The SmartCook SMP 778 C/NE/IXL hob cooks with induction and boasts a “zoneless” design. So while it’s divided into eight squares to indicate areas, you can lay a large pan anywhere and heat it uniformly. In fact, so long as a pan covers a quarter of the hob, you can also cook intelligently using 6th Sense. The hob can recognise even small pans. And if you drag a pan around on the hob, it detects where it has moved to and maintains the same setting.
Cooking with induction was a revelation, I have always cooked with gas in the past. It offers precise control and I found that I soon got the hang of the heat levels. I got rid of my bain marie, for example, because you can melt stuff like chocolate on a low setting with no fear of burning it.
As a keen cook, I also love that I can melt butter without overdoing it, and heat milk and cream without boiling it. I can also turn it up high and stir fry or sear just as reliably.
As a parent, I love that I can put porridge in the pot in the morning and let it bubble on just the right heat. Induction is also a safe choice for letting the children help with the cooking – only the section of the hob that’s in use gets hot and a display indicates which areas are still hot afterwards.
6th Sense is like cruise control for your hob: you can tell it to warm, melt, boil, simmer, etc. It can even bring your pan to the boil, simmer it for a set time and then beep and turn itself off. Now I’ve tried induction, I wouldn’t go back to gas.
