Types of Hobs

A hob (known as a stove top in North America) is a cooking appliance that heats up pans using electricity or flames. There are a variety of hobs. You can pick the one that is best hobs suited to your kitchen and your style.

Induction hobs come with a flat ceramic cooking surface and come with five or four zones to heat your pans. Modern touch-operated designs look sleek and stylish and are easy to clean.

Ceramic hobs

Ceramic hobs offer an elegant and contemporary look that can really enhance the overall appearance of your kitchen. The flat glass-ceramic surfaces are simple to clean and can easily be wiped down in the event of spills or splatters. They are quick to heat up and are energy-efficient which means they can cut down on your electric bill. Ceramic Hobs Oven can be slow when changing temperature settings. This can be frustrating when you need to cook something that requires quick reduction or increase of temperature.

Electric hobs use plates that are heated by electric elements underneath. The power of each element can be adjusted through rotating knobs. You can also use the boost feature to increase the heat of a single area. Ceramic hobs also have a very high heat retention, so they'll remain hot to the touch even after being shut off. This could be a problem when you have children, so it's best hobs to only install them in an area which is far from flammable objects and away from little ones.

This kind of hob can be installed on a variety worktops, including laminate and solid hardwood as well as granite. It's also reasonably priced and is an excellent option if you're trying to replace your old hobs, but without spending a lot of money. As with any appliance, they must be installed correctly and connected to the mains. We recommend hiring an electrician to ensure that the new hobs are safe to use.

This kind of hob is sensitive to pan sizes and shapes. You'll need cookware that's either exactly the same size as the element or that will fit comfortably inside each of the heating zones on the hob. If the cookware is not the same size as the element, it will not recognize it and will not heat the bottom of the pan. This could lead to inconsistent results in cooking and makes the hob less efficient.

Gas on glass hobs

Gas on glass hobs have a sleek and modern appearance. They are more expensive than electric hobs, and may require professional installations. However they heat up faster as a full pot of water can typically boil in less than four minutes. This kind of hob is also a great choice for cooks who want to limit the amount of heat produced. However, it should be noted that a glass hob is more prone to damage than stainless steel models and will need to be cleaned more frequently, as grease and residue build up tends to stay on the surface instead of slipping off.

A great example of a gas on glass model is this Bertazzoni hob, which boasts four matt black monobloc burners, each with precise metal control knobs to create an elegant and sophisticated look. The wok ring has a power of 4kW for extra versatility and the pan supports are dishwasher-proof.

This Bosch gas hob is another highly recommended model. It combines a stylish piece of toughened glass with advanced cooking technology. The dual ring design at the left of the gas hob provides an inner burner that doubles to improve heat distribution and increase the speed of cooking. It also has a handy power level indicator, which helps to regulate the precise temperature of your flame. You can choose from nine pre-defined settings, including the high setting for searing steaks and the low setting for scrambled eggs.

The simple, yet easy-to-use controls were also liked by our testers who found them be very simple to use. There are a few minor disadvantages, for instance, you need to press the controls a further nine times before reaching the maximum heating level and that the glass can make it difficult to see what the burners are doing.

This Neff model is one of the best gas-on-glass hobs available at an affordable price. It's not going to win any design prizes but it'll do the job and can be a great addition to your kitchen for just more than 120 pounds.

Electric hobs

There are a number of electric hobs that work for modern homes. They not only offer an elegant design that fits into the rest of your kitchen and are also equipped with advanced functions that are safer, faster and more energy-efficient than their predecessors.

Ceramic glass hobs are among the most well-known electric stoves. These hobs are designed with sleek glazed finishes, and have a surface that is easy to clean and resistant to scratches. These hobs are also fitted with a power booster function that allows you to increase the heat for a brief duration.

Another electric hob that is perfect for modern homes is an induction hob. As opposed to traditional gas and electric plate hobs, induction hobs use electromagnetic fields to directly heat your cookware. They are therefore more energy-efficient and provide precise temperature control. However they require a certain kind of pan to function and can be costly to set up.

A gas-on-glass hob is a second option that's a great choice for modern homes. Similar to a standard gas hob, it comes with the burner underneath a layer of flat glass. The glass is heatproof as well as shatterproof, making it much easier to clean than tempering glass. A lot of these hobs come with a 'hot surface indicator', which alerts you when the hob is hot.

Gas hobs remain a preferred choice for many home chefs, but they can be noisy and difficult to clean. They also take a while to cool down and warm down and their flames can be difficult to manage. In contrast electric hobs are efficient in energy use and easier to clean.

There are even electric stoves that can be used with LPG gas. This lets you switch between various fuel sources, meaning you can adjust your cooking to adapt to your lifestyle. But, it's important to keep in mind that these hobs must be installed by a registered gas safe engineer and will require a dedicated 6mm cable to be installed in your kitchen. They are also not suitable for those with pacemakers as the electromagnetic field can interfere with them.

Induction hobs

Under the glass surface of the induction hobs, there are copper coils that generate an alternating electrical current. When an induction-compatible pan is placed on a hob, the coils generate magnetic fields that create heat directly in the pan, rather than heating the surface of the worktop (gas) or an insulated plate (electric). Induction hobs are extremely efficient in terms of energy efficiency, since they don't use any heat.

There are many different models of induction hob starting from basic ones that have one cooking zone that is that is marked with rings to more sophisticated multi-zoned induction hobs that can have up to six zones and allow the cooking of multiple pots simultaneously in one Flex zone. Some of these premium models come with a touch slider control that resembles to the way you use an iPhone. You can choose the desired temperature by swiping your finger from left to right over the power bar located in the middle. Certain models can even be programmed with settings for certain recipes or food types that can help you save time and effort in the kitchen.

Induction hobs do tend to be more expensive than ceramic hobs, but they are considered to be more efficient over the long term because they heat up faster and have a smaller surface for heating up which can help you save on energy bills. They cool faster and are more secure without hot plates. This makes them perfect for families with children or elderly people. However, they do create an electric force that could cause interference with certain medical devices, such as pacemakers. It is therefore essential to center the pans and avoid using smaller pans on larger burners.

Like all electric hobs, you'll have to keep your induction hob clean because food and debris could build up over time. You can use a standard oven cleaning product or purchase a specialist one to keep your hob in good condition and shiny for a longer time. Make sure you don't use scrubbers or pads for scouring on your induction hob as they can scratch the surface.