How to Choose the Best Hob

There are a lot of aspects to consider when choosing the best hob, from price to energy efficiency. Determine which features are the most important.

A basic electric ceramic hob could cost as low as PS100 However, you’ll need to pay more for a feature-packed model. Gas hobs are another popular choice and provide great temperature control, however they are more expensive.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

With four cooking zones and three ‘Push&Go’ functions, this cooker from Haier can help you make quick meals. It was also one of the most efficient tests to boil water, which took just under four minutes. hobs oven -safe and comes with an pause feature, meaning you can quickly stop the process without having to mess around with the controls.

Its design is modern and sleek 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 were simple to use and we appreciated the display that displays the current power level as well as which zone is active. The ‘Boost’ feature produces high-powered heat for a brief period of time. It is perfect for stir-frying or bringing pans of water to a boil quickly. The hot hob light and auto shut-off are great security features, too.

It’s not as responsive as the other hobs in this test. It took nine presses to reach the maximum temperature, compared to six or seven for other models. It takes a bit longer for the pan to respond to changes in temperature. It is possible to adjust the settings several times to get the right temperature.

This model is 60cm long and has four cooking zones, including a half-flex zone that two zones can be joined together to accommodate larger pans and pots. Dual-ring design permits it to be operated at both “normal” and “boost” power levels. The Boost is ideal for cooking meat, searing it or quickly bringing water to a rapid boil.

It’s fully integrated with the hOn app and comes with 100’s of recipes, with guided cooking and 30 unique programs that are divided into various food categories and preparation types. It features a simple multislider interface, as well as a lockable control panel. Additionally, it can automatically detect the kind of pan you’re using and set the correct cooking mode. It’s also compatible with hOn pans made by third parties and has various security features, including a lockable panel as well as boil-dry prevention.

2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob

When you’re doing work in your kitchen or seeking a better alternative to gas induction hobs, they are becoming more popular. Prices have plummeted 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 more to get the latest technology.

This slick-looking model from Smeg features the latest induction technology that makes your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The revolutionary Auto-pot detection technology automatically recognises the position of pots with minimum diameters of 9 cm, allowing you to select the correct zone without having to select it manually.

Smeg’s emphasis on energy efficiency does not leave out flexibility too The hob is built to reduce power consumption by altering the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking preferences. There are options to save even more energy with the Eco-Logic advance mode, which reduces the power output from 11.1 kW to as little as 2.4 kW.

The user-friendly interface of this stove impressed testers, with its simple sliding controls that follow your pan’s edge the edge of it. The color scheme of the control panel lets you quickly see the status of each zone, and the Flexi Duo function allows you to connect two zones to cater for larger pans. There are a variety of 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 if there’s a danger of a meal that’s been burned or the possibility of a fire. There are other safety features, including an indicator of residual heat and an automatic shut-off when the surface is too hot.

It’s also hard-wearing with an anti-corrosive CleanProtect coating to protect it from tough marks and stains from cooking. This model has nine power levels and a ‘FlexiDuo feature’ to accommodate large pans and is simple to set up. There are also a number of additional features, like lockable controls and a safety fuse in case of accidental button pushing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

Induction hobs are powered by electricity and not gas. They use copper plates to generate an electric force when a pot or pan is placed on them. This means they can heat up more quickly than gas hobs and also save energy as the cooking zone only heats up when you turn on a pan. They’re generally less expensive to run than gas, and they’re easier to wipe clean too making them an extremely popular option.

This induction hob from Indesit is packed full of features that allow you to get creative in the kitchen. It comes with two cooking zones that can be combined to create an Integrated Zone for larger pans and a rapid Booster zone to bring water to a boiling point quickly. Push&Go, for example, allows you to cook with perfection with the click of a button. The controls are simple to use and allow you to select nine power modes, including a P boost setting that provides maximum power in each zone for five minutes.

The controls are also easy to use and have an elegant, minimalist design that is perfect for a modern kitchen. In our tests, it quickly heated up a pan when we put it on the Booster Zone, and pasta water that was boiling. It took a while to cool down after turning off the hob, and our test subjects could not determine the exact temperature on the control panel.

This Indesit hob also features a bridge function, which allows you to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It also has an overheating and child lock block, as well as an auto shut-off feature that stops the appliance from working when it’s overheated. The ceramic glass is easy to clean and there are no flames visible. Our testers liked the fact that it’s. Contrary to traditional extractor hoods vented hobs draw heat and smoke out of the pan and out of the room through a duct in the surface. The duct on this hob is easy to clean, however it took two people to take the filter out.

4. GE Induction Hob

When choosing a new hob, consider how it fits into your kitchen’s design and layout, in addition to your cooking style and your lifestyle. Induction hobs are an excellent option if you cook with kids or elderly in mind. They are equipped with safety features like automatic shut-offs as well as a cool-to-touch surface. If you’re looking for speed and efficiency using a ceramic glass facia on an electric hob is the ideal choice. For those living in regions that are prone to load-shedding, the ability to use gas hobs during power outages could make the difference in favor of a gas model.