Test of the CANDY CH64EXFP electric cooktop

I asked everyone I knew what they thought were the most valuable qualities of a cooktop?

The general answer is, “Speed of heating, clear controls, uncomplicated maintenance.”. On reflection, many added: “And safety.”.

I’ll test the CANDY CH64EXFP cooktop and see if it meets these parameters.

Why electric and not induction?

Induction panels are the fastest and most economical. But, I have a cherished pan that turns out especially thin pancakes, and it is not suitable for cooking on induction. Of course, you can buy a combination panel. But the price of models with combining burners is much higher than that of electric panels with an oval zone, and I also need such.

So I chose the CANDY CH64EXFP, a glass-ceramic electric hob with four Hi-Light zones, one of which is double and one that expands to an oval.

Features

Burners: 4 – Hi-Light,

The far left – the double oval 1500 + 900 W, – 17.5 – 27 cm.

Front left and far right – 1200 watts each, -15 cm.

The front right double 1000 + 700 W, – 11 – 18,5 cm.

Connection power: 6,500 watts.

Safety: indication of residual heat above 65 ° C ,

Tamper-proof,

Automatic shut off if no power selection – 10s,

Automatic shutdown in case of liquid on the control panel,

automatic shutoff in case of long absence of burner power change – from 2 to 10 hours depending on power level set .

Control: touch control, 9 steps of heating power for each cooking zone, timer up to 99 min. . separate buttons for additional heating zones, an acoustic signal when pressing the control panel buttons.

Design: frame.

Dimensions: 50x590x520 mm. Niche: 560×490 mm.

The minimum thickness of the countertop is 25 mm.

Warranty: 1 year.

Country of Origin: Turkey.

Speed

On medium-power burners 1 liter of water in a pot with a closed lid at maximum level boils for 10 minutes.

On the large burner far left – for 7.5 minutes.

On the front double – 6 min. 40 s.

Outputs

We can’t say that the CANDY CH64EXFP is a record-breaker in heating speed, but it heats up to high temperatures very quickly, which allows you to cook quickly. While the water is boiling, you can just peel and chop vegetables.

Response

For hobs, it’s not just how quickly they heat up, but also how quickly they respond to power changes.

For all Hi-Light burners, the indicator is almost the same as for gas burners, which allows you to change the settings while cooking without the fear that the dish will burn.

The control

The control panel on the CANDY CH64EXFP cooktop is located in the front center.

Each cooking zone has its own switching function the power is regulated by “+” and “-” buttons.

On the right side are the double zone button and the oval zone button. Each press on any of the buttons is accompanied by a short beep.

On the left – timer, pause, just below in the center – the lock switch and the button to turn on the panel.

Conclusions

Controls are simple and straightforward, no need to leaf through the instructions, everything is clear and simple.

The nuances

First pressing the “+” and “-” buttons activates the control panel.

Only with the second pressing the burner power begins to change. On my previous panel was not such a “test” press, maybe that’s why I’m a little annoyed with this extra movement.

Timer

On the left is the timer button. It can be turned on for any of the burners, it controls only one cooking zone that you have selected.

Max timer time – 99 min., You can set it to work within one minute.

At the end of the set time, the burner turns off automatically and a buzzer sounds.

Pause

If you need to suspend operation of the panel, for example, to open the door, you must simultaneously press the “+” and “-” under the timer. The entire cooktop will turn off.

In order to remove the “pause” mode, you must also press these two buttons. All burners continue to operate with the modes that were set before switching off.

If suddenly circumstances change and you can not return to the kitchen, do not worry: after 10 minutes, if no one removes the “pause” mode, the cooktop automatically turns off.

Safety

Multistage safety system eliminates almost all fire cases.

• If you press the power button on the hob, but do not activate any of the burners, the hob automatically turns off after 10s.
  

  This is very fast, at first, when the movements are not automated, or you hesitate with the choice of heating zone, this time interval may not be enough, you have to turn on the panel again

  .

• The residual heat indicator lights up after the hob has finished working, as long as its temperature remains above 65 degrees. Prevents accidental contact with hot surfaces.
• If you don’t go near the hob for a long time and change the power of any of the burners, the hob will automatically shut off. Shutdown time depends on what power was used. The higher it is, the faster the operation will stop.
• Press the image of the lock and the control panel locks, no one can change the settings of the burners. If you press the lock when the hob is off, no one can turn it on. To cancel the lock, you need to click again on the image of the lock.
• If you spill water on the touch controls or forget a wet dish towel on one of the controls, the hob shuts down automatically. Audible alarm will attract your attention until you fix the problem.

Care

Some enameled pans leave “rainbow” stains on the CANDY CH64EXFP.

It is clear that over time, the panel will not keep as shiny surface as a new one. But the main thing is that no sugar gets on the hot surface of burners, and the rest can be fixed.

It is better not to use aluminum pans, this metal leaves marks on the glass ceramic.

Candy cooktops feature EuroKera glass ceramic France or Electa Italy, ILVA Glass . In the first case, the corner of the glass has the letter K, in the second case – a stylized letter E.

Features

The largest burner is a double, and still its diameter is less than 20 cm. This is not very convenient if you have large pans with a bottom diameter of 22 or 28 cm.

The two middle burners are not much smaller than the large one.

And the smallest zone is larger than a coffee brewing jug.

In my opinion, this “average” size of the heating zones is one of the weaknesses of this hob.

Dignity – the presence of an oval heating zone, these are not very often found on the latest models. If you have a duck-burner and don’t want to give it up, then the CANDY CH64EXFP is a real godsend.

Test results

The CANDY CH64EXFP hob is a good “work” horse in the kitchen. It heats up quickly, quickly responds to changes in heat power. The hob is easy to control, and the timer lets you set any of the burners to turn off automatically. The presence of a burner with an oval heating zone allows you to cook in familiar cookware. Also good value for money.

No burner for a wide pan.

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