Practical tips for choosing electric cooktops

Until recently, kitchen stoves were a single unit. The place with the burners was combined with the oven, until the designers had an idea to separate them.

Since the appearance on the market of kitchen appliances, electric hob is becoming more and more popular every year. Thanks to the modern management mechanism, a huge number of additional features, as well as fashionable design.

Types of kitchen electric hobs

• Dependent - is installed above the oven, with which it has common power supply and control. The advantage of this type can be attributed to the ease in the selection of the kit: the same type of panel and oven, the overall design, knobs, color. The built-in electric cooking surface has a significant disadvantage: when the oven is broken, the consumer will lose the entire set. In addition, the surface and the oven can not be divided, you have to make a choice in favor of the model offered by the manufacturer. Even if some functions are not needed.
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• Independent - works autonomously from the oven. The advantages of this type are obvious: you can combine, choose an expensive hob, as well as a budget-level oven. Or place such a set in different corners of the kitchen, having mounted the oven in the kitchen drawer at the desired height.

Steel, enamel or glass?

Making the choice of kitchen electrical panel, pay attention to the material from which it is made.

• The electric cooktop for the kitchen of enamel is of low cost, however, it is prone to damage and scratches, and it is difficult to clean it of dirt.
• Stainless steel hob( steel) - more practical, easier to clean and can withstand heavy loads. But it will have to be cleaned with special means and often, since traces of even fingers are left on the metal.
• An independent glass ceramic hob is an expensive option, but loved by many consumers due to its creative design, touch control, and durability. However, such a plate is afraid of shocks, scratches, may be damaged in the process of careless use. Despite this, glass ceramics are better than enamel and stainless steel in many respects.

Types of heating elements

• Cast iron. Budget models with a round hob in the form of "pancakes", which should be chosen because they are unpretentious in the care and are suitable for any dishes( except plastic).But over time, they lose their luster, look untidy. In addition, energy-consuming: they spend a lot of time on heating and cooling( they heat up to 7 minutes, cool down to 30 minutes).
• Halogen. In addition to the spiral, have a powerful halogen lamp. This hotplate warms up in a second, has a small inertia.
• Hi-Light-system - common types of heating elements, consist of ribbon-like tenes. Reliable, easy to maintain.
• Induction. The most progressive and effective, safe, as they heat up the bottom of the dish at the point of contact, due to magnetic induction. The surface is two centimeters from the burner remains cold. Provide instant boiling and accurate temperature. When making a choice in favor of an independent induction hob, you need to consider that for her it is better to purchase special steel dishes with a perfectly flat bottom from 4 to 6 mm thick.

Mechanics or sensor?

According to the type of control, kitchen cooking surfaces are:

• mechanical;
• touch.

Touch independent electric hob is easy to clean, just wipe it off. Convenient location of various indicators: activation, blocking, activation of the extended zone, memory, additional functions. The built-in panel with touch controls saves space, because its area is smaller than that of mechanical.

However, the sensory independent plate has one drawback: in the event of a breakdown, it is difficult to find and repair the fault.

Electric hob characteristics

There is no problem choosing an independent cooking panel for the kitchen. There are many of them, they differ in shape, size, functionality.

The number of burners, their location depends on the model and type of heating element. The quadrangular hobs are the most common, but there are also triangular, diamond-shaped, curved, which are suitable for any kitchen. Also, the parameters of the cooking surfaces depend on the model.

All modern models have functional characteristics, equipped with residual heat indicator, timer, self-shutdown device and control panel lock. A-class energy consumption and power distribution of the front and rear rings make them economical.

Additional Functions

The main difference between an electric kitchen surface and a traditional cooker is its functionality. What are the "chips" has this modern technology?

1. Heating zone is variable: if necessary, an additional sector can be connected to the burner.
2. Auto-boiling: the power of heating increases for a while, then returns to its original value. After boiling liquid stove automatically reduces the temperature.
3. “Autofocus” function: independent cooking surface determines the size of the cookware, and if necessary, includes an additional heating zone.
4. Standby: in the absence of dishes on the surface electricity is not wasted.
5. Heating function: heats food in pots, pans, even plates.
6. Small burner on which a Turk is placed.
7. Timer: time off the burner.
8. Stores temperature sequence in memory.
9. Disconnects as a result of liquid spilling onto the surface.
10. Reads information about the diameter of the dishes: the recessed plate adjusts the heating area to the characteristics of the dishes.

Electric hob: features of the choice of

As a rule, customers make choices based on design, color or price.

But there are criteria that also need to be evaluated.

• Determine the shape, size of the kitchen surface.
• Consider the design: will the black standard panel harmonize with the interior, or is it better to opt for the light one.
• The number of heating segments, as well as their placement, is an important factor when choosing a stove. For a small kitchen, it is enough to choose a two-segment panel. A cooktop with four or more hot plates is suitable for families with children.
• It is necessary to evaluate the parameters of the available dishes, make sure that large dishes are optimally placed on the surface.
• Analysis of functionality will allow you to determine which modes are best dispensed with, not overpaying for unnecessary features.

Tips when choosing

Those who decide to choose a built-in electrical panel for the kitchen, you need to consider the following:

• Installation of an independent cooking surface plan in advance. At the repair stage, it is better to take care of the quality of the wiring, since the consumed total power of the burners sometimes reaches 9 kW.
• For such a plate, you need to choose dishes with a flat, flat bottom, the circumference of which is not less than the diameter of the heating segment. Copper or aluminum products also will not work, after them traces remain on the surface.
• Savings - a short-sighted decision, because such equipment is bought for long-term use. An independent embedded panel must be functional as well as promising.