Fans of rich desserts and baked-stewed delights have probably more than once encountered a situation when, after preparing a dish, the result does not meet expectations. Why did the picture show a beautiful fluffy pie, but in the end it turned out to be a flat cake? Here it is not only a matter of the correct selection of ingredients, but also the correct use of a gas or electric oven.
The design of these two versions of culinary cabinets has general rules operation, as well as nuances for each type of device. Even beginners can master these moments, the main thing is to study the instructions for the desired model and learn how to use the equipment to maximize its strengths.
3 nuances of using an electric oven:
You also need to select a certain type of cookware for cooking. For electrical appliances, containers made of ceramics, refractory clay or cast iron are ideal. Metal containers and foil cannot be used. This is due to the design feature of the electric oven - metal and the containers that contain it are conductors of electricity and can cause sparks inside the device and damage it.
5 rules for cooking in an electric oven:
Modern models of electric ovens are equipped with useful “full-time” options, with which you can easily bake/stew both exotic and traditional dishes.
Basic cooking modes in electrical devices:
Gas ovens are somewhat inferior in functionality to their electric “brothers”, but they allow you to bake to the same extent. delicious dishes. Housewives often complain that the delicacies are not fully baked or that the top is not golden brown as stated in the recipe. How to deal with this? Learn how to properly bake and cook first/second courses in a gas oven. Used for baking special forms or a complete aluminum baking sheet. By the way, you should not use the black tray that comes with the oven for cooking. It is designed to collect residual fat.
Rules for cooking food in a gas oven include:
A little secret to getting a golden crust on pies is to add the number of degrees 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
IN standard options Gas stoves have only 2 heating modes and there is no fan. The appliances have bottom heat (gas heating element) and top heat (gas or electric grill).
Learning to correctly regulate the settings in culinary cabinets is a matter of time; the above tips will definitely help cooks with this. It remains to consider the last question: “What is the optimal depth of such units?”
This parameter directly affects the usable volume of the oven. Such units have dimensions from 40 to 90 cm in width, and the depth of the models is 55-60 cm. For a family of 3-4 or more people, it makes sense to choose a larger option so that the finished dish is enough for everyone (for example, the depth is 62 cm ). For 1-2 users, a stove with a depth of 50 cm (for example, 53 cm) is sufficient.
Gas and electric models of cooking cabinets have their own operational nuances, which are clearly displayed in the table
|
Operating rules |
Gas oven | Electric oven |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up time (min) | 10-15 | 15-20 |
| Temperature setting | on a special scale, manually | according to a special scale |
| Level selection | top, middle, bottom | top, middle, bottom |
| Cooking modes | top and bottom heat, grill | top and bottom heat, grill, defrosting, heating, fan |
| Baking container | ceramic, fireproof glass, cast iron, silicone molds, foil or baking sleeve | ceramic, cast iron frying pans, refractory clay molds |
The choice remains with users who need to study the instructions in detail before using the unit. The main operating rules are set out above; using them means ensuring a long and trouble-free “life” of the equipment, obtaining excellent taste and appetizing appearance dishes cooked in gas or electric ovens.
Almost any dish intended to be cooked on hob stoves, can be cooked in the oven, and it will turn out more useful, because less oil will be used. Beginning housewives usually do not use an oven in the first stages of learning culinary skills, but gradually, wanting to learn how to cook new dishes, girls master it too. For this reason, you need to understand how to use the oven, what the different modes and levels are for.
Before you start cooking in the oven, you must read the instructions that came with this model. In addition to the fact that the oven can be gas or electric, it may have additional parameters that must be taken into account during operation so that it lasts a long time and does not break down.
Rules for using a gas oven:
Rules for using an electric oven:
Otherwise, all the rules for operating an electric oven are similar to a gas oven. You must always keep them in mind, and in the first stages of mastering the oven, you can read the instructions before each preparation of a dish. This will protect the oven and dish from unexpected situations.
Many people choose electric ovens, since they are multifunctional and allow you to adjust any temperature.
If you read recipes for dishes baked in the oven, you will see that the authors almost never indicate at what level certain products should be cooked, and this parameter is very important, especially for novice housewives. There are certain patterns that must be taken into account before starting cooking, then the dish will be prepared without any complaints.
The medium level is considered universal, at which the dish is evenly baked on all sides, and the upper and lower heating is turned on. If you need to make a golden brown crust, at the last stages of cooking you can move the dishes with the dish to a higher position. high level. If you want the dish to bake better on the bottom and not burn on the top, for example, when preparing pizza, you need to move the dishes to the lower level.
IN Lately Many people believe that food that takes a long time to cook preserves the texture of the food and its nutrients, so some housewives prefer to cook on low settings. In this case, the dish will cook better if you place it on the lower level under low heat.
The universal mode, which achieves uniform heating from above and below, can be used to prepare almost any dish, but in some cases you need to use a different option. The universal mode is suitable for cooking baked goods, roasting fish or meat and other similar products in open containers.
Many modern ovens have a choice of several modes, one of which is strong heating of the lower heating element and standard heating of the upper one. In this case, cooking the dish will be faster than in the universal mode. Typically, this option is used when it is necessary to achieve a golden crust at the bottom of a dish or to cook something in a container that does not conduct heat well. This can be glass or aluminum utensils, as well as roast pots.
In medium and high ovens price category there is usually a fan on back wall, it is used to heat the dish evenly. As a rule, they use uniform heating of the upper and lower heating elements together with a fan. This mode is suitable for baking whole pieces meat or fish, as well as for large volumes of baked goods.
The lower heating mode is used for cooking dishes topped with fruit or cheese to prevent them from burning. In addition, the mode can be used for canning, heating ready-made foods or creating a golden brown crust at the bottom of a dish, but this process must be constantly monitored.
A separate top heating is suitable for cooking those dishes that should turn out juicy on the inside and golden brown on top. In addition, this mode is suitable for preparing dishes in forms, for example, julienne, casserole or lasagne. Ideal option It will be if, in addition to the top heating, you can turn on the fan, then the products will be better baked.
In some ovens there is low heat, at which both heating elements are turned on, but they heat up to a low temperature. This allows you to defrost food without losing its taste and useful substances, as well as drying foods, such as mushrooms, fruits, vegetables or berries.
Modern ovens provide a grill mode, in which the dish is cooked in such a way that the taste is as close as possible to that cooked over a fire or coals. This is the best way to cook meat dishes– kupaty, meat rolls, kebabs, steaks, etc.
If your oven does not have a “Grill” mode, you can achieve an equally tasty result using regular universal heating. If you are baking large pieces of meat, poultry or fish, you need to constantly be in the kitchen so that during the cooking process, from time to time, pour the juices released from them on top of the pieces. This allows you to achieve a uniform crispiness and juiciness of the finished dish. However, this method is not suitable for small sizes of the original products; it will make them excessively dry.
In addition to the traditional method, you can bake food in the oven using an artificial casing - foil or a bag. In the first case, you can cook meat, fish, poultry or vegetables; the cooking time and temperature will depend on the size of the pieces. When using foil, one thing must be observed important rule: The shiny side should be facing the dish, and the matte side should be facing out. Using a baking bag, you can prepare the main dish along with a side dish; first, several holes are made in the walls of the bag with a fork or toothpick so that it does not burst during cooking. Baking in an artificial casing allows you to achieve juiciness and softness of the dish, which is why many housewives choose this method.
Not all housewives know that you can cook porridge or soup in the oven, as a result of which their taste will be more intense, as when cooked in traditional oven. All ingredients will be the same standard recipe soup or porridge, but the cooking time will be increased, as a result of which the dish will acquire a simmering taste.
Almost all housewives know how to use a gas or electric stove, but multifunctional modern appliances have much more capabilities. Therefore, many people do not know how to use them. World manufacturers household appliances, such as Electrolux, Gorenie, Ariston, Bosch, Samsung, attach operating instructions to their devices, which not everyone reads to the end. In fact, figuring out how an oven works is quite simple if you know the basic modes and operating features.
Different devices have different operating modes. The list of possible oven operating modes is presented as follows:
Additional modes:
Cooking different foods requires different temperatures. Manufacturers of modern technology have taken care of this.
The grill function differs from the heating function in that food is cooked by infrared radiation. That is, it is not the air in the cabinet that heats up, but the dish that is under the tube. Therefore, all dishes must be placed strictly under the grill.
The grill function can be used to fully cook, for example, meat or poultry, or at the final stage to brown the surface of the product. In different ovens, the grill power, that is, the maximum temperature, may differ. It can be from 180°C to 250°C.
To grill sausages, chops, sausages, kupats, steaks or simply fry chicken, you need to preheat the oven for five minutes. If the oven comes with a spit with an electric motor, then the product is evenly fried on all sides.
Each appliance requires constant care, especially the oven, because after each cooking food accumulates on the walls. a large number of burnt fat. Modern devices have functions that facilitate the process of “cleaning” inside the oven. Cleaning options:
Approximately such possibilities have modern models ovens. Each function is necessary in its own way for every housewife to prepare new dishes. More detailed instructions presented on video.
Modern electric oven - enough interesting device, she can do a lot, and sometimes can confuse an inexperienced buyer: why are there so many modes, how do they differ from each other, and, most importantly, are they needed? That’s why we decided to take a closer look at these very modes, to understand the logic of their impact on products, so that anyone who reads this article can firmly decide what they need and what they don’t.
Text: Olga Kuzmina
Tips: Andrey Rydzevsky, Chef Electrolux
When a housewife gets acquainted with a new oven, the first thing she encounters is the need for translation. And not in the sense from one language to another, but more often from the names inherent in each company to generally accepted terms.
What is it for? It's simple, you can compare one oven with another only when the object of comparison is clear. Therefore, we avoid pretentious, and most importantly, incomprehensible expressions such as “turbo air”, “maxi-grill”, “intense hot air”, “thermal circulation” or “3-0 convection”. And if the description includes some function like “slow baking” or “gratin”, we strive to “shake” the whole truth from the brand department about how it works.
That's why specifications in manufacturers' catalogs they look much brighter and more seductive than our boring, but understandable data. We will not deviate from this rule now, so we assign the same names to the modes that you will see on the following pages of the review.
At the beginning of the story there are several general advice. In the instructions for ovens (which we actively use), for successful cooking, it is recommended to preheat them to the required temperature (we focus on the thermostat indicator lamp; it should go out).
Only for very fatty meat can you make an exception and put it in a cold oven. In this case, the cabinet can be turned off a few minutes before it is ready; the residual temperature will be sufficient for the successful completion of the process. It is advisable to open the door as little as possible, and observe the “behavior” of the products through the glass (this is why the backlight often does not turn off while cooking is in progress).
This is a mandatory mode for any electric oven. It has many names: static, traditional, classic heating. Two heating elements below and above are turned on simultaneously. The heat generated by the elements creates the effect of natural convection: a hot flow rises from below, and a cool flow falls from above. But this movement is not as rapid as we would like, the process proceeds slowly, and heat does not always fill the oven chamber evenly. The lower heating element is always more powerful.
Andrey Rydzevsky, chef Electrolux professional
Some foods, particularly pies, are more difficult to bake from the bottom. While browning on top is not a problem. The position of the baking sheet in the oven allows in this case achieve balance. Good example- pizza. To make it crunchy from below, the baking sheet with the pie is placed on the lower levels, otherwise the dough will not bake and the filling on top may burn.
Conclusion: you can use the guides in the middle of the oven. But, if you want the heat to flow more strongly from above or below, the grille is moved one floor in the desired direction.
We obtained a variety of dishes suitable for cooking in this mode from catalogs and instructions:
- These are savory pastries, muffins, cookies, delicate cakes, biscuits, bread;
— Stuffed vegetables;
— Lasagna;
— Roast, pork ribs, lean beef, poultry;
- Fish, fish casseroles.
This is a variation of the traditional mode, here a more powerful lower element is installed than usual. Turn on this mode if you want to quickly fry the dish from below. In addition, it is suitable for forms that do not conduct heat well, such as glass and aluminum vessels.
I prefer this mode for dishes in pots, so-called Casserole. The presence of liquid will prevent the roast from burning, and the dish will cook faster, since the bottom it's going well heat from above - as a result, the pot simmers evenly on all sides.
Two heating elements work, but they are also connected to a fan installed on the rear wall. When the turbine rotates, streams of hot air rapidly spread throughout the oven. This creates the same climatic conditions throughout the entire volume, which means a uniform effect on the products. It is preferable to choose a medium level of guides in order to take full advantage of circulation and an even microclimate in the oven.
It is very important that heating of dishes due to the movement of air masses becomes more intense, the set temperature is reached in a very
In a short time, the food browns faster and on all sides. The speed of the process allows you to preserve the internal juiciness of the dish. In this mode, it is possible, and sometimes necessary, to reduce the usual temperature. In addition, cooking will take much less time; according to some data, the cycle time can be reduced by 30%.
In the vocabulary typical for describing ovens, the operation of a fan can be called convection. This is quite acceptable, although, strictly speaking, in the traditional mode there is also convection. Let's clarify.
Convection is the phenomenon of heat transfer, in our case, in the air. Natural convection occurs when a volume of air is heated unevenly, warmer is lighter, colder is heavier. But the fan creates forced convection, that is, the mixing of flows depends not on temperatures, but on the speed of rotation of the blades. In our magazine, a fan may be called a convector, but the word convection is not used as the name of this mode.
Ovens equipped with a fan (or a ring element with a fan) are called multifunctional. If these devices are not available, the model is static.
The mode is suitable for large dishes that require even cooking inside and out, for example, fried rolls, pork trotters, cakes, puddings, casseroles, roasts.
Some manufacturers specify that you can cook on 2 levels at the same time.
Andrey Rydzevsky, chef at Electrolux professional:
Dual heating mode with fan is good for large pieces of meat, fish and whole poultry. This mode is also suitable for large dishes that require even cooking inside and out, such as roast rolls, pork trotters, cakes, puddings, casseroles, roasts.
On the other hand, some dishes, for example, meringues and omelettes, do not like convection, so static is preferable for them.
Mode 4: Bottom Heat
The lower heating element is the most “secret” element of the oven; it is not visible, it is hidden behind the bottom of the chamber. Heating from below is often the main thing in very simple ovens; in more complex ovens it rather serves as an auxiliary one. It is recommended to use it for drying the bottom of pies with a wet filling, for example, fruit, browning on the bottom, and for canning. Bottom heat is also chosen for long-term baking.
The mode has significant disadvantages - longer cooking compared to the two options already described. The housewife is forced to pay more attention to the process itself: unfolding the baking sheet, moving it lower or higher.
The principle of this mode is the same as when the lower element is working, only cooking proceeds more quickly. The heat from below rises to the ceiling, is captured by the currents created by the fan and spreads throughout the oven. This mode is often recommended for baking open-faced pies or quickly finishing bakes when a high bottom temperature is required, for example for low-rising baked goods made from yeast dough. Pros: juicy inside and evenly browned on all sides, especially the bottom. The instructions for the Gorenje oven do not recommend using tall forms so as not to disturb the circulation of heated air over the dish.
The upper heating element is placed along the perimeter of the oven ceiling; this tube is always visible. In this mode, the element works solo. The heating is not so intense and, in addition, natural convection is difficult. The mode is selected for frying almost finished dishes on top, for example, cakes, casseroles, browning breading, as well as cooking lightly fried vegetables on the grill. In the instructions for the Ardo device we found the following dishes: dumplings, polenta, rice, lasagna, pasta casseroles, vegetables with bechamel. And Miele has puddings and baked vegetables.
Andrey Rydzevsky, chefElectroluxprofessional:
Andrei Rydzevsky chooses this mode for “juliennes, French-style meats and all dishes that require giving them a golden “cap” of cheese and mayonnaise.” We cook only on the upper tier of the guides.
This is an accelerated “version” of the previous mode 6. The combination of heating and the movement of air masses allows you to achieve a light golden crust on the surface of products with uniform internal heating. Therefore, the mode is chosen for dishes baked in molds: casseroles, soufflés of vegetables, meat, lasagna.
Andrey Rydzevsky, chefElectroluxprofessional:
Sometimes the difference between some modes is very speculative, that is, we are not dealing with technical, but rather with marketing categories.
Regarding the use of some modes, I have my own opinion, different from what is usually written in the instructions. It is based on my daily experience. I think housewives will also quickly be able to master the intricacies of their new ovens and adjust their capabilities to suit themselves.
A spiral heater is placed on the back wall of the oven, folded into a ring, and inside this ring there is a fan. The circular shape was not chosen by chance; the warm air coming from the element is completely captured by the vortex flows created by the fan. The flows are distributed horizontally and then quickly fill the entire chamber.
It is the horizontal movement of hot air jets in this mode that allows you to cook not one, but several dishes at once, placing them on 2-3 levels of the oven. There is only one condition - the required temperature must be the same for all dishes. The drier air inside the oven and the removal of moisture prevents flavors from changing and flavors from mixing, which can result in different dishes.
The mode combines high speed and economy. The benefits of this achievement are especially obvious on the eve of the holidays, when you have to cook a lot.
A simple example: at one time we bake not one, but three cake layers. Some of the difficulties faced by cooks disappear; now there is no need to worry that the pie dough will overheat while the first batch is “sitting” in the oven, or that the dish baked first will hopelessly cool down while we are working on the next one.
In addition, housewives are practical people, and sometimes they simply refuse a menu with a few goodies from the oven, and with this mode the problem becomes irrelevant.
Comment from the Indesit Company press service: “This heating does not cause the dish to burn on either side; its advantages are that it is possible to maintain a low temperature, for example, for defrosting or for raising yeast dough. The mode is gentle, since infrared rays do not affect the dish.”
The operation of a ring heater with a fan is suitable for puff pastry, drying herbs, mushrooms, fruits, sterilizing home canned food and all dishes that should be soft and juicy inside and at the same time well baked.
If food is being cooked on one level, then, according to Electrolux, it is wiser to use the lower guides so that the food is better visible. It is also recommended to use one level in the instructions for the Gorenje oven for juicy pastries and fruit pies. When cooking on 2 tiers, it is better to occupy the 1st and 3rd (Zanussi). As already mentioned, several baking sheets are placed in the oven at once, so it is not recommended to occupy the upper level. The instructions for Neff and Bosch ovens indicate that pies and pizza can be baked on two levels, but flat cookies and puff pastries are better on three.
The operation of the fan increases the intensity of the impact on the products, that is, the operating temperature of the mode should be lower. It is important that you do not need to preheat the oven, although there are exceptions. Example from Miele instructions - roasting roast beef or baking dark varieties bread, and Gorenje has any baked goods. Cooking speeds up - baking takes less time. In addition, dishes are subjected to uniform temperature treatment.
In our publication, this mode is usually called convection.
This is a combined mode that takes advantage of convection, that is, uniform and intense heat, and heating from below. But unlike the first one, only one oven level is involved here, the middle one is best. According to the recommendations of the companies, in this mode you can cook unfrozen semi-finished products, French fries, strudel (from the Neff instructions). Moreover, preheating is not necessary.
European oven manufacturers in this mode saw analogies with an oven, where heat comes from all sides, but especially from below. Such conditions turned out to be ideal for preparing pizza - an open-faced pie, which is very easy to buy in a store as a semi-finished product or to make yourself. The pizza must have well-baked and browned dough - the basis of the dish, but the filling must be warmed up, but not lose its juiciness.
In addition to pizza, the mode is selected for baked potatoes, fruit pies, cheesecake, Kirsch Laurent, pies with glaze, cheesecakes, and buns.
Several other areas of application are reheating, keeping dishes hot, defrosting.
Comment from the Indesit Company press service: “This mode is optimal for fruit pie: when we bake a fruit pie with shortcrust pastry, we need, on the one hand, that the dough is not sticky and baked well, for this we use bottom heating, but, on the other hand, the filling, i.e. upper layer, should be baked, but not burnt; for this, a ring heater and a fan work.”
This function is not common, as you can see, almost all oven heaters are used here, why is this done?
First of all, this is a very fast achievement. desired temperature, so the mode is sometimes used to preheat the oven before placing a dish prepared for baking into it.
Secondly, this is quick cooking. Convection is enhanced by additional heat flows and optimal temperature distribution. The function is selected for dishes that require deep baking to form a golden brown crust.
Sometimes heaters are not used to their full potential, for example, the upper and lower heating elements use their power partially. In other cases, on the contrary, all elements work to the maximum.
Comment from the Indesit Company press service: “This mode is intended for large dishes (leg of lamb, suckling pig), which take up a lot of space in the cabinet itself, or, for example, several pans of pies, which also fill most of the space, then the temperature distribution occurs evenly at all levels."
|
PECULIARITIES |
OPERATING ELEMENTS |
EXAMPLES |
|
For raising yeast dough, making yogurt. |
Bottom heating, 40°C |
Hotpoint-Ariston, Gaggenau, Whirlpool |
|
Defrosting (40°C). |
Fan + ring heating. |
Hotpoint-Ariston |
|
Also - heating in the environment warm air. Defrosting (30°C). Heating 40-100°C. |
Fan + ring heater + bottom heating. |
Only De"Longhi |
|
Temperature 80°C. Fast heating (90°C). |
Bottom + top heating. |
Electrolux, Hotpoint-Ariston |
|
Keeps the finished dish hot, temperature 66-100°C. |
Bottom + top heating. |
Bosch, Siemens, Candy, Hotpoint-Ariston, Whirlpool |
|
For professional serving of food, temperature 30-65°C. |
Bottom + top heating. |
The grill is a tube-shaped element that is attached to the ceiling of the oven. It differs from a simple heating element, including the top one, in the specificity of its impact - using infrared radiation. It does not heat the air, but the food itself. The grill radiation acts strictly under the element, that is, placing sausages or chicken legs slightly to the side will make it difficult to achieve the desired result.
The grill can be used as the main cooking mode, as well as final stage, when you want to crisp up a dish appetizingly.
Manufacturers are unanimous in the name of this mode, only the Hotpoint-Ariston company calls it barbecue, and Gorenje calls it infraheating.
Grills come in several varieties.
The usual one is U-shaped or in the form of a zigzag, the sphere of its “interest” is the entire area of the lattice. Some models use a more economical option - a grill with two contours, a small one inside (for example, the so-called middle part of Neff) and a large one along the perimeter of the ceiling.
The small circuit is included if the portions are small, for example, 4 pieces of toast or several thin pieces of meat. And big and small together in the case when the products are spread out over the entire grill. Grills can differ not only in area, but also in power, so it is easy to choose softer or, on the contrary, stronger frying.
Grills can operate exclusively at maximum (meaning their own temperature limit, for example, 250°C for Ardo, 200°C for Kaiser, or 180°C and 220°C for Neff), but manufacturers often produce ovens with variable power to adjust the intensity of frying, say, Whirlpool has 5 power levels, or ovens with a choice of operating temperature.
The oven is preheated for 3 or 5 minutes, as recommended in the instructions from Gorenje and Ardo; Neff experts suggest preheating it for 10 minutes, but only for frying toast. The cooking level is upper or one level lower, depending on the thickness of the pieces of meat. Frying is most often done on a grate, and to prevent fat from burning and dirtying the bottom, a tray is placed on the lower level; water can be added to it to avoid smoke and fumes.
Examples of using the grill: steaks, sausages, bacon, frankfurters, kupaty, chops, liver, rolls, hearts, fish fillets, vegetables, toast, as well as dishes in small or large ramekins.
To master culinary delights, you need not only to choose the appropriate recipe, but also to figure out how to use the oven correctly. In many ways, the features of cooking depend on what kind of oven you use - gas or electric.
The gas oven is easy to use, durable and economical. It is equipped with a minimal set of functions, so it is easy to manage. Such a closet - the best option for kitchens with weak electrical wiring.
A gas oven has minimal functions, so it is easy to use.
In the absence of a centralized gas supply, it operates from a gas cylinder. Heating in the cabinet occurs due to an open flame. Gas to maintain it is supplied from below - through the nozzles of the burners.
Instructions for using a gas oven:
The main disadvantage of the oven is the risk of explosion, so before each use the device must be inspected for gas leaks. Disadvantages gas cabinets also considered: poor functionality, slow heating, lack of high temperatures. Users often note uneven baking of dishes.
Static electric ovens are a cabinet with two heating elements - upper and lower. Sometimes there is a grill. Expensive models are multifunctional devices. They are equipped with a fan, thanks to which the dishes are well baked. You can steam and defrost food in them.
Housewives who love culinary delights are better off using an electric oven.
Instructions for using an electric oven.
