It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional chef or someone who’s watched one too many cooking shows and fancies recreating an exquisite dish that they saw on TV, the Ztove Induction Hob 80cm offers up the full toolkit that you’ll require.

Starting with the good, it’s possible to get incredibly granular with the Ztove Induction Hob as you can control the heat of each of its four burners within 1°C, so for those dishes that need a light touch or a good searing, you can get through them all on the same surface. You can even set individual timers for each burner so that nothing is left to chance.

If you’re still at the stage where you’re trying to understand between a coq au vin and an Irish stew then you’ll feel right at home with the accompanying Ztove app. This thing now has hundreds of recipes, each with precise instructions in how it relates to using the Ztove Hob, minimising any potential culinary disasters.

The Ztove also benefits from being super fast to heat up. When moving through our usual testing scenarios, we were able to heat up a small pan containing 1-litre of water, up to 90°C in just two minutes and 44 seconds. This should make it easier on any given day to prepare your favourite meals at a faster pace, hopefully alleviating the urge to nab a take-out.

As previously mentioned, the one caveat to this extensive array of features is that the Ztove Induction Hob 80cm doesn’t come cheap. With a price tag of €1,999 (roughly £1684/$2279), the Ztove is one heck of an investment, but for those who plan on using the device to its fullest, it’ll be worth the expense.

The Hotpoint PVH 92 B K is our favourite overall hob, with its powerful cooking, intuitive controls and built-in automated extractor. It lacks some of the features found on some standalone models, but this is a fantastic value hob that offers powerful performance nonetheless.

The PVH 92 B K is a touch wider than most wide hobs, meaning you may find it better suited to a kitchen refurb as opposed to a replacement for an existing hob. There’s a vent that sits in the middle of the hob and the grill on the extractor is flub with the hob, making it easier to move pans from one side to the other. 

You get four burners with this hob, though the two on the left side can be bridged to create a single larger zone for big pans and griddles. The controls are simple, with nine power modes on each burner and a Power Boost (P) mode for quickly boiling water. There’s also a Keep Warm setting for simmering and each zone has a timer that will shut the burner down when it ends.

The performance is very good, with the hob taking 1.5l of water from 20°C to 90°C in 3m 51s. The Neff T66YYY4C0 is faster, but the result is still as good as you’d get from a kettle. 

This hob does lack some of the clever automatic modes we’ve seen on previous Hotpoint hobs and there’s no melting option. There’s also no CleanProtect coating for easier clean-up as there is on the Hotpoint CleanProtect TS6477CCPNE.

The extractor has three power settings, as well as two boost settings that run for a limited time. There’s also an automatic mode that adjusts the power of the extractor based on demand. We found the extractor to be extremely powerful at sucking down any steam or gasses coming off the pan with most of the noise contained in the cupboard underneath.

If you want an easy to use and stylish hob that offers you precision and control over your cooking then the Neff N90 T66YYY4C0 is a great option.

Available in a range of trim colours including bronze, black, silver and grey, the Neff N90 T66YYY4C0 isn’t just stylish but practical too as the trims magnetically connect to the clips on the side of the hob. This means you can easily change the colour, if you ever want to, but it also means they can be removed for hassle-free cleaning.

The Neff T66YYY4C0 has a few unique features that help make it easier to use. Firstly, the Neff doesn’t use traditional zone or burner markings, instead the hob is split into left and right zones. This is an incredibly useful feature, as it means pots and pans can be spread across the hob and aren’t limited to certain sized burners.

The Neff T66YYY4C0 is also controlled by the Twist Pad Flex, which we found makes this the most accessible hob we’ve ever tested. As opposed to typical touch controls, the Twist Pad Flex magnetically attaches to the centre of the hob and can be pressed in four directions to select and set the power for any of the four nominal burners.

Not only is it easy to use but it also offers precise temperature control and speedy performance. In our tests we found that it took just 2.5 minutes to boil 1L of water, which is some of the fastest speeds we’ve seen on an induction hob.

As a smart hob, the Neff T66YYY4C0 can also be operated through the Home Connect app, although we found it much easier to just use the Twist Pad Flex. The app however allows you to set the hob’s power modes, receive notifications about cooking activities and download firmware updates.

Whether you’re a true kitchen novice or an aspiring head chef, the Neff T66YYY4C0 is an easy to use induction hob that allows you to have total control of your cooking.

If you have larger pots and pans and want the flexibility of a wider hob, then the generously sized 77cm Belling IHL773 is a great value option.

As an average hob is around 60cm, the Belling IHL773 can easily accommodate larger pans and offers much more room around the burners than a traditional model.

Each of the four burners are controlled by a dedicated slider control at the bottom. While the two round burners are controlled individually, the flexible bridge zone can be used as either two individual burners or combined into one higher-power zone via a simple swipe.

To assess how evenly the hob heated, we used a thermal camera and checked how each of the burners worked. We found that all individual burners, and the flexible bridge zone, heated evenly without one side getting hotter than the other.

We also tested the basic performance and power of the hob and concluded that this is one of the fastest hobs around. While smaller pans of water took comparatively similar times to reach 90°C as other hobs, the largest 1.5L of water took only 3 minutes and 24 seconds to reach 90°C, which is unbelievably speedy.

It’s worth noting that the Belling IHL773 does lack some smart features that are found on other induction hobs and it doesn’t have dedicated cooking modes, such as melting or boiling. If, however, you need a wide hob that works quickly and heats evenly then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than this.

The Hotpoint CleanProtect makes both cooking and the dreaded clean-up that much easier, which is perfect if you love to cook but hate the mess.

One of the standout features for the Hotpoint is its CleanProtect glass surface. Boasting a special nano coating, the Hotpoint is durable and much easier to clean just by using water, in fact the company states that for any marks on the hob, all you need to do is saturate the area with water for up to five minutes and simply wipe it clean with a cloth.

Measuring at 77cm, the Hotpoint Clean Protect also offers you extra space and flexibility while making dinner. Although it only has four burners (which is the usual amount for an induction hob), each burner offers numerous cooking options and programs.

Each burner gets its own touch-slider control, with 18 individual settings, a power boost setting and automatic chef-mode programs including boil, keep warm, slow cook and melt. We were wowed by the automatic cooking programs, especially with the melt option which allowed us to melt a lump of butter perfectly without stirring or any trace of burning.

All burners can also be used simultaneously on maximum power settings, which is incredibly useful if you’re cooking a meal of many components.

This hob is incredibly capable and boasts numerous features but it’s worth noting that this is definitely not the fastest available. For example, we found it took just over five minutes to bring 1.5-litres of water from 20°C to 90°C, which although is still a good result, it’s definitely not the quickest turnaround. However, if you aren’t fussed about super speedy performance then this is something that can be looked past.

The AEG IAE84851FB is a hob that offers some especially clever cooking modes, and a whole lot of versatility.

At 80cm, it’s a fraction wider than most four-zone induction hobs and also features an LCD display for control, which we found to be especially useful. In addition, each of the cooking zones is activated automatically when a pan is placed on it, but there are nine power modes available for proper control, as well as a power boost option for rapidly boiling water in a matter of minutes. You can also expand the left-hand induction area so it offers a range of three sizes as opposed to being used as two separate areas. This AEG hob also offers a clever function known as PowerSlide, which separates the zone into three areas with different power levels, which you can change with a simple slide of the pan between zones to change power: just by sliding the pan, you can move from boil to simmer to keep warm. It makes this hob a joy to use, as power modes can be changed without touching any buttons.

This AEG candidate also proved to be a speedy customer, with a 1.5 litre pan of water being heated to 90 degrees in a touch over 3 minutes in the flexible zone. Over the standard rings, it also managed to boil a small 500ml pan in 90 seconds or so, offering an especially fast time that’s largely thanks to the fact this AEG hob drew 2800W of power. It also offered consistent heating over the flexible zone.

If it’s flexibility you’re after, the Indesit IB 88B60 NE should be a more than capable choice.

It’s a hob that doesn’t feature more traditional distinct burner rings, but instead offers a pair of Flex Zones that can also be combined to offer a single, much larger zone that’s ideal for square dishes and larger grill plates. The controls on offer are along the bottom edge, with plus and minus symbols for cycling through the nine power zones. In addition, this Indesit hob also comes with buttons to turn off a zone as well as putting one into max power for 5 minutes to help boil water. The IB 88B60 NE also comes with some clever Push&Go modes for this purpose – Push&Boil brings water to the boil and keeps it rolling, while the Push&Warm function is used for keeping food warm or gently reducing liquid.

In testing, it offered okay speeds for boiling water, but this Indesit hob proves that speed isn’t everything. To this end, it’s a consistent performer with the ability to have max power in all zones without siphoning power off from elsewhere. This helps to make it a star when it comes to power management. The automatic modes also performed decently, with consistent near-100 degree temps for the Push&Boil mode, while Push&Warm offered a consistent temperature of 72 degrees, which is ideal for keeping food warm without drying out.

Who wants an ugly extractor hood ruining the look of their kitchen? With the Samsung Infinite Range CombiHob NZ84T9747VK/UR, you get extraction built into the hob, sucking away moisture and other elements from cooking. You have to give up a bit of cupboard space below, but if you’ve got a big enough kitchen, it’s a sacrifice worth making.

There are four identical burners on this hob, each running at 2.1kW per burner, plus a boost mode that increases power to 3.7kW. You can run the boost mode on one burner on the left, and one on the right; the remaining burners are limited to power mode 5. Still, that’s quite flexible, as you can fast-boil two pans of water simultaneously. This is a fast hob: 2m 48s to bring 1.5-litres of water to 90°C.

The two burners on the left (or the two on the right) can be combined into one large zone for bigger pans. This is good for flexibility, but the option to do this is a little confusing, requiring both power mode controls to be selected; a dedicated linking button would have made life easier. Likewise, it’s not immediately obvious how to resume cooking after hitting the pause button.

There are timers for each burner, plus automatic cooking controls that use a temperature sensor to control power: melt, warm and simmer. If you want a high-quality fast hob with built in extraction, this is a great choice.

Easy-to-use, powerful and stylish, the Smeg HOBD382MB2 may be one of the more expensive induction hobs on the list but we found it brilliant to cook on.

As it needs space for its extractor, the HOBD382MB2 is quite large at 80cm wide. The extractor is thoughtfully designed too as it sits flush with the hob, making it easier to move a pan from one side to the other.

Underneath the extractor is a built-in washable grease trap that’s topped with charcoal traps, both of which help filter out any odours. Once you begin cooking, the extractor will start in Auto mode and adjust its power automatically. We found this to work well and will likely be the only mode you’ll need, however there is the option to take manual control if you ever feel the need to.

There are four zones on the HOBD382MB2, however both the left and right-hand sides can respectively be combined to create two larger zones to accommodate pots and pans of greater size.

The HOBD382MB2 is controlled via an LCD panel with power options from 0 (off) to 9, alongside a P mode for power boost.

Unlike other induction hobs, this hob only sports one cooking programme for melting, which means you miss out on extra functions such as ‘keep warm’ which is found on AEG IAE84851FB, or temperature control offered by the Neff N90 T66YYY4C0.

Having said that, the melting mode does work fantastically well. We put butter on the hob and found that it melted slowly and consistently and even after leaving it for 15 minutes, the butter didn’t burn.

Otherwise, the HOBD382MB2 is seriously powerful, with each of the four burners able to run at a maximum of 2.1kW or 3kW when power (P) boost is enabled. Combining two zones allows one multizone to use 3.7kW.

We found a 1.5-litre pan of water took just three minutes and 50 seconds to boil with power boost on, while a smaller 500ml equivalent took just one minute and 41 seconds.

If you need an additional cooking space in your kitchen then the Smeg PIC01BLMUK is a useful portable induction hob.

In true Smeg fashion, the PIC01BLMUK boasts a more stylish design than standard portable induction hobs, thanks to its brushed metal front, curved body and retro finish.

A plug-in hob with a single zone, the PIC01BLMUK is designed for just one pan with a diameter of between 12cm and 24cm, which covers most frying pans and saucepans.

Just note that, much like a full-sized induction hob, the PIC01BLMUK has built-in pan detection which means its controls won’t work unless a compatible pan is located on the burner.

The PIC01BLMUK sports all the expected features that induction hobs should provide, including nine power levels and a residual heat indicator, alongside dedicated modes for frying and barbequing.

Both the BBQ and Fry mode come with a choice of three programmes which run a pre-set heat-up phase for a set time and then drops to a lower power mode once you start cooking.

Otherwise, the hob has a simple power selection dial for choosing between the nine heat levels and a boost mode, labelled P, which runs for five minutes and is designed for quickly boiling water. These controls are touch-sensitive for ease but we did find them a bit tricky to operate.

Smeg also provides a temperature sensor with the PIC01BLMUK, which plugs into the hob’s side and should then be fully inserted into the food you want to monitor. This is a useful addition that allows you control over the cooking power however we did note that it’s slightly fiddly to cook with.

Overall we found the PIC01BLMUK to be slightly slower than an integrated induction hob, however this is perhaps unsurprising considering it draws a maximum power of 2100W.

For anyone who needs additional cooking space in their kitchen, then the Smeg PIC01BLMUK is a fantastic, albeit slightly pricey choice.