20 Things That Only The Most Devoted Hob And Oven Fans Should Know
Wiki Article
Types of Hob and Oven
Hobs and ovens are a common fixture in kitchens. They come in various designs. You can also mix different types like domino, electric and gas to fit your cooking requirements.
A hob can also have safety features, such as child and control of the position. These features will prevent children from accidentally altering the temperature setting or touching the hob.
Types
The hob is the central feature of any kitchen, and can have a significant impact on the final outcome of your cooking. There are a variety of hobs, and which one you pick will depend on the needs of your kitchen.
Gas hobs provide a classic option. They are quick to heat up and react immediately to temperature fluctuations. Professional chefs favor them because they are precise in their control. However, they aren't as clean as other hobs and may require a higher level of maintenance.
Electric hobs have a flat ceramic surface and heated elements underneath. They come in a variety of sizes and come with four to six cooking zones. Each zone has its own heating element that can be controlled separately by you. This allows you to boil potatoes on one ring whilst cooking sausages in a different. This kind of hob is easier to warm up than gas, and it offers the safety of children since the cooking area gets hot only when you put an oven on it.
Traditional ceramic hobs are a very user-friendly alternative to electric and gas and are also a very stylish option. They have an even and smooth surface that is easy to clean. However they aren't as fast to respond to temperature changes or to cool down as other hobs.
Domino hobs are an alternative to electric and gas hobs that incorporate ovens beneath the cooking surface. They are great for kitchens with small space. They also work well in kitchenettes and flats. They are often cheaper than a standard hob and can be extremely energy efficient however they can be brittle and require more maintenance than other types of cookers.
Gas
Gas hobs are cooktops equipped with burners that can easily be integrated into the kitchen countertop to create a seamless look. Gas hobs are typically powered by LPG or natural gas, however they are also powered by propane gas. The sleek, modern design could bring sophistication to your modular cooking space.
A traditional gas stove has several burners, usually 4 but often as many as 6. These are ignited with either the use of a match or a knob. The flames are controlled by the valves that can be adjusted in the temperature.
Most modern built-in gas stoves on the other hand include burners with multiple flames. This allows you to control both the outer and the inner ring for each burner to allow you to precisely control the cooking. These kinds of burners offer faster heat up times and are more reliable than the traditional ones.
In the past, it was essential to keep a gas stove lit all the time to ensure the burners were constantly fueled and hot. This was a security feature to avoid accidents such as having the oven turned on while the stove was still lit by a match or pilot flame. Modern cookers have been built with safety as a top priority. They are fitted with a fire failure device that shuts off the burners when the pilot light is not working.
Gas stoves and hobs should be inspected, cleaned, and maintained regularly. To achieve this, it is recommended to make an appointment with a Gas Safe registered engineer. They will not only be able make sure that your appliance functions properly, but will also offer expert advice on how you can avoid any future problems.
Electric
When it comes to creating your dream kitchen, here the worktops, fridge freezer and oven will always receive the most attention, but a good hob is also essential. The kind of hob you select will impact the way your kitchen functions and how easy it is to clean.
Electric hobs are equipped with heating elements that are placed on a smooth, glass surface. This is typically cleaned using a nonabrasive cleaner. The heating elements are activated when you turn on the hob and can be adjusted to various power levels using a control knob. They can take a little bit longer to get heated up but once they've done so, they are in place, they provide better and more consistent temperature control. They are equipped with indicators that inform you whether a space is hot or not.
Typically, they are available in four to six different sizes of rings that can be cranked up to various levels of power. They are great for cookware with a flat base, but not for cast iron pans, since they can get hot. Certain models (such as Belling BELCH602T) have dual-ring designs that let you cook sausages and boil water on the same ring. Some models have a Boost feature that concentrates high-temperature elements into one ring. This is great for stirring-frying, searing meat or boiling large pots.
Induction hobs differ from normal electric models as they use electromagnetic fields to directly heat your cookware rather than the conventional method of gas flames. This allows them to reach precise temperatures in a smaller time frame, which makes them extremely energy efficient. They have a cool-to the touch surface and flashing indicators that inform you that a ring has been used or is still hot.
Ceramic
Ceramics can be used to create decorative or functional objects. It is made by mixing clay with earthen elements, powders, and water, before firing it in a high temperature oven, also known as a Kiln. Once it's made, it can then be decorated or covered with decorative materials to add texture and colour.
Ceramic hobs blend form and function to create an exquisite piece of modern kitchen furniture. They operate by using radiant heating technology, passing an electric current through the coiled elements hidden beneath the black glass surface of the hob. They generate heat when activated, which is then transferred to the pan via an infrared system. You can alter the intensity of the heating by adjusting the controls via knobs or buttons.
Some ceramic hobs come with dual rings, which have a smaller and a larger cooking area. This allows you to select the right size for your pan. You can also find hobs with booster burners which generate high-powered heat rapidly, great for searing meat or bringing pans of water to the boil quickly.
As compared to other types of cooktops, ceramic cooktops take a little longer to warm up and then change temperature however once they do, they're typically more efficient in terms of energy consumption. You can also select vented hobs that incorporate ventilation systems with the ceramic cooktop. This makes sure that smoke, steam and cooking smells do not stay in your home.
Induction
Induction hobs are equipped with heating elements composed of copper wire coils. They generate electromagnets which heat the pans placed on the top of them. The coils stir up free electrons inside the base metal of your pan, which then transfers heat evenly to your food. The surface of the stove is never hot, and the cooking zones are automatically shut off when the pan is removed.
Induction hobs are typically more expensive than other models, but they're also faster to heat and consume 30-70% less energy than ceramic or gas hobs. They're also easier to clean, since the surface of the hob isn't hot, and only the contents of your pan do.
Certain manufacturers offer a specific induction model that comes with additional features, such as a pause feature that shuts off the power to your cooker when you step away from it, or connect two cooking rings at the same time at the same power level for additional flexibility. These are often referred to as FlexInduction hobs. They are more expensive than traditional models, however they're worth looking into if prefer to multitask.
Our top choice is this induction cooktop from Smeg. It has four good-sized cooking zones with a bridge function as well as nine power levels that give you a variety of options for those who want to cook with a lot of passion. It was a great performer in our tests, with fast heating and precise control when making pancakes. The oven also has an integrated dishwasher as well as an automatic pan detection feature to make cleaning even simpler. The only issue is that there are only a few compatible pans, and you cannot use it to cook with utensils with magnetic bases. This can be a problem when you have a lot of cookware that is not compatible or only the smallest portion is compatible with induction hobs.