It’s also handy that there are two different cooking areas with this Samsung candidate – two are more normal circular zones while the other two makes for a Flex Zone of sorts that are really mid-sized burners. As well as offering four zones to play with, the NZ64K5747BK also has some handy features such as Power Boost to offer some extra cooking oomph to one of the four zones, as well as a keep warm function and a global pause button for if you need to step away from the hob at any point.

In testing, it offered okay speeds for boiling water, but this Indesit hob proves that speed isn’t everything. To this end, it’s a consistent performer with the ability to have max power in all zones without siphoning power off from elsewhere. This helps to make it a star when it comes to power management. The automatic modes also performed decently, with consistent near-100 degree temps for the Push&Boil mode, while Push&Warm offered a consistent temperature of 72 degrees, which is ideal for keeping food warm without drying out. 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. Induction will only work with pans that attract a magnet, so any offer of free pans with a hob can be worthwhile. You could spend thousands on a hob with all of the features in the world, but if you aren’t going to use them, is there any point?The induction hob works by heating your cookware directly, instead of just transferring the heat from hob to pan and pot. In other words, the hob itself stays almost completely cold, as induction places the heat directly into the base of the pot or pan. Induction hobs for every home and cooking need As we said at the start of this hob article, we’re huge fans of induction hobs. And the CDA HN9626FR linear induction hob was our favourite. It has a lovely design and some excellent features, and it is half the price of the other fantastic hobs on this list.

You may also need to buy a new cooker hood. Most standard cooker hobs are 60 cm, and depending on the model you have (if it isn’t powerful enough for your new hob), you may need to buy a 90 cm hood for your new hob. The largest hob is the De Dietrich range. It has fivezones and 15 cooking levels, as well as special features such as 'StartControl', which enables the user to programme the hob to switch on andcook at a given time for a given period at a given heat. There's a timerIf you already have a 90 cm hob in your kitchen that you’re replacing, then a 90 cm hob is perfect for the job. And if you’re having a new kitchen installed, the world is your oyster (or hob in this case). If the hob is especially grubby or shows signs of pot stains that can’t be removed using washing up liquid, try the vinegar and baking soda method. Combine one part baking soda with one part white vinegar in a bowl or spray bottle and apply it to the hob. Leave for 30 minutes, wipe off with a damp sponge and give it a buff with a dry cloth. Job done.

A handy pause function and warm function mean you can safely leave things cooking slowly while you answer the door without fear of everything boiling over or burning. Most people are probably aware that the pans you use on an induction hob need to have a base that is made of, or at least contains a disc of, ferrous metal. That is to say, iron or steel. However, what is perhaps less widely known is that the ideal pan for an induction hob should be as near to the size of the actual hob ring as possible. You would think that buying an electric induction hob would be a simple case of selecting the best one for your needs, stumping up the cash and getting an electrician in to wire it up to your existing kitchen ring main. Wrong! Having mentioned cost above, we’re going to do it again now too. If you have a budget for your induction hob, always, always include the installation costs in that budget. Other things you'll have to get used to are cooking on lower power settings than you're used to – see mistake #5, above – or reducing cooking times. Induction may not involve flames, but it can be fierce.Unlike ceramic or gas hobs that heat the entire pot or pan which in turn transfers the heat to its contents, electric induction hobs heat the ingredients directly using the invisible powers of magnetism. In fact, with the induction system, the pan itself becomes the heat source or element – electromagnetic waves magically penetrate the base of the pot and begin to agitate the electrons in the ingredients, which in turn creates heat for cooking. You may not be as familiar with the brand Caple but they’ve been around a long time making some great products and are my go-to for wine coolers. Especially their integrated under-counter wine cooler.