9 . What Your Parents Taught You About Best Hob

How to Choose the best hob [please click for source]

There are a lot of aspects to consider when choosing the best hob, from the price to energy efficiency. Choose the features that are the most important.

A basic electric ceramic hob could cost as low as PS100, but you'll need to shell out more for a feature-packed model. Gas hobs are a popular choice and provide great temperature control, but they're more expensive.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

This Haier stove has four cooking zones, three 'Push&Go" functions and can help you prepare quick meals. It was among the fastest to boil water in our tests, taking only four minutes. It comes with an child lock and an pause feature, so you can stop the process swiftly without having to mess with controls.

Its design is sleek, contemporary, and works well with modern kitchens. It is usually made of glass (which is shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic. The controls are touch-sensitive and rest flush on the worktop.

The controls are simple to use, ovens and hobs we appreciated the clear display which tells you the current power settings, and which of the five zones are in use. The 'Boost" feature creates high-powered heat in a brief time. It is ideal for stir-frying and rapidly boiling pans. Safety features such as the light on the hot hob and automatic shutoff are useful.

However, it's not as responsive to touch as other hobs tested in this test. We found that it took nine presses on the control to reach the highest temperature, as opposed to six or seven on other models. It also takes longer for the pan to respond when you change the temperature. You may need to adjust the settings a few times to achieve the correct heat.

The model in 60 cm comes with four cooking zones including a half-flex zone where two zones can be joined to accommodate larger pots and pans. It has a dual-ring design that is able to operate on both normal' and 'boost power levels. Boost is ideal for frying meat, searing it or bringing water pans to a rapid boil.

It is fully integrated with the hOn App and has hundreds of recipes, a guide to cooking, and 30 different programmes divided into different food categories and types of cooking. It comes with a user-friendly multislider interface and a 'lockable control panel. In addition, it can automatically detect the kind of pan you're using and Best Ovens And Hobs Uk set up the proper cooking mode. It's also compatible with hOn pans made by third-party manufacturers and comes with various safety features such as a lockable panel and boil-dry prevention.

2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob

If you're working in your kitchen, or seeking a better alternative to gas induction hobs, hob they are becoming increasingly popular. Prices have dropped dramatically in the last few years. Basic four-zone models can be found for less that PS100. If you want the latest induction technology, it's worth paying a bit more.

This slick-looking model from Smeg features the latest induction tech to keep your cooking energy efficient and convenient. The Auto-pot detection system detects pots with a diameter of at least 9 cm and automatically activates the zone that is appropriate.

Smeg's focus is on energy efficiency, but it doesn't ignore the flexibility of this appliance - it can be adjusted to conserve power based on the maximum operating temperatures of the zones. Eco-Logic advanced mode allows you to reduce energy consumption, reducing the power output to as little as 2.4kW.

Testers were awed by the user-friendly interface of this hob with easy-to-use controls that move along the edge of the hob to follow your pan. The control panel's colour scheme helps you quickly identify the operating status of each zone, and the Flexi Duo function allows you to connect two zones to accommodate larger pots. There are numerous useful features, including four automatic cooking settings: melting, boiling, slow-cooking, and keeping warm.

In addition, the hob has a 'FlameSensor' that warns you of any risk of a fire or burnt-on food. There are many safety features such as the residual heat sensor, as well as an automatic shut-off if the surface is too hot.

It is also resistant to tough stains, and has an anti-smudge coating called CleanProtect. This hob has nine power levels, a 'FlexiDuo feature' to allow for large pans, and is easy to put in. There are also a variety of extra features, like control locks and a safety fuse in the event of accidental button-pushing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

Induction hobs are powered by electricity and not gas. They use copper plates to generate a magnetic force when a pan or pot is placed on them. This means they can reach temperatures more quickly than gas hobs and also conserve energy since the cooking zone only gets hot when you turn on the pan. They're generally cheaper to run than gas, and they're easier to wipe clean too, which makes them an extremely popular option.

Indesit's induction stove is packed full of features to help you develop your cooking ideas. It has two separate zones that can be combined into a Dual Zone to accommodate larger pans, and an instant booster zone to quickly bring boiling water to. The Push&Go feature, for instance, lets you cook flawlessly with the click of the button. Nine power modes that include a 'P boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, are easily selected with the controls, which are positioned across the bottom of the hob to track the pans.

The controls are easy to operate, and the minimalist design is ideal for a modern kitchen. In our tests it quickly heated up a pan after we placed it on the Booster Zone and boiled pasta water. However, it took some time to cool down once it was turned off from the hob and our test participants were unable to see the exact temperatures on the control panel.

This Indesit hob also features the bridge function, which allows the user to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It comes with a child lock, an overheating block and an automatic switch-off feature that prevents the hob from working when it gets too hot. Our test subjects were pleased that there were no visible flames or flammable substances and the glass is easy to clean. Contrary to traditional extractor hoods vented hobs draw heat and smoke out of the pan and out of the room through a duct in the surface. Our experts believed that this hob's duct was easy to clean, though it took two people to take the filter to change it.

4. GE Induction Hob

When selecting a hob take a look at how it fits to your kitchen's style and layout, and also your cooking style and your lifestyle. For gas Hob instance, if often cook with small children or elderly people in mind, safety features such as automatic shut-off and a cool to the touch surface may make an induction hob an ideal choice. If you're looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob is the best choice. For those living in regions prone to load-shedding, the ability to use gas hobs in power outages may tip the scales in favour of a gas model.