Types of hobs Oven

A hob (known as stove top in North America) is a cooking appliance that heats up pans with flame or electricity. There are a variety of hobs. You can choose the one that best fits your kitchen and your style.

Induction hobs come with flat ceramic surfaces and either four or five zones to heat your pans. The modern touch-operated designs look sleek and stylish and are easy to clean.

Ceramic hobs

Ceramic hobs can give your kitchen a modern and sleek look. They have a flat glass ceramic surface that’s easy to clean, meaning spills and splatters are quickly cleaned. They heat up quickly and are energy efficient which means they can cut down on your electricity bill. However, one drawback of ceramic hobs is that they tend to be slow in changing temperatures and can be a hassle when cooking food that requires an instant reduction or increase in heat.

Electric hobs utilize an uncooked plate that is heated by electric elements beneath. The power of each element can be individually adjusted through rotary knobs. You can utilize the Boost feature to raise the temperature of a particular area. Ceramic hobs also have very high heat retention, meaning they’ll remain hot to the touch even after being shut off. This could be a problem for families with children, so it’s advisable to install them in a place that is away from flammable objects and not within reach of little ones.

The benefit of this type of hob is that it can be installed on a variety of worktops, such as laminate, solid wood and granite. It is also relatively affordable and is an excellent option for those trying to replace your old hobs, but without spending a lot of money. Like any appliance, they must be installed correctly and connected to the mains. We recommend hiring an electrician to ensure that your new hobs are safe to use.

This kind of hob is sensitive to the pan’s size and shape. It is essential to purchase cookware that either is exactly the same as the element or fits comfortably in each of the heating zones. If the cookware doesn’t fit, then the element will not recognize it and won’t begin to heat the bottom of the pan. This could result in inconsistent cooking results and make the stove less efficient.

Gas on glass hobs

Glass hobs with gas are a great choice for a sleek, modern aesthetic. They are more expensive than electric hobs, and may require professional installations. However they heat up faster as an entire pot of water will typically boil in less than four minutes. This kind of hob works well for cooks who want to control the amount of heat that is generated. Glass hobs are more prone to damage and require frequent cleaning as they are more likely to accumulate grease and residue.

This Bertazzoni hob is a great example of gas on glass. It comes with four monobloc burners in matt black with metal control knobs to create a sleek, elegant finish. The wok ring has a power of 4kW to allow for more versatility and the pan supports are dishwasher-proof.

This Bosch gas hob is another highly recommended model. It combines a stylish piece of toughened glass with advanced cooking technology. The dual ring design at the left side of the gas hob features two burners inside to improve heat distribution and accelerate cooking. It also comes with a handy power indicator that allows you to regulate the exact temperature of the flame. You can select from nine preset settings, including a high setting for searing a steak and the low setting for scrambled eggs.

Our test subjects also appreciated the controls because they were simple and easy to use. There are a few minor disadvantages, for instance, you need to press the controls nine more times to reach the maximum heating level and that the glass can make it difficult to see the burners’ actions.

A few of the top gas-on-glass hobs are available at an affordable price, such as this Neff model. While it’s not going to be a winner of any design awards, it does the job well and is an excellent addition to your kitchen for less than PS120.

Electric hobs

Electric hobs are perfect for modern homes. They not only offer an elegant design that blends into the rest of your kitchen, but they also provide modern technology that is safer, quicker and more efficient than their predecessors in terms of energy consumption.

Ceramic glass hobs are among the most well-known electric stoves. They are designed with an elegant glazed finish and have a surface that is easy to clean and resistant to scratches. These hobs are also fitted with a power booster function that lets you increase the heat for a short time.

Induction hobs are yet another electric hob that is ideal for modern homes. Unlike traditional gas and electric plate hobs, induction hobs use electromagnetic fields to directly heat your cookware. This means that they are more energy efficient and have precise temperature control. However, they require a specific kind of pan to work and are costly to install.

Glass hobs with gas are another great option for modern homes. It has a burner underneath a flat glass layer, like a traditional gas stove. However it’s shatterproof and heatproof, so it’s much easier to clean than standard glass that’s tempered. A lot of these hobs have a ‘hot surface indicator’ that warns you when the hob is hot.

While gas hobs remain a popular option for many home cooks however, they can be noisy and difficult to clean. The flame can also be difficult to control and can take some time to heat up and cool off. In contrast electric hobs are energy-efficient and simpler to clean.

For the highest level of modern efficiency, you can even find electric stoves that are compatible with LPG gas. You can switch between different fuels, providing you with the flexibility needed to meet your needs. It is important to remember, however, that these hobs will need to be installed by a registered gas safe engineer and will require an appropriate cable of 6mm in your kitchen. They’re also not suitable for people who have pacemakers, since the electromagnetic field can interfere with them.

Hobs with induction

Copper coils create an alternating electric current beneath the glass surface of an induction hob. When an induction-compatible pan is placed on the hob the coils create magnetic fields that direct heat the pan, instead of 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 stoves, from the basic ones with a single zone labelled by rings to more advanced multi zoned induction stoves with up to 6 zones that allow multiple pots to cook simultaneously in one flex space. Certain models have the ability to control the temperature using a slider that’s similar to the iPhone. Simply swipe your finger over the power bar located in the middle to select the desired heat level, left to right increases heat and right to left decreases it. Some models have preset settings for certain food types or recipes which can help you save time in the kitchen.

Induction hobs can be more expensive than ceramic hobs, but they are considered to be more energy efficient over the long term since they heat up faster and have a smaller area for heating up which can help lower your energy costs. They also cool faster and have a safer design that doesn’t have hot plates, which makes them perfect for families with young children or elderly persons living in the home. However, they can create magnetic fields that could interfere with some medical devices such as pacemakers so it is important to place your pans on the burner and avoid using small pans on large burners.

As with all electric hobs you’ll have to clean your induction hob on a regular basis, as food and debris can accumulate over time. You can make use of a basic oven cleaning product or invest in a specialist one to keep your stove in good condition and shining for a longer time. It is not recommended to use any abrasive cleaning product or a scouring pad on your stove as they may scratch the surface.