Hob (hearth)

In a kitchen the hob is a projection, shelf, grate or bench for holding food or utensils at the back or side of a hearth (fireplace) to keep them warm, or an internal chimney-corner. In modern British English usage, the word refers to a cooktop or hotplate, as distinguished from an oven.

The word is a noun meaning approximately "holder", derived from the Old English verb habban "to have, hold". The word hub "support of a disk or wheel" is apparently from the same source.

A fireplace in a German castle showing a brick hob.

Hearth and hob in a traditional Slovenian kitchen.

Reconstructed hearth and hob in the Fuggerei.

Colonial kitchen with a pitcher on the hob.

A cooktop is called a hob in modern British English.

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