Surely no hostess today can imagine her life without a stove. It is from this important household appliance that the quality of the prepared dishes, the period of time for their preparation, and, very importantly, the safety of family members largely depend. If a small child lives in the house, it is better to opt for an electric stove, since it has a much higher safety level than gas analogues. In addition, when using such a stove in the room there is no open flame.
Electric stove (4 burners with oven): how to choose?
Today, the choice of electric stoves is so wide that it is very difficult to navigate when buying such household appliances. The choice of a model from a variety of offers depends, first of all, on the needs and capabilities of future users. The main thing is to know the pros and cons of the chosen plate.
When buying, an important point is the size of this household appliance. A full-size stove can be either stand-alone or built into the kitchen. As a rule, the standard height of the plates is 85 cm. Most of the models are equipped with height-adjustable legs. The standard depth is 50-60 cm, the width is in the range from 50 cm to 1 m. It should be noted that the larger the size of the electric stove, the more convenient it is to use.
When choosing an electrical device, do not forget about safety. The stove should be installed at a distance from the sink, as water splashes often fly from there. In addition, a refrigerator and a towel rack should be separated. Before you purchase an electric stove (4 burners with an oven), find out its dimensions and draw a plan of the kitchen, making sure that all dimensions are correctly observed. Also consider the distance to open the oven door.
Hob material
For the manufacture of the surface of the plate, metal or glass ceramics is used. The metal top can be either enameled or made of stainless steel.
Enamelled plates are standard. Such a coating is already more than a dozen years old, which is why many women give their preference to these surfaces. There is an electric stove (4 rings with an oven) cheap, so buyers of such household appliances pay less attention to other equally important details. And in vain. After all, it is quite difficult to care for an enameled surface, and besides, scratches appear on it over time. Although, with proper care, difficulties with such a coating may not be noticed. According to owners, the advantage of such plates is that they are presented in a large color scheme.
Glass ceramic surfaces are much easier to care for. They heat up quickly enough and are resistant to high temperatures. They are easy to clean. Outwardly they look very attractive.
But an electric stove (4 burners with an oven, glass-ceramic) also has some disadvantages. In particular:
- It does not withstand sudden changes in temperature - it can crack. Also, a crack may appear during a point impact: for example, when falling onto the surface of a knife or lid from a pan. It is impossible to use the cracked surface, and its repair can result in a pretty penny.
- For cooking on glass ceramics, dishes with a perfectly flat bottom are needed. Some models generally require special cookware.
- The edges of the slab are very low sides. They have approximately the same height as the surface of the electric stove. If something “escaped” from the pan, so to speak, you will most likely have to wash not only the entire electric stove, but also the floor.
Heating elements
On plates with a steel or enamel surface, as a rule, 2 types of heating elements are used: “pancakes” and a spiral. A heating disc, which looks like cast-iron pancakes, is more convenient than a heating spiral element. It is not so quickly polluted and can have several modifications: quickly heating, ordinary and automatic. On an automatic heating element, as a rule, there is a white marking circle, and on a rapidly heating element it is red. The heater is automatically turned off when the dishes are heated to boiling point.
According to the reviews of the owners, both the drive and the open spiral heat up for a long time and cool slowly. Due to this, it is impossible to correctly and accurately control the heating of dishes. Also, these types of heating elements are not champions in terms of efficiency: they consume a lot of energy, and not very rationally. But such an electric stove (4 rings with an oven) is inexpensive.
Glass-ceramic surfaces can have more practical and modern solutions, such as:
- induction surfaces;
- hidden metal spiral;
- halogen element;
- Hi-Light, where the heating is done with a metal tape, which is arranged in the form of an accordion.
Hot plates with a metal spiral cannot quickly change the temperature, but they heat up a little faster than cast-iron “pancakes”. Hi-Light burners are able to heat up almost instantly (it takes no more than 5 seconds), the degree of heating is quite simple and easy to adjust. True, their energy consumption is 50% more. The halogen heating element also heats up quite quickly and is perfectly adjustable .
Induction electric stove (4 burners with oven) generally operates on a different principle. Instead of heating its own surface and then transferring heat to the bottom of the dishes, the induction model heats the bottom itself. Under the burner there are induction elements that generate an electromagnetic field, due to which the bottom of the dishes is heated. But it must be magnetic for this. This means that copper, glass and aluminum utensils will remain cold. Therefore, when buying this progressive novelty, you will also have to acquire suitable kitchen utensils.
Induction electric stove (4 burners with oven), the reviews of which are the most positive, more expensive than all others, but it is more economical and safe. Consumers consider firms to be the best manufacturers: AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Bosch, Philips, Siemens. Hansa cookers are a lot of complaints among buyers. Less well known are the manufacturers of Ourssonu and KITFORT, whose products are cheaper, but they perform their functions well.
Burners
On stoves with open spirals and heating disks, most often there are 2 types of burners, differing in their diameter.
Glass-ceramic surfaces have more convenient options. In addition to the different diameters of the burners, you can use the oval heating zones and change the diameter corresponding to the diameter of the bottom of the dishes used. A convenient addition are sensors that monitor the boiling of liquid and automatically turn off the heating when the dishes are lowered. The degree of cooling of the burner helps to determine the indicator of residual heating. In some models, special sensors when removing dishes from the surface turn off the power supply.
Oven
The oven can be with one or more heating elements or a convection device that provides uniform heating and better baking on all sides. There are also models equipped with a grill of various designs. Manufacturing firms, as a rule, offer a variety of designs, located in a variety of price categories.
When an electric stove is purchased (4 hobs with an oven, domestic), you should pay attention to such moments as:
- retractable structural elements for installing the grill;
- lighting the inside of the oven;
- special cooking modes (heating, defrosting, browning, etc.);
- how tight the oven door is.
It is also recommended to find out how to clean the oven:
- With the pyrolysis option, the oven can heat up to 500 ° C, and at this temperature all existing contaminants simply burn out. But a lot of energy is spent on this.
- The catalytic method is much more economical. The walls of the oven are covered with a special composition that breaks down fats directly during cooking.
Plate construction
Some manufacturers are developing very interesting models that are able to interest buyers who have non-standard requirements. For example, a very compact option is an electric stove (4 burners with an oven), comparable in size to a microwave. This baby can be easily moved or taken to the country if necessary.
For small-sized kitchens, caring manufacturers have developed household appliances, which combine 3 functions: a hob, an oven and a small dishwasher.
Toggle switches
Their type depends on the mechanism. In different models of plates, control can be performed using touch, rotary, push-button or recessed toggle switches.
Type of electric stove control
Available with electric and mechanical control. The bulk of the models are controlled mechanically. Less common are the options with the electric type in the form of simple or touch buttons. Such stoves may have a screen showing the temperature, the selected program and time. Electrically controlled models have some drawbacks. They require when you turn on a large number of manipulations. Also, stoves with an electric type of control are usually more expensive than with a mechanical type.
Plate color
Today, a variety of options have come to replace the traditional snow-white models. Thanks to a wide range of colors, it is possible to choose an electric stove in the same style as the interior of the kitchen.
Electric stove (4 burners with oven) "Dream"
Traditional kitchen electric stove "Dream" (Zlatoust machine factory), according to user reviews, is easy to use, reliable, compact in size, simple but pleasant design. A big plus of this model is the height-adjustable feet.
Owners of slabs "Dream" turned their attention to some disadvantages:
- there is no lid to prevent droplets of fat from entering the wall;
- lack of electric ignition and gas control functions;
- the lower compartment door is latched.
Generally speaking, gas stoves "Dream" - This is a great option not only for home use, but also for giving.
Beko
Electric stoves with an oven of this brand always collect a lot of positive reviews, and this is understandable: not all manufacturers can boast of numerous design solutions, high-quality performance and quite affordable price. The model from the Beko ET 5614 HX received a lot of good reviews:
- standard overall dimensions;
- the ability to adjust the height;
- stylish design.
These are the main features highlighted by customers in reviews.
Hansa
Electric stoves of this brand are distinguished by their aesthetic appearance. You can easily choose a model that fits the style of any kitchen. According to reviews, plates have:
- modern functionality;
- maximum ease of use;
- ergonomic design.
Indesit
Electric cookers of this brand have always been and remain popular. The customers love for these products is explained by the thoughtfulness of each model. There is also a double grill, and a special skewer and processing with ventilation and convection. The front door is made of special glass with high impact resistance and thermal resistance.