Home Appliances
Let’s hop to it with your hob.
Now that you’ve installed your shiny new hob, you probably can’t wait to turn up the heat. To get you off to a successful start, we’ve put together a host of tips and tricks to ensure every dish is delish.
The console for perfect cooking control.
Your Bosch electric hob is safe bet. Thanks to the easy and intuitive touch control, you’ll quickly become confident using it and learn to trust in its ability to prevent small slip-ups. If, for instance, you forget to put cookware on an activated ring zone, use a pot or pan that’s the wrong size or material, the hob will automatically switch off to prevent any accidents.
An easy touch
Selecting and setting a hotplate is simplicity itself. Just remember that it takes a bit of time for the cooking ring to reach the right temperature. Always start by turning on the hob at the main switch. You can do this by touching the (|) field so that the indicator lamp above it lights up.
To set a hotplate, you first need to select it. Within 10 seconds, press the + or - fields to get the basic setting of 9 or 4. To adjust the setting, select the hotplate again and choose a cooking level between 1 and 9. Each setting also has an intermediate level that is labelled with a dot.
If you want to switch off a hotplate, either touch the selection button twice or turn it down to 0. The residual heat display will come on. While the hob will switch off automatically when all hotplates are off, the residual heat indicator remains on until the hob has cooled down sufficiently.
Perfect pots, not hot spots.
You want your pots to make the most of your hob’s watts. While a wide range of cookware will work well on your hotplates, there are a few pointers worth bearing in mind. Since the key to fast efficient cooking with an electric hob is heat transfer from the cooking ring to the pan base, you need flat-bottomed items that conduct heat well. Stone, glass and ceramic aren’t good heat conductors so give them a skip, rather choose enamelled steel, cast iron, chrome steel or non-stick. Matching the size of your cookware to its contents and your ring are also important for energy efficiency. Both a small pot on a big ring and a big pot with very little inside waste electricity.
While size, shape and material matter in your choice of cookware, weight isn’t a worry. It might look like glass, but your ceramic hob is incredibly tough and won’t crack or shatter easily. A bigger concern is whether you can safely lift that enormous pot of stew. With that mind, remember that it’s better to place cookware on the ring, as sliding may scratch the surface.
The console for perfect cooking control.
Cooking times and temperatures depend on the type and quantity of food you’re preparing. To make things simple for you, you’ve put together this guideline so you can see at a glance how to get the best results for your dish.
Frying with little oil.
Frying with little oil.
Fry food without a lid and remember that ingredients, which need to be seared quickly or that initially lose a lot of liquid should be fried in small portions.
- Escalope, plain or breaded: Set to 6–7 for 6–10 minutes
- Frozen escalope: Set to 6–7 for 10–20 minutes
- Chops, plain or breaded: Set to 6–7 for 8–12 minutes
- Steak, 3 cm thick: Set to 7–8 for 8–12 minutes
- Patties, 3 cm thick: Set to 4–5 for 30–40 minutes
- Hamburgers, 2 cm thick: Set to 6–7 for 10–20 minutes
- Poultry breast, 2 cm thick: Set to 5–6 for 10–20 minutes
- Frozen poultry breast: Set to 5–6 for 10–30 minutes
- Fish or fish fillet, plain: Set to 5–6 for 8–20 minutes
- Fish or fish fillet, breaded: Set to 6–7 for 8–20 minutes
- Frozen fish or fish fillet, breaded, e.g. fish fingers: Set to 6–7 for 8–12 minutes
- Scampi, prawns: Set to 7–8 for 10–20 minutes
- Fresh vegetables or mushrooms, sautéed: Set to 7–8 for 10 to 20 minutes
- Vegetables or meat in strips cooked Asian style: Set to 7–8 for 15–20 minutes
- Stir fry, frozen: Set to 6–7 for 6–10 minutes
- Pancakes: Set to 6–7 and cook one by one
- Omelette: Set to 3–4 and cook one by one
- Fried eggs: Set to 5–6 for 3-6 minutes
Deep frying.
Deep frying.
Deep-fry food in 1–2 l of oil in batches, 150–200 g per batch. Cook food without a lid.
- Frozen products, e.g. chips or chicken nuggets: Set to 8–9
- Frozen croquettes: Set to 7–8
- Meat, e.g. chicken: Set to 6–7
- Fish, breaded or battered: Set to 5–6
- Vegetables or mushrooms, breaded or battered: Set to 5–6
- Tempura: Set to 5–6
- Small pastries, e.g. doughnuts, fruit in batter: Set to 4–5
Boiling, steaming & stewing.
Boiling, steaming & stewing.
To bring food to the boil, use heat setting 9 and don’t forget to stir thick liquids occasionally.
- Rice with double the volume of water: set to 2–3 for 15–30 minutes
- Rice pudding: Set to 1–2 for 35–45 minutes
- Unpeeled boiled potatoes: Set to 4–5 for 25–30 minutes
- Boiled potatoes: Set to 4–5 for 15–20 minutes
- Pasta, noodles: Set to 6–7 for 6–10 minutes
- Stew, soup: Set to 3–4 for 15–60 minutes
- Fresh vegetables: Set to 2–3 for 10–20 minutes
- Frozen vegetables: Set to 3–4 for 10–20 minutes
- Food in a pressure cooker: Set to 4–5
Defrosting & heating.
Defrosting & heating.
- Frozen spinach: Set to 2–3 for 10–20 minutes
- Frozen goulash: Set to 2–3 for 20–30 minutes
Poaching & simmering.
Poaching & simmering.
- Dumplings: Set to 4–5 for 20–30 minutes
- Fish: Set to 4–5 for 10–15 minutes
- White sauce, e.g. béchamel: Set to 1–2 for 3–6 minutes
- Whisked sauces, e.g. béarnaise or hollandaise: Set to 3–4 for 8–12 minutes
Melting.
Melting.
- Chocolate, cooking chocolate: Set to 1
- Butter, honey, gelatine: Set to 1-2
