Hob reviews: Features explained
Types of hob
There are five main types of hob: ceramic, induction, solid-plate electric hobs, gas and gas-on-glass hobs.
Induction hobs are quick to heat up
Induction hobs
Induction hobs heat only the pan – rather than the cooking surface heating up, a magnetic field is created between the pan and an element underneath the glass top. This means you can touch the adjacent surface without burning yourself. The area around the pan will reach about 45°C after a few minutes, while the same area for ceramic hobs reaches more than 100°C.
Induction hobs are quicker than other types of hob, and are cheaper to run because they use only the precise amount of energy you need.
Because of the powerful electromagnetic field, induction hobs may not be suitable if you have a pacemaker fitted, and they can be noisy when you're using more than one cooking zone.
Induction hobs can be pricey, but are becoming more affordable.
Pros Induction hobs are a quick, safe and energy-efficient method of cooking.
Cons They can be expensive, special pans are needed, they can be noisy.
Gas hobs
Gas hobs give immediate heat but can be hard to clean
Gas hobs are popular with consumers and sell more units than other kinds of hob. They're very easy to control, give instant heat and are relatively cheap to buy.
Gas is a cheaper fuel to cook with than electricity so you'll save money by cooking on gas. But not every house or flat has a gas connection, particularly some new-builds, so they won't be suitable for everyone.
Pros Easy to use, great heat distribution around the bottom of the pan.
Cons Need to be professionally installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Gas-on-glass hobs
Gas on glass hobs have great looks and are easy to clean
Keeping your gas hob clean is much easier with a gas-on-glass hob than a traditional gas hob – there aren't as many troughs for the spillages to run into.
Gas-on-glass hobs have gas burners mounted on top of ceramic glass, so they look more stylish than other gas hobs in today's kitchens. They don't heat up as quickly as electric ceramic models, but they're more precise and easier to control. The flat glass surface is easy to wipe clean, but you'll need to remove the pan supports.
Pros Easier to keep clean than traditional gas hobs.
Cons Slower to heat up than traditional gas burners. Need to be professionally installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Electric ceramic hobs
Ceramic hobs are smooth surfaced - making them easy to clean
Electric ceramic hobs have a smooth, easy-to-clean glass surface. They’re easy to use and they heat up quickly, but in common with other electric cooking appliances, heat distribution around the bottom of pans isn’t as good as when cooking on gas.
Most electric ceramic hobs will usually come with touch-panel controls, but some still have traditional dial-controls.
Pros Easy to wipe clean.
Cons Heat distribution isn't as good as with gas.
Electric plate and electric coil hobs
Old-style electric-coil hobs are few and far between these days
Electric plate hobs use traditional solid electric plates to heat pots and pans, and come in at the bottom end of the price range.
You'll usually find only four-ring electric plate hobs, but if you're looking for a cheap hob option, they're worth considering. However, electric-coil hobs are few and far between these days.
Pros Cost – you won't find a cheaper hob option.
Cons Gas is more popular.
Helpful hob features
The more features your hob has, the more you'll be able to do with it, so look out for wok burners, dual hob zones, timers and child locks.
Hob wok burners
Wok burners are larger than standard hob rings
Some hobs now feature a large high-powered wok burner, which can be a larger fourth burner or an extra burner in the middle of the hob that provides intense, rapid heat.
Work burners heat up more quickly than standard gas burners and are easy to control. They're good for cooking something like stir-fry.
Hob power-boost
You'll find power-boost options on induction hobs. These will heat up cooking zones more quickly, saving around a third of the normal heating-up time. This sort of rapid intense heat is good for stir frying or searing meat.
Dual hob zones
Versatile dual hobs can expand to fit large pans
On electric hobs, a dual cooking zone allows you to operate an inner zone within the main ring, so you can save energy when cooking with smaller pans.
Hob timers
Many induction hobs have a timer that can be used for programming cooking zones to switch off automatically when you want them to stop cooking. You won’t find timers on gas hobs.
Hob safety and child locks
Most induction hob control panels have safety looks to stop them from being operated by children. And most gas hobs come with flame supervision devices (FSDs), which cut off the gas supply should the flame fail to ignite or get blown out.
