Types of Hob and Oven
A hob and oven is an essential part of many kitchens, and comes in a variety of styles. You can mix and match different kinds such as domino, electric and gas to suit your cooking requirements.
Safety features such as child and position controls can be added to the hob. They can stop children from touching the stove and prevent them from changing the heat settings in error.
Types
In every kitchen, the stove is the main focus and plays a significant role in the way your food is executed. There are a variety of hobs, and which one you choose depends on your cooking needs.
Gas hobs are the most popular choice, and they provide a rapid heating function and instant response to temperature changes. They are a preferred choice for professional chefs as they offer precise control. They aren't as simple to clean as other stoves and may require more maintenance.
Electric hobs have a flat ceramic surface with heated elements underneath. They come in a variety of sizes and come with four to six cooking zones. Each zone has a separate heating element which you can regulate individually. You can boil potatoes in one ring and cook sausages on another. This type of hob can be quicker to heat than gas and is an option for children to be safe because the cooking zone is only heated when you place a pot on it.
Traditional ceramic hobs are a comfortable alternative to gas and electric and are also a stylish option. They have a smooth and durable surface that is easy to clean. However, they are not as quick to react to temperature fluctuations or cool down as other hobs.
The Domino hob is a space-saving option to electric and gas hobs. It has ovens underneath the cooking surface. They are ideal for kitchens that have limited space. They can also be used in kitchenettes and flats. They tend to be more affordable than standard hobs, and are energy efficient, however they can also be fragile and require more frequent maintenance.
Gas
Gas hobs are cooktops with burners that can easily be integrated into kitchen countertops to create a seamless look. They are usually powered by natural or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) but can also be powered by propane gas. They are sleek and modern design that can bring a touch of class to your modular kitchen.
A traditional gas stove is equipped with a number of burners. Usually there are four burners, however it can be up to six. The flames are ignited using a match or by turning a knob. The flames are controlled by an array of valves that can be adjusted in temperature.
Contrary to this, modern gas hobs that have built-in gas burners feature multi-flame burners that allow you to control the inner and outer rings of each burner to control your cooking. These kinds of burners provide faster heat up times and are more reliable than the traditional ones.
In the past, it was required for a gas stove to be lit at all times to ensure that the burners were hot and well-fueled. This was a safety measure to prevent any accidents such as having the oven turned on when the stove was lit by match or the pilot flame. Modern cookers are made with safety in mind as a top priority. They come equipped with a fire failure device that shuts off the burners if the pilot light fails.
Gas stoves and hobs have to be regularly inspected and cleaned, as well as maintained. The best way to ensure this is to book an appointment for maintenance with a licensed Gas Safe registered engineer. They will not only ensure that your appliance functions correctly, but also give you expert advice on how you can prevent any future issues.
Electricity
When it comes time to design your perfect kitchen the countertops, fridge freezer and oven will always get the most attention but a quality hob is equally important. Whichever type you choose, conventional, induction or gas cooker the type of hob you select will affect the way your kitchen functions and how easy it is to clean.
Electric hobs use heating elements that are placed on the glass surface, which is typically cleaned using a non-abrasive cleaner. The elements turn on when you turn on the hob and can be notched up to a variety of power levels by turning or pressing the control knob. They may take longer to heat up than a gas cooker but once they have done so, they usually provide more consistent temperature control. They are equipped with indicators that tell you whether a space is hot or not.
Typically, these come in a range of four to six sizes that can be cranked up to various levels of power. These are great for flat-based cookware but not for cast iron cookware, since they can get hot. Certain models (such as Belling BELCH602T) have dual-ring designs that let you cook sausages and boil water on the same ring. Some even include a boost function which concentrates high-powered heat onto one ring to stir fry cooking sauteing meats, searing or boiling large pots of water.
Induction hobs differ from regular electric models due to the fact that they use electromagnetic fields instead of conventional gas flames to heat your cookware. They can reach precise temperatures faster and are more efficient in energy use. They have a cool-to the touch surface, and flashing indicators that let you know whether a ring was used or is still hot.
Ceramic
Ceramics can be used to create functional or decorative objects. It is formed by mixing earthen elements, clay, powders and water to a specific shape, then subsequently fired in a high-temperature oven, also known as a Kiln. After it's been made, it can be covered with paint-like or decorative substances to add color and texture.
Ceramic hobs are a stunning combination of form and function and can be found in any modern kitchen. They operate using radiant heating technology, which passes an electric current through the coiled elements hidden beneath the black glass surface of the hob. When activated, they generate heat that is then transferred to the pan by an infrared system. You can alter the degree of heating using the knobs or touch controls.
Certain ceramic hobs feature dual rings, with a smaller and a larger cooking zone. This lets you choose the appropriate size for your pan. There are hobs with booster burners which generate high-powered heat rapidly, great for searing meat or bringing pans of water to a boil quickly.
Ceramic cooktops are more energy efficient than other kinds of hobs as they take longer to heat up and switch temperatures. You can also find vented cooktops that incorporate a ventilation system within the cooktop's ceramic, making sure that the cooking smells aren't left within your home.
Induction
The heating elements in hobs with induction are made up of copper wire coils under the surface that produce electromagnets to heat the pans sitting on them. The coils stir up the free electrons in your pan's metal base which transmits heat efficiently and directly to your food. The surface of the stove is never hot, and as soon as you remove your pan the cooking zones are turned 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 kinds. More about the author are also less difficult to clean since only the interior of the pan are heated but not the surface.
Certain manufacturers offer an induction model with additional features, for instance a pause feature, which cuts the power to the stove when you walk away, or the ability to connect two cooking rings at the same time for greater flexibility. These are often called FlexInduction hobs and can be more expensive than traditional induction models, but they're worth a look if you like to multitask.
This induction hob is our favorite. It comes with four cooking zones as well as a Bridge function and nine power settings, offering you a lot of options for ambitious cooks. In our tests, it performed well with precise control and rapid heating when making pancakes. The cooker comes with dishwasher built-in, as well as automatic pan detection, which makes cleaning much easier. The only issue is that there are only a few compatible pans that can use it to cook using appliances with magnetic bases. It can be a problem if you have a large amount of cookware that's not compatible or a small portion of it is compatible with induction hobs.