Electric Hobs Buying Guide

Built in hobs (sometimes also referred to as integrated hobs) fit in to your kitchen work top and provide you with multiple cooking zones so you can cook different food products at the same time with individually controlled temperature settings.

Electric hobs come in three main variations: solid plate, ceramic and induction. Further details of each type are provided below but we have something to suit all budgets and levels of cooking experience.

Type

Solid plate hobs are perfect for those who want an uncomplicated, cost effective cooking solution. They tend to have manual dials for controlling the temperature for each individual cooking zone. The plates do get extremely hot during cooking so those with children may wish to consider an induction hob.

Ceramic hobs offer a more refined, sleek look over solid plate hobs; ideal for those with contemporary kitchens wishing to preserve the modern aesthetics. Some ceramic hobs come with manual dials, others with touch controls. They work by heating the glass top which, in turn, heats the pan and are easy to clean.

Lastly, induction hobs are the most energy efficient type of hob, only using the energy required to heat the pans via a magnetic field. This provides a huge safety benefit as the surface is safe to touch even during cooking and any spills can easily be wiped away as they will not burn on to the surface. Please note that induction hobs only work with specialist pans designed to work on them.

Hob Size

The standard hob size is 60cm wide and these will be suitable for most kitchens. However, for those with larger kitchens, hobs can also come in 70cm, 80cm and even 90cm width variations. The benefit of purchasing a wider hob is that they generally offer additional cooking zones and there is more space to work with.

Control Type

When deciding on which hob to purchase, you should consider what type of controls you want; either manual dial controls or touch controls. Dial controls are simple to use and are found on the more budget-friendly hobs. Touch controls are found on almost all induction hobs and most ceramic hobs. As nothing protrudes from the hob they are easy to clean and are in keeping with any contemporary kitchen design.