Method for operating a cooking hob , the cooking hob having - a hob plate , - at least three adjacent heating devices (IL, IR) arranged along a straight line below the hob plate , - a pot detection device, the pot detection device being designed to determine a relative covering of each of the heating devices (IL, IR) by cooking vessels (TL, TR) placed on the hob plate above the heating devices (IL, IR) characterized in that - in a preceding step, the pan detection device is used to determine over which of the heating devices (IL, IR) a cooking vessel (TL, TR) is placed and thus a relative covering is present, - in a subsequent step, the pot detection device is used to determine the extent of the relative covering of each covered heating device (IL, IR) - from the result of the determination of the relative covering of each heating device (IL, IR) and comparison of these results for each heating device (IL, IR) with one another, in particular for the entire cooking hob , a case distinction is made into one of several cases, these cases relating to the covering of heating devices (IL, IR) with at least one cooking vessel (TL, TR), - for a first case, in which it is determined for the three heating devices (IL, IR) arranged along the straight line that the relative covering of the middle heating device (IL, IR) is less than the relative covering of the two other neighboring heating devices (IL, IR), it is determined that no cooking vessel (TL, TR) is placed over the three heating devices (IL, IR) that covers all three heating devices (IL, IR) continuously, but that at least two cooking vessels (TL, TR) are placed over the three heating devices (IL, IR). - a hob plate , - at least three adjacent heating devices (IL, IR) arranged along a straight line below the hob plate , - a pot detection device, the pot detection device being designed to determine a relative covering of each of the heating devices (IL, IR) by cooking vessels (TL, TR) placed on the hob plate above the heating devices (IL, IR) - in a preceding step, the pan detection device is used to determine over which of the heating devices (IL, IR) a cooking vessel (TL, TR) is placed and thus a relative covering is present, - in a subsequent step, the pot detection device is used to determine the extent of the relative covering of each covered heating device (IL, IR) - from the result of the determination of the relative covering of each heating device (IL, IR) and comparison of these results for each heating device (IL, IR) with one another, in particular for the entire cooking hob , a case distinction is made into one of several cases, these cases relating to the covering of heating devices (IL, IR) with at least one cooking vessel (TL, TR), - for a first case, in which it is determined for the three heating devices (IL, IR) arranged along the straight line that the relative covering of the middle heating device (IL, IR) is less than the relative covering of the two other neighboring heating devices (IL, IR), it is determined that no cooking vessel (TL, TR) is placed over the three heating devices (IL, IR) that covers all three heating devices (IL, IR) continuously, but that at least two cooking vessels (TL, TR) are placed over the three heating devices (IL, IR). <EOS>