9 . What Your Parents Taught You About Best Hob

How to Choose the Best Hob

There are lots of factors to take into consideration when selecting the best ovens and hobs uk hob, from price to energy efficiency. Therefore, deciding on the features that are important is crucial.

A basic electric ceramic hob can cost as little as PS100, but you'll need to shell out more for a feature-packed model. Gas hobs are also a popular option and offer excellent temperature control, but they're also more expensive.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

With four cooking zones and three 'Push&Go' functions, this cooker from Haier can assist you in making quick meals. It was one of the fastest boiling water hobs in our tests, taking just four minutes. It has the child lock as well as a an pause feature, so you can stop the process in a snap without having to mess with controls.

Its style is sleek and modern and is a great match for modern kitchens. It is usually made of glass (which is shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic. The controls are touch-sensitive and rest in a flush position on the countertop.

The controls are easy to operate and we loved the clear display that informs the current power setting and which of the five zones is active. The 'Boost' feature generates high-powered heat for a short period of time, and is ideal for stir-frying, or bringing pots of water to a boil fast. Safety features like the hot hob light or automatic shutdown are also beneficial.

However it's not as responsive to touch as other hobs in this test. We found that it took nine presses of the control to reach the highest temperature, compared with seven or six on other models. It takes longer to respond when you alter the temperature of cooking, which means you might have to alter settings multiple times before your pan is ready to cook at the proper temperature.

This model is 60cm long and includes 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 and can operate on both 'normal' and 'boost' power levels. Boost is perfect for frying meat, searing it or quickly making water come to a quick boil.

It is fully integrated with the hOn App and has 100's of recipes, guides for cooking, and 30 special programmes divided into different food categories and types of cooking. It has a multislider control panel with a "lockable interface' that can identify the type of pan you're using to set the correct cooking mode. It also works with hOn pans from third-party manufacturers and comes with a variety of safety features, like a lockable control panel and boil-dry protection.

2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob

If you're working in your kitchen or looking for an alternative to gas induction hobs uk, they are becoming increasingly popular. Prices have slashed over the past few years, with basic four-zone models costing less than PS100. If you're looking for the latest induction technology, it's worth paying a little more.

This slick-looking model from Smeg boasts the latest induction technology that makes your cooking efficient and easy. The innovative Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the location of pots that have a minimum diameter of 9cm, allowing you to switch on the appropriate zone without needing to select it manually.

Smeg's attention to energy savings does not mean that they don't offer flexibility - this hob is designed to reduce power consumption by setting the maximum operating temperature of the zones to suit your cooking needs. There are also options to save even more energy by using the Eco-Logic advance mode which moderates the power output from 11.1 kW to as little as 2.4 kW.

Testers were impressed with the hob's user-friendly design that has intuitive controls that slide along the edges of the hob in order to follow your pan. The control panel's colour-coded scheme makes it easy to identify the state of each zone. The 'Flexi Duo" function lets the connection of two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are a variety of useful functions including four automatic cooking presets: melting boiling, slow-cooking and keeping warm.

The hob also has a FlameSensor which will alert you in the event of a meal that's been burned or an igniting fire. There are other safety features, such as an indicator of residual heat and an auto shut-off feature if the surface is too hot.

It is also resistant to hard stains and comes with an anti-smudge coating called CleanProtect. This hob uk is easy to install and features nine power levels, as well as the handy FlexiDuo feature for catering to large pans. There are also a variety of additional features, including locking controls and a safety fuse in case of accidental button-pushing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

Powered by electricity rather than gas, induction hobs use copper plates that create a magnetic field when the pan is placed on top. They are able to heat up faster than gas hobs, and they use less energy since the cooking area only gets hot when you turn on your pan. They are generally cheaper to operate than gas and they are also simpler to clean.

The induction hob made by Indesit is packed full of features that allow you to get creative in the kitchen. It comes with two distinct zones which can be combined into the Dual Zone to accommodate larger pans, and an instant booster zone to quickly bring water to a boil. A range of functions that are automatic such as Push&Go let you cook your food perfectly at the touch of a button. And nine power modes, including a 'P boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, are easily set using the controls, which are positioned across the bottom of the hob to follow your 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 boiling pasta water. It took a while to cool down after we turned off the hob, and the testers were unable to determine the exact temperature on the control panel.

This Indesit hob also features a bridge function that allows the user to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It also comes with an overheating and child lock block as well as an auto shut-off feature that shuts down the hob when it's too hot. Our testers appreciated the fact that there weren't any messy, visible flames and the glass was easy to clean. Contrary to traditional extractor hoods vented hobs draw heat and smoke out of the pan and out of the room through an air duct that is built into the surface. Our experts thought that the duct of this hob was simple to clean, even though it took two people to take the filter to change it.

4. GE Induction Hob

Consider how the stove will be able to fit into your kitchen's layout and design as well as what your cooking style. For example, if you often cook with small children or elderly people in mind, safety features such as an automatic shut-off or cool to the touch surface could make an induction stove the best option. If you prioritize speed and efficiency, an electric stove with a glass face that is wipe-clean is a great choice. Gas hobs are a good alternative for those living in areas that are susceptible to power outages.