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Hobs

What type of Hob do you need?

Ceramic Hobs

Ceramic Hobs are incredibly popular because they are really easy to clean, work with any pans and all you need is an electrical connection - something every household has.

Ceramic hobs come in a variety of sizes, zone layouts and you can choose between simple twist and go knob controls or easy-clean touch controls that offer fantastic features like timers so you don't burn your food.

Induction Hobs

Choosing between Gas and Electric used to mean a big compromise in either speed or cleaning. Induction hobs on the other hand heat up your pans as quickly as gas, but still have a flat ceramic glass surface that you can simply wipe clean.

Induction hobs work using the power of induction to magnetically react with your Iron based pans, so the pan itself heats up instead of an element and the glass. This saves time and energy and means that the glass only gets hot when you cook for a long time.

If you have never had an induction hob before, make sure your pans are induction compatible and that you have enough clearance as induction hobs need ventilation.

Gas Hobs

Gas Hobs are still the preferred hob for professional chefs and keen amateur cooks thanks to their simplicity, responsiveness and reliability in the kitchen.

The recent arrival of Gas-on-Glass hobs means that you can keep the hob looking sparkling clean although the traditional stainless steel finish is still incredibly popular.

Solid Plate Hobs

Simple, no nonsense solid plate hobs are bullet proof and very popular with developers and landlords as your tenants can't break them and anyone can use them.

What else do I need to know about Hobs?

Hobs are an important part of any kitchen, whether commercial or domestic. They are used for a wide range of kitchen actives and provide a heat source and support on which you place pans, dishes, griddle pans, frying pans, woks and other appliances with handles for moving the utensil around.

A hob can have various energy sources such as natural gas, LPG or electricity and comes in a large range of shapes and sizes. When comparing hobs you need to decide on the following:

What size hob do I need?

The number of heat zones or burners usually determines the size of the hob you need. Some cheap hobs, ideal for single city dwellers such as students have just 1 or 2 heat zone hobs. The typical number is 4 and is normally 60cm wide, however if you use your hob regularly you might find different pans fighting for space. You then have the option of going for a larger 4 zone hob where the heat zones are spaced further apart for example a 70cm hob or going for a 5 or 6 burner hob. These can be very wide but remember that a larger hob requires a larger cooker hood.

What Material should my hob be?

Hobs come in different colours and materials. Stainless steel hobs are popular both with electric and gas hobs, whereas glass is mainly used exclusively for ceramic and induction hobs. You can find gas hobs in glass and ceramic hobs in granite. Glass is very easy to keep clean, however care must be taken to ensure you don't drop a very heavy pan on the hob surface or it could break. Gas hobs generally need supports to hold the pan over the burners and these tend to be enamelled or cast-iron. Cast-Iron hob supports tend to be more popular and sturdier but are not as easy to clean as enamelled hob supports.

What controls should my hob have?

Gas Hobs and Solid Plate hobs generally only come with twist knobs that control the heat. These are simple to use however food and liquids can get underneath them and make the hob harder to keep clean. Induction and Ceramic Hobs normally have a choice of control knobs or touch controls. Touch controls are very modern features that provide a wide arrange of benefits providing they are not too complicated to use. Touch control means exactly that; you touch various areas on your hob to control temperature and activate a range of features and programmes such as individual timers or even child locks. Thanks to the lack of knobs they are incredibly easy to keep clean and maintain.
Have a look through our range of hobs and feel free to contact us for a chat about hobs or a recommendation.