Useful Tips

HOW TO CHOOSE AN OVEN - which oven is better gas or electric

If you are fond of cooking, like baking pies, baking meat and fish in the oven, then choose an electric oven 60 or 90 cm wide with grill, convection, spit and telescopic guides. Choose an oven with a childproof function and 3-4 glasses if you have a small child in the house.

If gas is installed in the apartment, this does not mean that you have no choice. You can buy an independent electric oven and keep the gas hob.

From a design point of view, you will only benefit: you can place it in any part of the kitchen at a height that suits you. Ideally, if the cabinet is at eye level: then you do not have to bend over to check the readiness of the dish or remove it from the oven.

Let's figure out which is better: a gas or electric oven.

Advantages and disadvantagesGasElectric
"Pros"
  • Burners last longer than heating elements.
  • Easier to operate.
  • It breaks less often.
  • The ability to set the exact temperature.
  • Uniform heating.
  • Automatic programs available.
  • You can bake on two levels at the same time.
"Pros"
  • Small temperature range.
  • Doesn't steam.
  • It is impossible to set the exact temperature.
  • Bakes unevenly.
  • There are no automatic programs.
  • You need a grounded socket and a separate power line.
  • It warms up more slowly than gas.
  • Energy-intensive.

How to choose ovens?

Gas is safer with the "gas control" function and automatic electric ignition.

  • Gas comes in immediately when you turn the knob. If the flame goes out, its supply to the burners is automatically stopped.
  • It is good if the burners are located over the entire area of ​​the bottom of the chamber. They distribute the heat evenly and the baked goods turn out to be great: baked and ruddy like the sun.

An electric oven is more practical; in terms of functionality, it gives odds to a gas cabinet. The main thing is to choose a model for yourself with a "profitable" type of management:

  • the touchscreen has a large number of automatic programs. They will help you prepare and advise what products are needed according to the recipe;
  • mechanical handles - good old classics that will not let you down at a crucial moment;
  • the electronic version is also not bad. With it, you can fine-tune the temperature or write your own recipe into the unit's memory.

When choosing an electric oven, it is worth considering the energy class:

  • economical A, A +, A ++ and A +++;
  • class B - "gluttonous".

In pursuit of beauty, watch out for important oven details.

  • Flush-mounted switches are more convenient - they are less dirty and easier to clean.
  • Panel notations should be clear and easy to read.
  • If you choose an electric oven with the ability to program and write recipes, it should have a Russified menu.

Heating elements of electric ovens are located above and below the chamber (rarely on the sides). You will be able to choose which elements will work and which will not.

  • If the food is almost ready, but needs to be browned, leave only the top element on.
  • Or use the grill setting. It is baked until golden crisp while retaining juicy flesh. There are three types of grills: gas, infrared and electric. In the infrared, a halogen lamp is installed instead of a spiral heating element. It is more economical: it heats up and cools down faster.

It is worth calculating the useful volume of the oven, based on the number of family members and the free space in the kitchen.

  • On average, the internal volume ranges from 40 to 60 liters with a standard width of 55-60 cm.
  • Compact - up to 40 liters, in width - less than 55 cm.
  • Large-sized - more than 60 liters.

How to choose an oven

By means of convection (a fan built into the rear wall of the unit), the hot air is evenly distributed throughout the chamber. Dishes are baked from all sides, even if you cook different ones at the same time, standing one under the other.

Watch the video review of Gorenje electric ovens

Oven: how to choose a door mechanism

A flip-down oven door is handy, but it's not the only option.

The door is:

  • pull-out - when you open the oven, all the "insides" are pulled out. You can install such a unit only under the countertop. From the point of view of comfort, this is better than diving into a hot chamber with your hands. From a culinary point of view - not every bakery is for the good;
  • opening to the side is optimal when installing the oven in a column.

A door closer is a mega-useful thing. When you have a hot baking sheet in your hands, you can push the door with your foot. The mechanism will slow down and close it smoothly.

The wider the viewing angle of the glass on the door, the better. Frequent opening violates the temperature regime and "kills" the delicate biscuits. The lighting in the camera is also important. The light must fall directly on the product. Then part of the baking sheet will not hide in the shade.

Watch the video on how to easily light up a gas oven

Types of oven cleaning: which system is better?

Ovens are covered with super-smooth enamel. Dirt and grease on it do not eat into the pores and can be easily erased with a cloth. To achieve a smooth effect, manufacturers add graphite or silicon to the enamel. Some models are equipped with grease filters that trap odors. But not everyone can afford such units.

  • Facilitates cleaning of the oven chamber with easy-to-clean enamel. Water is poured into the recess at the bottom and heating is started. In a preheated oven, hot steam softens the dirt and it lends itself more easily to the sponge.

  • Catalytic cleaning automatically cleans the oven when baking. Inside the chamber, porous enamel (rough to the touch) absorbs and breaks down fats. You just have to wipe the walls with a damp cloth when they cool down. It is not worth cleaning the enamel with abrasives and scrapers, so as not to damage the coating.
  • Ovens with pyrolysis are expensive, but cleaning itself is simple: the unit heats up to + 480 ° C, as a result, grease and dirt are burned, turning into ash, which can only be wiped off with a napkin. But for two to three hours, while the cleaning lasts, your kitchen will be filled with acrid smoke, which can only be dealt with by a super-powerful hood or an open window.

Watch a video life hack on how to clean the oven

What parameters to choose an oven

You won't go wrong if you choose an oven with additional features.

  • If you prefer steamed food, a unit with the Steam option will do you well. Water mist of varying intensity enters the chamber at temperatures between 30 ° C and 230 ° C. You can combine heat with steam for a crispy, glossy crust and juicy flesh. In addition to this, you will be able to:
    • defrost meat or vegetables quickly;
    • put the yeast dough to come. It will rise faster than at room temperature and will not wind up.
  • Use the Special Top / Bottom Heat function to bake fluffy bread with a crispy crust. It retains moisture in food and does not dry out baked goods.
  • "Heating dishes" allows you to keep food hot for a long time at a temperature of + 80 ° C. In some models, cooking programming is provided. For example, in the morning you put a baking sheet with a poultry carcass in the camera, and in the evening you take out a hot baked yummy.
  • Some units are equipped with a temperature probe. This sensor is inserted into a piece of meat. It controls its heating to the desired degree of doneness and transmits information to the display. As soon as the set limit is reached, a sound signal will sound and the oven will automatically turn off.

  • The spit rotates the poultry or kebab relative to the heat source for even roasting. Diagonally installed, longer than horizontal. You can cook more meat in one go.

Note: "What to cook for breakfast: 10 dishes for adults and little ones"

Watch the video overview of Bosch ovens

$config[zx-auto] not found$config[zx-overlay] not found