array of other cooking functions such as a crispy bottom function and a pizza function- which is another favourite in this house, so you can get professional results every time😀. In a nutshell it's a bit like having a second very clever oven, but with all the added benefits you would expect from a microwave and more.

Matt Black Collection Integrated Combi Microwave Oven is product code number KMK968000T.

Matt Black Collection Integrated Combi Microwave Oven from AEG (Located at the Top)

Matt Black Integrated SenseCook Oven With Pyrolytic cleaning (BPK948330T)

Introducing our Matt Black Integrated SenseCook Oven With Pyrolytic cleaning from AEG. It’s located at the bottom left of our kitchen stack- just below the Combi Microwave oven.
This oven has an assisted cooking function which is like having our own at home sous-chef, giving us options to scroll through menus to select a food category, and the oven will generate the correct settings for that dish! It also comes with a food sensor probe which I can easily plug into the oven and will analyse the temperature of the meat for reliable results.
I can control our oven cooking through the command wheel, whilst browsing through programmes, set timers and choose specialist functions. Once I'm all finished I can turn on the self cleaning Pyrolytic function, which heats up dirt, food and grease in the oven, converting it to ash which can then be easily wiped away.

Because let's face it - no one likes cleaning ovens so now I don't have the stress of the harsh chemicals burning my nostrils and a sous-chef on demand.

This is the AEG Matt Black Integrated SenseCook Oven- With Pyrolytic Cleaning, and is product code number BPK948330T

This is the AEG Matt Black Integrated SenseCook Oven- With Pyrolytic Cleaning, and is product code number BPK948330T.

This is the AEG Matt Black Integrated SenseCook Oven- With Pyrolytic Cleaning, and is product code number BPK948330T.

AEG Intergrated Matt Black Collection Wine Cooler (KWK884520T)

Do I even need to explain why I wanted one of these? LOL. Especially now we’re in our 3rd lockdown… only kidding. That's actually my son's chocolate Santa in amongst the wine - handy for wine, Prosecco, champagne and chocolates Santas.

I love how this Wine cooler is integrated into the stack and doesn’t take up space in our island. I personally think they look newer integrated like this.

Other benefits include a Temperature ranges from 5 to 20 degrees . Stores up to 18 bottles.. Let’s give that a huge clap, and the flexible design means bottles can be stored in different positions.

This is the AEG Intergrated Matt Black Collection Wine Cooler, model number KWK884520T.

This is the AEG Intergrated Matt Black Collection Wine Cooler, model number KWK884520T.

AEG INDUCTION COMBOHOB 83 CM

Introducing my favourite of all the appliances and the final one which I’m going to talk to you about. This induction hob from AEG and has a built in extraction fan and is a powerful induction hob all in one – providing limitless options for ultimate convenience and a modern minimalist design. I’ve never had an induction hob before as I always used to cooking on gas before, but I’m an induction convert now.

Did you know it can boil water from cold to boiling in less than 9 seconds? It’s incredible.

It’s Hob2Hood extraction allows for automated extraction during cooking which we have built venting which goes under our flooring and outside. When the temperature is turned up or down on the hob, the hood’s fan will adjust themselves accordingly. Plus as the the ComboHob has 4 cooking sections you can bridge them together at the touch of a button to make a larger cooking area. It’s pure genius, and makes me feel like a need to learn to cook more.

This is the AEG INDUCTION COMBOHOB 83 CM model number IDE84243IB.

This is the AEG INDUCTION COMBOHOB 83 CM model number IDE84243IB.

This is the AEG INDUCTION COMBOHOB 83 CM model number IDE84243IB, and our Caesarstone ‘White Attica’ engineered quartz worktop.

This is the AEG INDUCTION COMBOHOB 83 CM model number IDE84243IBpc and our Caesarstone ‘White Attica’ engineered quartz worktop.

All in all I’m delighted with my gorgeous AEG Matt Black appliances and think these are by far the best option for someone like myself who is passionate about cooking, but also doesn’t want to compromise on their interior style.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you’re a brass trim fanatic like me then Matt Black appliances are the way forward - especially against dark cupboards.

If you have any questions on the kitchen design, feel free to leave me a comment. I also made a video which I have left a link to below.

The appliances mentioned were all kindly gifted to me by AEG for our kitchen renovation. Our opinions and views are 100% my own. I’m super happy to have them, and wouldn’t promote anything I don’t recommend.