Smooth-Top vs Coil-Top Stoves: Which Hob Is Best For A UK Kitchen?

Why You Will Not Find A Coil-Top Stove Here

If you searched for "smooth-top vs coil-top stoves", you have probably been reading American advice. In the United States a "stove" is what we call a cooker, and a coil-top is an electric cooker with bare spiral heating elements sitting proud of the surface, each one over a removable drip pan.

That design is common in American homes and rentals. It is not something you will find in a UK kitchen showroom. British electric cooking went a different way, first to the solid plate hob and then to glass.

A "smooth-top" is simply American for a flat glass hob. Over here that covers two quite different products, ceramic and induction, which look alike and cook very differently. So the useful question for a Scottish homeowner is not smooth against coil. It is which of four hobs suits you: ceramic, induction, gas or solid plate.

The Four Hobs UK Buyers Choose Between

Solid plate. The nearest British relative of the coil-top. Four sealed metal discs on an enamel or steel top, heated by an element inside each disc. You mostly meet them on the cheapest freestanding cookers and in rented flats.

Ceramic. A sheet of toughened black glass with heating elements underneath. The element glows red, heats the glass, and the glass heats the pan.

Induction. Also a sheet of black glass, but with no heating element at all. A coil under the glass creates a magnetic field that heats the base of the pan directly. The glass only gets warm from the pan sitting on it.

Gas. Open flame burners on a steel or glass base, with pan supports on top. Still popular across Scotland wherever there is a mains gas supply.

How They Compare At A Glance

	Solid plate	Ceramic	Induction	Gas
Speed to heat	Slow	Moderate	Very fast	Fast
Control	Poor	Fair	Excellent	Excellent
Cleaning	Awkward	Easy, but spills bake on	Easiest	Most fiddly
Hot surface after cooking	Yes, for a long time	Yes	Warm only	Pan supports stay hot
Special pans needed	No	Flat bases work best	Yes, magnetic	No
Price to buy	Lowest	Low	Mid to high	Low to mid

That table is a general guide. Individual models vary, and a good ceramic hob will outperform a poor induction one.

Ceramic Hobs: The Sensible Budget Choice

Ceramic hobs are inexpensive, look smart and wipe clean in seconds when they are cool. Any flat-bottomed pan works on them.

Their weakness is response. When you turn the heat down, the glass stays hot for a while, so a pan of milk can still boil over. The surface also stays hot enough to burn for some time after cooking, which is why they have a residual heat warning light. Sugary spills, such as jam, need to be wiped up quickly and carefully because they can mark the glass as they cool.

Ceramic makes sense if you cook simple meals, want to keep the appliance budget down, or are fitting out a flat to let.

Induction Hobs: The Best All-Rounder

Induction is the type we would point most people towards. It boils a pan of water noticeably faster than the other types, drops from a rolling boil to a bare simmer the moment you touch the control, and wastes very little heat, because the energy goes into the pan and not into the air around it.

It is also the safest of the four with children about. There is no flame, the hob will not heat without a pan on it, and the glass cools quickly once the pan comes off. Because the surface never gets fiercely hot, spills do not burn on.

There are three honest drawbacks:

• Pans. They must have a magnetic base. If a fridge magnet sticks firmly to the bottom, the pan will work. Cast iron and most stainless steel are fine. Plain aluminium, copper and glass are not.
• Electrics. Most induction hobs need their own high-power cooker circuit. Some lower-power models run from a normal 13 amp plug, but they limit how hard you can run all the zones at once. A qualified electrician should check your supply before you buy.
• Noise. A faint hum or a cooling fan is normal, especially on high power.

If you have a pacemaker or a similar implanted device, ask your doctor or the device maker for advice before using an induction hob.

Gas Hobs: Still Loved By Keen Cooks

A gas flame is instant, visible and easy to judge by eye. It works with any pan, including a round-bottomed wok, and many gas hobs will keep working in a power cut if you light them with a match.

The trade-offs are cleaning and heat loss. Pan supports, burner caps and the tray beneath all need to be lifted off and washed. A fair amount of the heat goes round the pan and into the room, which also means more for your extractor to deal with.

Gas is only an option if your home has a gas supply, or you are prepared to use bottled LPG with a hob made for it. Many rural properties in Ayrshire, the Borders and the Highlands are off the mains, and for those homes induction is usually the simpler answer.

Any gas hob must be installed and connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That is not a job for a joiner or a keen amateur.

Solid Plate Hobs: Cheap, Tough And Slow

Solid plates are hard to break and cheap to buy, and that is the full list of their strengths. They take minutes to heat up and even longer to cool, so fine control is close to impossible. The plates can rust or pit if they are left wet, and the gaps round each disc collect grease.

We would not suggest a solid plate hob in a new fitted kitchen. If you currently cook on one, almost any replacement will feel like a big step up.

Fitting, Worktops And Extraction

The hob is one of the first things a designer fixes in a layout, because several other decisions hang from it.

• The cut-out. Hobs drop into a hole cut in the worktop. Sizes differ between models, so choose the hob before a stone or quartz worktop is templated. A cut-out in quartz cannot be made smaller later.
• What goes underneath. Most hobs can sit above a built-under oven or a drawer unit, but each needs a set air gap below. Induction hobs in particular need ventilation for their cooling fan.
• Extraction. Every hob type produces steam and cooking smells. Gas produces the most heat and moisture. A hood ducted to the outside works better than one that only filters and recirculates.
• Width. The standard is about 60cm with four zones. Wider hobs with five zones or a flexible bridging zone suit bigger pans, and they need a wider base unit.

In a narrow galley, the hob position also affects how safely two people can pass. Our small kitchens page covers layouts for tight rooms, and the modern kitchens page shows how flush glass hobs work with handleless units.

How To Choose For Your Home

A few plain questions usually settle it.

1. Do you have mains gas? If not, choose between induction and ceramic.
2. Is your electrical supply up to it? Ask a qualified electrician whether a cooker circuit is in place or can be added.
3. Who uses the kitchen? With young children or an older relative, the cool surface and automatic switch-off of induction count for a lot.
4. How do you cook? Stir-fries over a fierce flame point to gas. Sauces, simmering and quick weeknight meals point to induction.
5. What is the appliance budget? Ceramic keeps it lowest. You may also need to allow for new pans with induction.

When we design a fitted kitchen, the hob, oven and extractor are planned together so that the electrics and the worktop cut-outs are right first time. We supply Neff, Bosch, Siemens and AEG appliances or fit ones you have chosen yourself, and you can see hobs set into full kitchen displays at our showrooms in Kilmarnock and Glasgow. Customers around the capital can start with our Edinburgh kitchens page. Kitchens start from around £6,000, and finance is available from £35 a week, subject to status.

Quick Answers

Can I buy a coil-top stove in the UK?

Not as a normal kitchen appliance. It is an American design. The closest thing sold here is the solid plate hob, and most buyers now choose ceramic or induction instead.

Is a smooth-top the same as induction?

Not always. "Smooth-top" just means a flat glass surface. It could be ceramic, which heats the glass, or induction, which heats the pan.

Will my existing pans work on induction?

Hold a magnet to the base. If it sticks firmly, the pan will work.

Which hob is cheapest to run?

Induction wastes the least energy. Gas has usually cost less per unit than electricity, so actual bills depend on your tariff and how you cook. We would not choose a hob on running cost alone.

Do glass hobs scratch?

They can. Lift pans instead of dragging them, keep the bases clean, and use a hob scraper and a cream cleaner made for glass.

Who can fit a new hob?

A Gas Safe registered engineer for gas, and a qualified electrician for the connection of an electric hob.