has used 9 gas stoves, including 3 for domestic use and 6 for commercial use, for more than 20 years. During this period, he has been deceived when buying gas stoves. After many exchanges and learning, he finally summed up the most practical solutions at the moment. Here are some tips for choosing a gas stove, I hope it will be helpful to you.
For household gas stove , I personally think that the following conditions must be met. 1. It is convenient for cleaning and hygiene; 2. The installation measures are in place, including child lock and flameout protection device; 3. The material should be good and durable; 4. The small fire should be stable and the big fire should be strong. 5. If it is used by the elderly, it is recommended to buy one with anti-dry burning function. As for other functions, you can have them, but they are not required.
Now I will share my purchasing experience with you. If there are any shortcomings, please give me your advice.
1. Look at the installation size, installation method, and confirm the gas source
No matter what gas stove you buy, you must first confirm the installation method, whether it is desktop installation or embedded installation. The second step is to confirm the installation size and air source. Why do you say that? Because there are size requirements for the installation of gas stoves, if the cabinet countertop opening is too large, it cannot be installed, and if it is small, it cannot be installed. (For details, please see the red mark position and opening size in the picture below)
Finally, confirm the gas source. Common gas sources include natural gas 12T, coal gas , and liquefied gas. T represents natural gas, and Y represents petroleum gas . R stands for gas. Corresponding air sources correspond to corresponding equipment and cannot be mixed with each other. (For details, please see the green mark position in the picture above. The gas source is suitable for gas stoves.)
2. Confirm the type of gas stove
Before purchasing a gas stove, you must also confirm the installation type, whether it is a single-burner stove, an electric combination stove, a double-burner stove, or a three-burner stove. kitchen. Single-burner stoves and gas-electric combination stoves are already on the verge of elimination and are not suitable for home use, so they will not be considered here.
Comparing double-burner stoves with three-burner stoves, double-burner stoves have the highest popularity rate and can cook two dishes at the same time, making them most suitable for family use. The three-burner stove only has one more stove than the double-burner stove, and can cook three dishes at the same time. It seems to be a user-friendly design, but in fact the demand is low. It is expensive but not available.
3. See stove head , -point stove material
common The burner head and flame distributor are made of pure copper, aluminum alloy, and cast iron. Among them, the most suitable one is pure copper , which has the advantages of good thermal conductivity, good heat dissipation, high temperature resistance (melting point 1083°C), and corrosion resistance; relatively speaking, the aluminum alloy burner head has better thermal conductivity, heat dissipation, and high temperature resistance (melting point 600°C). â) are not as good as the former, and the quality is second. Although the cast iron burner is resistant to high temperatures, it is easy to rust when working in a humid environment for a long time, which may lead to blocked pores and poor air outlet, so it is not recommended to use.
However, flame distributors can be divided into real copper and fake copper. Some unscrupulous merchants sell copper-plated flame distributors as pure copper stoves. When you buy it, try it with a magnet. If the two attract each other, it will become an iron stove, and vice versa. It is a copper burner.
4. Look at the safety configuration
A qualified gas stove must have a child lock device and a flameout protection device. The switch knob child lock device is mainly used to prevent children from tampering and improper operation when turning on and off the gas, causing safety accidents; the flameout protection device can cut off the gas source immediately to avoid safety accidents caused by accidental flame extinguishing.
There are three common protection devices: thermal type, thermocouple type, and ion type. The thermal flameout protection device is not durable and has a long response time, and has been eliminated. The thermocouple protection device is the current mainstream configuration. It has the advantage of safety, but the disadvantage is that it responds slowly and takes about 40 seconds to cut off the air source. Relatively speaking, ion The flameout protection device is the most practical, cutting off the gas source in 1 second, and is reliable and durable. However, it has a low market share and is expensive. It is generally installed on high-end brand gas stoves.(For details, please see the description of the flameout protection of the product in the picture below)
Just choosing the right protection device is not enough, you also have to look at its material. The best quality is the copper-clad sensor needle, which does not rust and has a long service life; stainless steel The wrapped sensor needle is second, and its corrosion resistance is not as good as the former; the iron-wrapped sensor needle is the worst, and it is easy to rust if it is not cleaned in time when exposed to water, and its service life and quality are not satisfactory.
5. Look at the panel material
Whether the gas stove is easy to use or not, the panel material is also the key. At present, the panels of gas stoves include tempered glass , stainless steel, and ceramics. The most commonly used tempered glass has the advantages of corrosion resistance, good appearance, easy cleaning, high temperature resistance, and long service life. The disadvantage is that it is afraid of corners and explodes when touched. The second is that it has a self-explosion rate of three thousandths; ceramics The panel has good appearance, is easy to clean, and is corrosion-resistant, but its high-temperature resistance is slightly poor, its load-bearing capacity is not as good as tempered glass and stainless steel, and it is more expensive. Stainless steel panels have high temperature resistance, long life, and high safety, but their corrosion resistance and aesthetics are slightly worse than the former two.
After confirming the panel, you also need to find out its quality. For example: tempered glass has ordinary tempering and explosion-proof tempering. Ordinary tempered glass is cheap, not impact-resistant, and relatively easy to explode; explosion-proof glass is bulletproof and impact-resistant. , the quality is better than the former. The soda-lime ion tempered glass and gold sand tempered glass claimed by merchants on the market are all marketing gimmicks and made-up new terms, and are not included in the comparison here.
The second is the stainless steel panel, which is made of 201, 304, 316 materials. For home use, choose 304, 316 food-grade stainless steel, not 201 material, which will oxidize and rust after being damaged, and the gloss will be reduced. If distinguished by thickness, the national standard stipulates that it is no less than 0.3mm, and some good panels even reach 0.4mm and 0.5mm. However, there are also some low-quality panels with a thickness of less than 0.2mm, which have poor load-bearing capacity and are not recommended by individuals.
6. Look at the ignition method
There are two ignition methods for gas stoves, namely pulse ignition and pressure ceramic ignition. The success rate of pulse ignition is high, up to more than 90%, but it requires battery assistance. The advantage of pressure ceramic ignition is that it does not require a battery or an external power supply, but the ignition success rate is lower than the former. Although everyone says that pressure ceramic ignition is obsolete, I personally still think it is more practical than pulse ignition.
7. Look at the air intake method
Any gas source requires oxygen for combustion. Only when sufficient air volume enters the stove, the gas will be fully burned. The more fully the combustion will save energy.
There are three air inlet methods for gas stoves currently on the market, namely full air inlet, upper air inlet, and lower air inlet. Relatively speaking, full air intake gas stoves have the most complete combustion, the most energy saving, the highest safety, and the highest heat load. The upper air intake has enough air and sufficient combustion, but it is slightly worse than full air intake. The flame of the gas stove with downward air intake is not very stable, a little floaty, and the quality is the worst.
8. Look at the bottom shell material
The bottom shell materials of gas stoves currently on the market include iron sheet and galvanized sheet . The iron sheet will rust after one or two years of use, reducing its load-bearing capacity. Galvanized sheet is a kind of steel with strong load-bearing capacity, high hardness, and does not rust. It is the best choice to buy it.
Secondly, look at the structure of the bottom shell. One is a full-coverage structure and the other is a half-coverage structure. The all-inclusive structure can assist the panel in bearing load and increase the load-bearing capacity of the stove. Relatively speaking, the half-pack structure is worse. Not only does it not help, it also increases the load-bearing capacity of the panel. Therefore, the probability of panel damage is greater than the former.
9. Look at the internal structure
There are two internal structures of gas stoves, one is a direct plug-in structure, and the other is a full-pipe structure. The wiring of gas stoves with a direct plug-in structure is messy and less safe; the full-pipe structure is mainly used on some high-end stoves. The lines and pipes are laid neatly and standardly, and the protection needs to be more meticulous.
However, there are good and bad direct plug-in structures. For high-quality direct plug-in structures, solenoid valves , batteries, assemblies, pulse igniters and other places are all protected by galvanized sheets, and the power cords are also organized. Very standardized. The inferior plug-in structure not only has no protection, but also the power circuit is quite confusing.
When purchasing a gas stove, in addition to the above-mentioned hard indicators, you should also pay attention to its usage experience. No matter how good the quality of the stove is, it is useless if it is uncomfortable to use. Therefore, when purchasing a gas stove, you must also pay attention to practicality. It must be simple to operate, comfortable to use, simple, easy to use and easy to clean. Therefore, letâs share some details that influence the user experience.
1. Look at the difficulty of cleaning
A gas stove is not just easy to use, it must also be easy to clean. Otherwise, there will be dead spots everywhere, dirt everywhere, not only looks uncomfortable, but also breeds bacteria and affects health.
There are three models of burner designs currently on the market, namely, flip-up burner design, left and right movable burner design, and detachable burner design. Relatively speaking, I personally think that the detachable burner design is the best. The burner is separated from the base, and the remaining oil stains on the countertop can be cleaned cleanly.
However, although the nine or ten burner heads of the fierce stove can be disassembled, they do not fundamentally solve the problem. There are still hygienic dead corners in the base. (For details, please see the marked position in the picture below)
The flip-up design and the left-right movement design are not as practical as the former. There is still a certain sanitary blind spot at the intersection between the stove head and the panel. Especially in the flip-up design, the gas nozzle is exposed, which is not only difficult to take care of but also a bit worrying about loosening. It feels like it is treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.
Left and right mobile design
2. Look at the flame
Looking at the flame mainly depends on its power, energy efficiency and adjustability. The national standard for power is 3.5KW. Based on years of use, you should buy a 4.2KW to 5.5KW one. Power, the firepower is enough when cooking. The second is firepower adjustment. For a good gas stove, the firepower can be adjusted freely according to needs. The high fire should be large or fierce, and the low fire should be small and stable. Frying, deep-frying, cooking, sautĂŠing, and popping over high heat will make it fast, and stir-fry will be fragrant, while low heat will make it easy to use for soups, porridge, omelettes, and pancakes. Especially when making slow-fried dishes such as omelettes and pancakes, the heat must be low and steady, and the heating must be even, otherwise the middle will be burnt and the skin will not start to form around it.
When you buy it, open the stove and adjust it yourself. The high flame should be strong and the firepower sufficient, and the low flame should be small and stable. Pay attention to see if the small fire can be adjusted freely like the video below, and whether the fire power is evenly distributed. It is only useful when the fire is small and stable enough for frying eggs and pancakes.
If the low heat is as shown in the picture below, there is only fire in the middle and no fire around it. When making pancakes or eggs, the middle part will be easily burned. It is recommended to consider purchasing carefully.
The last one is to look at the flames coming out of the fire distributor. Four rows of flames are better than three rows, and three rows are better than two rows. Cyclone fire is more energy efficient than ordinary fire and can boil water faster, but it is smaller than turkey ribs.
3. Look at the position of the opening of the firearm.
The firearm should be purchased with a front opening rather than a side opening. Although the front opening may have the possibility of garbage falling in and blocking it, it has a strong ability to collect fire and is heated evenly. In actual use, the front hole boils water faster, the side hole boils water slower, and the side hole fire divider boils water, and the surroundings are tumbling, but there is no movement in the middle.
4. Look at the stove pot holder
The more stress points the pot holder has, the more even the force will be, the more stable it will be when cooking, and the pot will not slip or make mistakes when placed on it. So if you can buy a pot rack with five legs, donât buy a four-legged one; if you can buy a four-legged one, donât buy a three-legged one.
5. Look at the after-sales service
There is a possibility that the product will break down and require maintenance, so after-sales service is also very important. No matter what brand you buy, you must have your own local after-sales service outlet so that when the product is damaged, it can be repaired as soon as possible.If you still need to return to the manufacturer, it will take time and effort to wait for you to repair it and then send it back. Not only will you have to bear the corresponding postage, the price is not cheap. The cost of two extra repairs can be enough to buy a gas stove, which is not cost-effective. .
At the end of writing, I will summarize for you how to buy a gas stove.
The power needs to be 4.2KW~5.5KW. If it is too big, the exhaust gas will be too small and it will not be enough. For energy efficiency, you need to buy a first-level energy efficiency, which is a little more expensive to buy but economical to use. The ignition method requires automatic pulse ignition. For the flameout protection device, you need to buy an ion flameout protection device, which cuts off the air source in 1 second and is safer to use. Buy the air inlet with full air intake, the gas will be fully burned, and the heat load will be high, so it will be economical to use. Buy a full-pack base instead of a half-pack, and buy galvanized sheets, which have strong load-bearing capacity, high strength and won't rust. The internal structure must be fully ducted, and the workmanship must be meticulous and the protection must be in place. The stove head should be purchased from copper, which is resistant to high temperatures, has good thermal conductivity, good heat dissipation, and is corrosion-resistant. If you have money, buy ceramic panels. If you donât have money, buy stainless steel or tempered glass. You should buy a split-type stove so that leftovers and stains can be easily cleaned.
