Bora X Pure: design and technical precision

We’re all keen to reduce cooking odours, especially in combined kitchen/living rooms – so extractor units are must-haves. But these olfactory aids can’t always be integrated into our preferred interior look. Particularly in the case of kitchen islands, fan hoods are sometimes more of a hindrance than an enhancement. Venting hobs can offer real advantages here, according to the vision of Bora’s founder, Willi Bruckbauer, whose aim in introducing them was to establish maximum design freedom with unrestricted visibility. Using Bora’s patented technology, cooking fumes are sucked straight down towards the hob.

With X Pure, Bora now offers a surface induction system that combines the extraction function and cooking surface to complement the Pure family. The latest product from the company, which is headquartered in Raubling, Upper Bavaria, is designed to impress – not only visually with its highly distinctive, rivet-shaped vent to suck away fumes and odours, but also thanks to other additional functions that are intended to simplify the cooking process still further.

With its extra-wide cooking surface, the X Pure aims to make cooking with several pots and pans a breeze, and its surface induction cooking zones ensure that heat is distributed evenly and effectively. The front and rear cooking zones can also be connected to each other via a bridge function if relatively large cooking pots and roasting pans are in use. Another of the system’s additional features is its three-stage heat-retention function, which gives the user the freedom to choose from three settings with different temperature levels. This means that food can either be kept warm by maintaining a constant temperature or cooked through and prevented from burning. At the same time, the venting hob’s power level adjusts automatically in that the suction is directed to suit the cooking zone that’s set to the highest heat.

Odours and vapours are extracted by the X Pure – for which both a recirculation and an exhaust variant are planned – via a circular suction vent that’s slightly recessed into the centre of the hob. To allow for cleaning, the nozzle can be removed and replaced using a simple tilting action. It’s also quick and easy to change the filter from above via the intake opening. Because the compact hob has an installation height of under 200 mm – which also includes the integrated air recirculation filter unit – there’s still enough storage space in the cupboard below for pots, pans and other kitchen utensils. Even in the case of kitchen counters with a depth of just 60 cm, there’s no need to shorten drawers when the recirculation mode is used. As a result, the hob can be incorporated unobtrusively and elegantly into almost any kitchen architecture.

But it’s not only the installation height that Bora has kept to a minimum in X Pure, but also the noise it generates – even when set at a high power level. This is explained by the system’s optimal air flow and the use of an extremely low-noise fan. A highly efficient activated carbon filter is used to neutralise cooking fumes and odours. The venting hob, cooking zones and functions are controlled via a centrally located touch-sensitive panel with a vertical touch slider. During cooking, the user interface display is illuminated with blue-white light and using light-dark contrast, whereas it’s almost undetectable in standby mode. Only the on/off button remains visible and is backlit from below.