Verdict
Going beyond the basic features that most portable hobs provide, the Smeg PIC01BLMUK has automated cooking modes and a temperature probe for precision cooking. For those who need extra hob space in the kitchen or want flexibility, such as for outdoor cooking, it’s a great choice. It is an expensive induction hob, though.
Pros
- Temperature probe
- Automatic cooking times
- Powerful and portable
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Plug-in hobThis is a single-zone portable hub that has a standard UK three-pin plug on it.
Introduction
Whether you want to increase the amount of hob space in your kitchen or have a portable device you can take outside to aid cooking in warmer weather, the SMEG PIC01BLMUK is a sleek and powerful option.
Going beyond the standard of basic power modes, this model has dedicated modes for frying and BBQing, while its temperature sensor adds precision cooking. It’s expensive, but if you want more options, it’s a great portable hob.
Design and Features
- Thermometer
- Multiple Cooking Modes
As I’ve come to expect from Smeg, the PIC01BLMUK is a lot more attractive than most of the basic competition. With its brushed metal front and curved body, this hob looks sleek and stylish and plugs into a standard UK power socket.
This portable hob has a single zone only, and is designed for pans with a diameter of between 12cm and 24cm. That covers most standard frying pans and saucepans.
As is common with induction hobs, the SMEG PIC01BLMUK has pan detection built-in, and the controls won’t work unless a compatible pan is located on the burner.
At its simplest, the hob has a simple power selection dial, running between 1 and 9, plus a boost mode, labelled P, which runs for a maximum of five minutes and is designed for quickly boiling water. Controls are all touch-sensitive and are a little finicky to operate.
In its regular mode, the SMEG PIC01BLMUK has a timer; once the timer runs out, power is cut off automatically.
Beyond regular use, the SMEG PIC01BLMUK has some additional automated modes, BBQ and Fry, with a choice of three programmes for each. They sound exciting, but both modes work in a similar way; they run a pre-set heat-up phase for a set time and then drop down to a lower cooking mode when you start to cook.
For example, BBQ mode B1 heats at power level 9 for two minutes before dropping down to power level 8; Fry mode F1 heats at power level 9 for nine minutes before dropping down to power level 8. A full list of what each mode does is available in the manual.
As you can see, the main difference between the modes is the heat-up time, with the Fry mode heating the pan for longer, providing a hotter surface to cook on. As a quick way to get started and have the hob get your pans ready for cooking, the modes might be useful, but they’re not quite as exciting as they might first sound.
For fully automated cooking, Smeg provides a temperature sensor in the box. This plugs into the side and should then be fully inserted into the food you want to monitor. With the probe inserted, you have manual control over the cooking power but can set a target temperature, with the hob turning off automatically when reached.
That’s very useful and helps prevent overcooking food, but it would be more useful if the hob had some preset options, such as chicken or steak (with a choice of cooking levels), as with the similar feature on the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Electric BBQ & Smoker OG901UK. Instead, you need to manually set the target temperature. The manual does, at least, have a table of common target temperatures at the back.
There’s an additional timer mode for the probe, too. With this turned on, the timer controls how long a temperature is maintained for, adjusting the hob’s power. For example, when cooking a curry, you could drop the probe into the sauce, and then have the SMEG PIC01BLMUK maintain its temperature.
That makes the feature a more advanced version of the integrated Keep Warm function, which uses low-power settings to keep food warm and ready for serving.
Performance
- Moderate to quick boiling times
- Holds temperatures well
To test the power of this hob, I ran my standard tests. I first filled a pan with 1.5 litres of water and used the (P) power setting to time how quickly it could bring the water from 20°C to 90°C. I found that the SMEG PIC01BLMUK took 4m 36s, which is a touch slow compared to an integrated model. That’s because this hob draws a maximum of 2100W, whereas a more powerful model, such as the Neff N90 T66YYY4C0 can draw a lot more power.
Next, I repeated the test but with a smaller pan filled with 1 litre of water. Here, the result of 3m 10s is good, but there are faster options. With my smallest pan and 500ml of water, the hob completed the test in a speedy 1m 28s, which is fast compared to other hobs.
That’s usually because the smaller zones on a full-size induction hob are relatively low power; here, there’s just one zone.
To test the keep warm function, I plugged in the thermometer and set the temperature to 90 degrees. I then filled a 500ml pan with water and placed it on the hob. I then waited for the hob to bring the water to temp, to which I then activated the keep warm mode. After leaving the water to sit, I recorded the temperature of the water and found it had decreased and stabilised at 62°C.
To test the Fry and BBQ functions I lightly oiled a pan and recorded the temperatures with an infrared heat gun. First, I tested the fry function, using the F1 setting. After the pan was heated for nine minutes on power level nine, I measured the pan at 296.2°C. I then left the pan for five minutes and recorded the temperature again, and it was at a hot, ready-to-cook temperature of 273.5°C.
For the BBQ function, I used the B3 setting, which is designed for steaks, burgers and the like. I again oiled a pan and placed it on the hob. This mode heats up for four minutes on power setting eight, before dropping to power level seven. After the pan had finished pre-heating, I recorded a temperature of 274.6°C. I again left the pan on for five minutes and recorded the temperature again and found it had dropped to 251.4°C.
These modes are ideal for pre-heating pans, although I found it best to manually control power settings after that phase to ensure I didn’t overcook or burn my food.
I then switched to the temperature probe mode and cooked a chicken breast. This is slightly fiddly, as the probe makes it a little tricky to turn the chicken breast over to cook all sides. In fact, I found it easier to first sear and seal the meat, and then add the probe.
Set to 74°C, the hob stopped when the chicken breast was cooked, giving me perfectly cooked, moist chicken, without the danger of it drying out.
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Should you buy it?
You want flexibility and power
With a temperature probe and automated settings, this portable induction hob is great for additional cooking space or flexibility when cooking outside.
You want something cheaper
If you just need basic features, you can get portable induction hobs that are a lot cheaper.
Final Thoughts
The SMEG PIC01BLMUK is a great portable hob that goes beyond basic controls, with the addition of a temperature probe for precision cooking. It’s a little expensive but it could be worth it if you need additional cooking space in your kitchen or want flexibility while cooking outside.
If you’re after a full-size model, check out my guide to the best induction hobs.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every induction hob we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main induction hob for the review period
We measure how long it takes to bring 500ml, 1-litre and 1.5-litres of water to 90C using different sized burners.
We test any special cooking programmes to see how they perform
FAQs
The probe can be used to cook food to a target temperature, and then stop, or it can be used to hold food at a set temperature for a set period of time.
