Types of Hob and Oven
Hobs and ovens are a popular feature in many kitchens. They are available in many different designs. You can mix different types, such as electric and gas to meet your needs.
Safety features like child and position controls could be integrated into the hob. These are designed to prevent children from touching the stove and stop them from changing the heat settings in error.
Types
The hob is the central feature of any kitchen, and has a huge impact on the final outcome of your cooking. There are many different types of hobs, and which one you choose depends on the needs of your kitchen.
Gas hobs provide a classic option. They are quick to heat up and respond instantly to temperature changes. They are a popular option for professional chefs because they offer precise control. However, they are not as clean as other hobs and may require more maintenance.
Electric hobs have a flat ceramic surface and heated elements underneath. They are available in a variety of sizes and come with up to six cooking zones. Each zone has a separate heating element that you can control separately. This lets you boil potatoes on one ring whilst cooking sausages in a different. This type of hob can be quicker to heat than gas and is a child-safe option as the cooking zone only heats up when you put a pan on it.
Ceramic hobs offer a stylish and user-friendly option to gas and electric hobs. They have a smooth and durable surface that is easy to clean. However, they are not as quick to react to temperature changes or to cool down as other hobs.
Domino hobs are an alternative to gas and electric hobs that combine ovens below the cooking surface. They can be installed in smaller kitchens with limited installation space and are suitable for flats and kitchenettes. They are usually less expensive than standard hobs and are energy efficient however they can be brittle and require more attention than other types of cooker.
Gas
Gas hobs are cooktops that have burners that are easily integrated into kitchen countertops to create a seamless look. They are typically used with natural or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) but can also be powered by propane gas. They are sleek and modern design that can give a sophisticated touch to your modular kitchen.
A traditional gas stove comes with a variety of burners. Usually there are four burners, but it could be up to six. The burners can be ignited by a match or a knob. The flames are controlled by a series of valves that can be adjusted to regulate the temperature.
Most modern built-in gas stoves, on the other hand include burners with multiple flames. This allows you to control both the outer and the inner rings for each burner, to allow you to precisely control the cooking. These types of burners provide faster heat up times and are more reliable than traditional ones.
Traditionally, it was necessary to keep a gas stove on continuously to ensure that the burners were always hot and fuelled. This was a security feature to avoid accidents such as having the oven turned on even though the stove was lit by a match or a pilot flame. Modern cookers are designed with safety in mind. They include a built-in flame safety device that shuts off the burners immediately should the pilot light fail.
Gas stoves and hobs need to be checked regularly and cleaned as well as maintained. The best method to ensure this is to arrange a maintenance visit with a certified Gas Safe registered engineer. Not only will they be able to ensure that your appliance is operating properly, but they can offer professional advice and guidance on how to prevent any problems in the future.
Electric
When it comes to creating your dream kitchen, the kitchen worktops, fridge freezer, and oven will always get the most attention, but the quality of your hob is equally important. If you choose a conventional, induction or gas cooker the type of hob you select can affect the way your kitchen functions and how easy it is to clean.
Electric hobs have heating elements that are placed on a smooth, glass surface. This is usually cleaned using a nonabrasive cleaner. These elements switch on when you turn the hob on and can be adjusted to various power levels by turning or clicking on a knob. It may take them some time to heat up but once they've done so, they have a tendency to offer more reliable and consistent temperature control. They are equipped with indicators that inform you if a zone is hot or not.
Typically, they come in four to six different sizes that can be notched up to various power levels. These are great for cookware with a flat base, but not for cast iron cookware, because they could overheat. Some models (such as Belling BELCH602T) have dual-ring designs that allow you to cook sausages and boil water on the same ring. Some even have a 'boost' function that concentrates the power of high-powered heat into one ring to stir fry cooking sauteing meat, or www.Ovensandhobs.Uk boiling large pots of water.
Induction hobs differ from standard electric models because they use electromagnetic fields instead of traditional gas flames to heat your cookware. This enables them to achieve precise temperatures in a short period of time, making them highly energy efficient. They have a cool-to the touch surface as well as flashing indicators that indicate whether a ring was used or is still hot.
Ceramic
Ceramic is an element which can be transformed into functional or decorative objects. It is formed by mixing clay, earthen elements, powders and water to the desired shape, then fired in a high-temperature oven known as a kiln. After it's formed it can be decorated or covered with decorative materials to give it texture and colour.
Ceramic hobs are a perfect blend of design and function to create an impressive piece of contemporary kitchen furniture. They operate by using radiant heating technology, which passes an electric current through coiled elements hidden beneath the black glass surface of the hob. When they are activated, they produce heat that is then transferred to your pan via an infrared heating system. You can adjust the intensity of the heating by turning the knobs or touch controls.
Some ceramic hobs have 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 produce high-powered heat in a short time, great for searing meat or bringing pans of boiling water to a boil quickly.
Compared to other types of hobs, ceramic cooktops take a little longer to heat up and then change temperature, but once they do they're typically more efficient in terms of energy consumption. You can also select vented hobs that incorporate an air-conditioning system that is integrated into the ceramic cooktop. This ensures that steam, smoke, and cooking smells do not stay in your home.
Induction
The heating elements in the induction hobs are a set of copper wire coils beneath the surface that generate electromagnets to heat pans that sit on them. The coils stir up free electrons in the base metal of your pan, which then transfers heat evenly 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 tend to be more expensive, but they also are more efficient in heating and consume 30 to 70% less energy than gas or other types. Induction hobs are also easier to clean because only the interior of the pan are heated but not the surface.
Certain 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 connect two cooking rings at the same power for increased flexibility. These are often called FlexInduction hobs. They can be more expensive than traditional induction models, but they're worth looking into if prefer to multitask.
Our favorite is this induction cooktop from Smeg, which has four good-sized cooking zones, a bridge function and nine power levels, giving you a wide range of options for the ambitious cook. It did well during our test with fast heating and accurate control when making pancakes. The oven also has an integrated dishwasher as well as an automatic pan detection function to make cleaning more simple. There is a limited selection of compatible pans it cannot be used for cooking with the utensils with a magnetic base. This could be a problem if you have a lot of cookware that isn't compatible or certain pieces are suitable for use on induction hobs.