Hotpoint CleanProtect TB2560CCPBF

Verdict

The Hotpoint CleanProtect TB2560CCPBFA is an impressive hob with some clever auto-cooking programs. With its CleanProtect glass, tough stains can be removed with water alone. The only thing holding this hob back is that the Hotpoint CleanProtect TS3560FCPNE is cheaper and has more features.

Introduction

Exclusively available through Currys, the Hotpoint CleanProtect TB2560CCPBF is a smart-looking induction hob that uses the clever CleanProtect material: all you need is water to clean off difficult stains.

Simple to use and with good all-round performance, the only thing going against this model is that the Hotpoint CleanProtect TS3560FCPNE is cheaper and has slightly more features.

Design and features

• Intuitive controls
• Automatic cooking programs
• Flexi Duo zone

This is the second hob I’ve seen that has the CleanProtect coating on it. As well as making it more resistant to scratches, it’s also built to be easier to clean, using just water. It’s a claim that stacks up well.

After cooking some noodles, some of the sauce spilt and got burnt onto the glass. All I had to do was soak the area in water for two minutes (tougher stains can be soaked for five minutes), and then wipe clean with a cloth. It’s quite remarkable and saves using chemicals, which is how I usually clean an induction hob.

This hob has four individual burners, each with its own set of controls that go between 1 and 9, with a dedicated Off button and a ‘P’ power boost setting, which runs for five minutes. Hotpoint has split the power so that each hob can run on its P setting at the same time.

The downside of this is that this hob isn’t as fast at boiling water as some of its competitors. However, the plus side is that you don’t have a situation where running one burner in its boost setting restricts the other zones to lower power settings, which can be frustrating and confusing.

On the left is a Flexi Duo zone. This lets you join two zones together, so you can either run two pans at the same setting, or you can use one larger pan. It’s not as advanced as the Flexi Space zone on other Hotpoint hobs, which have an Active Heat mode, which has different pre-set power modes depending on where the pan is set, so you can change mode simply by sliding a pan.

Although the main controls are easy to use, it’s slightly annoying that the only way to select a zone is to hit the ‘+’ or ‘-‘ button and change its power mode. While you may want to do that from time to time, checking on or changing a timer meant that I had to increase or decrease a zone’s power by one, and then reverse that choice.

Timers are available per burner, turning that zone off when the countdown has been reached. There’s no regular timer that’s not linked to a zone.

Take a pan off the hob, and it will remember the setting for a while, so you can remove a pan from the heat to do something, then drop it down again without having to rest your power settings. Accidentally turn the hob off with the master power button, and when you turn it straight back on, the Hotpoint CleanProtect TB2560CCPBF doesn’t remember its settings.

As with other Hotpoint hobs that I’ve reviewed, this one has the My Menu automated cooking options. Each zone has a choice of four programs: melting, keep warm, slow cooking and boiling. They’re clever ways of achieving common tasks quickly, without having to manually control heat settings.

Performance

• Excellent automated cooking
• Good speeds, but not the fastest

I test all hobs for boiling speed, using the power boost setting. I started with my large pan, filled with 1.5-litres of water. Going from 20C to 90C took 4m 28s, which was about a minute faster than on the Hotpoint CleanProtect TS3560FCPNE. That’s not a bad speed, but the Miele KM7201FR, with its double-boost setting, did this job in just 2m 19s.

Next, I took my medium pan and put 1-litre of water in it. This took 4m 51s to reach 90C, which is good but not outstanding.

Finally, I used my small pan and brought 500ml of water to 90C in 2m 54s. That’s the slowest time I’ve recorded, although only by 15 seconds, so is nothing to worry about.

I’m a big fan of the automatic cooking programmes. Using the boil option, the Hob went into max boost mode, lowering the power as the water came to the boil to prevent it from spilling over. That alone is worth the price of entry.

Once again, I’m impressed by the melting function. Sticking a knob of butter into a pan, it slowly melted, and I could even walk away without worrying about returning to a burned mess.

Slow cooking gently simmered my pans, while keep warm was great for keeping food ready to serve while my other dishes finished off.

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