Pros
- Very easy to clean
- Intuitive controls
- Genuinely useful automatic programmes
If you’re looking for a 60cm hob that can do everything you want, then the Hotpoint CleanProtect TS3560FCPNE should be top of your list. Well priced, feature-packed and easy to use, this induction hob gets the balance exactly right.
Before we get into the details, it’s worth talking about the CleanProtect surface. As well as being tougher than normal glass, this surface can be cleaned with water alone. Soak the dirty area with water, and then simply rub it off with a cloth, and stains are gone. It really does work, and it’s hard to state just how brilliant this is.
Otherwise, there are four burners, each of which can be run at maximum power at the same time. This does mean that this isn’t the fastest hob at boiling (5m 43s for 1.5-litres), but that’s not exactly slow and, more importantly, there’s no confusing situation where running one burner on boost reduces the power settings available on other burners.
For normal use, the burners have 18 power settings, selectable using a responsive touch slider. Our only minor complaint is that selecting a burner, say to check the timer, adjusts power as well.
On the left, there’s the Flexi Space zone, which lets you combine two burners into one large zone for large pans, or it can go into Active Heat mode. In this mode, power settings are decided based on where a pan is: the top zone is high heat, bridging the two zones is medium heat, and the bottom zone is low heat. It makes it easy to cook, as you can just slide a pan around to adjust heat as required.
Other automatic cooking modes include boiling (the hob makes sure water doesn’t spill over), melting (you can melt butter and chocolate without burning), keep warm and slow cook. Overall, this powerful combination of features and the hob’s excellent price make it a clear winner.
Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Hotpoint CleanProtect TS3560FCPNE
