Ovens & Hobs

Design, convenience, safety and energy saving

State-of-the-art cooking appliances in our kitchens: a vast range of hobs and ovens (not to mention refrigerators, dishwashers and washing-machines) produced by the top manufacturers.

The very first type of modern cooker with hob and oven was the wood or charcoal-burning kitchen range. This was then replaced by gas or electric cookers, which again combined hob and oven in a single unit. Today, we have the option of separate hobs and ovens, built into the kitchen units, which allow us to make rational use of space and create a stylishly uniform, very practical combination within the kitchen.

Hobs vary depending on the number and type of burners or plates and their operating mode; they may be enamelled, steel or ceramic, with very efficient, safe rapid, semi-rapid or ultra-rapid burners designed to suit a wide assortment of cooking modes; they may have new-style pan-stands that ensure stable support and easy transfer of pans; they may be designed for corner installation, and feature griddles, fish burners, fryers, grills, ceramic plates or drip-catcher edges. Nowadays, ovens may have up to 8 cooking mode combinations and be fully programmed, self-cleaning and safe even for children to be around.

In the middle, the hob!

The tendency in modern kitchens is to place the hob centrally, the main feature of islands or peninsulas equipped for cooking and other tasks. In open-plan kitchens in particular, in most cases placing the hob in the middle means that the person who is cooking will be facing towards the other people in the room, with their back to the area to which they would normally have been confined, enabling them to:
> talk to guests while cooking;
> let people see what they are cooking and make it a shared activity;
> have more space available and free up their creativity.

Materials

Steel: don’t use anything abrasive and don’t leave wet spoons or ladles on the hob for too long. In case of grease stains, a sponge dipped in white wine vinegar will help to solve the problem effortlessly. Always remember to dry the hob with a clean or microfibre cloth.
Ceramic: scan be cleaned with glass cleaners; do not use abrasive products. Do not leave spills of sugar-rich foods on the hob for too long; with the heat they may crystallise on it. Never use cutlery or steel utensils to remove residues of food which have stuck to the surface.
Enamel: clean with an ordinary kitchen sponge and washing-up liquid. Only precaution: take care not to use sharp objects and not to drag hot pans across the hob. Knocks may chip off part of the enamel coating. Glass: use water with mild detergent and rinse and dry with a chamois leather. Remove any dried-on deposits with warm water.

All about ovens!

Static and Fan - In conventional electric ovens, foods were only cooked by the two heating elements (one at the top and one at the bottom), used together or individually depending on the food for cooking: this type of oven is known as “static”. In fan ovens, the heating elements are used in association with a fan which circulates the heat around the oven to ensure a uniform temperature. This provides quick, even cooking and different foods can be cooked together with no risk of flavour contamination.

Multifunction - ovens of this kind offer a wide variety of functions: microwave, steaming, grilling, pizza baking, quick cooking or food defrosting programmes (which use just the fan to circulate the air at room temperature), and so on.

Cleaning. During normal cooking operations, the fats contained in foods evaporate and stick to the enamel of the sides of the oven and its other internal fittings. Apart from problems of hygiene and unpleasant smells, in the long term this process obstructs the heat emission points and impairs the appliance’s performance. It is therefore very important to keep your oven thoroughly cleaned at all times. For older ovens, standard oven cleaning products have to be used, while latest-generation appliances use the force of heat to reduce dirt to ashes.