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Hot Prospects

Today's hobs have it all, so why not create a new focus in the kitchen

Once just the top of the oven, the hob is now the focus of most cooking we do in the home. Hob cooking is quick, versatile and convenient – values that are highly prized in our busy lives. So what should you consider when looking for a new hob? Well, performance, size, ease of use and now even looks all play a part.

Where once you were either a lover of gas or electric, there is now a very definite alternative – induction. Pioneered by De Dietrich as early as the 1980s, it is only within the last five years that prices have come down sufficiently to bring it within most people’s price range. It’s now possible to buy an entry-level induction model for less than £500 and a premium 90cm model for around £1000.

Gas vs Induction

Gas is widely known as the choice of professional chefs – it’s accurate and highly controllable with any changes in temperature immediate and precise. Electric hobs have never been able to rival this until induction, which has very similar cooking properties but with the additional attraction of the flush, clean aesthetics that gas pan supports don’t allow for.

“Induction hobs have many advantages over gas hobs,” says Richard Walker of De Dietrich. “At the highest setting, induction will cook at double the speed yet the process is far more energy efficient. Because induction works using magnetic inductors beneath the ceramic glass surface, it is the pan that heats and not the hob, thus heat transfer is direct to the pan and cooking is more immediate. With a gas hob, the flame surrounds the pan so only 50% of the heat will actually cook food and the other 50% is wasted.”

Where induction hobs also score highly is in the safety stakes, as Richard Walker continues. “Because it is the pan that heats up and not the hob, the surrounding surface is always cool to the touch. Furthermore, many induction hobs come with an array of safety features including child locks.”

Having said all of this, many people will always prefer gas for its visible controllable flame and some would argue that gas will always be better suited to some styles of cooking, such as with a wok. Equally, features that have made induction cooking so popular, such as rapid heat burners and touch-control operation, are now being seen on gas hobs too.

Sizing Up

Despite the availability of 75cm and even 90cm-wide hobs, the most popular size remains the standard 60cm width either because this is what people have room for, or because it complements the other appliances. If you have room, though, a bigger hob will inevitably offer vastly more cooking versatility.

“Perhaps a more important consideration than size is the configuration, how many burners and what their performance will be like,” says Rita Balestrazzi of Baumatic. “Gas hobs that feature a wok burner and semi-rapid burners are popular as they provide a range of varying heating methods.”

Whatever the power supply, today’s hobs are packed with features and functionality. “In terms of controls, touch-screen operation has become very popular as it is easy to clean and practical while also offering a seamless, streamlined appearance that is truly chic,” says Ruth Ferguson of Gorenje. All hobs will have a range of safety features from residual heat indicators on induction and ceramic hobs to flame failure devices on gas hobs that automatically cut the gas supply if the flame is accidentally extinguished. Touch controls are easy to make child proof and Neff has gone one further with its T44T90 induction hob where the magnetic control knob can actually be removed for ultimate safety.

Miele and Gorenje, amongst other manufacturers, also offer a function on induction hobs that allows you to temporarily suspend the cooking process if you are unexpectedly called away. One touch freezes all settings, giving you time to answer the door or phone, temporarily turning off the heat until reactivated again when you return.

Perfect Finish

Stainless steel has long been a popular choice for a clean, professional-kitchen look, but it’s by no means the most common finish. The rise of induction has brought black glass and now white to all styles of hobs, with ‘gas on glass’ becoming increasingly popular. Certainly glass is easier to clean than other materials, just requiring a wipe down with a damp cloth, and hobs with completely flat touch controls are even simpler to clean without the knobs and pan supports to collect food residue. And in the case of induction, the fact that the surrounding hob doesn’t get hot means that any splashes and spills won’t burn onto the surface.

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