Ceramic Hob Buying Guide - Appliance City

Q: How Does a Ceramic Hob Work?

Ceramic Hobs have heating elements beneath the surface of its zones. There will be often be a coil underneath the heating zone that is activated by the electrical current. As the coil heats you’ll see it glowing red. This in turn heats the glass which is then transferred over to your food. There’s no special requirements for installing one, it just needs to be within reach of a suitable power source. There’s no need to connect it to your gas supply, after all.

Q: How Do I Clean My Ceramic Hob?

One of the best things about ceramic hobs is how easy they are to clean. As they are normally flush with the worktop and are effaced with glass, they are just as easy to clean as your surfaces. You can use your standard kitchen cleaner products on them, but just double check before you do to see if they’re going to be suitable. Not everyone has kitchen cleaner on hand. So, if it’s an emergency or you want to try something different, here’s how you clean your ceramic hob without kitchen cleaner. You will need: Washing-up liquid Microfibre cloth Bicarbonate of soda Follow these steps to have your ceramic hob surface shining again: Fill a bowl with hot water and mix in your washing up liquid. Leave the cloth to soak in this bowl. Apply a generous amount of bicarbonate of soda all over your cooktop. Squeeze the liquid from the cloth all over the cooktop and let that soak for about 15 minutes. You may want to wear some marigolds for this part if you have them. After the 15 minutes is up, grab your cloth and polish your cooktop, moving it in a circular motion. Make sure you remove all the baking soda as you do this. Leave it to dry. Your ceramic hob will be looking squeaky clean after this. Once it’s dry you may want to give it a once over with a cleaning wipe or something to buff it up a bit and enhance that shine.

Image of a pan on a ceramic hob with a light blue background. Half of the hob is cut away so you can see the heat zone beneath the glass surface.

For many years, ceramic hobs were the main alternative to gas. However, with the rise in popularity of induction hobs, which option is best? If you’re in the market for a new hob and are considering ceramic, read on to find out everything you need to know!

What is a ceramic hob?

A ceramic hob is an electronically powered hob. It has heating ‘zones’ rather than the traditional burners you would find on a gas hob.

The ‘ceramic’ part of the name refers to the glass finish of the hob. It’s not referring to the same ceramic that you would expect a plate to be made of. Ceramic hobs are made of black tempered glass which is shatterproof and able to withstand large amounts of heat – both useful features for a hob!

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Close up image of a ceramic hob ring which is turned on. The hob is lit up from underneath the glass with a glowing red light, this indicates that the hob is on.

How does a ceramic hob work?

Ceramic Hobs use heating elements beneath the glass surface. Each cooking zone will have a heating element which is activated via an electric current. As a zone heats up you’ll see it glowing red. This in turn heats the glass which then heats your pan to cook your food.

There are no special installation requirements for a ceramic hob. You just need to ensure the hob is close enough to a power source. You do not need to connect the hob to your gas supply, making it easy to install.

How do you use a ceramic hob?

Ceramic hobs usually have touch controls however some models feature rotary dials. You’ll find most ceramic hobs with touch controls have residual heat indicators to show you when a zone is too hot to touch. You operate a ceramic hob in the same way you would use an induction hob, although the ceramic heating elements take a little longer to heat up. Once fully heated, you can use your ceramic hob to boil, fry and simmer as you would with any other type of hob.

Overhead view of a ceramic hob. There is a frying pan cooking broccoli, courgettes and mushrooms, whilst next to the hob there are orange peppers and tomatoes on a chopping board.

How do I clean my ceramic hob?

One of the key advantages of ceramic hobs is how easy they are to clean. Thanks to the smooth flat glass surface, you can simply wipe down a ceramic hob after each use. Despite their low maintenance, it is still a good idea to give your hob a deep clean every now and again. For more tips and advice on how to clean a ceramic hob, take a look at our Hob Cleaning Guide.

Hob Cleaning Guide

What type of pan can I use on an induction hob?

The good news is ceramic hobs do not require specialist cookware. You can use your normal pots and pans, meaning you don’t need to invest in any new equipment. Whereas with induction, you can only use induction safe cookware in order for the hob to work.

Image of two pans cooking on a ceramic hob. One features boiling water and the other is frying vegetables.

Ceramic Hob vs Induction Hob

Induction and ceramic hobs are both electric and also look very similar. Because of this, people often wonder what the difference is. In this section, we’re going to break down the differences between the two different types of hob.

Efficiency

Ceramic hobs are less energy efficient than induction. This is because ceramic hobs heat the whole cooking zone rather than just the base of your cookware. If your pan is smaller than the cooking zone (or ring), heat will escape around the sides of the pan, resulting in energy loss. Induction hobs focus all the energy directly to the base of the pan, making this the most energy efficient cooking method.

Speed

Ceramic hobs take longer to heat up than induction or gas hobs. In fact, an induction hob can boil small amounts of water even faster than a kettle can. If rapid heat is a priority, we would recommend an induction hob over ceramic.

Price

A key benefit of choosing a ceramic hob is the price point. If you’re limited by budget, ceramic hobs tend to have a lower up front cost compared to induction and gas alternatives. You can enjoy the sleek, modern looking appearance and low maintenance without breaking the bank.

Take a look at the Which? ceramic hob guide for more advice on which hob to buy in 2025.

Ceramic Hobs: Conclusion

Now we’ve covered all the most frequently asked questions and compared the different hob types, should you choose ceramic? Of course, the answer is down to personal preference. If you are looking for rapid heat and better energy efficiency then you may be more suited to gas or induction. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a budget friendly, easy to clean hob then a ceramic hob is the option for you!