Just wondering what you think would use less electricity-a ceramic hob(not the halogen ring) on low or the oven at about 120c for a couple hours?
I think I need to buy a slow cooker!

I can check in my definitive guide to energy use this evening, if you like!

What was the answer Hatster?
Surely the hob has to be cheaper doesn't it? Although I have always had gas hobs...

Tried posting and got that horrid error message!

Well, the book is so enthusiastic about using gas rather than electricity that it doesn't actually say which is better, electric hob or electric oven.

The most useful thing for you it said was is that everyone should use a pressure cooker because that will half your cooking times or more.

I have one of those funky wireless electricity meters which lets you check how much your electricity use is costing at any point, but I have gas hobs too, so can't carry out an investigation for you!

The oven is more heat efficient being insulated and enclosed.

But an oven works by heating up a large amount of air + saucepan + food to a certain temperature, whereas an electric hob works by heating up saucepan + water + food, and then this loses heat to the air.

Perhaps an oven is more effective over a long time, but a hob has got to be more short term effective, or we'd all boil water in our ovens.

If I wanted to boil water in my oven, I would start now and hope it would be boiling a week on Tuesday. My electric oven (high spec, 2 yrs old) set at 200 degrees takes 20 minutes to get up to speed. My gas hob would boil a pan of water in about 3 mins. (But the electric kettle would be far quicker.)

i decided on the oven in the end, not sure if it was more efficient, but i can never get the hob low enough for a really gentle simmer with a ceramic hob-oh for the days of gas and a heat diffuser

You can still buy a heat diffuser - I saw one in John Lewis yesterday and nearly bought it.