Changing your cooker hob and hood isn’t as simple and straightforward as getting a new pillow for your bed. Once you’ve settled into your house and got your big-ticket appliances all sorted, it’s unlikely that you’ll want to fork out the time and money to renovate your kitchen again any time soon.
Instead of scouring the internet and poring over the specifications of each model, only to end up making the wrong choice, we asked 20 Singaporeans to give us an honest review of their cooker hobs and hoods.
Fujioh hob & hood
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: Fujioh
“We use the Fujioh FH-ID5120 Induction Hob and the Fujioh FR-MS1990 R/V Hood. There’s a boost mode on the hob that makes boiling water a breeze – the water temperature rises quickly, and the hob automatically switches to a lower temperature once the water begins to boil. Operating the hob itself is straightforward and intuitive, and we also like the fact that our HDB electrical load is sufficient for us to use both cooking zones simultaneously.
Our hood does a good job at capturing oil when we cook, and disassembling and cleaning it is always a fuss-free process. It does become quite loud when we use it at the highest suction level, but other than that, there aren’t any other cons we can think of. We would definitely buy the same hob and hood again.”
Nicholas & Kayla, late 20s & early 30s
Image adapted from: @makeitxl
“My hood is from Fujioh and it’s really effective in filtering the smells from my cooking, especially considering the fact that I cook regularly and have an open kitchen. I was initially worried that grease or oil stains would be apparent on the cabinet above my hob because it’s light coloured. There hasn’t been any thus far, which was a pleasant surprise. I’d get the Fujioh FR-MS1990 R/V Hood again for sure.”
Lynette, 34
Rinnai hob & hood
Image credit: Jazz
“We got both our hob and hood from Rinnai. Our hob is a RB-7303S-GBSM 3 Burner Hob with a black tempered glass surface. It’s aesthetically pleasing, but we would reconsider getting it again because of the height of the pan supports in relation to the height of the burners. Things take quite a while to heat up because of the space between the flame and the base of the pan. The hob also requires constant cleaning since the tempered glass surface tends to collect grease and dust easily.
The RH-C1059-PBR Chimney Hood is ultra powerful and is very effective in filtering the smoke and grease from the air in our kitchen. It’s on the pricier side, but we really liked the sleek black design and would get the same hood again.”
Jazz, 27
Whirlpool hob & hood
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: Whirlpool
“Both my cooker hob and hood are from Whirlpool. My hob is the ACM 865/BA 3-Zone Induction Hob – it heats up quickly and is easy to clean, but the thing that sets it apart from other induction hobs is its “eco booster”, which helps cut down on energy consumption. My hood is the AKR928IXS Slim Hood, which is made with high-grade stainless steel, doesn’t show fingerprints and has a 3-layer filter. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure about its true efficacy as compared to hoods from other brands. Nevertheless, if given the choice, I’d stick with my current Whirlpool hob and hood.”
Phi, 24
Bertazzoni hob
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: Bertazzoni
“My P603IC1B2NEE Induction Hob is from Bertazzoni. It has 3 cooking zones and can accommodate large pans and woks, which is a plus for my household. Like most induction hobs, it’s easy to clean and maintain. That being said, the hob I have has relatively basic functions and its ceramic glass surface is prone to acquiring scratches and cracks, so I wouldn’t buy the same model again. Instead, I’d go for a newer and upgraded model from Bertazzoni.”
Alex Gn, 29
“Each of the 5 burners on our Bertazzoni P905LPRONE 5-Burner Hob are very powerful and stable, and the cast iron grid allows pans to lie flat on the stove without moving around much. Our hob has a black coating that complements our monochrome backsplash, but we realised that oil stains and spills are more obvious on the black coated enamel as compared to a stainless steel finish. The texture of the enamel also makes it more difficult to scrub stains off the hob. If we had the chance to repurchase our hob, we’d get the same one, but in stainless steel.”
Michelle, 33
Mayer hob & hood
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: @ghumah306
“Both our hob and hood are from Mayer – we got the MMGH888H Glass Hob and the MMSI900LEDHS Cooker Hood as a package deal at a very reasonable price. We’re heavy cookers and knew that an induction cooker hob wouldn’t cut it for us – we wanted a hob that could do more than sear food like a Ninja Foodi Cooker. The Mayer hob we ended up getting is great because of its 4.5kW burners that really allow our food to have that wokhey taste. Our hob has 3 burners, which come in handy when we’re multitasking during a cookout. The trivets on our hob are a little unstable, but overall we wouldn’t hesitate to get the same hob again!
We opted for a slim and sleek hood instead of a chimney hood because our kitchen is small and we didn’t want to waste valuable space. However, because the hood sticks out from beneath our half depth cabinets, there have been many incidents of us knocking our heads on the protruding hood when cooking. While it’s easy to clean and aesthetically congruent with our kitchen, we wouldn’t get the same hood again.”
W & A, early 30s
“The hood I use is the MMSI600HS Slimline Hood from Mayer, but I would neither recommend it to anyone else nor would I get it again if I had the choice. On top of being overly noisy, it isn’t very effective – it doesn’t do a good job suctioning and filtering the stream and grease in the air, so my kitchen ends up smokey and smelly whenever I cook.”
Jess, 42
“We’ve been using the Mayer MMIH603FZ Induction Hob since we moved into our new place 4 months ago. It’s pretty affordable, is easy to use and clean, and heats up fast. The size of the hob suits our cooking habits – there’s just two of us, so a 60cm 3-zone hob is sufficient for us to prepare all our meals. We really enjoy using our Mayer induction hob and we definitely don’t regret getting it.”
Sherleen, 24
Bosch hob & hood
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: The Smart Local
“We got both our hob and hood from Bosch. Our PPI82560MS Hob is an induction cooker hob, which we find easier to clean as compared to a gas hob. The lack of direct heat as compared to an open flame makes it more comfortable for us to stand near our hob while we’re cooking, and also means that there’s less heat dissipation and hence less energy wastage. Our hob also doubles as extra countertop space when we’re not cooking, which is really useful. We do have to be careful when we’re using it though, because there’s a risk of scratching or breaking the ceramic glass top of the hob. The other thing about having an induction cooker is subpar fried rice – no open flame means no signature wokhey taste.
Our Bosch DWB97CM50B Chimney Hood has an ultra-powerful suction, is great at getting rid of grease, and isn’t too noisy. As per HDB rules, it isn’t connected to any external dissipator and the filtered fumes from the hood are actually recirculated into our kitchen, so no ducting work was required during installation.”
@ourpinehouse, mid 30s
“It’s been 7 years since we started using our Bosch hob and hood. Though the control knobs on our hob have now come a little loose and are no longer in perfect condition, the gas burners themselves still function well to this day. We have 3 burners, 2 big and 1 small, and our hob has removable pan supports that we switch between the different sized burners in accordance with our cooking needs – sometimes a dish calls for a small pot but a big flame.
Image credit: Rita
Our Bosch hood definitely could be more effective in absorbing grease, especially when we do heavier cooking like deep-frying food. The house tends to get pretty smoky and smelly when we pan-fry steak or deep-fry chicken. If we were given the option to replace our cooker hob and hood, we’d keep an eye out for a newer and more advanced model rather than stick with our current ones.”
Rita, 47
“We have a 3-burner gas hob from Bosch, and we don’t have any particular complaints about it. It’s effective, easy to use, and not much of a hassle to clean. Choosing not to get an induction hob was intentional – we’re more comfortable with gas hobs and find them easier to control. We also prefer actually being able to see the fire and extrapolate the strength of the heat from there, rather than use the numbers on an induction hob to gauge the strength of the heat.
Our hood is from Electrolux, and it’s quite difficult to clean the grease off our hood’s filter. Since our Bosch hob has proven to be good, I’d change my Electrolux hood to a Bosch hood.”
Danny, 56
Cooker hood
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: @metropolitanappliance
“Our hood is from Cooker – it’s the Cooker Hood 60CM – CK MIA 60. We chose it partially because of its affordability and partially because the chimney hood design fit the aesthetic that we were going for. It has a powerful suction and we like that it extends all the way to our ceiling. However, it might be overly bulky for some kitchens. It’s also worth noting that the hood comes with 2 halogen lights, which may be difficult to replace, and the hood has physical buttons instead of a touch panel. But given our specific requirements and personal criteria, the Cooker hood suits our home and we would choose to invest in it again.”
Alex Gn, 29
Brandt hob & hood
Image credit: @hideoutwithjsy
“We were equal parts indecisive and greedy when it came to deciding on a hob, and ended up getting both a TG1431B Gas Hob and a BPI272UBL Induction Cooker Hob from Brandt. After using our induction hob to cook, we discovered that the 2 cooking zones are too close to each other for our liking, so we usually use one zone at a time instead of cooking with both zones simultaneously. All things considered, we would reconsider our decision about the hobs – although we do get the best of both worlds, having 2 separate hobs means having a gap between the two appliances, which makes them a little more difficult to clean.
Our hood is also from Brandt. We have the AI1790X Stainless Steel Hood, and found that it has quite a large coverage and is pretty efficient since it has 3 filters. We also make good use of its timer feature, which is a great help when we want to filter the air around our cooking area for a little longer after we’ve stepped out of the kitchen. The only annoying thing about our hood is that the control buttons have a glass surface, which makes oily fingerprints especially prominent. That being said, we’d still choose to go with our current Brandt hood.”
JSY, 30
Electrolux hob
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: Electrolux
“A huge plus point of my Electrolux gas hob is its versatility. It has a large range of flame sizes – the smallest burner has 1 ring and can be adjusted to a very small flame for cooking 1 portion, while the largest burner has 2 rings and heats rapidly while cooking 5-6 portions.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the auto-lighter feature – it broke quite soon after we got our hob, so my family has actually been using a separate lighter to get the hob’s fire going. Other than that, the Electrolux hob I use is reliable and I really appreciate the adaptability of its different flame sizes. Taking everything into consideration, I’d choose to remain loyal to my current hob.”
Linda, 42
Tecno hob
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: The Smart Local
“We went for a T788GI Hybrid Hob from Tecno to get the best of both worlds, and we have zero regrets about our decision. The induction burner is great when we’re looking to do some quick cooking, and we use the gas burner for “traditional cooking” when we want to cook over an actual flame. We really love having a hybrid hob – it’s super convenient and allows us to boil pasta quickly on one cooker while whipping up other dishes on the adjacent gas cooker. When we’re not using it to cook, we use our induction cooker as extra kitchen counter space.”
Wins & Yin, 29
Ariston hob
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image credit: IKEA
“Our NIG720BS Induction Hob is from Ariston, and our hood is from Techno. We don’t do a lot of heavy cooking and wanted something easy to clean, so getting an induction hob was a pretty intuitive decision. The reason we ended up choosing Ariston over Techno is because Ariston has 2 fans for each induction cooker while Techno has 1 fan per induction cooker. We also preferred a sliding temperature adjustment function over having to manually press buttons in order to increase or decrease the temperature of our induction hob. Given the choice, we wouldn’t hesitate to choose the Ariston induction hob again.”
S & V, 31 & 28
“I got both my hob and hood from Ariston. I have the NIG 720 BS Induction Hob, which has a sizable induction plate, heats up quickly, and also cools down fast after I’m done cooking. The thing that annoys me is that I keep accidentally activating the timer because the timer button is highly sensitive. The hob was also marketed as scratch resistant, but I noticed that mine acquired scratches just 2 months after I started using it. Thankfully, my AHBS 9.7F LTI X Chimney Hood has been a little more cooperative. It’s strong and effective, the touch control is relatively easy to operate, and the filters aren’t too much of a hassle to clean. The only problem with it is that fingerprint marks tend to be very obvious since the hood has a glass touch control panel.”
HY, 30
Sugawa Smartcooker
Image credit: Severin Induction Cooker Club
“My family’s Sugawa Smartcooker is great if you know how to use it properly. The lack of an open flame and the ability to control the heat digitally rather than manually makes cooking more convenient and fuss-free. The child lock function is a really great safety feature – we use it when my younger brother or my younger cousins are around. Mishaps do still happen occasionally though, and it can be pretty dangerous if someone accidentally puts their hand over the hot glass. The Smartcooker does have a red light that indicates whether the glass is still hot, but it’s not very obvious and is easy to miss. Another thing to note is that the controls can be a bit tricky to navigate if you’re cooking more complicated dishes that require heat adjustment mid-cooking.”
Gracelyn, 19
Turboflame
Image credit: Lester
“I don’t own a conventional cooker hob. As someone who has a passion for cooking, I chose to invest in the Turboflame TF-E-1W MAB Air Blast – its BTU (British Thermal Unit) is 8 times higher than a conventional gas stove and allows me to cook multiple dishes in quick succession, so that all the dishes are served both fast and hot. Unfortunately, the model of Turboflame I have isn’t HDB or condo-approved, but I would highly recommend it if you live in a landed property and cook frequently.
There is a learning curve when it comes to controlling the gas supply and ignition, but at the end of the day, the ability to produce restaurant-quality Chinese dishes makes it all worth it. I’m never going back to bland so-called stir fry – the Turboflame works wonders in allowing me to capture the signature wokhey flavour, and I have no regrets getting it.
Lester, 47
We Ask: Best Cooker Hobs & Hoods
The luxury of choice isn’t always a good thing, especially when you’re flooded with options while trying to make an important decision for your house. Settling on a hob and hood that will stick with you for the long term can be daunting if you’re not well-versed in the product market. There are tons of factors to consider, from deciding if you want a gas or induction cooker, to the number of cooking zones you want on your hob.
The firsthand experiences from these 20 Singaporeans bring you one step closer to deciding which hob and hood to commit to. Ultimately, it’s all about finding something that suits your home and your lifestyle.
Some names and responses have been edited for clarity and length.
For more product reviews from fellow Singaporeans:
- We Ask: Best standing fans in Singapore
- Singaporeans tell us about their favourite cookware
- We polled Singaporeans on the best smart home gadgets
Cover image adapted from: Whirlpool, Jazz, Bertazzoni
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