Three Reasons To Identify Why Your Best Hob Isn't Working (And What You Can Do To Fix It)
How to Choose the Best Hob
When deciding on the best hob to buy, there are many factors to take into account. From price to energy efficiency. Decide what features are most important.
A basic ceramic electric hob can cost less than PS100. However, you will need to pay more for one with many features. Gas hobs are another popular choice and provide great temperature control, however they are pricier.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier hob has four cooking zones and three "Push&Go" functions and can aid in cooking quick meals. It was one of the fastest ways to boil water in our tests, taking only four minutes. It has an child lock and an pause feature, so you can stop the process in a snap without having to fiddle with controls.
Its design is sleek, contemporary and blends well with modern kitchens. It is typically made from glass (which is heatproof and shatterproof) or ceramic. The controls are touch-sensitive and rest flush on the worktop.
The controls are intuitive to use, and we appreciated the clear display which tells you the current power setting and which of the five zones is active. The 'Boost' feature produces high-powered heat for a short period of time, and is ideal for stir-frying, or bringing pans of water to the boil quickly. Safety features such as the hob light that is hot or automatic shutdown are also useful.
However it's not as sensitive to touch as other hobs in this test. We found it took nine presses of the control to achieve the highest temperature, as opposed to seven or six on other models. It takes a bit longer for the pan to respond when you change the temperature. You may need to adjust the settings a few times to achieve the correct heat.
This model is 60cm long and has four cooking zones. One of it is a half-flex zone which allows two areas to easily be joined to accommodate larger pots or pans. The dual-ring design allows it to be operated with both "normal" and "boost" power levels. The Boost is ideal for cooking meat and searing it, or bringing water to a rapid boiling.
It's fully connected via the hOn app, and offers 100's of recipes with guided cooking and 30 unique programmes split into different food categories and types of preparation. It comes with a user-friendly multislider interface as well as a lockable control panel. In addition, it will automatically recognize the type of pan you're using and set the right cooking mode. It also works with third-party hOn sets and has a range of safety features, such as an adjustable control panel that locks and boil-dry protection.
2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob
Whether you're having work done on your kitchen or simply looking for an alternative to gas induction hobs, they are becoming more popular. Prices have slashed over the past few years, with the simplest four-zone models starting at less than PS100. However, if you're looking for all the bells and whistles that come with induction it's worth paying more for the most up-to-date technology.
This slick-looking model from Smeg comes with the most modern induction technology that makes your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The Auto-pot detection system recognises pots with dimensions of at least 9 centimetres and automatically selects the zone that is appropriate.
Smeg's primary focus is on energy savings however, it doesn't overlook flexibility - this hob can be adjusted to save energy based on the highest operating temperatures of the zones. 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 low as 2.4 2 kW.
Testers were impressed by the hob's user-friendly design with easy-to-use controls that slide across the edge of the hob in order to follow your pan. The control panel's colour scheme helps you quickly identify the status of each zone, and the 'Flexi Duo' function allows you to connect two zones to accommodate larger pots. There are numerous useful functions including four automatic cooking presets: melting boiling, slow-cooking, and keeping warm.
The oven also comes with an alarm system that will notify you in the event of a burnt-on meal or a fire. There are many safety features like the residual heat sensor, as well as an automatic shut-off when the surface becomes 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, like lockable controls and an emergency fuse in the event of accidental button pushing.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
Electricity is the primary source of power, rather than gas, induction hobs make use of copper plates that create an electromagnetic field when the pan is placed on the top. This means that they can reach a temperature much quicker than conventional gas hobs and also conserve energy since the cooking area only is heated when you turn on a pan. They are generally cheaper to operate than gas, and they are also less difficult to clean.
www.ovensandhobs.uk from Indesit is packed full of features that make it easy to be creative in the kitchen. It has two separate cooking zones that can be combined to create an Integrated Zone for larger pans as well as the Booster Zone is quick to bring water to the boiling point quickly. A variety of automated functions such as Push&Go lets you create perfectly cooked meals with the click of a button. There are nine power modes, including a 'P boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, are easily selected with the controls, which are positioned along the bottom edge of the hob to track the pans.
The controls are simple to operate and the minimalist design is ideal for modern kitchens. In our tests, it was able to boil pasta water in a snap and was quick to heat up after placing a pan on the Booster zone. However it took an extended time to cool down once it was turned off from the hob and our testers were unable to pinpoint the exact temperature on the control panel.
This Indesit hob also comes with a bridge function that allows you to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It also has a child lock and an overheating block as well as an automatic shut-off mechanism that prevents the oven from working when it gets too hot. The ceramic glass is easy to clean and there are no visible flames. Our test subjects were pleased with the fact that it's. Ventilated hobs, unlike traditional extractors, draw smoke and steam from the pan out of the room via an air duct that is located on the surface. The duct on this hob is easy to clean, but it took two people in order to take the filter out.
4. GE Induction Hob
Think about how the hob will fit into the layout and design of your kitchen, as well as what your cooking style is. Induction hobs are a great choice for cooking with children or older people in mind. They come with safety features such as automatic shut-offs as well as a cool-to-touch surface. For those who are looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob is the ideal choice. If you live in areas that are prone to load-shedding, the capability to use gas hobs in power outages could tilt the balance in favor of gas models.