Nine Things That Your Parent Teach You About Best Hob

How to Choose the Best Hob

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

A basic ceramic electric stove costs as little as PS100. However you'll need to pay more for one with numerous features. Gas hobs are another popular choice and provide great temperature control, but they're pricier.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

With four cooking zones and three functions called 'Push&Go', this hob from Haier will allow you to cook quick meals. It was also one of the most efficient tested to boil water, which took just under four minutes. It's child lock-compatible and features an pause feature, meaning you can quickly stop the process without having to fiddle around using controls.

Its design is sleek and modern it blends seamlessly with modern kitchens. It's usually made from glass (shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic, and features control buttons that sit in the same place as the worktop for ease of use.

The controls are easy to operate and we loved the clear display which tells you the current power setting, and which of the five zones are active. The "Boost" feature creates high-powered heat in a short time. It is ideal for stir-frying and rapidly heating up pans. The hot hob light and auto shut-off are great safety features, too.

However, it's not as responsive to touch as other hobs tested in this test. We observed that it took nine presses of the control to achieve the highest temperature, compared with six or seven on other models. It takes longer to respond when you change the cooking temperature, meaning you may need to alter settings multiple times before your pan is at the right temperature.

This 60 cm model includes four cooking zones, including a half-flex area where two zones can be joined to accommodate larger pots and pans. It has dual-ring design and is able to operate on both normal as well as 'boost power levels. Boost is ideal for frying, searing meat or bringing pans of water to the rapid boil.

It's fully connected via the hOn app, and offers hundreds of recipes that include guided cooking and 30 unique programs that are divided into various food categories and preparation types. It has an intuitive multislider interface and a 'lockable control panel. In addition, it will automatically recognize the type of pan you're using and set up the proper cooking mode. It is also compatible with hOn pans from third-party manufacturers and comes with a number of safety features like the ability to lock the panel and boil-dry prevention.

2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob

When you're doing work in your kitchen or looking for an alternative to gas induction hobs, induction hobs are becoming more popular. Prices have slashed dramatically over the past few years. The basic four-zone models are now available at less than PS100. But if you want all the bells and whistles that include induction, it's worth paying extra for the most up-to-date technology.

This slick-looking model from Smeg comes with the most modern induction technology that makes your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The unique Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the position of pots with a minimum diameter of 9cm, allowing you to activate the appropriate zone without having to manually select it.

Smeg's attention to energy savings does not mean that they don't offer flexibility The hob is built to save power by adjusting the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking requirements. Eco-Logic advanced mode allows you to reduce energy consumption by reducing the power output to as low as 2.4kW.

Testers were awed by this hob's user-friendly interface, with intuitive sliding controls that move across the edge of the hob, allowing it to follow the pan. The control panel's colour-coded scheme allows you to easily identify the status of each zone. The "Flexi duo" function allows the connection of two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are plenty of useful functions, including four automatic cooking presets (melting boiling slow cooking, and keeping warm) and a Power Boost for quick results.

The oven with hob also comes with an alarm system that will notify you in the event of a meal that's been burned or the possibility of a fire. There are a variety of safety features, including a residual heat sensor as well as an automatic shut-off when the surface gets too hot.

It's also hard-wearing with a protective CleanProtect coating to protect it from tough stains and cooking marks. The stove is simple to install and comes with nine power levels and an excellent 'FlexiDuo' feature for catering for large pans. There are some additional features such as locking controls and an emergency fuse to stop accidental button pressing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

Powered by electricity rather than gas, induction hobs use copper plates that create a magnetic field when a pan is placed on top. This means that they can heat up much quicker than conventional gas hobs, and also save energy as the cooking zone only is heated when you turn on a pan. They're generally less expensive to run than gas and are easier to clean and that's why they're an extremely popular choice.

Indesit's induction stove is packed full of features that will allow you to be creative when cooking. It has two cooking zones that can be combined to create the Dual Zone for larger pans as well as a rapid Booster zone that can bring water to boil quickly. The Push&Go feature, for instance, allows you to cook perfectly by pressing a button. The controls are simple to use and allow you to select nine power modes including the P boost option that provides maximum power for each zone for five minutes.

The controls are also simple to operate and feature modern, minimalist designs that is perfect for a modern kitchen. In our tests, it boiled pasta water in a snap and quickly heated up after placing an oven in the Booster zone. However, it took an extended time to cool down once we shut off the hob. Our testers were unable to see the exact temperatures on the control panel.

This Indesit hob also has a bridge function that allows the user to combine two cooking zones for larger pans. It also has a child lock and an overheating block as well as an automatic switch-off feature that stops the hob from working when it gets too hot. Ceramic glass is easy to clean and has no flames visible. Our test subjects were pleased with the fact that there was no visible flame. Ventilated hobs, unlike traditional extractors, draw smoke and steam from the pan and out of the room via a duct on the surface. Our experts thought the duct on this hob was easy to clean, though it required two people to take the filter to change it.

4. GE Induction Hob

When selecting a hob think about how it will fit into your kitchen's design and layout, and also your cooking style and your lifestyle. For example, if you frequently cook with children or elderly people in mind, safety features such as an automatic shut-off or cool to the touch surface could make an induction cooker the best hobs choice. For those who are looking for speed and efficiency using a ceramic glass facia on an electric hob is the best hob option. For those living in regions that are prone to load-shedding, the capability to use gas hobs during power outages may tilt the balance in favor of a gas model.