9 . What Your Parents Teach You About Best Hob

How to Choose the Best Hob

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing the best ovens hob, from price to energy efficiency. So deciding what features are important is crucial.

A basic electric ceramic stove can cost as little as PS100 however, Ovens Hobs you'll have to spend more for a model with a lot of features. Gas hobs are also a popular choice and provide great temperature control, Hobs Uk however they are more expensive.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

This Haier hob has four cooking zones and hob three 'Push&Go" functions, and will aid in cooking quick meals. It was among the fastest ways to boil water in our tests, taking only four minutes. It comes with a child lock and an pause feature, so you can stop the process quickly without having to mess with controls.

Its design is sleek, contemporary and blends well with contemporary kitchens. It is usually made of glass (shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic, and comes with control buttons that sit flush with the worktop for easy use.

The controls are simple to use and we liked the clear display that tells the current power setting, and which of the five zones are in use. The "Boost" feature produces high-powered heat in a short time. It is perfect for stir-frying and rapidly bringing pans to boil. The hob's light that is hot and automatic shutdown are useful safety features, too.

It's not as responsive as other hobs in this test. It took nine presses to reach maximum temperature, as opposed to six or seven for other models. It also takes longer to respond when you alter the cooking temperature, meaning you might have to alter settings several times before the pan reaches the right heat.

The model in 60 cm has four cooking zones, including a half-flex area where two zones can be joined together to accommodate larger pots and pans. It comes with a dual-ring design and can function on both 'normal as well as 'boost power levels. It is great for cooking meat and searing it, or bring water to a fast boiling.

It's fully integrated with the hOn app and comes with hundreds of recipes that include guided cooking and 30 special programs divided into different food categories and types of preparation. It has a multislider control panel with a 'lockable interface' and can detect the type pan you are using to set the correct cooking mode. It's also compatible with hOn pans from third-party manufacturers and comes with a variety of security features, including a lockable control panel and boil-dry protection.

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 increasingly popular. Prices have plummeted over the past few years, with basic four-zone models starting at less than PS100. If you want all the bells and whistles that include induction it's worth the extra cost for the latest innovations.

This sleek-looking model from Smeg boasts the latest induction technology to make your cooking efficient and easy. The innovative Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the position of pots with minimum diameters of 9cm, allowing you to select the correct zone without having to select it manually.

Smeg's focus on energy saving does not leave out flexibility too This hob is designed to conserve power by setting the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking requirements. There are options to save energy using the Eco-Logic advance mode, which reduces the power output from 11.1 kW to as low as 2.4 kW.

The user-friendly interface of this hob was a hit with testers, thanks to its easy-to-use sliding controls that follow your pan along the edge of it. The control panel's color-coded design makes it easy to identify the state of each zone. The "Flexi duo" feature lets you connect two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are plenty of useful features, including four cooking presets that automatically cook (melting boiling slow cooking, and keeping warm) and a Power Boost for quick results.

In addition, the hob has a 'FlameSensor' which alerts you if there is any risk of fire or burnt-on food. There are also several safety features, like an indicator of residual heat and an automatic shut-off when the surface becomes too hot.

It also has an anti-corrosive CleanProtect coating to help it resist tough marks and stains from cooking. This hob is easy to set up and has nine power levels and an excellent 'FlexiDuo' feature for catering to large pans. There are a host of bonus features, like control locks and a safety fuse in the event of accidental button pushing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

Induction hobs are powered by electricity, not gas. They make use of copper plates to create a magnetic force when a pot or pan is placed on them. This means that they can reach temperatures faster than gas hobs and can also reduce energy consumption since the cooking zone only is heated when you turn on the pan. They are generally less expensive to operate than gas, and they are also simpler to clean.

Indesit's induction stove is packed full of features to help you be creative when cooking. It has two separate cooking zones that can be combined to form an Integrated Zone for larger pots and an accelerated Booster zone to bring water to the boiling point quickly. A variety of automated functions like Push&Go allow you to create perfectly cooked meals by pressing one button. There are nine power modes, including a 'P boost setting that grants each zone maximum power for five minutes, are easily set using the controls, which move across the bottom of the hob to follow the pans.

The controls are simple to operate, and the minimalist design is ideal for a modern kitchen. In our tests it quickly heated up a pan once we placed it on the Booster Zone and boiled pasta water. However it took some time to cool down once we shut off the hob and our testers were unable to see the exact temperatures on the control panel.

This Indesit hob also features a bridge function, which allows you to combine two cooking zones to make larger pans. It has a child lock and an overheating block as well as an automatic switch-off feature that prevents the oven and hob from operating when it becomes too hot. Ceramic glass is easy to clean and has no visible flames. Our testers were impressed by the fact that it's. Unlike a traditional extractor hood vented hobs draw heat and smoke away from the pan and out of the room through an air duct that is built into the surface. The duct on this hob is easy to clean, but it took two people in order to take the filter out.

4. Induction Hob by General Electric

Consider how the hob can work with the layout and design of your kitchen as well as what your cooking style. For example, if you frequently cook with children or elderly people in mind, safety features like an automatic shut-off feature and an icy to the touch surface could make an induction cooker a better option. If you're looking for speed and efficiency, a ceramic glass fascia on an electric hob (you can try this out) is the ideal option. If you live in areas susceptible to load-shedding, the capability to use gas hobs during power outages may tilt the balance in favor of a gas model.