Automatic switch-off (safety cut-out)
A built-in safety limit switched the zone or the hob off: it had been on the same setting for longer than the maker allows, something covered the touch keys, or the hob got too hot.
What it is for
Clear and dry the control panel, let an overheated zone cool, and switch back on. For very long, low simmering, check the time limit for your setting in the manual — higher settings are cut off sooner.
Makes differ, check your hob’s manual: the same letter or drawing can do a different job on another brand, and only your model’s manual gives its exact times and limits.
- What it looks like
- The zone or the whole hob goes dark, sometimes with a symbol, a letter or a short beep, although nobody touched the off key.
- Names makers use
- Automatic Switch Off (AEG); Safety switch-off (Miele); Automatic time limitation (Bosch)
Where makes differ
The limits are set by each maker. AEG’s HKP manual switches off after 6 hours on settings 1–3, 5 hours on 4–7, 4 hours on 8–9 and 1.5 hours on 10–14. Miele’s standard table allows 10 hours on level 1 but 1 hour on level 9, and switches off if a key stays covered for more than 10 seconds. AEG does the same after 10 seconds. Bosch’s limit runs from 1 to 10 hours depending on the power level.
What it does not mean
It does not mean the hob is broken, and it does not mean a power cut; a residual-heat H may still show because the glass is hot.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No published standard we could check defines hob control icons, so this meaning is taken from 3 makers’ own manuals and support pages, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- AEG: AEG — HKP85410FB induction hob user manual — “Automatic Switch Off: The function deactivates the hob automatically if… you spill something or put something on the control panel for more than 10 seconds… the hob gets too hot… you do not deactivate a cooking zone or change the heat setting”; table: 1–3 → 6 hours, 4–7 → 5 hours, 8–9 → 4 hours, 10–14 → 1.5 hour. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Miele: Miele — Operating and installation instructions, induction hobs KM 7897 FL (en-GB) — “Safety switch-off… Your hob will turn off automatically if one or several of the sensors remain covered for longer than 10 seconds”; “The safety shut-off is triggered automatically if a zone is heated for an unusually long period of time”; table: level 1 → 10:00, level 9 → 1:00 (standard setting). Checked 2026-09-28.
- Bosch: Bosch — Instruction manual PIE...F... hob (9000884453) — “Automatic time limitation: If the hotplate remains in use for a long time and no changes are made in the settings, the automatic time limitation function is triggered. The hotplate stops heating”; the limit “is governed by the selected power level (from 1 to 10 hours).” Checked 2026-09-28.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.