Method for operating a hob having: - a hob plate, - a hob control unit, a communication device, - light sources under the hob plate, - a light control in the hob, which is designed separately from the hob control, and which is connected to at least one of the light sources, - a changeover switch, which connects the light control either to the communication device or to the hob control, - the communication device can be connected to the light control by means of the changeover switch and is designed to communicate with an external control unit, preferably wirelessly via WLAN, Bluetooth or similar, - the light sources are designed to radiate out of the hob, preferably through the hob plate or laterally past the hob plate, - the light control is designed in such a way that, after receiving a control signal through the communication device from the external control unit or alternatively through the hob control controls the light sources to radiate from the hob in order to produce room lighting or background lighting in the space around the hob, characterized in that - the hob is either operated in a cooking mode or is operated in a lighting mode, the operating modes not occurring together, - in the cooking mode, the hob control activates heating devices of the hob and activates light sources of the hob in a cooking-illumination mode, wherein preferably in the cooking-illumination mode, a luminosity of the light sources is limited to a cooking-luminosity below the maximum luminosity, - in the lighting mode, the light sources cannot be controlled by the hob control, but can be controlled only by the light control in a light-illumination mode, the light control receiving the corresponding commands for the light sources, in particular from an external control unit, via the communication device. - a hob plate, - a hob control unit, a communication device, - light sources under the hob plate, - a light control in the hob, which is designed separately from the hob control, and which is connected to at least one of the light sources, - a changeover switch, which connects the light control either to the communication device or to the hob control, - the communication device can be connected to the light control by means of the changeover switch and is designed to communicate with an external control unit, preferably wirelessly via WLAN, Bluetooth or similar, - the light sources are designed to radiate out of the hob, preferably through the hob plate or laterally past the hob plate, - the light control is designed in such a way that, after receiving a control signal through the communication device from the external control unit or alternatively through the hob control controls the light sources to radiate from the hob in order to produce room lighting or background lighting in the space around the hob, - the hob is either operated in a cooking mode or is operated in a lighting mode, the operating modes not occurring together, - in the cooking mode, the hob control activates heating devices of the hob and activates light sources of the hob in a cooking-illumination mode, wherein preferably in the cooking-illumination mode, a luminosity of the light sources is limited to a cooking-luminosity below the maximum luminosity, - in the lighting mode, the light sources cannot be controlled by the hob control, but can be controlled only by the light control in a light-illumination mode, the light control receiving the corresponding commands for the light sources, in particular from an external control unit, via the communication device.