Are you considering buying a new oven? An oven can be a big investment, and obviously, you want the best oven possible for your purposes, and according to your preferences, and needs. Here are some helpful tips and things to consider when buying an oven.
- In a hot air oven, a fan circulates the hot air heated by ordinary heating elements. This allows you to use the entire oven, and for example, bake several plates above each other.
- In a steam oven, the food is heated with hot water vapor, which is both gentler and gives more juicy results.
- Some ovens also have a built-in microwave function which allows you to combine microwaves with heat or grill and thus cook quickly and with a beautiful grill surface.
Energy labeling/certification on ovens
- A cooker must be energy labeled on a scale from A (best) to G (worst). If you avoid substances such as cadmium, lead or brominated flame retardants, the stove also affects the environment as little as possible when it is to be left for recycling.
- The energy label on the oven indicates a number of interesting properties: energy consumption, size, volume and how much noise the oven emits. In terms of energy consumption, the label shows a number from A to G. A is high efficiency, while G is very low. The sizes can vary in three different parts: the small oven up to 35 liters, the medium oven up to 65 liters and the large ovens with a volume from 65 liters upwards.
- In apartments, the stove is usually connected to 230 V. In townhouses and villas, 400 V is more common. The higher voltage gives better power and in some cases faster heating. Many models are available for both 230 and 400 V. Built-in ovens are for 230 V.
- If the cooker has a plug, you can install it yourself. A fireplace with a fixed electrical connection must be installed by a qualified electrician.
- Consider how many scarce or twisted appliances have. Several buttons are difficult to clean, though a smooth control panel can provide more difficult control settings. Touch controls can be easier to care if they have a raised marker and acoustic signal. The gas stove, with mechanical step-less adjustment, actually provides the most opportunity for precise adjustment.
- A traditional cooker is 60 or 70 cm but there are narrower variants down to 40 cm width. There are also models where the height can be adjusted slightly from the normal height of 90 cm.
- If you build the oven and place it slightly up on the wall, a side-hung oven door can be convenient and provide increased safety.
- Some ovens have extendable oven trays that open forward like a chest of drawers, so you can set the food from the top.
- All stoves have a spill edge that allows up to one liter of liquid to boil over without ending up on the floor.
- Some stoves have double ovens where you can, for example, keep the food warm in one, and cooking the other.
Why choose a built-in oven?
Today it is at least as common to use a built-in oven and hob instead of the free-standing stove. It can have both pros and cons.
+ Can be placed in a tall cabinet for a better working position.
+ Can be positioned independently of the hob and fan.
– If the oven is not placed under the fan, it may be difficult to ventilate the vapors
– It can have less volume than a free-standing fireplace.