Rating of electric built-in hobs

In the 21st century, processors, microcontrollers and robotic manipulators have penetrated all areas of modern life, including cooking. Over the past 30 years, direct-flow gas water heaters, thick heat-resistant glass panels with gas burners have gradually disappeared from the kitchen, along with a gas stove and the smell of propane, giving way to hobs.

Everyone knows the names of major brands-manufacturers of built-in appliances for home and kitchen. First of all, these are the well-known brands Samsung, Miele, NEFF, Asko, Kuppersbusch, Electrolux, Siemens, LG, Bosch, Gorenje, Hansa, Candy. All models of modern hobs are certified ISO9000, ISO9001 and are absolutely harmless. The power regulator with a non-contact pyrometric temperature sensor protects food from overheating and charring with the formation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, resins and other carcinogenic substances.

The high price of hobs leaves no room for error when buying. In order to make the right choice from a huge number of offered options and get the best price-quality ratio, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points.

• Study the technical specifications carefully, the advantages and disadvantages of hobs and built-in hobs on the Internet. In this case, one psychological nuance should be taken into account: sales managers of online stores, obsessed with the desire to increase profits at any cost, can deliberately hide the shortcomings of individual models, distort the characteristics and properties of the device.
• Read the description of the hobs on the manufacturer's website. If you have gaps in your knowledge of the English language, you can use a free online translator, which is available on all major Internet portals. He translates technical tests and descriptions that do not contain adverbs and complex grammatical constructions with sufficient accuracy.
• Find out the opinion of experienced users, after reading reviews on the forums, talk by phone, skype, e-mail with dealers.
• In case of the slightest doubt, it is best to contact the regional office by e-mail or by phone with a request to provide the necessary information.

In the modern market of hobs, due to tough competition, unfortunately, quite often there is a dishonest method of promoting goods by psychological influence on the buyer, using NLP techniques, misleading through manipulation or direct deception. The head of the marketing strategy and advertising department of a large company that produces automation and controllers for smart home control systems, at a corporate party said frankly about this: "A good bluff costs money ...". There is nothing to add to these words.

When choosing a hob, you need to focus not only on price, function and design. The manufacturer is of great importance. This is not only a well-known name, but also a guarantee of quality and reliability. The owner of a world-renowned delirium will never produce low-quality products with his logo or deceive the buyer. Loss of image for him is much worse than losses from a temporary drop in sales. Currently, manufacturers produce hobs:

• induction;
• electrical;
• gas;
• built-in.

When choosing a model, you need to pay special attention to the following points. Control knob select based on your own preferences:

• turning;
• sensory;
• console.

The shape of the panel is chosen based on the location:

• round;
• square;
• oval;
• rectangular.

The material of the panel is chosen, relying on your own taste, taking into account the color scheme of the room:

• enameled metal;
• steel;
• glass-ceramic.

By the number of burners, electric hobs are:

• for two burners - ideal for replacing a gas stove in a small kitchen of less than 8 m² or for redeveloping a hotel-type apartment and moving the kitchen to the corridor;

• for three burners - it is convenient to use for large-sized dishes;

• four burners - standard panel layout;

• for five burners - for a large family or cooking at the workplace of an individual entrepreneur.

Availability of additional devices:

• microprocessor for the complete automation of the cooking process;
• timer for accurate accounting of cooking time, prevention of burning and automatic shutdown;
• thermostat to maintain a constant temperature for a long time - convenient when cooking stews and vegetables, baking yeast dough.

In appearance and principle of operation, they resemble an electric stove of the end of the 20th century with a closed heating element.

Advantages:

• in the process of work, the panel is predominantly heated, and not the dishes, this reduces the likelihood of burning food;
• there are no strict requirements for the material from which the dishes are made, and the diameter of the bottom;
• energy savings through the use of residual heat.

Disadvantages:

• the surface of the burner is difficult to clean from food and fat debris;
• the burner cools down for a long time after cooking;
• there is no forced heating function for making coffee;
• there is no automatic shutdown of heating when touched.

By design, gas hobs are of two types: "gas on glass" and "gas under glass". The external attractiveness and the price of the surface depend on the material. The surface of the panels can be as follows.

• Enamelled steel. Coating technology distinguishes between hot enameling and powder coating. Hot enameling has one drawback: the appearance of chips after being hit by the dishes. Powder enamel is not acid resistant.
• Stainless steel. A practical, indelible coating that is resistant to high temperatures, mechanical and chemical influences.
• Glass ceramics. Attractive appearance, high price. It is destroyed by a strong blow - for example, falling of a knife with a point downward.
• Strained glass. Strength is higher than glass-ceramic surface.

According to the type of gas burners, the panels are as follows.

• Burner "Crown". There are single-row, double-row and three-row gas outlet openings.
• WOK burner. Designed for crockery with a concave bottom.
• Hotplate Coup de Feu. The thick cast iron that covers the burner flame allows you to simmer food over low heat for several hours.

They are available with a number of burners from 2 to 5. The independent hob can be installed above the oven or anywhere else in the kitchen.

Built-in hobs are now confidently replacing traditional gas stoves. The main functions of the hobs:

• temperature control system;
• automatic shutdown system when boiling;
• differential circuit breaker for shutdown when the permissible current is exceeded, short circuit or human touch to current conductors;
• blocking from interference by children;
• do not require connection to the gas main;
• pan diameter recognition system.

Based on the analysis of sales statistics of online stores, official information from manufacturers and expert assessment, a rating of hobs was compiled. When forming the assessment, not only the sales volume of a particular model was taken into account, but also subjective factors:

• ease of use;
• the need for maintenance during the first year of operation;
• the degree of complexity of warranty repairs;
• the time the equipment is in warranty repair or service maintenance;
• free services of the service center.

The most popular hob models ranked in the rating table as follows.

Two-burner hob for small kitchens. Under the glass-ceramic worktop there are 2 powerful magnetrons for quick heating of food. To use the stove, you need special dishes with a non-standard bottom. A differential relay protects the plate from destruction in case of a short circuit and automatically cuts off the current when a person's body touches in bare wires.

On the glass-ceramic tabletop there are 4 burners: 2 single-circuit, one double-circuit, one oval. Nine adjustable cooking zone heating levels allow you to choose the optimal temperature for each dish.

Low price, aluminum edging of the hob protects the table from spills of liquid and grease. Under the tabletop there are 4 inductors of different power and size with backlighting with halogen lamps. The cooker does not come with a standard two-phase power cord.

There are 4 heating elements under the worktop. One oval-shaped element is intended for heating pots with a non-standard bottom. High-speed automation switches off the stove when touched by a person and protects against child interference.

Nice and ergonomic design. A strip of steel along the contour of the countertop will keep kitchen furniture clean from escaped milk. Extended timer menu. Fast-acting protection against touching current conductors, short circuit, built-in power regulator.

Touch control. Built-in power regulator. Protection against interference by children and against touching current conductors. Beautiful design.

The power of the plate is 5.6 kW. The time it takes to heat a cup of coffee to a boil is less than 8 seconds. Quiet case fans. Sensitive touch buttons. Protection of hands from burns when touching energized elements. Three-position timer for each hotplate.

The glass-ceramic worktop can be easily cleaned of grease and food residues. The loud sound of the touch buttons and the timer allows hearing impaired people to use it. Convenient location of the burners.

Intuitive control panel. The kit includes a cord for connecting to an outlet. Fully justifies the price / quality ratio. Reliable and durable.

Easy to clean surface with durable Teflon coating. Separate indicators for each hotplate. Forced heating of the hotplate. Powerful case-mounted silent fan.

They are the ideal replacement for the gas stove when moving the kitchen to the corridor. Small dimensions, well-thought-out design, built-in timer will make it possible to quickly assess the advantages of an induction cooker in comparison with a gas cooker. Recognition of the presence of cookware on the hotplate, childproof lock and short-circuit lock make the use of induction hobs convenient and safe. With FlexTouch technology, the entire hob surface becomes one large cooking area. Based on the results of statistical data from open sources, we recommend that you pay attention to two-burner induction cookers manufactured by Ventolux, Gaggenau, Hansa, Neff, Miele, Samsung, AEG, Kaiser, Ventolux.

Suitable for housewives who use dishes with a large bottom. The 3-burner hob allows you to cook food quickly and economically in large pots. Modern design, small dimensions, reduced energy consumption - these are the main advantages of three-burner induction surfaces.

Classic design, convenient location of the burners, high power allow these ranges to leave behind many competitors.

Convenient location of the burners. The high power burner is located in the center of the worktop of the hob or on the side of the outrigger console. It is convenient to use when preparing food for a large family or an individual entrepreneur when serving visitors of a small cafe or restaurant.

Choosing a model of a glass-ceramic microwave kitchen oven from inexpensive ones does not mean that a potential buyer is oriented toward a primitive device, poor quality, low reliability, and lack of built-in equipment. Manufacturers of well-known brands, taking into account the needs of all market segments, produce models of induction hobs for buyers with a limited budget.

Properties:

• small-sized 4-burner (60x50 cm);
• LCD indicator hotplate temperature;
• touch control panel;
• built-in timer.

Properties:

• 4-burner cooking induction cooker;
• current protection on the human body;
• temperature indicator the surface of the burner.

Properties:

• 4-burner reinforced induction panel;
• temperature indicators burner surfaces;
• buster function due to the redistribution of heat, heats food on the burner in a very short time (40-90 seconds);
• built-in automation turns off the empty hotplate after cooking, prevents overheating of the glass-ceramic hob and saves hands from scalding if accidentally touching the operating hotplate.

When choosing glass-ceramic plates, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points.

1. Touch control panel. Allows you to smoothly adjust the temperature of an individual hotplate or a group of hotplates. The panel without protruding buttons is more reliable in operation, it is easier to wipe off grease, dust and wash it.
2. Residual heat indicator. Allows you to economically use energy, protects your fingers from burns.
3. Booster. An electronic device for quickly heating one hotplate by reducing the power of the others. It is convenient to use for heating tea, coffee and boiling water.
4. Program timer. Allows you to fully automate the process of cooking some dishes.The smell and taste of food is significantly improved due to strict adherence to the temperature regime during cooking.

For an overview of the Electrolux EHH 96340 IW induction hob, see the following video