Ten Easy Steps To Launch The Business Of Your Dream Hob And Oven Business
Types of Hob and Oven
A oven and hob is an essential part of many kitchens and can come in many different styles. You can mix different types, such as electric and gas, to suit your needs.
A hob can also come with safety features like child and position controls. These features can stop children from accidentally altering the temperature setting or touching the stove.
Types
In every kitchen, the stove is at the center of the room and can play a huge role in the way your food comes out. There are a variety of hobs available, and which one you choose depends on the needs of your kitchen.
Gas hobs are the classic choice and offer a fast heating function and instant response to temperature changes. They are a popular choice for professional chefs as they provide precise control. They aren't as simple to clean as other hobs and may require more maintenance.
Electric hobs are a flat ceramic surface that has heated elements beneath and can be found in various sizes, with between four and six cooking zones. Each zone has its own heating element, which can be controlled individually by you. You can boil potatoes in one ring, while cooking sausages on another. This type of hob is quicker to heat up than gas, and also offers an alternative that is safer for children since the cooking area becomes hot only when you put an oven on it.
Traditional ceramic hobs are a very convenient alternative to electric and gas and are also a fashionable option. They have a smooth, durable surface which is easy to clean but aren't as responsive to temperature changes as other hobs and can be slower to cool down.
The Domino hob is a space-saving option to electric and gas hobs. It combines ovens beneath the cooking surface. They are perfect for kitchens that have small space. They are also suitable for kitchenettes and flats. They are usually less expensive than standard hobs and can be extremely energy efficient however they are also fragile and require more care than other types of cookers.
Gas
Gas hobs are cooktops equipped with burners that are easily fitted into the kitchen countertop to create a seamless look. They are usually powered by natural or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) however they can be powered by propane gas. The modern, sleek design can add sophistication to your cooking space that is modular.
A traditional gas stove is fitted with a number of burners. The majority of them are four burners, but it could be as many as six. They are ignited by either a match or by turning a knob. The flames are then controlled by a series of valves that can be adjusted to control the temperature.
In contrast, most modern built-in gas hobs have multi-flame burners that allow you to regulate the outer and inner rings of each burner to control your cooking. These kinds of burners provide faster heating times and are more reliable than the traditional ones.
Traditionally, it was necessary to keep a gas stove lit continuously to ensure that the burners were always hot and fuelled. This was a safety measure to prevent any accidents such as not turning off the oven even though the stove was lit by a match or a pilot flame. Modern cookers are made with safety in mind as a priority. They come equipped with a flame failure device that shuts off the burners in the event that the pilot light fails.
Gas stoves and hobs need to be regularly checked, cleaned and maintained. The best way to ensure this is to schedule a maintenance visit with a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. They will not only make sure that your appliance is functioning correctly, but also give you expert advice on how you can avoid any future problems.
Electric
When it comes to creating your ideal kitchen, the worktops, fridge freezer and oven will always receive the most attention, but a quality hob is equally important. Whichever ovens and hobs uk choose, conventional, induction, or gas cooker the kind of hob you pick can impact how your kitchen functions and how easy it is to keep clean.
Electric hobs are powered by heating elements that are placed on a smooth glass surface which is typically cleaned with a non-abrasive cleaner. These elements are activated when you turn the hob on and can be adjusted to various power levels by turning or adjusting on a knob. It can take them some time to heat up however once they are heated, they tend to provide more stable and reliable temperature control. They also come with indicators to let you know that a zone is being used or hot from cooking.
They are available in a range of four to six sizes and can be notch-up to various power levels. They are perfect for flat-based cookware but aren't the best option for cast iron pans since they can overheat. Certain models (such as Belling BELCH602T) have dual-ring designs which allow you to cook sausages and boil water on the same ring. Some models have a Boost function that focuses high heat into one ring. This is great for stirring-frying, searing meat or boiling large pots.
Induction hobs differ from normal electric models because they employ electromagnetic fields to directly heat your cookware instead of the traditional method of gas flames. This allows them to reach precise temperatures in a shorter space of time and makes them highly energy efficient. They also have a cool-to-the-touch surface and flashing heat indicators to signal that the ring is either being used or is still hot.
Ceramic
Ceramics can be used to create functional or decorative objects. It is made by mixing clay with earthen elements, powders, and water, and then firing it in a high-temperature oven, also known as a Kiln. Once it's been made, it can then be coated or painted with decorative materials to give it texture and color.
Ceramic hobs are an exquisite blend of function and form and can be found in any modern kitchen. They operate using radiant heating technology, passing an electric current through coiled components hidden beneath the black glass surface of the hob. When they are activated, they create heat, which is then transferred to your pan via an infrared heating system. You can alter the intensity of this heating by adjusting the controls via knobs or buttons.
Some ceramic hobs are dual-ring designs, having one smaller and one larger cooking zone that lets you select the ideal size for your pan. You can also get hobs equipped with booster burners that generate high-powered heat rapidly perfect for searing food or bringing pans of water to a boil in a short time.
Compared to other types of cooktops, ceramic cooktops generally take longer to warm up and change temperature, but once they do they're typically more efficient in terms of energy consumption. You can also find vented hobs that integrate a ventilation system within the cooktop's ceramic, making sure that steam, smoke and cooking smells aren't left within your home.
Induction
The heating elements inside induction hobs consist of copper wire coils that are placed beneath the surface, which generate electromagnets to heat pans that sit on them. The coils stir the free electrons in your pan's base metal, which then transfer heat evenly to your food. The surface of the hob never gets hot and, when you take off your pan the cooking zones switch off automatically.
Induction hobs tend to be more expensive, however they also get hotter faster and use 30-70% lower energy than gas or other kinds. They're also easier to clean because the surface of the hob isn't heated, but the contents of your pan do.
Certain manufacturers offer an induction model with extra features, such as a pause function that shuts off power to your hob whenever you move away from it, or link up two cooking rings at the same power level to provide additional flexibility. These are often called FlexInduction hobs. They can be more expensive than traditional induction models but they're worth considering if you are a multi-tasker.
Our top pick is this induction cooktop from Smeg, which has four good-sized cooking zones that have 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 did well in our test, with fast heating and precise control when making pancakes. The oven also has an integrated dishwasher as well as an automatic pan detection function to make cleaning more simple. The only issue is that there are only a handful of compatible pans, and you cannot use it to cook with appliances with magnetic bases. It can be a problem if have a lot of cookware that is not compatible or only the smallest portion is compatible with induction hobs.