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Choosing a hob comes down to three questions: which technology suits how you cook and what cookware you have, whether your kitchen's electrical connection can handle it, and how many cooking zones you actually use at once. Here are the answers to all three, with real numbers.
Three technologies
The three most common hob technologies side by side — the difference is in speed, energy use, and cookware compatibility.
Induction heats the pot or pan base directly with a magnetic field — the hob surface itself only gets hot from heat reflected back off the cookware. That makes it the fastest (water boils faster than on gas) and most energy-efficient option, but it needs cookware with a magnetic base — most stainless steel and cast iron works, plain aluminium and glass doesn't. Worth checking your pots and pans with a magnet before buying.
Ceramic (radiant heat) heats through a resistance element beneath a glass-ceramic surface, which works with any cookware base. It heats up and cools down more slowly than induction and uses more electricity for the same result.
Gas gives instant, precisely visible control and keeps working during a power cut. It needs a gas connection, which new-builds and apartment blocks often don't have, and leaves an open flame in the kitchen.
Electrical connection — check before ordering
An induction hob usually needs a 3-phase 400V connection (3N~400V) with 16A fuses per phase — the same as most full-power 60 cm induction hobs require. In older apartments and houses with only a single-phase connection, you'll either need a lower-power model (some manufacturers offer versions suited to single-phase connections) or an upgrade from an electrician. This is the most common surprise when installing an induction hob — check your connection before ordering, not after.
Size and cutout
Standard widths are 60, 70, 80 and 90 cm — 60 cm fits most kitchens and covers most of the model range. The exact cutout dimension is model-specific (usually a few centimetres smaller than the hob's own size, with rounded corners), so it has to be taken from the specific model's installation guide — not eyeballed before ordering, once the worktop's already been ordered.
Cooking zones and flexi-zones
4 cooking zones is standard for a typical household. If you often use large pots, fish kettles or griddle plates, look at models with flexi- or bridge zones — two adjacent zones combine into a single elongated area that heats evenly along its length.
Our range
We carry all three technologies — induction, ceramic and gas — in widths from 60 to 90 cm, from Miele, Gaggenau, NEFF, ASKO, ILVE and others. Every product page lists the number of cooking zones, power and electrical connection type — check these against your kitchen's connection before ordering.