Oven capacity
It is the volume of the oven provided in the stove. It s the maximum volume of products that can be placed in it without compromising work efficiency. Accordingly, a
larger oven is useful for large volumes of cooking; on the other hand, such a capacity will significantly affect the price and dimensions of the stove.
If you buy a regular household stove with 4 burners and do not plan to cook a lot in the oven, you can not pay much attention to this parameter. The capacity of the oven is usually enough for most simple tasks like cooking a pie or baking chicken. But for more serious tasks, a larger oven may be required. Detailed recommendations on volumes can be found in special sources.
If there is an additional chamber (see below), this paragraph usually indicates only the volume of the main oven.
Max. temperature
The highest temperature that the oven can reach during normal operation. The minimum value in modern models is 230 °C. However, even this low temperature is considered sufficient for most simple dishes. The average indicator can be called 240 – 250 °C. Such heating is provided by most modern ovens. And the most advanced models can heat up to 300 °C or more. Such capabilities will be useful for some specific recipes that require high temperatures.
Power
Rated power of the oven installed in the stove. Specified only for electric ovens (see above). When determining this parameter, the power of all heaters and other devices installed in the oven (grill, convector, motorized spit, etc.) is taken into account; in other words, this item indicates the maximum power consumption.
This data is useful primarily for assessing electricity consumption, as well as the connected load during operation. But only ovens with similar functionality can be compared with each other in terms of power — for example, two models with convection. Otherwise, the comparison may be incorrect.
Oven cleaning
It is the method of cleaning the inner surface provided in the design of the oven. In addition to traditional and more advanced
steam cleaning, there are
catalytic and
pyrolytic cleaning. More about them:
— Traditional. This option assumes the absence of any devices that facilitate cleaning: you have to wash the oven manually, using ordinary detergents and cleaning products. Such a procedure can be quite troublesome and time-consuming, but such ovens are much cheaper than similar models with more advanced types of cleaning.
— Pyrolytic. Cleaning with high temperature. Dirt on the interior surfaces of the oven is burned to ash, which can then be easily removed without using detergents. At the same time, pyrolytic cleaning equally effectively handles all types of dirt, both new and old. The disadvantages of such a system are the duration of cleaning (sometimes up to several hours), high cost, and significant consumption of resources (electricity or gas, depending on the type of oven). In addition, during the operation of the cleaning system, unpleasant odours often arise, generated by the combustion of contaminants in the oven.
— Catalytic. Ovens with this type of cleaning have a special coating on the inner surface that breaks down grease on the oven walls. Fat disintegration is accelerated at high temperatures; the oven is thus self-cleaning t
...o a certain extent. However, the efficiency of catalytic cleaning is lower than that of pyrolytic cleaning. It is unable to cope with the entire amount of fat on the walls. Therefore, such an oven should be washed from time to time. On the other hand, ovens with catalytic cleaning are cheaper than ones with pyrolytic cleaning. And the cleaning itself does not require additional electricity/gas costs, nor is time-consuming (except for washing/wiping).
— Steam cleaning. Cleaning the oven with heated steam. A certain volume of water is poured into a baking sheet or another container, the container is placed in the oven and the cleaning mode is turned on. Due to heating, the water evaporates, and the heated steam softens the dirt on the walls and partially disintegrates the fat. After the end of the programme, it is enough to wipe the oven with a damp cloth. Such a cleaning requires less time and resources than pyrolysis and often turns out to be more effective than catalytic — steam can soften even old dried-up contaminants. At the same time, these ovens are relatively inexpensive. At the same time, this mode does not guarantee to cope with any contamination. It is possible that after the end of the steam cleaning, the oven will have to be washed traditionally.Automatic switch-off
The type of automatic switch-off provided in the design of the stove.
Auto-off can be provided
for the hob(hob),
for the oven, or for both at once, regardless of whether the hob and oven are gas or electric. This function is implemented through a timer, after which the device turns off.
Energy class
The energy class describes the overall efficiency of the cooker in terms of energy consumption. Note that we are not talking about actual consumption (see "Connected load" for details), but about the efficiency of the stove, about the efficiency of using the energy that it consumes.
This indicator is especially important for models with at least one electric burner or electric oven/grill. But, if we are talking about a purely gas stove, you can not pay much attention to the energy consumption class. Electricity in such models is spent only on additional functions like auto-ignition or oven lighting,
Initially, the classes were marked in Latin letters from
A(the most economical) and then alphabetically in order of decreasing efficiency — B, C, D ... Later, improved classes
A+,
A++ appeared; the more pluses, the higher the efficiency. Today, energy consumption in class A can be called medium, and in a lower class — high. The maximum indicator found in modern stoves is A++; if we are talking about a model with an electric burner, such a stove is usually expensive, but it pays off by saving electricity during use.
Connected load
The connected load of the stove is the maximum electrical power consumed during operation. This parameter is indicated only for models that are equipped with at least one electric heater — burner (burners), oven or grill. It is the burners that are the highest consumption in terms of energy consumption; Features such as auto-ignition or oven lighting require little energy, a ordinary socket is enough for them.
First of all, the requirements for the power grid depend on this indicator: it must be able to provide such power without overload. It is worth noting that for household sockets the power limit is about 3 – 3.5 kW; with more power, you need to connect the stove to a 230 V network according to special rules. An alternative is a three-phase 400 V mains: most modern stoves with electric heaters allow connection to both 230 V and 400 V.
