Modern built-in ovens are multifunctional devices for preparing dishes of any complexity, from spit-roasted suckling pig to pies and cakes. Each housewife has special requirements for the reliability and safety of the oven. The control panel of the device should be clear and logical; operating modes and additional options play an important role when choosing this type of equipment. In stores you can find a huge number of gas and electric models. It is often difficult for an inexperienced consumer to choose just one of the offered options.
Both gas and electric cooking methods are in demand and find their buyers. Both methods have certain advantages and disadvantages. Our mothers and grandmothers also used gas ovens, but they are quite primitive compared to modern models. People like to cook with gas not only because of the very low cost of this fuel (the average price in Russia is only 5 rubles per cubic meter). Many people claim that food cooked on burners turns out much tastier than using electric equipment. Let's try to figure out what the features and advantages of cooking in a gas oven are.
Choosing dishes
Every housewife knows that the taste and appearance of the finished dish greatly depends on the material of the baking utensils. There is an opinion that baking is a whole science, and it is difficult to disagree with this statement. In addition to carefully calibrating all the ingredients and accurately adjusting the temperature, the final result is largely determined by the characteristics of the baking sheet or baking dish. Before buying cookware for a gas oven, you should think about what exactly you are going to cook in it.
An unshakable classic is metal kitchen utensils. This material conducts heat well, so it is an ideal choice for dishes that need to be well baked until golden brown, such as pizza, roasts or French fries. Baking trays and pots made of any metal (cast iron, copper, bronze, stainless steel) will be the optimal solution for all recipes that require cooking at high temperatures. Metal utensils can be highly polished or matte. The first option is considered more hygienic, and the second is resistant to various damages.
In recent years, disposable aluminum baking dishes have become very popular. Products made from thin aluminum foil conduct heat well and are suitable for cooking a variety of foods. This is an excellent option for those who value their time; disposable tableware has a wide range of shapes and sizes at a low cost. Many housewives choose glass pans for products that require even heating, such as casseroles. Transparent forms make it possible to observe the degree of readiness of the dish. Glass retains heat for a long time after heating, but fragility is the main drawback of the material. Glass products may break if dropped or crack if there is a sudden change in temperature.
You can both bake and serve dishes in ceramic dishes. Products are baked evenly, as in glass forms. Ceramic baking trays have a presentable appearance and will decorate your holiday table. Ceramic items are environmentally friendly and easy to use, but can crack if overheated. Silicone is rightfully considered the best material for baking (provided that you bought the real material). Reusable silicone molds are practical and easy to use; pieces of food hardly stick to their surface. However, silicone takes a very long time to heat up: the outside of the dough may seem ready, but the inside remains raw. You will have to get used to it to work fruitfully with it.
Subtleties of cooking with gas
Many housewives complain about ovens: either the meat burns or the pie is not baked well. However, technology is not always to blame. To enjoy cooking in a gas oven, you should follow a few simple rules. The working chamber must always be kept clean; before cooking, it is necessary to remove all unnecessary objects (baking sheets, frying pans, grates) so that they do not interfere with the circulation of warm air. Before sending the product to bake, the oven is thoroughly preheated at maximum temperature for 15-20 minutes. Then the desired temperature is set and the baking tray with the dish is loaded.
It is not recommended to open the oven door unless absolutely necessary. It is better to observe the readiness through the glass, fortunately all modern models have bright backlighting. If you are using a non-convection gas oven, leave more space around the portions to allow hot air to circulate. The quality of baking directly depends on how accurately you were able to adjust the temperature specified in the recipe. For example, meat is baked at +180 degrees C, lasagna is cooked at +200 C, and pizza at +220 C. After turning off the burners, it is better to leave the pie for 5-7 minutes in a closed oven. It is advisable to have separate molds for different types of baked goods. You shouldn’t look for universal utensils that are suitable for absolutely everything.
How to choose a level
Currently, there are a huge number of recipes for preparing various dishes in ovens. Almost none of them provide information regarding the choice of level at which to cook. Although this parameter is quite important, especially for novice cooks and those people who are using the oven for the first time.
In reality, not everything is as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Most standard gas models have 3 main levels:
- the top one is used when you need to cook food with a golden brown crust. It is used exclusively in the last stages of cooking.
- the bottom one is needed for dishes where the presence of a golden brown crust on the bottom is important, for example, suitable for pizza;
- medium is ideal for cooking a dish on both sides.
Advantages of gas ovens
In our country, cooking with gas burners is much more economical than with electric ones. Due to the relative simplicity of their design, gas ovens are usually much cheaper than electric ovens. A smaller number of parts and assemblies reduces the likelihood of breakdowns; long service life is the main advantage along with the cost-effectiveness of this type of equipment. Simple and intuitive control in the form of rotary switches makes it possible to precisely adjust the power of the burners. Speaking about the advantages, one cannot fail to mention the excellent taste of dishes cooked over a fire.
For a long time, uneven heating was considered a serious drawback of gas ovens. Leading equipment manufacturers such as SMEG have successfully solved this problem using convection. A powerful fan ensures constant mixing of air flows and uniform heating of products at all levels. Modern burners are designed in such a way that the likelihood of them extinguishing due to convection is completely eliminated. Some models are additionally equipped with an electric grill, which helps speed up the cooking process and produce dishes with an appetizing crust. Many of us have been accustomed to cooking with gas since childhood, which is one of the reasons for the popularity of gas ovens.
How to turn on a gas stove
Before turning on your new gas stove, carefully read the instructions that came with it. If for some reason you do not have instructions, or you want to turn on a stove of an unfamiliar design, for example, when cooking at a party or in a rented apartment, inspect the front panel of the gas stove - there should be a symbol on it near each handle indicating which She controls the burner.
Find the gas pipe suitable for the stove and open the valve embedded in it. Usually the gas in the pipes is shut off with a ball valve; if you have the same valve installed, turn its handle so that it is parallel to the gas pipe.
Manual ignition of the burner
In the simplest stoves, the gas is ignited manually, using matches or a special lighter. Decide which burner you will turn on and find out which knob on the stove corresponds to it. Light a match, bring it to the edge of the burner, push down the burner handle (i.e., lightly press on it), and at the same time turn it counterclockwise. When the gas that begins to flow into the burner ignites, quickly remove your hand from the burner and extinguish the match. Set the gas knob to the maximum position, make sure that the gas burns with an even blue flame along the entire perimeter of the burner, then turn the knob to adjust its supply to the amount you need.
In a similar way, you can turn on a gas stove using a lighter, but there is one small nuance in this matter - there are two types of lighters for gas stoves - piezo or electric lighters. If the piezo lighter, before pressing its button, you just need to remove it from the fuse and bring it to the burner, then the electric lighter must first be plugged in.
Built-in burner ignition
If on the left side of this panel you find a button near which a spark is schematically drawn, then your stove is equipped with a semi-automatic electric ignition function.
A gas stove equipped with a semi-automatic or fully automatic electric ignition function is much easier to light. In the first option, you just need to press the handle away from the burner you need, turn it a quarter turn counterclockwise and at the same time press the ignition button. Once the gas ignites, you can adjust the flame. In the second option, the gas in the burner will light up immediately after turning the knob without any additional actions. Note: most modern gas stoves are equipped with a gas supply control system. In such stoves, the handle cannot be released immediately after lighting the gas, otherwise the burner may go out. To prevent this from happening, the handle should be held depressed for about 10 seconds.
How to turn on the oven in gas stoves is described in detail in the article How to turn on the oven in a gas stove.
Oven SMEG-SF6341GVX
A striking example of a functional gas oven is this model from the Classica series. The Italian-made cabinet has an impeccable design: the body is made of high-quality stainless steel, which harmoniously combines with black glass. The metal is treated with a special substance that provides long-lasting and effective protection against fingerprints, drips, stains and other contaminants. The oven has an impressive usable volume of 63 liters, which makes it possible to bake large portions, including large pieces of meat. You can cook on 4 levels at the same time; 1 pair of telescopic guides is included in the package. Metal guides increase comfort during operation: loading and unloading baking sheets, as well as checking the readiness of food is now much easier. And if you install the oven in furniture at chest level, you won’t have to bend over while cooking. Bright internal lighting provides visual control of what is happening in the working chamber.
The gas oven is controlled using ergonomic rotary switches. Supported temperature range: from +150 to +265 degrees C, which allows you to bake meat, fish, vegetables or sweet pastries without any problems. 8 cooking functions are supported, a customizable timer with an acoustic signal will help you accurately control the cooking time. An electric grill with a power of 1.8 kW significantly expands the functionality of the device, helping to quickly achieve an appetizing crispy crust on baked products. The convection fan ensures constant circulation of hot air, which helps food cook evenly at all levels. The walls of the inner chamber are covered with special Ever Clean enamel, which greatly facilitates the maintenance of the device. This substance has a finely porous structure, characterized by low adhesion to fats and pieces of food settling on the surface. Thanks to the Ever Clean coating, grease and dirt do not eat deep into the walls and are washed off almost effortlessly.
Security systems
To protect furniture and surrounding objects from overheating during operation of the SMEG-SF6341GVX oven, a tangential cooling system was developed. A powerful fan creates a dynamic air flow between the work area and the metal cabinet body. Excess heat is removed along with the air through a technological opening in the rear of the device. The microwave oven next door will not heat up, nor will the kitchen unit itself. To protect the user from burns, the door is equipped with triple tempered glass. The inner glass can be easily removed and washed if necessary. Thanks to this design, the temperature of the front panel is also within a safe range during the cooking process.
This model uses natural gas as an energy source; there is a risk of its leakage during operation. Gas equipment is highly explosive and therefore requires reliable protection systems. SMEG engineers are concerned about your safety by equipping the oven with a modern gas control system. This technology includes a sensitive temperature sensor in each heating element. When the flame of any gas burner or all of them goes out at once, the supply of blue fuel will automatically stop, stopping the leak.
For increased comfort when using the oven, automatic electric ignition of the burners is provided. You can now forget about using matches and lighters forever: the flame will ignite from a spark a second after activating the switch. In addition to telescopic guides, the set includes: a deep baking tray, a baking tray with a grid, a grid with a non-stick coating and a spit. The latter makes it possible to cook large pieces of meat in the “grill” mode. Meat dishes are evenly baked, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The SMEG-SF6341GVX model has excellent performance characteristics and makes it possible to prepare restaurant-quality dishes at home. A classic-style oven will be an excellent addition to any kitchen set. Energy efficiency class of the device is A.
How to light, kindle, set fire to the oven in a gas stove Hephaestus, ARDO, Bosch, Indesit, Greta: tips
Many housewives mainly choose safer electric ovens, which are gradually replacing their analogues. Therefore, when working with gas ovens, many encounter problems in their operation.
The advantageous quality of gas ovens is considered to be the achievement of the highest temperatures, which affects the effectiveness of cooking various dishes. To be more confident in subsequent actions when working with gas equipment, you need to read the technical data sheet and instructions for use or annotation.
Oven in gas stoves
Do not be afraid of working with such ovens; modern manufacturers of gas stoves, such as Hephaestus, Indesit, ARDO, Bosch, Greta, etc., use only high-quality materials and all safety developments to ensure complete safety. The main thing is to handle the equipment carefully and carefully to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Some stoves have electric ignition, so it is much easier to work with them, but if this function is not available, then ignite the gas burner manually in this way:
- Open the tap to set the required temperature
- Light a match or a special lighter and bring it to the burner
- When the flame appears, make sure it is distributed evenly
- Carefully close the door, because the flame may go out when the door is closed, it is worth monitoring the gas supply and the presence of flame throughout the entire cooking process.
Branded premium equipment store
All products of the famous SMEG brand are made from high-quality and safe materials. Production capacity is concentrated in 3 factories in northern Italy. Premium household appliances are distinguished by their exclusive design, user-friendly interface, practicality and durability. The catalog of our online store offers a wide range of products: washing machines and dishwashers, refrigerators (built-in and free-standing) and wine coolers, hobs and stoves (gas, electric, induction, combined), kitchen hoods, ovens, microwave ovens, electric ovens , vacuum sealers, proofers and dish warmers, coffee machines and coffee grinders, toasters, kettles, blenders, mixers, juicers, as well as sinks and kitchen faucets.
Also available on the website are original spare parts and accessories for all types of appliances and plumbing, including household chemicals. Close cooperation of the SMEG company with famous designers has resulted in the creation of several bright design collections, in addition to the main line of equipment: 50-s Style (Retro series), Dolce Stil Novo, Portofino, Victoria, Linea, Classica, Coloniale, as well as unique products in collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana and Fiat. The best models are collected for you in the online store of SMEG branded equipment. All products are covered by an official manufacturer's warranty for a period of 24 months. Delivery of goods is carried out in Moscow, St. Petersburg and all regions of Russia.
