If you’ve seen taps over a hob before and thought, “what an odd place to do the washing up”, then you may be wondering why on earth these taps are being installed into a lot of high-end kitchens at the moment.
What are these taps? Why are they dangling over stove tops? And should you get one installed over your hob?
Well, we’re breaking these taps down today. Finding out why these taps are so popular, and throwing our chef’s hat into the ring, and discussing whether you should buy one for your kitchen.
What Is a Tap Over a Hob Called?
A tap over a hob is called a pot filler. It’s secured to the backsplash of your hob and has an articulated arm that allows you to fill up pots and pans with water.
Most people choose cold water for their pot filler taps. This stops you from running your hand under boiling water and means that any exposed pipework isn’t boiling hot either. Plus, cold water is more suitable for certain cooking tasks, like boiling brisket, for example.
The great thing about pot filler taps is that you can bring a big stock pot to the hob without anything in it and then fill it with water. So, you don’t need to carry the already heavy pot with the additional weight of the water.
Pot filler taps have become somewhat of a design feature in recent years. You can buy them made from stainless steel or brass, and they give a beautiful accent piece to an already lovely kitchen.
You can either have them installed during a kitchen remodel or have them plumbed in afterwards. Still, should you install a pot filler tap in your kitchen?
Uses for a Pot Filler Tap
Pot filler taps have a lot of uses, and if you install one, you’ll probably find even more uses than we’ve thought of here:
- Filling up large pots with water at the hob
- Filling the kettle
- Cleaning veg
- Soaking pans after cooking
- Add a splash of water to sauces
Should You Get a Pot Filler Tap?
If you’re looking at pot filler taps as a design feature only, then absolutely. Go ahead and install one in your kitchen. They offer a really professional and rather traditional look, even though they are a fairly modern invention.
If you are looking at pot filler taps from a functional standpoint, how often do you fill up large saucepans with water?
Pot filler taps are really handy for filling pots and pans directly on the stove. They can be swung out over all of the burners, so you can fill any pot, anywhere on the stove.
This makes these taps really convenient if you do a lot of soup-making, stock preparation or cook massive amounts of pasta regularly.
Whether you install a pot filler tap in your kitchen greatly depends on your needs and the look you want in your kitchen. If you don’t ever boil anything on your stove, then a pot filler tap doesn’t make much practical sense, but one can offer some lovely style points to your kitchen.
If you do a lot of boiling or broth making, then having a pot filler tap over your hob can make a lot of sense, and you’ll get a beautiful addition to your kitchen at the same time.
Plus, if you have a long walk from your sink to your hob, it can make sense to install a pot filler tap to save you the walk each time you need a sprinkle of water while you cook.
Installing a Pot Filler Tap
If you’re getting your kitchen redesigned at the moment, the tradespeople carrying out the rebuild will take care of installing the tap for you.
If you already have your kitchen in place, you can still install a pot filler tap. The plumber will likely connect the tap to your cold water tap or possibly the water line for your dishwasher. It just depends on which way of connecting the tap is easier in your kitchen.
In Conclusion
Pot filler taps can be really handy if you do a lot with water on the stove. You can even just use them to soak your pots and pans after use!
They do, of course, offer some wonderful style to a kitchen as well, which can be the perfect reason for someone to install one of these taps.
We hope this look at pot filler taps and some of their uses have been helpful. For more info about kitchen equipment, appliances, cookware and gadgets just like this, please explore Chef’s Pick further.
Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.
