Comparison Hansa BHI68300 black vs Hotpoint-Ariston KRO 642 TO B black

The number of Hi-Light burners in the design of the hob.

Hi-Light is an electric heater designed to eliminate the main disadvantages of solid plate burners (see above). Instead of a heating element, the “hi-lights” use a thin metal tape, and instead of a metal disc, glass-ceramic is used (see “Hob material”). Due to this, heaters of this type heat up and cool down noticeably faster than classic solid plate burners (although they are much more expensive).

The number of induction burners in the design of the hob.

A feature of such a burner is that it does not heat up by itself but transfers energy to the dishes using electromagnetic radiation. This radiation is safe for humans, and at the bottom of the dishes, it creates currents, providing heating. This format of operation provides several advantages over traditional heaters. Firstly, the burner instantly responds to a change in the operating mode — in this respect, induction heaters are similar to gas ones. Secondly, the surface of the hob (usually glass or glass-ceramic) practically does not heat up — except that part of the heat is transferred from the heated dishes; this has a positive effect on safety. Thirdly, induction burners are quite economical in terms of energy consumption. Among the disadvantages of induction heating, in addition to the high cost, we can mention that it only works with dishes made of thick steel or cast iron. Other metals on such a burner will heat up weakly, and glass, ceramics and other non-magnetic materials will not heat up at all. However, a lot of modern cookware is created specifically for compatibility with induction, which often has a corresponding designation on the bottom.

The presence on the hob of one or more dual-circuit burners — heaters with the possibility of increasing the diameter.

Only Hi-Light or induction hotplates can be dual-circuit burners (see "burner type"). Such a heater looks like several circles of different diameters with a common centre; each circle corresponds to one of the options of the working diameter that can be selected for the burner. The number of these options is usually 2 or 3, and if there is more than one dual-circuit burner, they may differ in the number of diameters available.

Anyway, this feature allows you to select the working size of the burner for the diameter of the dishes. This function should not be confused with the oval dual zone (see below): the oval dual zone gives the burner an elongated shape, and the dual-circuit burner remains round regardless of the selected size.

The presence of an oval-shaped heating zone on the hob. Such a heater is useful for working with appropriate elongated dishes (for example, goose roasters). In models with electric heaters (see "Burner type") the desired shape is provided by an additional segment installed close to the burner; the burner in normal mode works like a regular round one, and when the segment is connected, it turns into an oval. In gas models, a separate elongated burner is installed.

A similar effect can be achieved using the bridge mode (see "Features"). However, the bridge and the oval zone are still different functions: the first involves combining two burners, and the second is implemented strictly on one burner.

— Boil detection. A system based on a sensor that monitors the state of the product being cooked (usually by the temperature of the dishes): before the water boils, the burner operates at maximum, and after boiling, the sensor reduces the intensity of work to a certain value. The point of this adjustment is that much less heat is needed to maintain the boil than to heat it up to the boiling point; moreover, if you do not reduce the heat, the liquid can spill. Accordingly, automatic boiling allows not only to save energy but also to avoid such troubles. This function is found in electric models (see Product type).

— Keep warm function. The keep warm function keeps food warm until served. It will come in handy in cases where dinner is already cooked and the guests have not yet arrived. The maximum time for keeping heat usually does not exceed 1-2 hours.

— Melting. Special mode for low-temperature thawing of small portions of frozen food, melting butter or chocolate. The function allows you to carefully melt the necessary ingredients into a mass of a homogeneous structure without fear that they will burn or overheat.

— Auto fry function. The pre-set automatic frying mode, which ensures that the temperature of the bottom of the dishes is maintained at the optimum temperature, preventing it from cooling down or over...heating. An auto fry programme usually provides several cooking modes for different tasks.

— Additional. Several specific auto-programmes used in individual hobs and not covered by the list above.

The input power of the hob is the maximum electric power consumed during its operation. This parameter is indicated only for models that are equipped with at least one electric hotplate. It is electric burners that are the highest consumption in terms of energy consumption. Additional functions such as auto-ignition require little energy, and a regular outlet is enough for them.

First of all, the requirements for the power mains depend on this parameter: it must be able to provide such power without overloads. It is worth noting that for household sockets the power limit is about 3 – 3.5 kW, with more power, you need to connect the hob to 230 V mains according to special rules. An alternative is to use a three-phase 400 V mains: most modern hobs with electric burners allow connection to both 230 V and 400 V mains.