How to choose a built-in electric oven: tips and tricks

Crispy chicken, aromatic bread, juicy roast... You don't have to go to a restaurant to taste all these delicious dishes. Such masterpieces can be prepared at home, especially if you have a modern oven at hand. There is a large selection of ovens on the market, and in order to decide, you need to know the important characteristics of household appliances. To choose an oven, you don't have to read a lot of instructions. It is enough to know the basic criteria.

Oven selection

Grilling, convection, defrosting, self-cleaning - oven functionality so large and varied that you will surely find a suitable one. She will become your best friend and faithful assistant in creating delicious dishes of both haute and home cuisine.

When choosing a stove for a kitchen, you need to pay attention to many important technical characteristics, including dimensions, type of construction, power and the presence of additional functions. The most popular today are built-in models that are installed inside the kitchen, thereby saving space.

type of furnace

Many people wonder how to choose an electric oven. There are two main types ovens differing in the heating method: electric and gas oven. There are also combined options that combine a gas burner and electric convection.

The electric oven is a stylish, modern, functional appliance. Electric ovens are functional, have various operating modes, beautiful design, can self-clean after cooking, and even heating and maintaining the correct temperature allow you to prepare original cakes and even several dishes simultaneously.

The heating chamber is located above, below, and in some cases also on the side of the rear wall. And the fan (convection) distributes hot air, allowing you to cook on multiple levels at the same time.

Modern ovens can have up to 10 operating modes, including: defrosting food, quick cooking, grilling, steaming, "golden crust" and many others

Some electric ovens also have an automatic program pre-written into the oven memory. This simplifies the cooking process, since you only need to select the appropriate program and set the weight of the food, and the oven will do the rest.

Some ovens have multiple heating elements, microwave mode. In this case, you get two devices in one. Such ovens can work like an oven and like a microwave oven, sometimes even in 2 modes.

The only drawback of modern electric furnaces can be considered high energy consumption (2.5-4 kW * h), as well as the need to install separate cable grounding.

Stationary and built-in wardrobes

With the development of technologies and design solutions, stationary equipment is becoming history. Independent built-in ovens of the new generation harmoniously fit into the overall design of the kitchen at home. Many manufacturers delight with the modern look and functionality of technology..

Design

The advice in this parameter may not be universal, as the design of the equipment is a personal choice. The most important thing to choose is equipment that matches the overall style of your kitchen. For some interior solutions, built-in models are suitable, and in some, stationary ones will also look very harmonious. Follow your taste preferences, take advice from experts, reviews from other users.

dimensions

Typically, standard ovens are medium in size. It is necessary to choose the size of the stove, focusing on the kitchen set, the depth of which is usually 55 centimeters. As for the height and width of the oven, most of the models have a size of 60 * 60 cm. In turn, the height can be slightly less - 45 cm, and the width is more - from 90 to 120 cm. Choosing a built-in oven for yourself, you must navigate first on the kitchen set and the purpose of the equipment.

Power

In fact, power is not the most important parameter to pay attention to. The fact is that often the power of built-in ovens does not exceed 4 kW. The more power, the faster the heat output, so there is no need to dwell on this issue for a long time. Before choosing an electric oven, make sure that the electrical wiring in the house is capable of withstanding a load of 3-4 kW. Otherwise, you will have to replace the wiring in the house with wires with copper conductors and a cross section of at least 2.5 mm².

Additional functions

To choose a high-quality and affordable oven for the kitchen, you need to know what functions it should have and which ones should be discarded. Why pay money for something you won't use? A modern built-in oven can have the following functionality:

1. Mechanical or electronic control. The electronic sensor is easy to use, but it often breaks down and affects the price of the equipment. Rotary switches are more reliable and cost less for the oven.
2. Energy class. Choose class "A", that is, the most economical equipment.
3. Timer. It will be more difficult to prepare a dish without it, because you have to constantly monitor the time in order to turn off the oven in time.
4. Grill and convection functions. A very useful program, thanks to which you can expand the list of dishes for cooking in the built-in oven.
5. Microwave function. The cost of the device will be higher, but the oven can be used as a microwave oven, which is very convenient. Alternatively, you can choose an electric oven where you can grill kebabs (with a skewer), make yoghurts, dried fruits, etc.
6. Overheating safety shutdown. It is mandatory, as it protects the equipment from emergencies.
7. Fan for cooling the door. With an additional fan, the oven door will not heat up.
8. Telescopic guides. With their help, it will be much easier to get the cooked dish (or just assess the degree of readiness).
9. Cleaning system. The oven can be equipped with an easy cleaning function, which will work after each preparation without detergent. Convenient models with a hydrolysis type of cleaning, in which the detergent is poured into a special container, after which the cleaning mode is turned on. After that, the fat is removed from the walls much more easily. There are also models with catalytic cleaning and pyrolysis, thanks to which the grease is easily removed.
10. The presence of child protection is a function that can control children's access to the oven.

Details about the cleaning system

Choice of technology with a built-in system cleaning the chamber makes life in the kitchen much easier. There are such cleaning functions:

1. Steam cleaning. Water is poured onto a baking sheet, which then evaporates at a high temperature, which contributes to excellent cleaning of the oven walls.
2. Catalytic system. After all the dishes have been cooked, the drops of fat are absorbed by the special plates that operate for 400 cooking cycles.
3. Pyrolytic cleaning. The essence of this system is to burn fat and food debris from the surface of the chamber at a temperature of 500 degrees.

Maximum comfort

Some options for built-in wardrobes may seem too functional and complete, but they actually make the job much easier. For example, the convenience of taking food and checking its condition depends on the type of guides and lighting, and the timer allows you to get ready food at the right time. So let's take a closer look at the complete set:

• doors - in addition to traditional hinged doors, in some models of ovens they can be hung like in a refrigerator - from left to right or vice versa, which contributes to the efficient use of free space on kitchen;
• pull-out trolley - fastening the grates and sheets to the door allows you to quickly and safely move them simultaneously with the opening of the oven;
• backlight - makes it easier to track the degree of readiness through the sight glass, there is no need to open the door, thereby losing heat;
• display - displays the program menu, the selected command informs about the current and remaining until the end of the cooking time;
• skewers - a rotating built-in skewer allows you to effortlessly cook a dish evenly fried on all sides;
• temperature probe - unlike a simple thermostat, which all ovens have, it is easy to use a temperature probe to measure the temperature inside cooked dishes, mainly meat, and thus precisely control the degree of readiness.

Before choosing a built-in oven, check out its full range of options (some models do not come), extra utensils (such as pizza plates), baking sheets and skewers. Timers can also be different: some are only able to beep at the end of work, while others turn off the device, thereby preventing food from burning.

Popular manufacturers

The most famous manufacturers - Siemens, Electrolux - produce both electric and gas ovens, which have excellent quality and a variety of functions. Electric ovens of the brands Gorenje, Bosch, Zanussi have also proven themselves well. Of the better manufacturers, it is worth highlighting Miele, SMEG. However, the cost of stoves from luxury brands is often high.

Typical consumer mistakes

Do not chase expensive equipment and modern models, as they can be much more hassle than good. Before choosing the right electric built-in oven, study the proposals and focus on the manufacturer's reliability, the functionality of the oven and its safety.

A large number of functions is, of course, great - there will be something to show off to friends, but each of them will significantly increase the cost of the stove.

If you want to shift your cleaning chores after cooking to the oven, be prepared for the cost of electricity. For example, pyrolytic cleaning often takes 1 to 2 hours. Many consumers do not know this, and then they are surprised by the rise in electricity bills.

The choice of an electric oven should be approached reasonably. Therefore, before buying an oven, first of all read the different opinions on which oven to choose. In fact, this is not an easy task.

A simplified analysis of the current electric oven market reveals that buyers still prefer meet famous brands. However, young brands practically do not lag behind, which testifies to the acceptable technical properties of their products.