Types of Hobs
A hob, also known as stovetops in North America, is a cooking appliance that heats pans with flames or electricity. There are a variety of hobs. You can choose the one that best fits 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 can give your kitchen a modern, sleek appearance. They have a flat glass ceramic surface that's easy to clean, which means spills and splatters are quickly cleaned. They are fast to heat up and are energy efficient and can lower your electric bill. However, one downside of ceramic hobs is that they can be slow to adjust temperature settings and can be a hassle when cooking food that requires immediate reduction or an increase in heat.
Electric hobs are comprised of a solid surface which is heated from below by electric elements. The power of each element can be adjusted via the rotary knobs. You can even use the 'boost' feature to boost the heat of a single area. Ceramic hobs retain heat very well, and even after they are turned off, they will be hot to the touch. It is essential to place ceramic hobs in a location that is far from items that could ignite and out of reach of children.
The benefit of this type of hob is that it can be put in on a variety worktops, such as laminate or solid wood, as well as granite. It's also fairly inexpensive and can be a great option if you want to replace your stove without spending a large amount of money. However, like all appliances they must be installed correctly and connected to the mains power supply, so we would recommend hiring a professional electrician to ensure that your new hobs are safe for use.
A downside of this type of hob is that it's extremely sensitive to pan size and shape. You'll need cookware that's either the exact same dimensions as the element or that will fit comfortably inside each heating zone on the hob. If the cookware isn't the same dimensions as the element, the element will not recognize it and will not heat the bottom of the pan. This could result in inconsistent cooking results and make the hob less efficient.
Gas on glass hobs
Gas-powered glass hobs have a sleek, modern aesthetic. They are more expensive than electric models and could require professional installation. However they are also more efficient in heating as an entire pot of water will typically boil in less than 4 minutes. This kind of hob works well for cooks who wish to control the amount of heat that is generated. However, it should be not forgotten that a glass hob is more prone to damage than stainless steel ones and may require cleaning more often, since the accumulation of grease and residue tends to stick instead of slipping off.
A fantastic example of a gas on glass model is this Bertazzoni hob, which boasts four black monobloc burners with accurate metal control knobs to create an elegant and sophisticated appearance. The wok ring is 4kW to allow for more versatility and the pan supports are dishwasher safe.
This Bosch gas hob is a highly recommended model. It combines a stylish piece of toughened glass with advanced cooking technology. The dual ring design on the left of the gas hob has two burners inside to improve the distribution of heat and increase the speed of cooking. It also has an easy-to-read power indicator that helps you to control the precise temperature of the flame. You can choose between nine preset settings, such as the highest setting best ovens and hobs uk for sear steaks and a lower one for scrambled egg.
Our test participants also liked the controls because they were simple and intuitive. There are a few minor disadvantages, for instance, you have to press the controls nine more times before reaching the maximum temperature and the glass can make it difficult to see what the burners are doing.
Some of the best gas-on-glass hobs can be found at affordable prices, such as this Neff model. While it's unlikely to be a winner of any design awards however, it serves the purpose well and can be an ideal addition to your kitchen for just over 120 dollars.
Electric hobs
There are a number of electric hobs that are ideal for modern homes. Not only do they offer an elegant design that fits in with the rest of your kitchen, but they also provide modern technology that is safer, faster and more efficient in energy use than their predecessors.
One of the most popular electric hobs is a ceramic hob. They're constructed with a sleek glossy finish and an easy-to-clean surface that is resistant to smudges or scratches. They're also usually fitted with a power boost function which lets you increase the heat of your hob for a brief period of time.
Induction hobs are a different electric hob that is ideal for modern homes. Induction hobs heat cookware directly by using electromagnetic fields, unlike traditional gas and electric plates. This means that they are more energy efficient and provide precise temperature control. However they require a particular type of pan to work and are costly to install.
A gas-on-glass hob is a different option that is a good choice for modern homes. It features a burner beneath an unidirectional glass layer like a traditional gas stove. The glass is heatproof as well as shatterproof, which makes it easier to clean than glass that is tempered. Many of these hobs have the "hot surface indicator" that alerts you to the heat.
While gas hobs remain an option that is popular with home cooks however, they can be noisy and difficult to clean. They also take time to heat up and cool down and their flame can be hard to control. Electric hobs, on the other side, are more efficient in energy use and are easier to clean.
There are even electric stoves that work with LPG gas. You can switch between a variety of fuels, giving you the flexibility to adapt to your lifestyle. It is important to remember that these hobs need to be installed by an approved gas safe engineer and will require a dedicated cable of 6mm to be installed in your kitchen. They're also not suitable for people with pacemakers, as the electromagnetic field may cause interference with them.
Hobs with induction
On the glass surface of the induction hobs, there are copper coils that generate an electrical current that is alternating. When an induction-compatible dish is placed on a hob the coils create magnetic fields that produce heat directly within the pan instead of heating the surface of the worktop (gas) or a heated plate (electric). This makes induction hobs very efficient from an energy perspective because there's no leftover heat that is wasted.
There are a myriad of models of induction stoves from the basic entry-level ones with a single zone identified by rings, to more advanced multi-zoned induction stoves that have up to six zones and allow for multiple pots to be cooked within a flex area. Certain models come with a touch-slider control that resembles to how you operate an iPhone. Simply swipe your finger over the power bar in the middle to choose the desired heat level left to right increases heat and right-to-left decreases it. Some models have preset settings for certain food items or recipes, which can save time in the kitchen.
Induction hobs can be more expensive than ceramic hobs. However, they are considered to be more efficient over the long term as they heat up much faster and have a smaller area to heat up, which can help you save on energy bills. They also cool down faster and have a safer design that doesn't have hot plates, making them ideal for families with children or elderly people living in the home. However, they do create a magnetic force that could interfere with certain medical devices such as pacemakers. It is therefore important to center pans and avoid using smaller pans with larger burners.
Like all electric hobs, you'll have to clean your induction hob regularly, as food particles and other debris can build up over time. You can either use a standard oven cleaning product or purchase a specialist one to keep your hob in good shape and shiny for a longer time. Make sure you don't use the abrasive cleaning pads or pads for scouring on your induction cooker as they can scratch the surface.