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Hobs combined with extractor hoods are no longer new. But they have a disadvantage, they are often very wide. Some manufacturers want to overcome this pitfall, like Siemens with the IQ.300 EH611BE15E.
One of the big fads in the world of home appliances in recent years has been the induction hob combined with an extractor hood. Many brands have tried it, but the vast majority of these devices have a major flaw: they need a large work surface to be installed. However, some manufacturers have succeeded in reducing the space required. This is the case of Siemens, which offers the IQ.300 EH611BE15E, a hob only 60 cm long, which sucks up smoke and odors thanks to a soundhole running over the entire width of the appliance.
Unlike traditional hoods, the one on the IQ.300 hob therefore sucks downwards. To avoid disasters caused by overflowing liquid, Siemens ensures that the ventilation system is protected by a triple barrier. It will be necessary to think of regularly emptying an overflow tank, located in the cabinet, under the plate.
The IQ.300 EH611BE15E is also available in 70cm and 80cm versions. © Siemens
However, the IQ.300 EH611BE15E hob accommodates four cooking zones: two 15 cm in diameter, with a power of 2200 W at boost power, and two 21 cm, with a power of 3700 W, at boost power also. It should be noted that these burners cannot be combined and it will not be possible to combine them to create a large cooking area capable of accommodating large containers or utensils with atypical shapes. Moreover, Siemens limits the functionalities of the cooking zones of the IQ.300 EH611BE15E since they are devoid of technologies. We will therefore not be able to rely on the various temperature sensors fryingSensor Plus or cookingSensor. Nevertheless, the manufacturer has provided 17 levels of settings to manage the total power of 7400 W promised: this allows you to adjust the temperature within the utensils with great finesse.
On the suction side, you can count on a maximum flow rate of 555 m³/h in recycling mode – three power levels available – which is theoretically enough for a kitchen of 22 m². Still in recycling mode, you can activate an intensive mode which allows you to temporarily increase the suction power up to 600 m³/h. The data sheet indicates a noise level of 69 dB(A) at maximum power and 74 dB(A) in intensive mode. We are therefore quite far from the quietest hood models that do not exceed 60 dB(A) in intensive mode, the Flipper NRS from Falmec, for example.
The control panel does not seem difficult to master. © Siemens
Of course, the two devices can be adjusted independently. But one of the advantages of a hob combined with an extractor hood is to be able to control the functions simultaneously, and the Siemens IQ.300 EH611BE15E obviously presents this possibility. By choosing the power of the inductor, the hood automatically modulates the flow to provide the best result without making too much noise.
The Siemens control panel abandons the touch screen for very classic sensitive keys on this type of device. Good point: to adjust the power, the manufacturer preferred “plus” and “minus” keys to the slider, often quite imprecise when you have 17 levels of settings.
The Siemens IQ.300 EH611BE15E hob should soon be available at a price of 2009 €.