How Do I Explain Best Hob To A 5-Year-Old
How to Choose the Best Hob
There are lots of factors to consider when choosing the best hob, from the price to energy efficiency. Choose the features that are the most important.
A basic ceramic electric stove costs as little as PS100. However you'll have to pay more for a model that comes with numerous features. Gas hobs are also a popular choice, and offer great temperature control, however they are pricier.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier hob comes with four cooking zones with three "Push&Go" functions, and will assist you in making quick meals. It was also among the most efficient on test to boil water, taking less than four minutes. It's child-safe and comes with a pause function, so you can stop the process without having to mess around with the controls.
Its design is modern and sleek it blends seamlessly 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 to make it easy to use.
The controls were simple to use and we appreciated the display which shows the current power level and which zone is in use. The "Boost" feature creates high-powered heat in a short time. It is perfect for stir-frying and rapidly heating up pans. Safety features like the hot hob light or automatic shutdown are also useful.
It's not as responsive as other hobs we tested in this test. We found it took nine presses on the control to reach the highest temperature, in contrast to six or seven on other models. It takes a bit longer for the pan to react to changes in temperature. You may have to adjust the settings multiple times to achieve the correct heat.
This 60 cm model includes four cooking zones, including a half-flex zone that two areas can be joined together to accommodate larger pots and pans. It features dual-ring design and can function on both 'normal and boost' power levels. It is perfect for cooking, searing meat or bringing water pans to a rapid boil.
It's fully connected through the hOn app and boasts 100's of recipes with guided cooking and 30 unique programs that are divided into various food categories and preparation styles. It features a multislider controls panel with a 'lockable interface' that detects the type of pan you're using to determine the appropriate cooking mode. It is also compatible with hOn pans made by third-party manufacturers and comes with various safety features such as the ability to lock the panel and boil-dry prevention.
2. oven hob -Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are increasingly popular, whether you're renovating your kitchen or are looking for a gas-free option. Prices have slashed dramatically over the past few years. The basic four-zone models can be found for less that PS100. If oven and hob looking for the latest induction technology, it's worth the extra cost.
This sleek model from Smeg features the latest induction technology that makes cooking more efficient and energy efficient. The revolutionary Auto-pot detection technology automatically detects the position of pots that have a minimum diameter of 9cm, allowing you to select the correct zone without having to select it manually.
Smeg's emphasis on energy efficiency does not mean that they don't offer flexibility This hob is designed to conserve power by altering the maximum operating temperature of the zones to meet your cooking requirements. There are options to save energy using the Eco-Logic advance mode that reduces the power output from 11.1 kW to as low as 2.4 kW.
The user-friendly interface of this cooker impressed testers, with its simple sliding controls that follow your pan along the edges of it. The control panel's colour scheme helps you quickly identify the status of each zone, and the 'Flexi Duo' feature allows you to connect two zones together to accommodate larger pans. There are many useful functions, including four automated cooking settings: melting, boiling, slow-cooking and keeping warm.
The hob also has an alarm system that will notify you when there's a risk of a food item being burned or an igniting fire. There are also several safety features, including a residual heat indicator and an auto shut-off feature if the surface gets too hot.
It's also hard-wearing with an anti-corrosive CleanProtect coating to help it resist hard marks and stains from cooking. The stove is simple to set up and has nine power levels, as well as an excellent 'FlexiDuo' feature that allows catering for large pans. There are also a variety of extra features, including locking controls and a safety fuse in case of accidental button-pushing.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
They are powered by electricity, not gas, induction hobs use copper plates that create a magnetic field when a pan is placed on top. They can heat up much faster than gas hobs and they also consume less energy since the cooking area only gets hot when you turn on the pan. They're generally less expensive than gas, and they're easier to wipe clean too making them an extremely popular choice.
This induction hob by Indesit is packed full of features that allow you to get creative in the kitchen. It comes with two distinct zones that can be combined to form the Dual Zone to accommodate larger pans, and a rapid booster zone to quickly bring boiling water to. A range of automatic functions such as Push&Go lets you achieve perfectly cooked dishes at the touch of the button. Nine power modes including a 'P-boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, are easily selected using the controls, which are positioned along the bottom edge of the hob to follow your pans.
The controls are easy to use and the minimalist design is perfect 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. It took a while to cool down after turning off the hob, and the testers were unable to determine the exact temperature on the control panel.
This Indesit hob also comes with the bridge function, which allows the user to combine two cooking zones to make larger pans. It has a child lock as well as an overheating block. It also has an automatic switch-off feature that prevents the hob from operating when it becomes too hot. Our testers appreciated the fact that there weren't any messy, visible flames and the ceramic glass was easy to wipe clean. Ventilated hobs, unlike traditional extractors, draw smoke and steam from the pan out of the room by a duct located on the surface. Our experts thought that the duct on this hob was easy to clean, even though it required two people to take the filter out to change it.
4. GE Induction Hob
When selecting a kitchen appliance think about how it will fit to your kitchen's design and layout, and also your cooking style and life. For instance, if you frequently cook with children or elderly people in mind, security features like an automatic shut-off feature and a cool to the touch surface can make an induction cooker a better option. If you're looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass front on an electric hob is the ideal choice. If you live in areas susceptible to load-shedding, the ability to use gas hobs in power outages could tilt the balance in favor of a gas model.