How to choose an oven for the kitchen

Gone are the days when a conventional gas oven was used to store kitchen utensils and warm up a room in a cold season with poor heating. The oven for the kitchen has become an important attribute for all people who love delicious food. And manufacturers, following the wishes of users, are doing everything to attract the attention of consumers to their technology.

How to choose an oven for the kitchen: gas or electricity

 

Buyers often assume that natural gas is cheaper than electricity. One could agree with this. Only all blue fuel ovens are devoid of the demanded functions. The kitchen appliance market is clearly divided on this issue. Gas appliances are geared towards household needs, while electric ovens are geared towards professionals. Accordingly, electric ovens have received more useful functions.

Returning to gas appliances, we must not forget about their unsafe use. Incorrect connection, overheating of components or wear of gaskets affect the safety of using this device.

 

Oven specifications - what to choose

 

Sellers assure that size and volume are the main selection criteria. But there is one pitfall here - the availability of space for installing the oven in the kitchen. In most cases, kitchen appliances are purchased for existing furniture. As a rule, this is a niche with dimensions of 600x600 mm. Ovens are produced under this standard size. But there are exceptions. Therefore, first of all, we look at the compatibility in size, then choose the volume and other characteristics.

You can buy an oven built-in and freestanding. We considered the first case above. Separate kitchen appliances can be of any size. At the selection stage, you only need to calculate the free space for the oven. Be sure to take into account the convenience of connecting to the mains and unhindered access to equipment.

 

Oven design or serviceability

 

Quite a strange approach from manufacturers of kitchen appliances. You can buy an oven in a chic and exclusive look, but you have problems with maintenance. Or, conversely, take an outwardly mediocre device and get full access to cleaning the internal components.

There is one loophole for buyers here. There are models of kitchen appliances that can be cleaned not by hand, but in an automatic way. You will have to pay a certain price for this service, but there will be no questions in terms of service. The most common methods are:

 

• Steam cleaning. Or hydrolytic. The principle of operation is simple. At the bottom of the oven there is a special baking tray into which water is poured. The device has a "clean" button on the body. The water heats up and evaporates inside the oven, thus softening the grease. The user only has to wipe this dirt with a rag.
• Catalytic cleaning. The surfaces contaminated in the oven have a special coating (enamel with catalysts). When heated, fats are broken down by these catalysts. It remains only to remove them from the surface with a rag. Disadvantage - after 2 years, this enamel will burn out and you will have to clean the oven with your hands.
• Pyrolytic. Coolest and most durable cleaning method. Contaminated oven elements are heated to 500 degrees Celsius. The fat simply burns out, turning into dust. There is only one drawback - the heater consumes a lot of electricity.

 

 

Oven control and useful functions

 

We got to the most important question, because of which there is a desire to buy an oven for the kitchen. The peculiarity of the technique is in the functionality that a conventional electric or gas oven cannot provide. This concerns both ease of management and functionality.

Oven control does not affect the functions - it is more for ease of use. Management can be mechanical, touch and combined. It is impossible to say which method is better. Since everything directly depends on the manufacturers. Appliances from the budget segment with a bunch of touch buttons may work worse than a professional oven with one toggle switch for all functions.

 

Oven functionality:

 

• Timer and clock. Required attributes. If they are not there, walk by. Timer, delay start, pause, auto-off. Without them, cooking is a futile exercise.
• Microwave mode. This feature is for hobbyists. Convenient if there is no separate microwave oven.
• Guides. They can be embossed, wire and telescopic. The latter option is better for frequent use.
• Skewer. A useful function of the oven for cooking meat. It is considered a popular paraphernalia. But in fact, it is rarely used - a paradox.
• Thermometer and thermal probe. The first attribute is required, since any dish requires attention to itself. The probe is convenient for cooking, but ovens with such an accessory are expensive. Buyer choose.
• Protection from children. Everything is clear here - a locking mechanism for protecting children.
• Convention mode. A fan built into the stove blows hot air over the food being prepared. This is very effective as food is cooked faster.
• Availability of programs. At the initial stage of using it is interesting, but then the chef still comes to independent settings.
• Smartphone control. Conveniently. But technology with a built-in computer is expensive. And apps aren't always free.

 

 

In conclusion, on the choice of an oven for the kitchen

 

Having gone through all the characteristics of the technique, one should not forget about the manufacturers. Dozens of brands offer to buy ovens, promising plentiful functionality. Only about the convenience of using a kitchen appliance and its durability, you have to find out in the reviews of the owners. And believe me, even the most famous brands have problems.

If you dream of impeccable quality, give preference to the brands Bosch, Siemens, Candy, Gorenje, Whirlpool. If you want something cheaper - take at least one kitchen appliance, the manufacturer of which has a service center in your city of residence.