How to Choose the Best Hob
When selecting the ideal hob for your needs, there are many factors to take into account. From price to energy efficiency. Decide what features are most important.
A basic ceramic electric stove costs just PS100. However you'll need to pay more for a model with many features. Gas hobs are a popular choice, and offer great temperature control, but they're also pricier.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier stove has four cooking zones with three 'Push&Go" functions, and can assist you in making quick meals. It was among the fastest to boil water in our tests, taking just four minutes. It has an child lock and the ability to pause, which means you can stop the process quickly without having to mess with controls.
best oven is sleek and contemporary it blends seamlessly with modern kitchens. It's usually made from glass (shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic, and comes with control buttons that sit flush with the worktop for ease of use.
The controls are intuitive to operate and we loved the clear display that informs you the current power settings and which of the five zones is active. The 'Boost" feature generates high-powered heat in a brief time. It's ideal to stir fry and speedily boiling pans. The hob's light that is hot and automatic shutdown are useful safety features, too.
However, it's not as responsive to touch as other hobs we tested. oven with hob found it took nine presses of the control to achieve the highest temperature, compared with seven or six on other models. It takes longer to respond when you change the cooking temperature, so you may need to alter settings several times before your pan reaches the right heat.
The model in 60 cm has four cooking zones, including a half-flex zone that two areas can be joined together to accommodate larger pots and pans. best oven comes with a dual-ring design and can operate on both 'normal and boost' power levels. Boost is ideal for frying meat, searing it or bringing pots of water to the rapid boiling point.
It is fully connected through the hOn App, and offers 100's of recipes, guides for cooking, and 30 special 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 will automatically recognize the type of pan you're using and set up the correct cooking mode. It's also compatible with hOn pans made by third party companies and has several safety features such as a lockable panel and boil-dry prevention.
2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are increasingly popular, whether you are renovating your kitchen or looking for a gas-free alternative. Prices have plummeted over the past few years, with basic four-zone models available for less than PS100. If you are looking for the most modern induction technology, it is worth paying a little more.
This sleek model from Smeg boasts the latest induction technology that makes your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The Auto-pot detection system recognizes pots with dimensions of at least 9 cm and then automatically selects the appropriate zone.
Smeg's focus is on energy savings however, it doesn't overlook the flexibility of this appliance - it can be adjusted to conserve power based on the maximum temperatures that the zones can operate at. Eco-Logic advanced mode enables you to conserve more energy, reducing the power output to as little as 2.4kW.
The user-friendly interface of this stove impressed testers, thanks to its easy-to-use sliding controls that follow your pan's edge the edges of it. The control panel's color scheme allows you to quickly determine the operational status of each zone, and the 'Flexi Duo' feature allows you to connect two zones together to cater for larger pans. There are plenty of useful features, including four cooking presets that automatically cook (melting boiling, melting slow cooking, and keeping warm) and a Power Boost to get results that are quick and efficient.
Additionally the hob comes with a 'FlameSensor' which alerts you when there is a danger of a burning or burning food. There are several safety features, including the residual heat sensor, as well as an automatic switch-off when the surface becomes too hot.
It also has an anti-corrosive CleanProtect coating to help it resist hard staining and cooking marks. This model has nine power levels as well as an 'FlexiDuo feature' that is perfect to accommodate large pans and is simple to set up. There are several bonus features like lockable controls, and a safety fuse to prevent accidental pressing of buttons.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are powered by electricity and not gas. They make use of copper plates to create a magnetic force when a pan or pot is placed on them. This means that they can reach temperatures more quickly than gas hobs and also save energy as the cooking zone only gets hot when you turn on the pan. They are generally cheaper to operate than gas and they are also less difficult to clean.
Indesit's induction hob is full of features to allow you to get creative in the cooking. It has two cooking zones that can be combined to create an Integrated Zone for larger pans and an accelerated Booster zone that can bring water to boil quickly. The Push&Go feature, for instance, allows you to cook perfectly at the touch the button. The controls are simple to use and allow you to choose nine power modes, including the P boost option which gives the highest power for each zone for five minutes.
The controls are easy to use and the minimalist design is ideal for a modern kitchen. In our tests, it quickly heated up a pan once we placed it on the Booster Zone and boiled pasta water. However it took a long time to cool off after we shut off the hob. Our testers were unable to pinpoint the exact temperature on the control panel.
As well as having a Dual Zone and Push&Go, the Indesit hob also has a bridge function that lets you combine two cooking zones to suit larger pans. It also has a child lock and an overheating block as well as an auto shut-off feature that stops the hob working when it's overheated. Our test subjects were pleased that there weren't any messy, visible flames and the ceramic glass was easy to clean. Ventilated hobs, unlike traditional extractors, draw steam and smoke from the pan out of the room via a duct located on the surface. Our experts believed that this hob's duct was easy to keep clean, although it required two people to lift the filter to change it.
4. GE Induction Hob
Think about how the hob will be able to fit into the layout and design of your kitchen as well as what your cooking style. For example, if you often cook with small children or elderly people in mind, security features such as automatic shut-off and a cool to the touch surface can make an induction hob a better choice. If you prefer efficiency and speed, an electric stove with a clean ceramic glass facia is a great choice. If you live in areas that are prone to load-shedding, having the ability to use gas hobs in power outages could tilt the balance in favor of gas models.