How to Choose the Best Hob
When choosing the best hob for your needs there are a lot of aspects to take into consideration. From price to energy efficiency. Choose the features that are the most important.
A basic ceramic electric stove costs less than PS100. However you'll have to pay more for a model that comes with many features. Gas hobs, which are popular and offer great temperature control but are more expensive, are a different option.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier stove has four cooking zones and three 'Push&Go" functions, and can assist you in making quick meals. It was also among the quickest tests to boil water, which took just under four minutes. It comes with an child lock and the ability to pause, which means you can stop the process swiftly without having to mess with controls.
Its design is modern and sleek and blends well with modern kitchens. It's typically made of glass (shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic, and comes with touch controls that sit flush with the worktop for easy use.
best ovens and hobs are intuitive to operate and we loved the clear display that tells you the current power settings, and which of the five zones is active. The 'Boost' feature creates high-powered heat for just a short duration, and is ideal for stir-frying, or bringing pans of boiling water to a boil quickly. The hot hob light and auto shut-off are great safety features, too.
However, it's not as sensitive to touch as other hobs in this test. It took nine presses to reach the maximum temperature, as opposed to six or seven for other models. It takes longer to react when you alter the cooking temperature, so you may need to alter settings several times before the pan is at the right temperature.
The model measures 60 cm and comes with four cooking zones. One of the zones is a half-flex which allows two areas to easily be joined to accommodate larger pots or pans. It comes with a dual-ring design and can operate on both 'normal' and 'boost power levels. It is great for cooking meat while searing it or bringing water to a rapid boil.
It's fully integrated with the hOn app and comes with hundreds of recipes that include guided cooking and 30 special programs that are divided into various food categories and preparation types. It comes with a multislider control panel with a "lockable interface' that can identify the type pan you are using to set the proper cooking mode. It is also compatible with hOn pans from third party companies and has several safety features like a lockable panel and boil-dry prevention.
2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob
When you're doing work on your kitchen or simply looking for an alternative to gas induction hobs, induction hobs are becoming more popular. hob uk have dropped in the last few years, with the simplest four-zone models available for less than PS100. If you want the latest induction technology, it is worth the extra cost.
This sleek model from Smeg comes with the most advanced induction technology that makes cooking more efficient and energy efficient. The innovative Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the location of pots that have minimum diameters of 9 cm, allowing you to switch on the appropriate zone without having to manually select it.
Smeg's attention to energy savings does not mean that they don't offer flexibility - this hob is designed to save power by adjusting the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking requirements. There are also options to save even more energy using the Eco-Logic advance mode, which reduces the power output from 11.1 kW to as little as 2.4 4 kW.
The user-friendly interface of this stove was a hit with testers, thanks to its easy-to-use sliding controls that follow your pan along the edges of it. The control panel's colour scheme helps you quickly identify the operating status of each zone, while the Flexi Duo function allows you to connect two zones together to accommodate larger pans. There are a variety of useful features, including four automatic cooking presets (melting boiling slow cooking, keeping warm) and a Power Boost for super-quick results.
The hob also comes with a FlameSensor which will alert you when there's a risk of a meal that's been burned or an igniting fire. There are many safety features like a residual heat sensor and an automatic shut-off when the surface is too hot.
It is also resistant to tough stains and features a CleanProtect protective coating. This hob has nine power levels and the FlexiDuo feature to allow for large pans, and is simple to set up. There are a host of bonus features, including locking controls and a safety fuse in the event of accidental button pushing.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are powered by electricity, not gas. They make use of copper plates to create an electric force when a pot or pan is placed on them. They are able to heat up faster than gas hobs, and they also use less energy because the cooking zone only gets hot when you turn on your pan. They are generally cheaper to run than gas, and they are also simpler to clean.
The induction hob made by Indesit is packed full of features that make it easy to be creative in the kitchen. It comes with two cooking zones that can be combined to form the Dual Zone for larger pans as well as the Booster Zone is quick to bring water to the boiling point quickly. Push&Go, for example, allows you to cook perfectly with the click of a button. And nine power modes, including a 'P boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, can be easily set using the controls, which are positioned across the bottom of the cooktop to follow your pans.
The controls are easy to operate, and the minimalist design is perfect for a modern kitchen. In our tests, it cooked pasta water in a flash and was quick to heat up when we put an oven in the Booster zone. It took some time to cool down after we turned off the hob, and the testers could not determine the exact temperature on the control panel.
This Indesit hob also comes with a bridge function, which allows you to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It also comes with a child lock and an overheating block, as well as an auto switch-off system that stops the hob working when it's too hot. Ceramic glass is easy to clean and has no visible flames. Our testers liked the fact that there was no visible flame. In contrast to traditional extractor hoods, vented hobs draw steam and smoke away from the pan and out of the room through an air duct that is built into the surface. The duct on this hob is easy to clean, but it took two people in order to remove the filter.
4. GE Induction Hob
When choosing a new hob take a look at how it fits to your kitchen's design and layout, as well as your cooking style and lifestyle. Induction hobs are a good option if you cook with children or older people in mind. They come with safety features such as automatic shut-offs and a cool-to-touch surface. If you're looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob is the ideal alternative. If you live in areas prone to load-shedding, having the ability to use gas hobs in power outages may tilt the balance in favor of gas models.