Is Your Company Responsible For The Best Hob Budget? 12 Ways To Spend Your Money

How to Choose the Best Hob

There are many factors to take into consideration when selecting the ideal hob, ranging from price to energy efficiency. So deciding what features are important is essential.

A basic electric ceramic stove can cost as low as PS100 however, you'll have to pay more for a model with a lot of features. Gas hobs, which are also popular and provide excellent temperature control, but are more expensive, are another option.

1. Haier I-Flex Induction Hob

This Haier hob has four cooking zones, three "Push&Go" functions and can help you prepare quick meals. It was among the fastest to boil water in our tests, taking just four minutes. It's child lock-compatible and features an pause feature, meaning you can stop the process without having to faff around with the controls.

Its design is sleek, modern and is a great match for modern kitchens. It is usually made of glass (which is shatterproof and heatproof) or ceramic. The controls are touch-sensitive and sit flush on the worktop.

The controls were simple to operate, and we liked the display that shows the current power level as well as which zone is currently in use. The 'Boost' feature creates high-powered heat for a brief period of time, and is perfect for stir-frying or bringing pans of boiling water to the boil quickly. Safety features like the hot hob light and automatic shutoff are beneficial.

It's not as responsive as the other hobs we tested in this test. We observed that it took nine presses of the control to attain the highest temperature as opposed to six or seven on other models. It takes a bit longer for the pan to react to changes in temperature. You may have to adjust the settings multiple times to achieve the correct temperature.

This 60 cm model includes four cooking zones, including a half-flex zone that two areas can be joined to accommodate larger pans and pots. The dual-ring design allows it to be operated at both "normal" and "boost" power levels. Boost is perfect for frying meat, searing it or quickly bringing water to a rapid boiling.

It is fully connected to the hOn app and includes hundreds of recipes, a guide to cooking, and 30 unique programs that are divided into different food categories and types of preparation. It comes with a multislider control panel that has a lockable interface' that detects the type of pan you're using to determine the appropriate cooking mode. It's also compatible with hOn pans from third-party manufacturers and comes with a variety of safety features, like a lockable control panel and boil-dry protection.

2. Smeg I-Flex Induction Hob

Whether you're having work done in your kitchen or searching for a substitute to gas induction hobs, they are becoming more popular. Prices have dropped dramatically in the past few years. The basic four-zone models are now available for less than PS100. If you want the latest induction technology, it is worth paying a little more.

This sleek model from Smeg boasts the latest induction tech to keep your cooking energy-efficient and convenient. The innovative Auto-pot detection system automatically detects the location of pots that have minimum diameters of 9 cm, allowing you to switch on the appropriate zone without having to select it manually.

Smeg's focus on energy saving doesn't overlook flexibility either - this hob is designed to reduce power consumption by adjusting the maximum operating temperature of the zones according to your cooking needs. Eco-Logic advanced mode enables you to reduce energy consumption by reducing the power output to as low as 2.4kW.

Testers were awed by the hob's user-friendly design, with intuitive sliding controls that move along the edges of the hob to follow your pan. The control panel's color-coded layout makes it easy to identify the status of each zone. The "Flexi Duo" feature lets you connect two zones to accommodate larger pans. There are many useful functions including four automatic cooking settings: melting, boiling, slow-cooking, and keeping warm.

In addition the hob comes with an 'FlameSensor' feature that alerts you if there is any risk of a fire or burnt-on food. There are many safety features such as a residual heat sensor as well as an automatic shut-off if the surface is too hot.

It also has a protective CleanProtect coating to help it resist tough stains and cooking marks. The hob is simple to install and has nine power levels, as well as the handy FlexiDuo feature for catering for large pans. There are a few bonus features like lockable controls, and a safety fuse to prevent accidental button pushing.

3. Indesit I-Flex Induction Hob

They are powered by electricity, not gas, induction hobs use copper plates that create an electromagnetic field when a pan is placed on top. This means they can reach a temperature more quickly than gas hobs. They also save energy as the cooking area only is heated when you turn on a pan. They are generally less expensive to operate than gas and they are also easier to clean.

Indesit's induction stove is packed full of features to help you be creative when cooking. It best hobs comes with two cooking zones that can be combined to create the Dual Zone for larger pans and a rapid Booster zone that can bring water to boil quickly. A range of automatic functions such as Push&Go let you create perfectly cooked meals with the click of the button. There are nine power modes including a 'P-boost' setting that gives each zone maximum power for 5 minutes, can be easily selected using the controls, which move along the bottom edge of the hob to follow the pans.

The controls are easy to use and have an elegant, minimalist design that's ideal for a contemporary kitchen. In our tests, it swiftly heated up a pan after we put it on the Booster Zone, and boiled pasta water. However it took some time to cool down after we turned off the hob and our test participants were unable to determine the precise temperature on the control panel.

Alongside having a Dual Zone and Push&Go, the Indesit hob also has a bridge function that lets you combine two cooking zones to fit larger pans. It has a child lock as well as an overheating block. It also has an automatic shut-off mechanism that stops the hob from working when it gets too hot. The ceramic glass is easy to clean and has no flames visible. Our testers liked that. Ventilated hobs in contrast to traditional extractors draw steam and smoke from the pan out of the room via a duct on the surface. The vent on this hob was easy to clean, but it required two people in order to remove the filter.

4. GE Induction Hob

When choosing a new hob think about how it will fit to your kitchen's style and layout, in addition to your cooking style and lifestyle. For example, if you often cook with small children or elderly people in mind, safety features such as an automatic shut-off feature and a cool to the touch surface could make an induction hob an ideal choice. For those who value speed and efficiency, an electric stove with a wipe-clean ceramic glass fascia is ideal. For those who live in areas prone to load-shedding, the capability to use gas hobs in power outages could make the difference in favor of a gas model.