Types of Hob and oven uk

Hobs and ovens are a popular feature in many kitchens. They are available in many different designs. You can mix different types of ovens, such as electric and gas to meet your needs.

Safety features like child and position controls can be added to the hob. These can prevent children from touching the hob, and stop them from changing the temperature settings by accident.

Types

In the center of every kitchen, the stove is the main focus and can play a huge part in how your food is executed. There are many different kinds of hobs and the one you choose will depend on what your specific cooking needs are.

Gas hobs are a classic option. They are quick to heat up and react immediately to temperature changes. Professional chefs prefer them since they are precise in their control. They are not as easy to clean as other hobs and could require more frequent maintenance.

Electric hobs are flat ceramic surface with heated elements beneath and can come in a variety of sizes with between four and six cooking zones. Each zone has its own heating element, which can be controlled individually by you. It is possible to boil potatoes in one ring, while cooking sausages in another. This type of hob is able to be quicker to heat than gas and provides a child-safe alternative as the cooking zone is only heated when you put a pan on it.

Traditional ceramic hobs are a user-friendly alternative to electric and gas and are a stylish option. They have an even and smooth surface that is easy to clean. However they aren't as quick to respond to temperature changes or to cool down as other hobs.

The Domino hob is a space-saving alternative to gas and electric hobs. It has ovens and hobs underneath the cooking surface. They can be fitted into smaller kitchens with little space for installation and are suitable for flats and kitchenettes. They are often less expensive than standard hobs and are energy efficient, however they are also prone to breaking and require more maintenance.

Gas

A gas hob is a cooktop that has burners that can be incorporated on kitchen countertops to give a seamless look. Gas hobs are usually powered by LPG or natural gas, however they are also powered by propane gas. They have a modern and sleek design that can give a sophisticated touch to your modular kitchen.

A traditional gas stove comes with several burners, usually 4 but sometimes up to 6. The burners can be ignited with a match or knob. The flames are controlled by an array of valves that can be adjusted to regulate temperature.

Contrary to this, modern gas hobs that have built-in gas burners feature multi-flame burners that let you regulate the outer and inner ring of each burner to manage your cooking. These types of burners provide faster heating times and are more reliable than older models.

In the past, it was necessary for a gas stove to be lit at all times to ensure that the burners remained hot and fuelled. This was a security feature to prevent any accidents such as accidentally turning on the oven when the stove was lit by a match or a the pilot flame. Modern cookers have been built with safety as a priority. They are fitted with a fire failure device which shuts down the burners if the pilot light is not working.

Gas stoves and hobs have to be regularly inspected and cleaned as well as maintained. The best hob way to ensure this is to arrange a maintenance visit with a certified Gas Safe registered engineer. Not only will they be able to make sure your appliance is working correctly and safely, but they will also provide expert advice and guidance on how to prevent any problems in the near future.

Electric

A quality hob is just as important when it comes to creating the perfect kitchen. Refrigerators, worktops, freezers, and ovens and hobs are the first things that come to mind. If you choose a conventional, induction or gas cooker, the type of hob you choose can impact how your kitchen functions and how easy it is to clean.

Electric hobs have heating elements set beneath a smooth glass surface. The glass surface is typically cleaned using a nonabrasive cleaner. The heating elements are activated when you turn on the hob and can be adjusted to different power levels with a knob. It can take them some time to get heated up but once they've done so, they are in place, they provide more stable and reliable temperature control. They come with built-in indicators that tell you whether a space is hot or not.

They are available in four to six different sizes and can be notch-up up to different power levels. These are great for flat-based cookware, but not for cast iron pans because they could overheat. Certain models (such as Belling BELCH602T) have dual-ring designs that let you cook sausages and boil water in the same ring. Some models have a Boost function that focuses the highest heat in one ring. This is great for stirring-frying, searing meat or boiling large pots.

Induction hobs are distinct from regular electric models due to the fact that they use electromagnetic fields instead of conventional gas flames to cook your food. They can achieve precise temperatures quicker and are more energy efficient. They have a cool to the touch surface, and flashing indicators that indicate that a ring has been used or is still hot.

Ceramic

Ceramic is a material that can be made into functional or decorative objects. It's formed by mixing earthen elements, clay, powders and water to the desired shape, then fired in a very high-temperature oven, also known as a kiln. Once it's made it can be coated or painted with decorative materials to add texture and colour.

Ceramic hobs are a stunning combination of form and function, sitting comfortably in any modern kitchen. They operate by using radiant heating technology, which passes an electric current through coiled components hidden beneath the black glass surface of the hob. When they are activated, they create heat which is then transferred to the pan by an infrared system. You can adjust the level of heating using the knobs or touch controls.

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

Ceramic cooktops are more energy efficient than other types of hobs because they take longer to heat up and change temperatures. You can also opt for vented cooktops that have ventilation systems with the ceramic cooktop. This ensures that smoke, steam and cooking smells don't stay in your home.

Induction

The heating elements inside hobs with induction are made up of a series of copper wire coils that are placed beneath the surface, which produce electromagnets to heat the pans sat on them. The coils stir the free electrons inside the base metal of your pan which then transfer heat evenly to your food. The surface of the hob never gets hot and, the moment you remove your pan, the cooking zones turn off automatically.

Induction hobs are generally more expensive, however they also get hotter faster and use 30 to 70% less energy than gas or other types. Induction hobs are also easier to clean since only the contents of the pan gets hot, not the surface.

Some manufacturers offer an induction model that has additional features, like a pause function, which cuts the power to the stove after you have left, or the ability to link two Gourmet Cooking rings simultaneously at the same time for increased flexibility. These are often called FlexInduction hobs. They can be more expensive than traditional induction models, but they're worth considering if you like to multitask.

Our top choice is this induction hob made by Smeg. It has four cooking zones that are large enough with a bridge function as well as nine power levels that give you a wide range of options for those who want to cook with a lot of passion. It was a great performer in our tests with a fast heating speed and precise control when making pancakes. The hob has a built in dishwasher and automatic pan detection, which makes cleaning much easier. The only problem is that there are only a few compatible pans, and you cannot use it to cook using utensils with magnetic bases. This could be a problem if you have a lot of non-compliant cookware, or just some of it is suitable for use on induction hobs.