Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob Review
A simple and flexible induction hob
Verdict
It may not be the fastest hob available, but the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob makes up for this by being able to run all four burners at maximum power at the same time. Its Flexi Zone adds flexibility, while clever automation takes the hassle out of everyday jobs. If you want a well-priced hob that’s great to cook on, look no further.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Clever automatic cooking programmes
- Neat Flexi Zone
Cons
- Not the fastest
Availability
- UKRRP: £376
Key Features
- BurnersThis 60cm induction hob has four burners, although the two left ones can be combined into one zone.
- PowerThis hob uses 7.2kW of power, maximum, so needs a dedicated 32A circuit.
Introduction
For an induction hob to really prove itself, it’s not so much about how fast it can heat food, but how easy it is to control and the advanced features that are offered.
To that end, the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob is a brilliant hob. A great range of automatic cooking options, a flex zone and the smart Active Heat mode make this induction hob brilliant to cook with, even if it’s not the fastest.
Design and features
- Clever automated modes
- Flex zone is very useful
- Almost too many power settings
On the face of it, the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob is a standard four-burner hob, with dedicated controls for each. At this level, this induction hob is very easy to use.
I found the touch slider easy to use to adjust power in one of two ways. First, I could tap roughly at any point on the line to jump to around the power level I wanted; secondly, I could slide my finger to fine-tune the adjustment.
With 18 power modes plus a boost (labelled ‘P’) option, this hob has many power modes to choose from. In fact, it’s almost too many, and a standard range of one to nine would probably do the trick. That said, once I’d got used to cooking with this hob, I could quickly adjust a burner to my desired level.
All burners can operate in P mode simultaneously, drawing a maximum of 7.2kW (a dedicated 32A circuit is required for the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob). While that means there are faster hobs out there that can draw more power into one zone, such as the Miele KM7201FR, the benefit here is that using P doesn’t reduce the power available on other burners.
With power management on other hobs, using the power boost function usually requires other burners to have their power limited, which can be both limiting and confusing.
The Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob has some clever tricks, too. First, the two left-hand zones can be joined together into one flex zone, which is great if you want to use large pans or griddles. When combined, the Flexi Space, as Hotpoint calls it, can be controlled via either of the left-hand power sliders.
There’s a special Active Heat mode, too. This flexible zone has three separate cooking areas: high heat at the back, medium heat in the middle and low heat at the front. Just by moving a pan around, the hob adjusts power automatically. I found this brilliant for frying: I could heat the pan fast, move it back to get cooking, go to low heat to keep warm, and then back to high just to finish everything off and make sure the food is piping hot.
The AEG IAE84851FB has a similar feature, but that hob is far more expensive, so it’s nice to see such a professional feature make it onto a hob that costs less than £400.
The ‘My Menu’ option has special automated cooking modes, including Melting, Keep Warm, Slow Cooking and Boiling. Each mode is designed to achieve the desired effect with the least amount of energy.
Timers are available for each burner, cutting power automatically when the timer runs out. That’s great for ensuring that food is not overcooked, and that power consumption is at the minimum required for a specific dish.
Schott Ceran glass is used on this hob. That’s a good choice, as it’s hard-wearing, yet easy to keep clean, even with burnt-on stains.
Performance
- Not particularly fast, but not too slow
- Special modes work brilliantly
I tested the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob by first measuring how long it took to bring various amounts of water from 20C to 90C.
I used the P mode for all tests; as this mode times out after four minutes (a little too short in my opinion), I turned it back on to complete a test.
Starting out, I used the large burner for my big pan of 1.5-litres of water. This took 4m 59s to boil, which is alright, although I have seen much faster. Boiling 1-litre of water in the mid-sized pan on one of the Flexi Zone burners took 5m 16s. Again, this is a little slow compared to the competition, but not too bad in terms of overall cooking. Using the small pan with 0.5-litres of water, boil times dropped to a faster 2m 17s.
Overall, the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob is not the fastest of hobs, but the advantage is that it can operate all four burners at maximum power at the same time, so boiling and heating times don’t change. With rival hobs, using the boost mode on one hob would cause the other burners to drop in power, taking longer to do their jobs.
I used the melt programme to melt butter in a pan. Here, the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob used a very gentle heat to keep the pan warm, but prevented the butter from burning. In fact, I could walk away while it was melting, coming back to perfect results.
Similarly, the other features are just as good. I found that Boil brought my pan to temperature, but then dropped back the power level to keep my water at near-on 100C, without overboiling it and having hot water spill over the pan.
‘Slow cooking’ and ‘keep warm’ are useful tools, keeping the pan at the right temperature for either job, although I did find that it was as easy to adjust the power mode automatically based on what I wanted to do.
Using my thermal camera, I could see that my pans were heated evenly and well throughout, with a standard circular burner.
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Should you buy it?
If you love to cook, then Active Heat is a top feature, while the automated programmes take the hassle out of everyday tasks.
If you want a larger hob with more room, or want one that can heat water faster, look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
If you need an induction hob that can boil water super fast, then this model isn’t for you, and you should check out my guide to the best hobs. Speed really isn’t everything, and the Hotpoint TS 5760F NE Flexi Zone Induction Electric Hob is not slow. And, by not going all out for power, this hob can run all burners at their maximum power at the same time, which is brilliant and less confusing than using an induction hob with power management.
Where this model elevates itself above the competition is with its clever modes: Active Heat is brilliant and gives a professional feel, while the automated cooking modes take the hassle out of common tasks. At this price, what more can you ask for?
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every induction hob we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main induction hob for the review period
We measure how long it takes to bring 500ml, 1-litre and 1.5-litres of water to 90C using different sized burners.
We test any special cooking programmes to see how they perform
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FAQs
This model has four burners, but the two on the left can be combined into one larger zone.
Yes, you need a 32A circuit to use this hob.
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.