Types of Hobs
A hob (known as stove top in North America) is a cooking appliance that heats pans by using electricity or flames. There are a variety of hobs. You can choose the one that is best suited to your kitchen and design.
Induction hobs have an elongated ceramic surface and four or five zones to heat your pans. The modern touch-operated designs look sleek and stylish and are easy to clean.
Ceramic hobs
Ceramic hobs provide a sleek and modern look that can enhance the overall aesthetic of your kitchen. The flat glass-ceramic surfaces are easy to clean and are able to be cleaned up if spills or splatters occur. They are fast to heat up and are energy-efficient which means they can cut down on your electric bill. However, one disadvantage of ceramic hobs is that they can be slow to change temperatures which can be a problem when cooking food that requires immediate reduction or increase in heat.
Electric hobs use a solid plate that is heated by electric elements underneath. They can be controlled separately with rotary knobs, and then tacked up to the level of power you require. You can even use the boost feature to increase the temperature of a single zone. Ceramic hobs also have very high heat retention, meaning they'll remain hot to the touch after being turned off. This could be a problem for families with children, so it's best to only install them in an area which is far from flammable objects and away from young children.
The advantage of this type of hob is that it can be set up on a variety of worktops, such as laminate, solid wood and granite. It's also fairly affordable and is a great alternative if you're looking to replace your old hobs without spending a lot of money. Like all appliances, they must be installed correctly and connected to the mains. We recommend hiring an electrician to ensure the new hobs are safe to use.
A downside of this type of hob is that it's extremely sensitive to the size of the pan as well as its shape. You'll need to buy cookware that's the exact dimensions as the element or that is able to fit in each of the heating zones on the hob. If the cookware doesn't match, then the element will not recognize it and will not begin to heat the base of the pan. This can cause uneven cooking and make the stove less efficient.
Gas on glass hobs
Gas-powered glass hobs have a sleek, modern aesthetic. They can be more expensive than electric hobs, and require professional installation. However they are also more efficient in heating as the water in a full pot can typically boil in less than 4 minutes. This kind of hob is also a great choice for cooks who want to limit the amount of heat being generated. However, it must be observed that a glass-based hob can be more vulnerable to damage than stainless steel models and will need to be cleaned more often, since grease and residue build up tends to stay on the surface instead of sliding off.
A fantastic example of a glass-on-gas model is this Bertazzoni hob, that has four matt black monobloc burners, each with precise metal control knobs that create a an elegant and sophisticated look. It also has the wok ring that has 4kW to increase versatility, and pan supports that are dishwasher-safe and easy to clean.
This Bosch gas hob is a highly recommended model. It is a sleek piece of toughened glass and modern cooking technology. The dual ring design to the left of the gas hob features two burners inside to improve the distribution of heat and speed up cooking. It also features an easy-to-read power indicator that lets you control the precise temperature of the flame. You can select from nine pre-defined settings, including the high setting for searing steak and the low setting for scrambled eggs.
Our testers also liked the controls because they were simple and intuitive. Some minor drawbacks are that you have to press the controls a further nine times to reach the maximum temperature and the glass can make it difficult to discern what the burners are doing.
This Neff model is among the top gas-on glass hobs available at an affordable price. It's not going to win any design awards but it'll do the job and can be an excellent addition to your kitchen for just above 120 pounds.
Electric hobs
There are a variety of electric hobs that are perfect for modern households. They're not just elegant and stylish, but they are also more efficient, safer and more efficient than their predecessors.
Ceramic glass hobs are among the most sought-after electric stoves. They're constructed with a sleek glossy finish and an easy-to-clean surface that is resistant to scratches or smudges. They're also often equipped with a power boost function that allows you to increase the heat of your cooker for a short period of time.
Induction hobs are a different electric hob perfect for modern homes. Induction hobs heat your cookware directly using electromagnetic fields, unlike traditional electric plates and gas stoves. They are therefore more energy efficient and provide precise temperature control. They require a special kind of pan and can be costly to set up.
Hobs made of glass that are gas-powered are a different option for modern homes. Similar to a standard gas hob, it has a burner beneath an underlying layer of flat glass. click here to read is heatproof as well as shatterproof, making it easier to clean than tempering glass. A lot of these hobs come with an "hot surface indicator" which alerts you to the heat.
Although gas hobs are an option that is popular with home cooks but they can be noisy and difficult to clean. The flame can also be difficult to control and can take a long time to heat up and cool off. Electric hobs, on other side, are more energy efficient and easy to clean.
There are even electric stoves that are compatible LPG gas. You can switch between different fuels, giving you the flexibility to fit your lifestyle. It's important to note that these hobs need to be installed by an approved gas safe engineer and require an appropriate cable of 6mm in your kitchen. They are also not suitable for people with pacemakers because the electromagnetic field could interfere with them.
Hobs with induction
Copper coils conduct an alternating electric current beneath the glass surface of an induction hob. When an induction-compatible plate is placed on the hob, the coils generate magnetic fields that heat the pan directly instead of heating the surface of the worktop or a heated plate. This makes induction hobs very efficient from an energy perspective since there's no heat being wasted.
There are a myriad of models of an induction hob that range from basic ones with only one cooking zone with rings to more advanced multi-zoned hobs that can have up to six zones, allowing you to cook several pots at once on a flex zone. Some of these models feature a slider control that is similar to the iPhone. Simply swipe your finger over the power bar located in the middle to select the desired temperature, left to right increases heat and right-to-left decreases it. Some models have pre-programmed settings for specific recipes or food items that can help you save time and effort in the kitchen.
Induction hobs can be more expensive than ceramic hobs, however they are thought to be more energy efficient in the long run as they heat up much faster and have a smaller surface to heat up, which can help you save on energy bills. They also cool faster and have a safer design that doesn't have hot plates, making them perfect for families with children or older people who live in the house. However, they can create magnetic fields that could cause interference with medical devices such as pacemakers therefore it is essential to center your pans on the burner and avoid using small pans on large burners.
Like all electric hobs you'll need to keep your electric hob clean, as food and debris can accumulate over time. You can use a regular oven cleaner, or purchase a specialist cleaner to keep your stove shiny and in good condition for a longer time. You should never use any abrasive cleaning product or a scouring pad on your stove since they could scratch the surface.