Electric stove scheme, how to choose and types of electric stoves

Without a good stove, the kitchen is always inferior. And when the question arises of which plate to choose, by what criteria, a lot of nuances pop up that should be sorted out.

When is an electric stove needed?

The need to choose a stove most often arises during the repair of a kitchen, redevelopment or when changing one energy source to another. There are three types of cookers in total:

• Electric.
• Combined.
• Gas.

Types of plates

If technologically natural gas is provided in the house and it is possible to install a gas stove, it is necessary to indicate the following points before heading to the store:

• Is gas stove installation legal? For example, if during the design of the apartment it was decided to combine the kitchen and living room into a studio, then in this case the use of gas appliances is prohibited according to safety standards.
• Is it possible to install a gas stove in the place provided for by the layout? If the kitchen design is unique, there is a possibility that the gas stove will not fit either in the location of the gas pipe or in size.
• What are the benefits and risks of using gas in your home? Yes, cooking speed, relative cheapness, a wide selection of cooking utensils are obvious pluses, but gas burning is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and oxygen absorption, soot appears on objects in the gas stove area, difficult adjustment temperature in a gas oven, and, most unpleasantly, the possibility of an explosion.

If the answers to these questions do not allow you to sleep at night, and also if the house does not have gas wiring at all, the electric stove will be a logical solution.

Types of electric stoves

As soon as the consumer has chosen for himself the electric type of stove for the kitchen, a wide range of varieties opens up in front of him, which vary in design, functionality, energy consumption, can have different connection schemes, etc.

When it comes to a kitchen electric stove, you should immediately divide this concept into two components: a hob and an oven.

When planning the kitchen, you can choose from various types of electric stoves and ovens for the kitchen: both a combined electric stove with an oven, as well as a separately built-in electric oven and hob, depending on the specific design of the kitchen set.

Combined (classic) electric stoves are most common for consumers, as the design resembles the good old gas stoves.

Combined electric stoves

The width and depth of such stoves are usually standard 50x60 cm, with an oven volume of 52 liters, there are also non-standard models whose width and depth can vary (for example, 50x50 cm, 60x60 cm), and the oven volume is 40 liters or 60 and more. The height of the classic models according to the standard 85 cm ± height adjustment legs.

The average weight of a standard board is about 55 kg.

Hob

According to the surface material for cooking, you can choose between:

• enameled steel, the positive aspects of which will be low cost, a variety of color solutions, as well as ease of washing;

Enamel hob on a combined electric stove

• stainless steel, which will be more expensive, but does not scratch, does not tarnish and requires a minimum of care;

Stainless steel hob

• glass-ceramic, which looks stylish, is very easy to clean, but can be scratched and cracked during operation, there are also questions about the dishes.

Glass-ceramic surface on a combined electric stove

Burners

In classic models with an enamel coating or stainless steel coating, cast iron burners or an open spiral (TEN) of various sizes can be installed.

The strength of these burners can be called only their strength, and of the minuses - a long heating process (10-12 minutes for standard burners of 1 kW, 3-6 minutes for express burners with a power of 1.5-2 kW) and, accordingly, cooling.

Cast iron pancake

In electric stoves with a glass-ceramic coating, the heating element is hidden under the surface of glass-ceramic. The efficiency of work, as well as the price of the plate, depends on the type of this element.

Burners that are installed on glass-ceramic models, in order of heating rate:

• Rapid - consist of a spiral of high resistance, capable of generating a large amount of heat when heated. The average heating rate of such a burner is approximately 10-12 seconds. The latest variety of rapid burners was called “Hi-Light” and is able to warm up to operating temperature in 7 seconds thanks to a more dense laying of the spiral.
• Halogen - the most popular due to low cost. When the burner is working, it glows red, heats up almost instantly, in 3 seconds, thanks to the technology of connecting a halogen lamp with a high-temperature spiral. Devices with halogen hobs at the base of the electric stove allow you to quickly cook food, but the price for this will be a relatively short service life and high energy consumption.
• And finally, the most advanced technology to date - induction, is the most energy efficient. Electric circuit with this type of burner, it allows the use of burners with a power of up to 3 kW. The principle of operation is that, using electromagnetic induction, it is not the hotplate that is heated, but the bottom of the cookware, which eliminates the possibility of burns from touching the surface of the stove. The service life, efficiency, and also the price of such devices are the highest among electric stoves. The expenses also reflect the need to purchase special dishes. Induction cookers work only with cookware made of steel, enameled steel or cast iron.

Halogen burners

Electric Oven (Oven)

An electric oven can be, as part of a combined electric stove, as well as independent (built-in) or even a tabletop.

Desktop ovens are usually small (15-40 liters), without additional features, cost less than built-in. They can be called a simplified mobile version of the oven, and if you want to spoil yourself with baked dishes more often, then it is better to consider the following option.

An independent (built-in) oven is a truly complete kitchen appliance for preparing a huge variety of dishes. You can install such a device in any convenient place. Most often, the oven goes under the countertop, but also an extremely convenient arrangement of the oven is the installation in a column at eye level. In this case, you don’t have to bend down each time to check the readiness of the food, and even putting and getting the dishes is much more comfortable.

Oven installation options: under the countertop and in the column

The dimensions of the built-in ovens are mostly standard: the width is 60 cm, the depth is between 50 and 55 cm. The height in the internal size is also about 55 cm, and in the external - 60 cm. Exceptions are ovens with the function of a microwave oven, their height varies from 36 to 55 cm.

However, on the market there are enough offers of ovens of non-standard sizes, so choosing a suitable oven will not be difficult.

Which electric stove to choose?

Today, almost all manufacturers of household appliances offers a wide range of electric stoves that will satisfy any requirements of home cooks.

First of all, when choosing an oven, it is advised to bet on a higher class of energy consumption. A, A +, A ++, A +++ are economical, class B is more energy-intensive.

Further, having determined the necessary dimensions of the electric stove and the design you like, you should immediately pay attention to some details before delving into a long list of functions:

• If the oven has a programming function, then there must be support for the Russian language of the menu, otherwise it will be much more difficult to understand.
• Handles that are recessed are not so dirty.
• A removable door will be very useful in the process of washing and cleaning the oven.
• Markings on the panel should be clear, easy to read.
• The viewing angle plays an important role. The better you see the “condition” of the dish, the less openings of the oven are required, the less the temperature regime is violated (a biscuit can “sit down,” for example).

The door closer is very useful when “not enough hands” to close the oven. You can just push the door with your foot, it will close smoothly.

What functions do electric ovens have?

Perhaps you should start with the cleaning function, which is present in all modern electric ovens:

• The most popular option is catalytic cleaning, the essence of which is in its action right during the operation of the oven, when porous enamel absorbs and breaks down fat. All that is needed is to simply wipe the inside of the oven with a damp cloth after cooling.
• Also used is the so-called "easy-clean enamel." Water is poured into a special place in the oven and heating is turned on. Water evaporates and steam makes the dirt more susceptible to cleaning.
• Pyrolysis is the third method of cleaning, the most expensive, but simple: the oven heats up to 480 ° C, as a result, all contaminants simply burn to the state of ash, which is then easy to sweep with a napkin. The only harm from such cleaning is the smoke that will come out of the oven during cleaning.

Almost all electric ovens are equipped with a fan, which provides the function of forced “convection”, due to which hot air masses circulate in the chamber, thereby uniformly baking the dish from all sides.

Oven chamber with fan

Other features worth paying attention to:

• The vast majority of units have a "grill" function - a source of heat on the "ceiling" in the chamber. Depending on the model, the “small grill” and “turbo grill” modes may be additionally present, which differ from the usual “grill” by the number of heating elements involved.
• Cooking enthusiasts will definitely appreciate the oven with the optional Steam function. Water fog enters the chamber with different temperatures and intensities, which allows combining steam with heat for a crisp and tender juicy pulp. Also, this function will help to rise the test faster than at room temperature, while not being windy.
• If you don’t know what time the guests will come for dinner and are afraid to serve a cooled dish - it doesn’t matter, the additional function “food warming” will maintain food at a temperature of 80 ° C on demand. Often, in models that support cooking programming, this mode is final. In the morning we set a cooking program - in the evening we got a ready-made hot dish.
• “Thermal probe” is a function for advanced cooks when the internal temperature of a dish matters, for example, when cooking meat of a certain degree of roasting. The probe is inserted into a piece of meat, the set temperature is set, at which the oven turns off.
• The unit with the Skewer function will allow you to feel yourself almost in nature. Installed diagonally, it evenly rotates the dish relative to the heat source.
• There are more expensive models that can work like a microwave.

Modes electric ovens - These are, in fact, different combinations of heating and convection.The richest choice of modes in the “luxury” models of electric ovens, which are equipped with cutting-edge electronics. They can support many programs, such as:

• automatic detection of the end of cooking;
• quenching with residual heat;
• control of a given “climate” in the chamber by supporting the necessary levels of humidity and temperature.

Popular models of electric stoves

The most popular high-quality electric stove manufacturers today are the brands Electrolux, Hansa, Gorenje, Whirlpool, Zanussi, Bosch and Siemens. Cheaper options are made by Beko, Indesit, Ardo.

Among the high-quality combined electric stoves with a wide range of functions and modes, the following models are in demand: