This Week's Top Stories Concerning Best Hob
This Week's Top Stories Concerning Best Hob
Blog Article
How to Choose the Best Hob
There are lots of factors to consider when choosing the ideal hob, ranging from price to energy efficiency. So deciding what features are essential is vital.
A basic electric ceramic stove could cost as low as PS100 however, you'll have to pay more for a model with a lot of features. Gas hobs are another popular choice, and offer great temperature control, but they're also more expensive.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier hob has four cooking zones with three 'Push&Go" functions, and will help you prepare quick meals. It was also one of the fastest tested to boil water, taking less than four minutes. It's child lock-compatible and has a pause function, so you can quickly stop the process without having to faff around using controls.
Its style is sleek and contemporary and blends well with contemporary kitchens. It's usually made from glass (shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic, and comes with controls that are in the same place as the worktop for ease of use.
The controls were easy to operate, and we liked the display which shows the current power level as well as which zone is active. The 'Boost' feature produces high-powered heat for a brief period of time, and is ideal for stir-frying or bringing pans of water to a boil quickly. Safety features such as the hot hob light or automatic shut-off are also useful.
It's not as responsive as other hobs in this test. We observed that it took nine presses on the control to attain the highest temperature compared with six or seven on other models. It takes a bit longer for the pan to react to changes in temperature. You may need to adjust the settings multiple times to achieve the correct temperature.
This 60 cm model features four cooking zones. One of them is a half-flex zone that allows two zones to easily be joined to accommodate larger pots or pans. It features a dual-ring design and can operate on both 'normal' and 'boost' power levels. The Boost is ideal for cooking meat and searing it, or bring water to a fast boil.
It is fully connected through the hOn App, and offers hundreds of recipes, a guide to cooking, and 30 unique programmes divided into different food categories and types of cooking. It features a simple multislider interface and a 'lockable control panel. In addition, it is able to automatically detect the type of pan you're using and set the proper cooking mode. It's also compatible with hOn pans from third-party manufacturers and comes with a number of safety features like a lockable panel as well as boil-dry prevention.
2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are becoming increasingly popular, whether you are renovating your kitchen or searching for a gas-free alternative. Prices have dropped dramatically in the past few years. Basic four-zone models can be found for less that PS100. If you want all the bells and whistles that include induction, it's worth paying extra to get the latest technology.
This sleek model from Smeg features the latest induction tech to keep your cooking efficient and easy. The Auto-pot detection system recognises pots that have dimensions of at least 9cm and then automatically will activate the appropriate zone.
Smeg's attention to energy savings does not mean that they don't offer flexibility This hob is designed to conserve power by setting the maximum operating temperature of the zones to suit your cooking needs. There are options to save even more energy with the Eco-Logic advance mode which moderates the power output from 11.1 kW to as little as 2.4 4 kW.
The user-friendly interface of this cooker was a hit with testers, thanks to its intuitive sliding controls that follow your pan's contours along the edge of it. The control panel's color-coded design allows you to easily identify the state of each zone. The 'Flexi Duo" feature lets you connect two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are numerous 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 also several safety features, like an indicator of residual heat and an auto switch-off if the surface is too hot.
It also has a protective CleanProtect coating to help it resist hard staining and cooking marks. This hob is easy to install and has nine power levels and a handy 'FlexiDuo' feature that allows catering for large pans. There are also a number of additional features, including control locks and an emergency fuse in the event of accidental button pushing.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are powered by electricity and not gas. They make use of copper plates to generate an electric force when a pan or pot is placed on them. They can heat up much quicker than gas hobs, and they also consume less energy since the cooking zone is only hot when you turn on the pan. They're generally cheaper to run than gas, and they're easier to clean and that's why they're a popular choice.
Indesit's induction cooktop is packed of features that will allow you to be creative when cooking. It comes with two distinct zones that can be combined to form the Dual Zone to accommodate here larger pans, and a speedy booster zone that can quickly bring water to a boil. Push&Go, for example, allows you to cook with perfection by pressing the button. There are nine power modes that include a 'P boost' setting that gives each zone maximum power for 5 minutes, can be easily selected using the controls, which move along the bottom edge of the hob to track the pans.
The controls are easy to use, and the minimalist design is perfect for modern kitchens. In our tests, it cooked pasta water in a flash and was quick to heat up when we put an oven on the Booster zone. However, it took a long time to cool off after we shut off the hob and our testers were unable to see the exact temperatures on the control panel.
As well as a Dual Zone and Push&Go, this Indesit hob has a useful bridge function that allows you to combine two cooking zones to suit larger pans. It also comes with a child lock and overheating block, as well as an auto shut-off feature that shuts down the hob when it's heated to the point of. The ceramic glass is easy to clean and there are no visible flames. Our testers liked the fact that there was no visible flame. Ventilated hobs, unlike traditional extractors, draw smoke and steam from the pan and out of the room by a duct on the surface. Our experts believed that the duct on this hob was easy to keep clean, although it took two people to take the filter to change it.
4. GE Induction Hob
When choosing a new hob take a look at how it fits to your kitchen's design and layout, as well as your cooking style and your lifestyle. For instance, if you often cook with small children or elderly people in mind, security features such as an automatic shut-off or an icy to the touch surface could make an induction cooker a better choice. If you're looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob is the ideal choice. Gas hobs are a great choice for those who live in areas prone to power outages.