When buying a dishwasher…
20/03/2018Featured choices on today’s ranges
A range is the most important appliance that you will invest in your kitchen. We rely on them to cook our meals quickly and efficiently, we want them easy to clean and, in some cases, we want them to be centerpiece of our kitchen design. With so many options to choose from such as gas, electric and induction, here are some things to consider before choosing your range.
The difference between gas,
duel fuel, electric and induction
Gas ranges fuels both the cook top and the oven, both home and professional cooks love this type of range for its precise cooking. It’s important to find out if the range is powerful enough for your cooking needs. So, you will need to determine the BTU (British Thermal Units), the higher BTU the faster your water will boil and the more effective it will be for searing. However, it’s also important to make sure the range can get to a low simmer for those delicate sauces.Duel fuel is exactly how it sounds, there are two sources of power for this range. The cooktop is gas and the oven are electric.
Electric smooth top is a popular choice for cleanability, most have expandable dual or triple elements that let you switch from a large, high-power element to a small, lower-power element within it.
Induction is a technology that has been around for over 50 years and gaining more popularity in North America. It’s the consumers best option when gas is not available. You can go to a rolling boil in a matter of minutes and delicate enough to maintain melted chocolate all day. Induction uses an electromagnetic field to heat up a pan while leaving the cooking surface remains warm to the touch. Two things to remember is to make sure you have the right electrical amperage and you will need special inductions pots, which are readily available and not too expensive.
Whatever type of range you choose, remember to verify if you have the proper connections. Read the installations manuals of what is required before you buy and not after as this can be a costly error.
Induction is a technology that has been around for over 50 years and gaining more popularity in North America. It’s the consumers best option when gas is not available. You can go to a rolling boil in a matter of minutes and delicate enough to maintain melted chocolate all day. Induction uses an electromagnetic field to heat up a pan while leaving the cooking surface remains warm to the touch. Two things to remember is to make sure you have the right electrical amperage and you will need special inductions pots, which are readily available and not too expensive.
Whatever type of range you choose, remember to verify if you have the proper connections. Read the installations manuals of what is required before you buy and not after as this can be a costly error.
What can you get for
different price ranges.
Self-cleaning oven option burns off any residues from baking using high temperatures. It can take anywhere from 3-5 hours and will need to be wiped out after. Although this makes cleaning your oven less of a chore, you will need to pay more for this feature vs manual clean.Standard convection also known as North American is a fan at the back of the oven that forces air movement throughout the cavity to facilitate faster cooking and browning; the forced hot air feels more intense, therefore produces faster results. This option is available in gas ranges.
True convection also known as European follows the same concept as standard except with the addition of a heating element. Very popular choice for bakers as it allows multi-level baking. True convection is found in electric, dual fuel and induction ranges.
Oven Racks are available in chrome and in some model’s porcelain-coated. The benefits of porcelain-coated are you can leave them in when you are self-cleaning.
Telescopic Rack option prevents you from reaching into a hot oven which is extremely helpful when removing heavier items such as roasts and turkeys.
Optional cooking modes: proofing, defrost/dehydrate, warming and Sabbath mode.
Faster Preheat option will reduce your cooking time in some cases by 50%.
Warming drawer keep cooked foods warm prior to serving. Sometimes they are built in as a function in the oven or they are located as a separate drawer below the oven cavity.
Oven Racks are available in chrome and in some model’s porcelain-coated. The benefits of porcelain-coated are you can leave them in when you are self-cleaning.
Telescopic Rack option prevents you from reaching into a hot oven which is extremely helpful when removing heavier items such as roasts and turkeys.
Optional cooking modes: proofing, defrost/dehydrate, warming and Sabbath mode.
Faster Preheat option will reduce your cooking time in some cases by 50%.
Warming drawer keep cooked foods warm prior to serving. Sometimes they are built in as a function in the oven or they are located as a separate drawer below the oven cavity.
Different design options
Free-standing ranges are the most popular and easiest to install. Slide-in ranges give a custom built-in look and easily slide in between surrounding cabinets. While stainless steel is the most common, colour ranges are gaining popularity and are available in various colours and finishes.Ranges come in variety of sizes between 24” to 60” wide. To get a professional style range you would have to upgrade to 36” and up, but with the latest innovation you can now have that restaurant style stove in any size. However, if you chose to go with a larger or more powerful range you will have to take into consideration ventilation requirements.
Choose wisely and make sure that whatever you are buying works best for you and your needs. A great way to make sure you are going to love your range is to visit showrooms that allow you to bring your favourite ingredients to test drive.
The pro’s of each product category
Gas range
You want high efficiency cooking
You want high-efficiency cooking but don't have gas lines
You want an easy to clean ceramic cooktop
You are designing a universal kitchen
You want a true convection oven
The con’s to keep in mind
Gas range
You don't have gas lines
You don't have a minimum dedicated 40 Amp circuit
You don't want to replace your pots and pans
You want all gas
You want precision cooking
