CIARRA CBBIH3BF 6500W Built-in Induction Hob 3 Zones with Boost Function 1 Flex Zone Touch Control Ceramic Glass 9 Power Levels Child Safety Lock Black

Product Information

The Neff’s TouchControl interface is easy to use but, like all touch sensitive controls, it can sometimes be really fiddly changing power settings. Also, your fingers will leave a lot of marks on the shiny ceramic glass surface in the process but thankfully the whole thing’s a doddle to clean.

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. So be prepared for the possibility of needing to kit yourself out with a new set of pans if you invest in a FlexInduction hob. The pans that will work are:It’s a hob that doesn’t feature more traditional distinct burner rings, but instead offers a pair of Flex Zones that can also be combined to offer a single, much larger zone that’s ideal for square dishes and larger grill plates. The controls on offer are along the bottom edge, with plus and minus symbols for cycling through the nine power zones. In addition, this Indesit hob also comes with buttons to turn off a zone as well as putting one into max power for 5 minutes to help boil water. The IB 88B60 NE also comes with some clever Push&Go modes for this purpose – Push&Boil brings water to the boil and keeps it rolling, while the Push&Warm function is used for keeping food warm or gently reducing liquid. You will need to make sure your pans are compatible with your induction hob. Not all pan bases ignite the ions that conduct heat from the induction plates. 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.

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. Where you might have had 4 zones in a 60cm wide x 50cm deep hob/cooktop, you’ll likely have those 4 zones in a 90cm wide x 35cm deep panoramic hob. The exact dimensions will vary between models. No flexi-zones but this sleek and minimal hob from Smeg offers some nice features at a wallet-friendly price.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. No product is perfect, and despite induction hobs being modern and high-tech, they come with various niggles, regardless of the brand. They also take some getting used to; particularly if you’ve never used one before and you’re used to gas or standard electric cookers. 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. So, if you factor these costs into your budget, your debit card won’t scream as loudly when you’re paying. Given the amount of cooking power (7.35Kw) and useful tech it offers, this flagship AEG is outstanding value and well worth considering if you need something more versatile. It’s a great looker, too.