When the prices for ready-made food in supermarkets and cafes begin to resemble price tags in a clothing store, you begin to wonder if you should start cooking on your own. Now there are all possibilities for this: cooking schools and courses, TV programs about home cooking, and most importantly, the wonders of modern science - the plates! Only one difficulty - choose the right plate! However, approaching this problem wisely, you can get home not just household utensils, but a real chef who will help you prepare delicious dishes with your own hands.
Do not rush into the pool with his head and run headlong into the store, because the sale will end in 2 days. Calm, only calm! Thoughtful and judicious approach will allow you to save, do not worry. Let's start with a discussion of the main parameters of modern plates, because they allow us to get rid of obviously unnecessary models from the very beginning.
Plate type
First, you need to decide on what method of connection you need. There are several options:
- Gas stoves;
- Electric stoves;
- Combined plates;
- Mini-ovens with hob.
Consider each option separately and decide which one suits us more.
Gas stovesusually installed in homes where there is a gas pipeline. If you don’t have it in your house (you don’t know if there is gas in your house? Call the housing office where they will tell you everything), then you will have to give up the gas stove. Cookers on gas reduce cooking time, in gas ovens an excellent crisp crust is obtained. This option is suitable for experienced chefs.
If you have never used a gas stove, then it is better to buy an electric one - it is much easier to use it, it cooks more evenly, and you will need to adapt to the gas stove.
Electric cookers - This is the best option for beginners in the kitchen. It is electric models that are equipped with various additional functions and programs that will literally prepare food for you. In addition, the electric stove is a safer option if you have children: modern electric cooking surfaces do not burn your fingers when touched, which cannot be said about gas burners.
Combined plates - A more expensive option, because such plates can use both gas pipeline and electricity. Buying such a model is advisable if you move frequently and take everything with you. In all other cases, you can buy a gas or electric stove, not overpaying for combining methods of connection.
Mini ovens - it is, rather, electric ovens, on top of which there is a hob. This is the most compact option, which is perfect for installation in the country or in a dormitory. If you do not need an expensive full-fledged stove yet, then the mini-oven will replace it with you, while giving you the opportunity to cook almost any home cooking dish.
Oven design and type
Ovens in stoves are also divided into gas and electric, we have already mentioned their distinctive features. We note only that in electric cookers there can only be electric ovens, and in gas stoves - both options. Electric ovens bake large pieces more evenly, and gas - create a more appetizing crust.
Now we will be more interested in the design of the oven. What are the parameters you need to pay attention to?
Hinged lid models are an inexpensive but outdated option.If finances allow, it is better to choose among models with a retractable trolley: they are safer, since using them is almost impossible to get burned. In addition, if you need to sprinkle a dish with cheese or add water during the baking process, you do not have to get the whole pan - you just need to push the cart and carry out your plans. And no tacks are needed!
The volume of the oven is no less important. If your culinary abilities are enough for roasting Christmas goose or cooking turkey with apples, then look for a stove with an oven of at least 60l. If you cook quite rarely, and in a family you have no more than 3 people, then you will have enough volume 40-50l.
Type of coating hob
The surface treatment of the plate is the main factor determining not only its durability, but also its cost.
- Enamel - All the usual way of processing gas and electric stoves, which has been used for decades. Such a coating can last 50 years if it is properly maintained, and it does not increase the cost of the plate. The only drawback is the appearance of cracks and chips over time.
- Stainless steel - very strong and durable option. Stainless steel coating is better to take not polished, but frosted, since it shows no fingerprints. Stainless steel flaws: even the slightest scratches are visible on it, and it is quite expensive.
- Glass ceramic the hob appeared relatively recently and immediately won the love of moms, because it is the safest. Only that part of it that is in contact with the bottom of the pan is heated. However, in operation, it is not so convenient: the spilled liquid on it immediately spreads everywhere, and loose products and improper cleaning can damage the flat surface. In addition, glass ceramics more expensive than all previous versions.
- Strained glass- this is practically the same as glass ceramics, but it is cheaper and easier to operate (it is much easier to clean stains from it). But keep in mind that scratches on tempered glass appear exactly earlier than on glass-ceramic.
Control type
Like many other home appliances, cookers can be equipped with two types of control: mechanical and electronic.
Mechanical control- These are the turning levers of various shapes that are familiar to many hostesses and which regulate the temperature of the heating of the burners. This option is preferable if you buy a stove as a gift to your mother or grandmother: older people find it harder to get used to innovations. Mechanical control has its drawbacks:
- The inability to set the exact temperature of heating;
- Rapid contamination of the levers and the difficult procedure of their cleaning (it is recommended to buy plates with black handles, so that stains after cooking are not too noticeable).
Electronic control allows you to accurately set the cooking mode. Many models with electronic control provide automatic modes that will be very useful for beginners. Choose models with touch buttons without connectors - they are more hygienic.
Additional options
Already decided how approximately your plate will look like? Take your time, we have some more tips that will allow you to find the perfect kitchen assistant.
- Non-standard burners - A great idea for those who have something constantly burned or underdone, as well as for those who like to stew meat and vegetables in a meat plate or a cauldron. Both gas and electric models have built-in oval-shaped burners, or additional crowns for faster heating of dishes, or an opportunity to choose among different sized burners located inside each other (double-flow burners).
- Induction burners they heat only the dishes, not the whole cooking surface. They are usually placed on glass-coated electronic plates. If you have small children at home, do not spare the money to buy a stove with induction hobs.
- Function of grill and express heat It is implemented on some modern functional models on the cooking surface itself in the form of special-shaped burners. If you do not have a microwave or you like fried food, then such options will be useful to you.
- Auto cleaning function of the oven - The dream of any housewife who has suffered for so many years with soot and soot in an ordinary oven. If you decide to invest in such an option, look for a pyrolytic cleaning option - this technology is more efficient.
- Convection in the oven will allow you to cook a couple of dishes at the same time. Suitable for agile women who need to feed many people at once.
- Auto power off - necessary function for those who often forget to turn off the devices after use. Allows you to save resources and protects against overheating.
- Child Protection will allow you to lock the oven door and electronic control during cooking.
- Gas control will automatically stop the gas supply in case if for some reason the flame in the burner goes out.
Top Plate Manufacturers
Let's start with the budget segment, mentioning the manufacturers of gas stoves worth up to 10,000 rubles. DARINA and Lysva, Dream and GEFEST (several inexpensive models) produce both electric and gas stoves of classic design with enameled surface and mechanical control system. If you are accustomed to your old stove, their products will not cause you problems in the development of new items.
More expensive models (from 10 to 20 thousand rubles) already have wider functionality and a variety of coatings. It is worth noting a more stylish design, variety of colors and styles. The highest rating of several companies: DARINA, GEFEST, BEKO, Gorenje, Hansa, Indesit. A wide range of models allows you to find a stove for every taste: from a classic gas stove to a modern device with a glass-ceramic hob and a gas oven.
As for the more expensive plates, the choice of design, materials and functions is truly enormous. In the price range of 20 thousand rubles, brands such as Bosch, Ardesia, Candy, Hotpoint-Ariston, Gorenje, Hansa, GEFEST, Zanussi. Most models in this group have more than 4 rings, a combined connection, many additional functions.
Photo: bt-test.ru
Common customer mistakes
The cooker is the basis of home comfort, because it is family lunches and dinners that can unite loved ones. Buying a stove, we hope that it will serve for many years, and will not break in a couple of months. To avoid this, try not to make the mistakes listed below when choosing.
- Buying a slab without specifying sizes - this is the worst thing you can do! We give you 100% that in this case, your expensive new stove just does not fit into the opening, or will rise by a few centimeters above the working surface of the kitchen. If you want to find problems for yourself, then go to the store right now, without measuring the parameters of the connector where you are going to put the plate.
- When viewed from the plate, many do not think pay attention to the burner. If your choice fell on a classic gas or electric model, check with the seller whether the burners are separated for cleaning. If not, you will condemn yourself to the eternal struggle with dirt, grease and leftover food that can not be reached from under the hob. Want to create a hotbed of bacteria on the stove? Buy a model that hasn't been removed.
- Buying the most expensive model with maximum features, even if you can afford it, it will be a waste of money if you are not a chef or do not go crazy about cooking. Choose a stove according to your abilities, otherwise all its additional functions will not be used. In addition, the more "bells and whistles" in the plate, the more things that can break in it. If you like trips to service centers, then buying a multifunctional stove will be your ticket to paradise.If you just want to cook quietly and every time do not worry that you press the wrong button, then choose the stove easier, and with the money saved you should buy a high-quality cookbook.
We hope our advice will save you from an erroneous purchase and help you choose a truly reliable, safe, high-quality and suitable for your requirements plate that will serve you for many years! Good shopping and inspiration in the kitchen!
