Dual Fuel vs Induction Range Cookers

This is the biggest decision after width, and there is no universally right answer. Here is the honest comparison, including the parts each side usually leaves out.

The one-line version

Choose dual fuel if you have gas, you cook by eye, and you want a visible flame. Choose induction if you don't have gas, or you value speed, energy efficiency and easy cleaning more than you value the flame.

The ovens are electric either way, so this decision only affects the hob.

Speed and efficiency

Induction wins decisively. It boils water in roughly half the time of gas because the energy goes directly into the pan rather than heating the air around it — around 85–90% efficiency versus roughly 40% for gas, where most of the heat escapes up the sides of the pan.

That efficiency gap is also the running-cost argument. Gas is cheaper per unit than electricity in the UK, but induction wastes far less of what it uses, which narrows the gap considerably. The honest answer is that the difference either way is small relative to the purchase price.

Control

Induction responds instantly and holds low settings genuinely low, without the flame-guttering problem gas has at minimum output. If you make delicate sauces or melt chocolate, induction is more reliable.

Gas gives you visual feedback — you see how hard the burner is working without reading a number. Cooks who learned on gas often find this hard to give up, and it is a real skill rather than nostalgia. Bertazzoni's dual-ring power burner also has a genuinely wide range, from a proper low simmer to full searing output.

Cleaning

Induction wins, comfortably. The glass surface barely heats, so spills don't bake on — a wipe does it. Gas hobs mean lifting burner caps, cleaning trivets, and scrubbing around brass components. Bertazzoni's brass burners survive that treatment better than most, but it is still a job.

Safety

Induction: no open flame, no combustion by-products in the room, surfaces cool faster, and most models shut off automatically when a pan is removed. Relevant if you have young children or elderly relatives.

Gas: a thermocouple safety device on Bertazzoni models cuts the gas supply if a flame goes out, which handles the main risk. But it is still an open flame in the room.

What gas does that induction can't

Wok cooking. A round-bottomed wok doesn't couple with a flat induction zone. Flat-bottomed woks work, but it isn't the same as a gas wok burner.

Charring over flame. Peppers, aubergines, tortillas. There is no induction equivalent.

Working in a power cut. Gas hobs can usually be lit manually.

Any pan you own. Which brings us to the catch.

The cookware catch

Induction requires ferrous, magnetic cookware. All cast iron works. Most modern stainless works. Pure aluminium and copper do not, and nor does some older stainless.

Test before you commit: hold a fridge magnet to the base of each pan. Firm stick means it works. If half your collection fails, budget a few hundred pounds for replacements — this catches people out and is a genuine hidden cost.

Installation

Dual fuel: must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer, plus an electrical supply for the ovens. The gas connection needs to be positioned so the flexible hose reaches without strain and the cooker can still be pulled out. Annual gas safety checks apply if you're a landlord.

Induction: needs a dedicated high-amperage circuit run from the consumer unit by a qualified electrician, not a 13A plug. No gas connection, no annual gas check. We confirm the exact amperage for the model before you order.

The new-build factor

Many new UK homes are built without a gas supply at all. If that's your situation, the decision is made — see our guide on buying a range cooker for a new build.

It's also worth weighing for resale. An all-electric kitchen is increasingly the more future-proof specification.

Prices in our range

Dual fuel: 30 models from £4,099, in 90cm, 100cm, 110cm and 120cm.

Induction: 34 models from £4,599, in 90cm, 100cm and 110cm. Includes the Carbonio finish, which isn't offered on dual fuel, and the Air-Tec vented models with extraction built in.

Induction runs roughly £300–£500 more than the equivalent dual fuel configuration.

The question that settles it

Forget the specifications for a moment. When you cook, do you adjust the heat by looking at the flame, or by choosing a setting?

If you cook by eye, gas will feel right and induction will feel abstract for the first few months. If you cook by setting, induction will feel like an upgrade immediately.

Read the full buyer's guide or call 0330 133 6617.