The Built-In Hob Guide
What are built-in hobs?
Built-in hobs, also known as integrated hobs, are a stylish and practical addition to any kitchen. Installed directly into the kitchen worktop, they create a clean, streamlined cooking space while offering a flexible alternative to traditional cookers.
Whether you’re looking to complement a range cooker or simply want additional cooking space for preparing larger meals or multiple dishes at once, built-in hobs combine convenience, performance and contemporary design in one solution. Available in a wide range of sizes, fuel types and features, they can be tailored to suit everything from compact apartments to spacious family kitchens.
(Novy Easy Prestige 90cm Venting Hob with Black Glass)
Why invest in a built-in hob?
While range cookers are ideal for larger cooking jobs such as roasting, baking, or preparing several dishes at once, a built-in hob offers a convenient space for more precise cooking tasks and everyday meal preparation.
Built-in hobs are perfect for:
- Making sauces and reductions
- Slowly simmering soups, broths, and stocks
- Cooking pasta, rice, and other side dishes
- Pan-frying or searing meat and fish
- Stir-frying vegetables at high heat
- Melting delicate ingredients such as butter or chocolate
These types of cooking all benefit from responsive heat control and quick temperature adjustments.
When installed on a kitchen island or separate worktop area, a built-in hob can also create a more social cooking environment, providing a practical space for preparing accompaniments, finishing dishes, or plating food while interacting with family or guests.
Key features of built-in hobs:
1. Bridging Zones
The bridging zone feature creates flexibility by allowing you to combine two separate cooking zones into one large cooking area, ideal for large cookware, oversized pans and griddles.
2. Pan Detection
Pan detection technology ensures the hob only heats when compatible cookware is detected on the surface, improving both safety and energy efficiency.
3. Child & Safety Locks
Many built-in hobs include advanced safety features such as child locks, overheat protection and automatic pan recognition to help prevent accidental activation and improve peace of mind in family homes.
4. Residual Heat Indicators
Residual heat indicators show when the glass surface is still hot after cooking, helping to prevent accidental burns and improve kitchen safety.
5. Hood Connectivity
Selected models, such as the Novy Comfort range, feature InTouch technology, allowing the hob to wirelessly control a compatible extractor hood directly from the hob controls for seamless, hands-free ventilation.
6. Melting & Keep Warm Functions
Low-temperature cooking functions are ideal for melting chocolate, warming sauces or keeping food warm without burning delicate ingredients.
Choosing the right built-in hob…
Designed to sit flush within your kitchen worktop, choosing the right hob depends on both your available space and how you use your kitchen.
Smaller hobs are ideal for compact kitchens, couples or occasional cooking, while larger models are better suited to families, keen cooks, or anyone who regularly prepares multiple dishes at once.
Sizes Available
At Rangecookers.co.uk, we offer built-in hobs in sizes ranging from 30cm to 120cm, including:
- 30cm domino hobs for compact or modular setups
- 60, 70, 80, and 90cm standard hobs for everyday cooking
- 100–120cm premium models for high-capacity cooking
Choosing the right built-in hob is about more than just appearance. Factors such as performance, energy efficiency, safety, ease of cleaning, and compatibility with your kitchen layout all play an important role.
With a wide variety of options available, from gas to the latest induction technology, understanding the differences can help you choose the ideal model for your home and cooking style…
What fuel type?
Built-in hobs are primarily available in two fuel types — gas and induction — and understanding the differences between them can help you decide which is best suited to your home with each offering different advantages depending on your cooking preferences and kitchen setup.
(Novy Comfort 1752 65cm Induction with Black Glass)
Gas hobs, often preferred by people who enjoy traditional cooking methods and keen cooks, uses an instant and open visible flame to heat pans directly. They work with almost all cookware types and independent burners allowingb for flexible cooking.
Advantages of Gas Hobs
- Precise and responsive temperature control
- Continues to work during power cuts
- Versatile for all pan type compatibility
(Bertazzoni Professional 89cm P905CPRO in Stainless Steel)
Rangecookers suggests you take a look at…
Bertazzoni Professional 89cm P905CPRO (£695)
With over six generations of Italian craftsmanship behind the brand, Bertazzoni Professional 89cm Gas Hob combines timeless design with reliable everyday performance. Finished in stainless steel, it brings a sleek professional look to the kitchen and pairs perfectly with Bertazzoni’s built-in appliance collection.
(Bertazzoni Professional 89cm P905CPRO in Stainless Steel)
A standout feature of this hob is its powerful 5kW central wok burner, designed for high-heat cooking and larger cookware. Combined with premium brass burners, solid cast iron pan supports, precise metal controls and flame failure safety devices, it delivers the professional-level performance Bertazzoni are known for.
Induction hobs use electromagnetic technology to heat cookware directly rather than the hob surface itself. This creates faster cooking times, improved energy efficiency and a safer cooking experience, as the surface remains relatively cool to the touch. However, induction hobs are only compatible with magnetic cookware.
Advantages of Induction Hobs
- Extremely energy efficient
- Fast cooking times and immediate heat adjustment
- Safer for households with children
- Easy-to-clean glass surface
(ILVE Milano 90cm Induction HVI395N with Black Glass and a chrome trim)
Rangecookers suggests you take a look at…
Novy Comfort 1758 90cm Induction (£1,675)
Novy are a specialist in cooker hoods but also offer premium induction hobs. The Comfort range is ideal for responsive and flexible cooking, with zones of different capacities and various sizes.
The 90cm Novy Comfort 1758 induction hob combines flexible cooking with premium performance, featuring five cooking zones in a range of sizes, intuitive touch controls, timers, keep warm settings and child safety functions.
(Novy Comfort 1758 90cm Induction)
Its standout feature is Novy’s InTouch technology, which allows you to control compatible Novy cooker hoods directly from the hob using the integrated touch controls, creating a seamless and convenient cooking experience.
The future of cooking: Induction Venting Hobs
With the rise in popularity of induction technology, more brands are introducing venting hobs — combining an induction hob with an integrated extractor fan in one sleek unit.
Using a downdraft ventilation system, these hobs remove cooking vapours, steam, smoke and odours directly from the hob surface, eliminating the need for a separate cooker hood. They can also operate in either ducted or recirculating mode, offering flexible installation options to suit different kitchen layouts.
Advantages of Venting Hobs
- Removes the need for a wall or ceiling-mounted cooker hood
- Creates a cleaner, more open kitchen design
- Effective extraction close to the cooking surface
(Micro Spectre 80cm Induction Venting Hob with Black Glass)
Rangecookers suggests you take a look at…
Faber Galileo Flow A830 83cm Induction Venting Hob (£1,595)
With over 60 years of expertise as the original innovators of cooker hoods, Faber Galileo Flow combines trusted extraction technology and powerful induction cooking with sleek modern design. Its frameless black glass finish, flexible induction zones and intuitive touch controls make it a stylish and practical addition to any contemporary kitchen for flexible everyday cooking.
(Faber Galileo Flow A830 83cm Induction Venting Hob with Black Glass)
At the centre of the Galileo Flow is Faber’s powerful integrated extraction system, designed to efficiently remove steam and cooking odours directly from the hob surface. With powerful extraction performance and a space-saving design, the Galileo Flow offers an effective all-in-one venting hob solution.
Designed to combine the perfect balance of style, performance and practicality, built-in hobs are a versatile addition to any kitchen. Available in a wide range of sizes, fuel types, innovative designs and modernised features, they offer a practical and efficient cooking solution for everything from compact kitchens to spacious family homes. Whether you’re preparing everyday meals or cooking more demanding dishes, built-in hobs help make cooking easier, more efficient and more enjoyable.
If you want to find out more about any of these products or have any questions, please call our team on 01244 402 975 or view all of these products on our website here.
*All prices correct at the time of publishing.
