Types of Hob and oven with hob

A hob and oven is commonplace in kitchens, and comes in many different styles. You can mix different types, like gas and electric to meet your requirements.

A hob (more info here) could also come with safety features, such as child and control of the position. These features will prevent children from accidentally changing the heat setting or touching the stove.

Types

The hob is the main focal point of any kitchen and can have a significant impact on the outcome of your cooking. There are many different types of hobs, and which one you select will depend on your cooking needs.

Gas hobs provide a classic option. They are quick to heat up and respond instantly to temperature changes. Professional chefs favor them because they are precise in their control. They are not as easy to clean as other stoves and could require more frequent maintenance.

Electric hobs are flat ceramic surface with heated elements beneath and can come in various sizes, with between four and six cooking zones. Each zone includes its own heating element that can be controlled separately by you. This lets you boil potatoes on one ring while making sausages in another. This kind of hob is much easier to start heating than gas, and also offers an alternative that is safer for children since the cooking zone is heated only when you put a pot on it.

Ceramic hobs offer a stylish and user-friendly alternative to gas and electric hobs. They have a smooth and durable surface that is easy to clean. However they aren't as quick to respond to temperature changes or cool down as other hobs.

Domino hobs are a space-saving alternative to electric and gas hobs that have ovens underneath the cooking surface. They are great for kitchens with little space. They are also suitable for kitchenettes and flats. They are usually less expensive than standard hobs, and can be energy-efficient, but they are also susceptible to damage and require more frequent maintenance.

Gas

Gas hobs are cooktops with burners that can easily be integrated into the kitchen countertop for a seamless appearance. Gas hobs are usually powered by LPG or natural gas, but they can also be powered by propane gas. They feature a sleek and modern design that can add a touch of sophistication to your modular kitchen.

A traditional gas stove has several burners, usually 4, but often as many as 6. The flames are ignited using a match or by turning the knob. The flames are then controlled by a series of valves that can be adjusted to set the temperature.

Most modern built-in gas stoves, on the other hand are equipped with burners that have multiple flames. This lets you control both the outer and inner rings for each burner, to allow you to precisely control your cooking. These burners are much faster and more reliable than older models.

In the past, it was required for gas stoves to be constantly lit to ensure that the burners remained hot and fuelled. This was a security feature to avoid accidents like accidentally turning on the oven even though the stove was lit by a match or a pilot flame. Modern cookers are designed with safety in mind and come with a built-in fire failure device that shuts off the burners automatically if the pilot light fail.

Gas stoves and hobs must be inspected, cleaned, and maintained regularly. The best hobs way to do this is to book an appointment for maintenance with a licensed Gas Safe registered engineer. They will not only be able to ensure that your appliance is working correctly, but they can also offer expert advice and suggestions on how to prevent any issues in the future.

Electricity

A well-designed hob is just as important in creating the perfect kitchen. Worktops, refrigerators, freezers, and ovens and hobs are the first things that pop up to mind. The type of hob that you choose will affect the way your kitchen operates and also how easy it is to clean.

Electric hobs are equipped with heating elements under a smooth, glass surface. This is usually cleaned with a nonabrasive cleaner. The heating elements are activated when you turn on the hob and can be adjusted to various power levels by turning a knob. They can take a little longer to warm up than gas cookers, but once they have done so, they tend to offer better, consistent temperature control. They also come with indicators that let you know that a zone is in use or still hot from cooking.

Typically, they come in a range of four to six sizes of rings that can be cranked up to various power levels. They are ideal for flat-based cookware but aren't the best oven option for cast iron pans as they can overheat. Certain models come with dual-ring designs (such as the Belling BEL CH602T) that allow you to boil water on one ring and sauté sausages on the other. Some even include a boost function which concentrates high-powered heat onto a single ring for stir fry cooking sauteing meats, searing or boiling large pots of water.

Induction hobs are different from conventional electric hobs because they make use of electromagnetic fields instead of conventional gas flames to heat your cookware. This allows them to reach precise temperatures in a short time frame, which makes them extremely energy efficient. They feature a cool to the touch surface, and flashing indicators that inform you whether a ring was used or is still hot.

Ceramic

Ceramics can be used to make functional or decorative objects. It is made by mixing clay with earthen elements, powders and water, and then firing it in a hot oven known as Kiln. After it's formed it can be decorated or covered with decorative materials in order to add texture and colour.

Ceramic hobs are an exquisite blend of form and function that can be easily integrated into any modern kitchen. Radiant heating technology is employed to heat ceramic hobs by passing an electric current through coiled elements that are hidden under the black glass surface. They produce heat when activated, which is transferred to your pan through an infrared system. You can adjust the degree of heating by turning the knobs or the touch controls.

Certain ceramic hobs feature two rings, each with one smaller and one with a larger cooking zone. This lets you choose the appropriate size for your pan. You can also get hobs equipped with booster burners that produce high-powered heat in a short time ideal for searing meat or bringing pans of water to a boil in a short time.

Compared to other types of hobs ceramic cooktops take a little longer to warm up and then change temperature however, once they're done they are generally more efficient in energy use. You can also opt for vented hobs, which integrate ventilation systems with the cooktop made of ceramic. This ensures that smoke, steam and cooking smells don't linger in your house.

Induction

Induction hobs have heating elements comprised of copper wire coils. They generate electromagnets, which make the pans hot on the top. The coils stir up the free electrons inside the base metal of your pan, which then transfer heat evenly to your food. The surface of the stove is never hot, and the cooking zones automatically turn off when your pan is removed.

Induction hobs are generally more expensive, but they also get hotter faster and use 30 to 70% less energy than gas or other kinds. They're also easier to clean, as the hob surface itself isn't hot, and only the contents of your pan do.

Certain manufacturers offer a specific induction model that has additional features like a pause function, which cuts the power to your cooker whenever you move away from it, or link up two cooking rings at the same power level to provide additional flexibility. These are sometimes called FlexInduction hobs. They are more expensive than traditional induction models but they're well worth considering if multitasking is important to you.

This induction hob is our top choice. It comes with four cooking zones with a Bridge function and nine power settings, giving you a lot of options for those who are ambitious cooks. In our tests, it did well with precise control and rapid heating when making pancakes. The cooker also comes with a built-in dishwasher and an automatic pan detection feature to make cleaning even more simple. There's a limited range of compatible pans, however, and it can't be used to cook using appliances that have magnetic bases. This can be a problem in the event that you have a large amount of non-compatible cookware or only some of them are suitable for induction hobs.