Gas hobs have a heat source that's visible, instant and easy to control, which has made them a long-term favourite with both professional chefs and amateur cooks. What we’re looking at here is a stunning panorama of pot-boiling glamour. The iQ700 is a monster by any standards – it’s 90cm wide for a start – and that means it’s capable of whipping up a Henry VIII banquet at the drop of a titfer. Ceramic hobs are less easy to control than either gas or induction; there’s a time lag between adjusting the temperature and the temperature changing. Most ceramic, gas and induction hobs are about 60cm wide. Hobs that are slightly wider should still fit a standard 60cm gap, as they’re designed to overlap the worktop. The size of hob depends on the size of the burners or hob rings, which varies between models. Five-zone hobs Head to our latest owners' survey to discover how the top hob brands rated for reliability. Should I buy an ex-display, refurbished or second-hand hob?

Larger hobs have five cooking zones and gas hobs often have a central wok burner. This is a high-powered burner used for stir-frying or rapid boiling. Five-zone hobs range in width, but are generally no more than 90cm wide. Having five zones doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to fit five pots and pans comfortably on the hob, but the extra cooking zone gives more space than a four-zone model. One, two and three-zone hobs Keep warm - It allows you to keep your soups, sauces and even cheese or chocolate fondues warm without burning A gas-on-glass hob is a standard hob that’s mounted under ceramic glass. This gives it a modern feel and makes it simpler to keep clean. Hob timers Many induction hobs have a timer for programming zones to switch off automatically when you want them to stop cooking. Refurbished models are usually those that have been returned by the buyer. These are generally a safe bet, and you should get a full guarantee with them. Second-hand hobsLarge appliances and heavy items delivered direct to the room of your choice, NOT left on the kerb side. Five-ring hobs give you more space and cooking flexibility. The fifth zone is often a powerful wok burner that gives an intense, rapid source of heat, perfect for a crunchy stir-fry. Large Bulky Items e.g. Ovens, fridges and ceramic sinks delivered next day and benefit from a delivery time slot. At the cutting edge of hob design is the venting hob, a special type of two in one appliance that has a built-in extractor fan in an induction hob. This does away with the need for a cooker hood. Some induction hobs draw up to 7.4kw of current and that means having a separate ring main fitted if your current setup is, like many older kitchens, just a standard 13 amp cooker plug.Boy, did I find that out the hard way.

Induction hobs are powerful and impressively speedy at heating food. They also tend to be good at simmering. The John LewisJLBIIH806 induction hob straddles that perfect middle ground where four heating zones aren't enough and six is just too much. So this appliance gets off to a great start, as the worktop area is spacious enough for most, of not all your pots and pans. But, it’s not a behemoth either. In fact, the designers have done a very nice job on creating this appliance, with wipe clean surfaces and, really, nowhere for grime to call home.Dual zones On electric hobs, this allows you to use an inner zone within the main ring, which saves energy when cooking with smaller pans. Hotpoint Once out of guarantee, Hotpoint will supply a quote for the cost of sending out one of its engineers to fix the fault with your hob, before you're committed to paying. If you also have an electric oven on the same ring, you may in fact need an even higher rated cable.Bear this in mind because it’s the single most important consideration when purchasing any electrical cooking appliance. Hobs are usually guaranteed for two years by larger retailers such as Currys and John Lewis, although some offer more. Sometimes retailers offer a longer guarantee for parts, and a shorter one for labour.

Of the various types of hob, induction hobs are the most energy efficient. This is because only the pan is heated up rather than the hob surface. Their glass surfaces do get hot, but not as hot as ceramic hob surfaces, where the glass itself is heated. This is a useful safety feature.

Care & Maintenance

The Bosch PUE611BF1B induction appliance is one of the hardiest hobs out there having been around for a while now without the threat of being pushed asunder by newer models. The styling certainly still looks very cool, but the hob is also great at getting on with the task in hand, as in heating up your pots and pans very rapidly. The Hob2Hood feature lightens the workload by allowing you to switch on your cooker hood and lights as you start cooking on the hob, plus, the hob is then able to regulate the fan Gas hobs tend to be slower to heat up large volumes of food, and some aren't great at low-level simmering.