Best Hob: The Ugly Truth About Best Hob
How to Choose the Best Hob
When choosing the best hob to buy, there are many factors to take into consideration. From price to energy efficiency. Choose the features that are the most important.
A basic electric ceramic hob can cost as little as PS100, but you'll need to pay more for a model with a lot of features. Gas hobs, which are also popular and provide excellent temperature control, but are more expensive, are a different alternative.
1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob
This Haier stove has four cooking zones with three "Push&Go" functions, and will help you prepare quick meals. It was also among the fastest tested to boil water, which took just under four minutes. It's child lock-compatible and has an pause feature, meaning you can stop the process without having to faff around with the controls.
Its style is sleek and modern, blending in well with contemporary kitchens. It is usually made of glass (which is heatproof and shatterproof) or ceramic. The controls are touch-sensitive, and they sit directly on the worktop.
The controls are intuitive to use, and we appreciated the clear display that tells the current power setting, and which of the five zones is active. The 'Boost" feature generates powerful heat in a short time. It is ideal for stir-frying and rapidly heating up pans. Safety features such as the hob light that is hot or automatic shut-off are also useful.
It's not as responsive as other hobs tested in this test. It took nine presses to reach the maximum temperature, compared to seven or six for other models. It also takes longer to react when you alter the temperature of cooking, which means you may have to change settings several times before the pan reaches the right heat.
The model measures 60 cm and comes with four cooking zones. One of the zones is a half-flex, where two areas can easily be joined to accommodate larger pots or pans. It has a dual-ring design and is able to operate on both normal as well as 'boost power levels. The Boost is ideal for cooking meat, searing it or quickly making water come to a quick boiling.
It is fully connected through the hOn App, and offers 100's of recipes, guided cooking, and 30 unique programmes divided into different food categories and types of preparation. It has a multislider control panel with a 'lockable interface' that can identify the type pan you are using to determine the appropriate cooking mode. It also works with third-party hOn pan sets and has a range of safety features, such as a lockable control panel and boil-dry protection.
2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob
If you're working on your kitchen or simply looking for an alternative to gas induction hobs, induction hobs are becoming increasingly popular. Prices have slashed over the past few years, with the simplest four-zone models costing less than PS100. However, if you're looking for all the bells and whistles that include induction, it's worth paying extra for the most up-to-date technology.
This slick-looking model from Smeg comes with the most modern induction technology to make your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The unique Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the location of pots that have minimum diameters of 9cm, allowing you to switch on the appropriate zone without needing to select it manually.
Smeg's attention to energy savings does not leave out flexibility too This hob is designed to conserve power by adjusting the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking requirements. Eco-Logic advanced mode enables you to save more energy by reducing the power output to as low as 2.4kW.
Testers were impressed with the hob's user-friendly design that has intuitive controls that slide along the edges of the hob, allowing it to follow the pan. The control panel's color-coded layout allows you to easily identify the status of each zone. The "Flexi Duo" function lets the connection of two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are many useful functions, including four cooking presets for automatic cooking (melting boiling, melting, slow cooking and keeping warm) and a Power Boost to get results that are quick and efficient.
The oven also comes with an alarm system that will notify you in the event of a food item being burned or an igniting fire. There are several safety features like the residual heat sensor, as well as an automatic switch-off when the surface becomes too hot.
It is also resistant to hard stains and comes with an anti-smudge coating called CleanProtect. This model has nine power levels as well as a 'FlexiDuo feature' to allow for large pans, and is simple to set up. There are also a number of extra features, like locking controls and a safety fuse in case of accidental button-pushing.
3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob
Induction hobs are powered by electricity, not gas. They utilize copper plates to generate a magnetic force when a pan or pot is placed on them. This means that they can reach temperatures much quicker than conventional gas hobs and also save energy as the cooking area only is heated when you turn on the pan. They are generally less expensive to run than gas, and they are also easier to clean.
This induction hob from Indesit is packed full of features that make it easy to create your own ideas in the kitchen. It has two separate cooking zones that can be combined to create a Dual Zone for larger pans and an accelerated Booster zone to bring water to a boiling point quickly. For instance, the Push&Go allows you to cook with perfection at the touch one button. There are nine power modes including a 'P-boost' setting that gives each zone maximum power for 5 minutes, can be easily selected using the controls, which are positioned along the bottom edge of the hob to track your pans.
The controls are also easy to use and have modern, minimalist designs that is perfect for a modern kitchen. In our tests, it quickly heated up a pan once we put it on the Booster Zone and pasta water that was boiling. However it took some time to cool down once we turned off the hob and our testers found it difficult to see the exact temperatures on the control panel.
In addition to a Dual Zone and Push&Go, this Indesit hob also has a bridge function that lets you connect two cooking zones to suit larger pans. It also comes with an overheating and child lock block and an auto switch-off system that shuts down the hob when it's overheated. Our testers appreciated the fact that there were no visible flames or flammable substances and the ceramic glass was easy to clean. Ventilated hobs in contrast to traditional extractors draw smoke and steam from the pan out of the room by a duct located on the surface. The duct on this hob is easy to clean, but it took two people to take the filter out.
4. GE Induction Hob
Consider how the stove will be able to fit into your kitchen's layout and design as well as the style of cooking you prefer. Induction hobs are an excellent choice for cooking with kids or elderly in mind. They are equipped with safety features like automatic shut-offs as well as a cool-to-touch surface. For those who value speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob is the best choice. For those who live in areas that are prone to load-shedding, having the ability to use gas hobs in power outages could tilt the balance in favor of a gas model.