A hob is an appliance or part of an appliance which incorporates one or several distinguishable cooking zones, where pans can be placed on for heating.

Electric sealed plate:

Sealed plate hobs are thin iron discs covering heating elements and sometimes have thermostats to prevent overheating. They are also quite slow to heat up and cool down but are easier to clean and are very durable.

Gas hobs:

Gas hobs are fairly standard in design with most offering two high heat rapid burners and two lower heat simmer burners. The advantage of gas is that it allows more precise heat control compared to electric but they can have more parts and can be harder to clean compared to electric hobs. All gas hobs that are manufactured today must contain FFD*/FSD**. * Flame failure device - is a device that ensures any gas escape is kept to a minimum or none if the flame goes out accidently. ** Flame safety device - is the same as FFD

Ceramic hobs:

Ceramic hob uses radiant heating coils or infrared halogen lamps as the heating elements. The surface of the glass-ceramic cooktop above the burner heats up, but the adjacent surface remains cool because of the low heat conduction coefficient of the material.
Compared to conventional kitchen hobs (electric sealed plate), ceramic hobs are relatively simple to clean, due to their flat surface. However, ceramic hobs can be scratched very easily, so care must be taken not to slide the cooking pans over the surface. Food with a high sugar content (such as jam) should never be allowed to dry on the surface if it spills, otherwise damage will occur. Cleaning is best carried out by using a soft cloth along with a special glass-ceramic cleaner that applies a thin protective film on the glass. Please check that your pans are suitable for ceramic hobs.

Induction hobs:

An induction hob uses electromagnetic induction heating for cooking. Unlike other forms of cooking, heat is generated directly in the pot or pan, as opposed to being generated in the cooktop by electrical coils or burning gas. To be used on an induction cooker or hob, a cooking pot or pan must be made of a ferromagnetic metal. Ferromagnetic metals are metals that a magnet will stick to like iron and certain stainless steel. Please check that yours pans are suitable for induction hobs.