For all occasions: TOP-5 combined hobs

First of all, the east european brand Ventolux is familiar to the public thanks to hoods — the company's product range includes a lot of types of this useful device for the kitchen. And it is impossible to imagine a hood without a hob, the production of which is also established at the Ventolux facilities.

A hybrid of a gas and electric cooking surface with a long model name HSF622-B3G CEST has a stylish, memorable appearance. The credit for this lies on the shoulders of the work surface made of tempered glass in a spectacular black colour. It has two electric burners of the same power and size and two gas burners covered with a common cast-iron grate.

Neither good nor bad can be said about electric burners — these are two classic heating elements made of cast iron with all the advantages and disadvantages inherent in this material (wear resistance, long heating and cooling time, etc.). But it is necessary to pay more attention to gas burners, especially with regard to the upper right turbo fork with three rows of flame. It is suitable for cooking dishes in wok pans — a special caste of dishes in the form of a hemisphere for cooking products over high heat, providing a more uniform heat treatment of products with constant stirring.

The heating of the burners is controlled by turning four heat-resistant mechanical regulators. Those of them that are designed to work with gas burners are equipped with electric ignition. And the burners themselves at the same time have a gas control system in their arsenal. The crown of the overall positive impression of the hob is the democratic cost, which, with such a good equipment of the model, elevates it to the rank of popular solutions of the combined type among many consumer layers.

The hob from Gorenje, which has made a name for itself in the production of a wide range of kitchen appliances, is available in three colours: brown, white and stainless steel to match. With such a variety of colours, it will not be difficult to fit the desired option into the style of your kitchen.

The enameled working surface of the model is divided into two separate zones: the left half of the panel is given over to two cast—iron electric forks (the front is 14.5 cm in diameter with a power of 1.5 kW, the rear is 18 cm in diameter with a power of 2 kW), and the place on the right is occupied by two gas burners (the smaller burner has a maximum power of 1 kW, the twice-large burner has power 3 kW). A sturdy cast-iron grate rises above the gas burners, which is common to both burners.

Those who are familiar with the hob firsthand are confused by the heap arrangement of gas burners. Due to the small distance between them, when installing a frying pan on one of the burners, there is simply no room for other medium and large dishes. By a stretch, the disadvantages of Gorenje K 6N20 I can be attributed to the long heating and cooling time of cast-iron electric burners. However, this is a feature of all heating elements of this type.

The model fully reveals its abilities in a non-gasified country house, where periodic power outages occur. The thing is that it can use liquefied gas as an energy source, for which the equipment of the device provides the presence of appropriate jets. So, together with the combined hob, food can be cooked in any scenario, as long as there are propane-butane reserves in the gas cylinder in case of a lack of electricity.

ARDESIA deliberately focuses on its belonging to the Appennine Peninsula, emphasizing its Italian roots with the proud label "Made in Italy".

On the surface with standard dimensions for embedding in the kitchen countertop (560x480 mm), three gas burners and one electric burner made of cast iron are combined. A similar material is used in the gratings on which the dishes are based when they are placed on gas burners. The large weight of cast iron contributes to the better stability of the grilles on its seat.

Visually, the working surface of the panel is divided into two uneven parts — the right one is given over to two standard gas burners and rotary switches for adjusting the heating intensity, and the above-mentioned 1.5 kW electric burner and a high-power gas burner, called the "triple crown", are located on the left. When it is turned on in the maximum performance mode (3.8 kW), the flame will burn in three rows, ensuring the fastest possible heating of the dishes and its contents.

The model provides electric ignition for all heating zones and has a gas control system for each gas burner. Taking into account the form factor, the main bet in the cooking surface is made on gas burners, while an additional electric burner is used as a backup option. Like all cast-iron heating elements, it heats up for a long time and cools down slowly. Therefore, when handling an electric fork, it is advisable to be careful not to accidentally burn yourself with residual heat at the end of the cooking process or heating food.

An atypical hob both in appearance and in the way of implementing electric heating. Instead of the classic electric fork, which is found on board a similar model Hotpoint-Ariston PH 941 MSTV GH stainless steel , there was a place for a whole barbecue area that allows you to cook steaks and grilled dishes without using special utensils.

The grill area has a power of 900 watts, respectively, it is not necessary to count on its rapid heating. However, cooking steaks does not require haste. If one is needed in the normal mode, then a 3.25 kW turbo fork with a triple row of flame (130 mm in diameter) comes to the rescue. Boil water on it or heat up a frying pan will turn out many times faster than when using other gas burners.

Following the high-power burner, the following sequence of gas burners is located (from left to right): centre left (75 mm, 1.65 kW), centre right (55 mm, 1 kW) and side right (100 mm, 2.6 kW). Switches with a built-in auto-ignition system are assembled in a group of 3 pcs. on the left side of the case and 2 pcs. on the right (for the barbecue area and the extreme burner on this side).

The hob will require more free space for installation in comparison with most classic models, which is explained by its elongated dimensions in length (87 mm). The dimensions of the niche for embedding the panel should correspond to the values of 5x83.5x47.5 mm. Nevertheless, with such a kitchen assistant, cooking turns from a routine process into a more pleasant pastime, especially with regard to the simplicity of cooking grilled dishes.

If we talk about the upper strata of society among combined cooktops, then the position of one of the most "pumped" models in this class is occupied by the creation of the Swedish Electrolux concern with the EGD 6576 index.

In the device you can find a complete set of necessary things that may be needed in a modern stove: practical and safe induction electric forks with indication of residual heat, touch control panel with timer function, gas control system for gas burners and other useful little things. The latter include the "Stop +Go" function — interrupting the cooking process at the touch of a button and resuming it later with the same parameters.

As you know, induction cookers are demanding on the type of cookware used — the bottom of pots and pans should be made of ferromagnetic material. But the Electrolux EGD 6576 removes these restrictions, since it is possible to cook food on gas burners in dishes incompatible with induction. Only the heap arrangement of gas burners confuses, as a result of which it will not be possible to install two large vessels on them at the same time.

The gas burners of the model are equipped with a gas control system and an auto-ignition function. However, the location of the handles for adjusting the intensity of the flame is not implemented in the best way — because of their too close proximity to one of the gas burners, they tend to heat up. Another nuance of operation is associated with the roughness of the working surface of the panel. However, with proper care, glass ceramics looks much more advantageous in comparison with other materials, while having excellent strength characteristics and heat resistance.