Types of Hobs
A hob (known as stove top in North America) is a cooking appliance that heats pans with flame or electricity. There are many different types of hobs. You can pick the one that is best suited to your kitchen and style.
Induction hobs come with an elongated ceramic cooking surface and have five or four zones for heating your pans. Modern touch-operated designs look elegant and chic and are easy to clean.
Ceramic hobs
Ceramic hobs can give your kitchen a modern, sleek appearance. The flat glass-ceramic surfaces are simple to clean and are able to be wiped down if spills or splatters occur. They heat up quickly and are energy efficient, which can reduce your electricity bill. Ceramic hobs aren't always fast when changing the temperature settings. This can be a hassle when you are cooking something that requires a rapid reduction or an increase in heat.
Electric hobs are made of a solid plate that is heated by electric elements under. They can be controlled separately using rotary knobs and notched up to the power level you require. You can use the Boost feature to increase the temperature of a particular zone. Ceramic hobs are able to hold heat well, so even when they are turned off, they will be hot to the touch. This can be a problem for families with children, so it's advisable to install them in a place which is far from flammable objects and not within reach of young children.
The advantage of this type of hob is that it can be set up on a variety of worktops such as laminate or solid wood, as well as granite. It's also quite affordable and can be an excellent option for those looking to replace your stove without spending a lot. As with all appliances, they need to be properly installed and connected to the mains. We recommend hiring an electrician to ensure your new hobs will be safe to use.
A downside of this type of hob is that it's extremely sensitive to the size of the pan and shape. It is necessary to purchase cookware that's either exactly the same size as the element, or that can fit comfortably into the heating zones on the hob. If the cookware doesn't fit the element, it will not recognize it and won't start to heat up the bottom of the pan. This could result in inconsistent cooking results and make the hob less energy efficient.
Gas on glass hobs
Gas on glass hobs offer modern, sleek design. While they can be more expensive than electric models and require professional installation, they typically require less time to heat up. It's not uncommon for a complete pan of water to come to a boil within four minutes or less. This kind of hob is a great choice for cooks who wish to control how much heat is produced. Glass hobs are more vulnerable to damage and require frequent cleaning as they are more likely to accumulate grease and other residue.
This Bertazzoni hob is an excellent example of gas on glass. It features four monobloc burners that are matte black, with control knobs made of metal to create a sleek, elegant finish. The wok ring is 4kW for additional versatility, and the pan supports are dishwasher safe.
Another highly recommended model is this Bosch gas hob, which combines a stylish slab of toughened glass with the latest cooking technology. The dual ring design at the left side of the gas hob features a double inner burner to improve heat distribution and speed up cooking. It also has an easy-to-read power level indicator that helps to regulate the precise temperature of your flame. You can select from nine pre-defined settings including the high setting for searing steaks and an option for scrambled eggs.
Our test subjects also appreciated the controls, as they were simple and easy to use. There are a few minor disadvantages, for instance, you have to press the controls nine more times to reach the highest temperature and the glass can make it difficult to see what the burners are doing.
Some of the top gas-on-glass hobs can be found at an affordable price like this Neff model. It's not likely to win any design awards but it'll serve its purpose and be a great addition to your kitchen at just more than PS120.
Electric hobs
Electric hobs are ideal for modern homes. They're not only sleek and stylish, they are also faster, safer and more efficient than their predecessors.
Ceramic glass hobs are among the most well-known electric stoves. They're constructed with a sleek glazed finish and feature an easy-to-clean surface that's resistant to smudges and scratches. They're also often equipped with a power boost feature, which allows you to increase the heat of your cooker for a brief period of time.
Another electric hob that is ideal for modern homes is an induction hob. Induction hobs cook your food directly with electromagnetic fields unlike traditional electric and gas plates. They are therefore more energy efficient and offer precise temperature control. They require a specific type of pan and could be click here expensive to put in.
Glass hobs with gas are a different option for modern homes. It is equipped with a burner under an unidirectional glass layer like a traditional gas stove. This glass is heatproof and shatterproof, making it easier to clean than tempering glass. A lot of these hobs come with a 'hot surface indicator', which alerts you when the oven is hot.
Gas hobs remain a preferred option for many home cooks However, they can be noisy and hard to clean. They also take a while to cool down and warm down, and their flame can be hard to manage. In contrast electric hobs are efficient in energy use and easier to clean.
For the ultimate in modern efficiency You can also find electric hobs that are compatible with LPG gas. This lets you switch between different fuel sources, meaning you can adjust your cooking to suit your lifestyle. It's important to note, however, that these stoves will require installation by an accredited gas safe engineer and will require an appropriate cable of 6mm in your kitchen. They're not suitable for those with pacemakers, since the electromagnetic field can interfere with them.
Induction hobs
On the glass surface of the induction hobs, there are copper coils which run an alternating electrical current. When an induction-compatible pan is placed on the hob the coils create magnetic fields which heat the pan directly rather than heating a surface of the worktop or a heated plate. Induction hobs are energy efficient, as they don't use any heat.
There are a myriad of models of induction hobs that range from basic ones with a single cooking zone marked by rings to more sophisticated multi-zoned induction hobs that can have up to six zones, allowing you to cook multiple pots simultaneously in one flexible zone. Certain models come with a touch-slider control that is very similar to how you operate an iPhone. You can select the desired temperature by sliding your finger from left to right over the power bar located in the middle. Certain models have preset settings that are specific to recipes or food types that can cut down time in the kitchen.
Induction hobs tend to be more expensive than ceramic hobs, but they are considered to be more efficient over the long term since they heat up faster and use a smaller space for heating up which can help reduce your energy bills. They also cool down faster and have a safer design without hot plates, making them ideal for families with young children or elderly persons living in the house. However, they create magnetic fields that could cause interference with medical devices, such as pacemakers, therefore it is essential to center your pans on the burner and avoid placing small pans on large burners.
As with all electric hobs you'll need to clean your induction hob on a regular basis, as food particles and other debris may build up over time. You can use a regular oven cleaner, or you can invest in a specialist product to keep your stove shiny and in good condition for longer. Avoid using the abrasive cleaning products or the a scouring pad on your stove as they may scratch the surface.