Advantages: Fast, efficient and clean - a great way to cook
Disadvantages: You must use the right pans on it

...be adjusted by using the hour and minute timer buttons. It starts at 1800w and then after 15 minutes it shifts to 400w. When the time is up it switches off. Fry - the safe frying temperature is pre-programmed - if the cooking temperature exceeds the pre-set level the cooker will stop producing heat until the temperature drops - you can adjust the power if you want. I was absolutely amazed, it seemed like a lot a features for what was basically a budget product so I could hardly wait to try it out. Be warned however that you can only use pans on an induction hob which can conduct a current so it won't work with aluminium pans and you need either cast iron or stainless steel (check the labels to make sure they are compatible with induction hobs). I took out my stainless steel pan, filled it with water, switched on and pressed... Read review

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Advantages: Fast Paced read.
Disadvantages: None.

...The Stainless Steel Rat joins the Circus. Author - Harry Harrison. The Hero or Anti Hero of the series of stainless steel rat books is Jim DiGriz. He was born or rather created in 1961 and has appeared on book shelves ever since. The richest man in the galaxy, Imperitrix Von Kaiser Czarski, Hires Jim and his wife Angelina to investigate and if possible to catch the criminals behind several bank robberies. Jim, his wife and their son, James, find a common link to each robbery in that every time a bank has been robbed a Circus has been very near by. Jim hires a retired magician, 'The Great Grissini' to teach him some tricks and then joins the circus pretending to be a magician! As is the ilk with the 'rat' stories, there then follows some odd, fast paced and improbable adventures where Jim faces death, is conned, double... Read review

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Advantages: Great looking fast boiler & reasonable cost
Disadvantages: Noisy!

...Every 24 to 30 months I have to replace my kettle, why I know not but they only seem to last a month longer than the warranty! With this in mind one of my priorities is that I dont over spend knowing it will be replaced within 2 years or so. Had to be brushed stainless steel to fit my decor & it makes it easier to keep looking new as opposed to shiny S/Steel! Efficient in boiling & easy to refill & clean as I have teenagers who are reluctant to do any of these! Also a safety feature to prevent boiling dry a common mis-use by said teens. Those were MY specs.......................my parents had just bought one of these & are usually good in their research & value for money , they did tell me it is noisy............I went ahead & bought one & am very pleased with its performance but as always parents are right & it is noisy! but I... Read review

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Advantages: Nice product if you dont use it
Disadvantages: Scratches badly

...After spending a considerable amount of money on a new kitchen (£15K) we purchased this sink thinking it would be a good investment, £400, and within a week the stainless steel scratched terribly. We consider the quality of this sink to be poor, and dont believe it should scratch so quickly. We wrote to Franke, who wrote back saying they couldnt even consider any complaint unless we filled in a complaint form, which would not necessarily get us any further. We couldnt believe the attitude of these so called customer service people at Franke.... Read review

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Advantages: EASY TO CLEAN. BRIGHT SHINY.
Disadvantages: None so far.

...because the self adhesive strip is actually quite discreet when fitted. There are four rings on the hob and in the UK would have to be fitted to the gas supply by a qualified fitter, although here in France where we have bottled gas, it is a different matter. IN USE The hob has the most perfect control that I have ever had with a gas hob, each of the four rings having two pre-set settings (high and low), and also a very sensitive and I must stress sensible capability of being made to burn at their lowest, which is ideal. This weekend I made marmalade and for jam making, having an extremely low setting is essential for simmering, and having experienced both gas and electric, I would say that the gas hob wins hands down in heat control. OTHER WINNING FEATURES OVER OTHER HOBS. 1. The stainless steel surface has no ridges which makes... Read review

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Advantages: near instant heat response, easy to clean, smart looking, A rated energy efficiency
Disadvantages: not all cookware can be used, hard or heavy objects dropped can damage the surface

...bits of stuck on food, you can use a proprietary ceramic hob paste to clean it off. I use Whizz hob and oven cleaner as it specifies it can be used on ceramic hobs and costs the huge sum of £1 for a tub. As you only use a very minute amount, it looks to last me a year or two at least! The knobs come off to make cleaning around and under them a breeze, and if you get crumbs or food in the area by the band, you can simply use a child’s soft toothbrush dampened with water to remove the offending mess with ease. I can honestly say I have never had such an easy to care for hob! No stainless steel jets to scour with Brillo, no need to oil and Hob Brite electric elements, simply wipe with water, buff with a microfibre, and very rarely, use a small amount of paste and wipe away. ~~~Where To Buy It~~~ As to where to buy, I have seen... Read review

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Advantages: Works very well, fairly inexpensive, easy to use
Disadvantages: Bit runny

...but I have found lately that it's not working as well as it used to. Maybe it's just that my hob isn't as new as it was before, but I'm finding that I have to rub harder to remove the marks than I did before. The bottle advises that for more more stubborn stains you can use the Homecare Razor Scraper - I've not bought one of these yet, I'm just continuing to rub harder - or sometimes I get my husband to do it for me!! I've also found that it works a treat on my stainless steel kettle. I use it with a clean damp cloth, rub lightly, rinse and then shine it up with a clean teatowel. It doesn't say anything about using it on stainless steel on the bottle as far as I know, but I've done this for a while now and it works a treat for me. You can get more information on this product by telephoning their Head Office on 01473 832020... Read review

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Advantages: lighter to use, will last a lifetime if looked after well.
Disadvantages: none

...About 8 months ago we had a fire in our garden shed, we had been burning garden rubbish and thought that we had been very careful in dousing the fire. We were wrong and the fire completely detroyed our garden shed,and all the tools that were in it,30 years of collecting old tools,things that you cant buy to-day. We were devastated at our loss,but something good did come out of it,we decided to buy stainless steel tools, and a rake was part of our important buys. I cant tell you what a great difference it has made to us, it is lighter to use,not so heavy on the wrists,the work seems to be lighter,it can be used for heavy work or light,I have a lot of clearing to do on a small allotment and the stainless steel rake is a must. provided you clean the stainless steel when you have finished the garden work your steel tools should last... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, attractive, easy to fit
Disadvantages: None, yet!

...minutes away ), and there I found the answer! We had already purchased a Whirlpool oven for £219, and the hob needed to be stainless steel to match it. And I didn't even have to search- we had seen the Sterling BEH 1 electric hob when we purchased the oven, but ignored it at the time, as we were looking for halogen...... I took one look at the price, and the box almost fell off of the shelf onto my trolley! We didn't hesitate, and fifteen minutes later, the hob was sitting on my workmate waiting for Mr Qualified Electrician to come and install it! After a couple of phone calls to track him down, the electrician finally agreed to check everything for nothing if I installed it myself - he assured me that it was a piece of cake ( or words to that effect ), he wasn't coming out on a Saturday, and that yes, he knew he owed me a favour... Read review

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Advantages: A stunning, easy-to-clean hob with two timers.
Disadvantages: Fiddly controls which are easy to change accidentally.

...the kitchen to be quite horrifying. The hob was fitted by an electrician as incorrect connection invalidates the warranty in the event of appliance damage. The preparation work could be done by an amateur though, with the most difficult part being the cutting of the working surface so that the hob can be inset. Once fitted the effect was stunning. It quite simply does not look like a hob. Its function is given away by the fact that there's an extractor hood sited immediately above. What you see is a sheet of black ceramic glass, 80cm wide by 50cm deep with a thin stainless steel edging down the sides. It stands just 30mm proud of the working surface and there are no visible controls. Look more closely though and you will see the grey outlines of the four "quick-lite" cooking zones – so called because the heat is fully on within three... Read review

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