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In Your Kitchen

Cooking Areas and Hobs

Types of Cooking Areas

We know that cooking is a joy to some and drudgery to others. Regardless of how it is viewed, you will find that a
well planned, professionally installed cooking area will make the task easier and a little more enjoyable. Before
confronting the vast array of cookers and equipment on the market today, determine the type of energy you have
available to cook from and which you would prefer, gas or electric.

Gas appliances heat up and cool quickly, are easy to control, and the flame is visible.

Electrical cooking works well to provide a lower, more even heat.

Choosing the energy source is only the beginning. It is now time to think about the type of cooking you do and select from the many options available.

Hobs

A conventional gas or electric hob is built into the worktop rather like a sink. Connections are underneath and the hob is usually shallow enough to not clash with a drawer below.

Unless you buy a down venting model, which can be quite expensive, the hob should be coupled with an extractor, above, at wall unit height, this will help to prevent condensation, grease, and odour from lingering around the house.

There are several options to choose from when considering a hob.

'Domino' hobs are single ring style separate items which are available in either gas or electric and can be combined to give you the best qualities of each energy source.

Electric hobs are available with elements and heat coils, ceramic glass covered or with halogen elements, and solid cast iron burners.

The most modern form of hob today is the induction or halogen hob. Gas hobs are available with cover plates for fish-burners and woks. Almost all are fitted today with electronic ignition eliminating the need for the pilot light of old.
 

Cooking Surfaces

Electric Solid Disk Elements

Cooking surfaces are now flat rather than tubular, as the older, less efficient, hobs used to be. This has the advantage of giving twice as much surface area to cook from, and even heat distribution with no hotspots. Using a low heat setting on a solid element will allow you to make delicate sauces.

Solid elements do not need to be 'red hot' either to achieve the same results as tubular elements and so are less likely to fail or need replacing. Elements last longer and so does your cookware.

On most solid element hobs nowadays you will see a couple of the plates have a red dot in the centre of them. This is to indicate that the element has a built in temperature limiter which automatically reduces power if a pan boils dry or an element is turned on without a pan on it for a length of time.

A solid element takes around 35 minutes to cook 3 pounds of potatoes.

Induction Hobs

With induction technology, now at the forefront of modern hob design, more and more people are opting for this as their chosen method of cooking. Cooking is achieved via a magnetic field rather than a direct heat. The advantage to the cook is that it is faster and cleaner to cook with than standard electric hobs, and is as fast and responsive as gas. Unlike gas, it doesn't have a naked flame so is less prone to the hazard of fire.

Halogen Hobs

Quartz halogen hobs represent the newest method of cooking technology. Two vacuum sealed glass tubes are filled with halogen gas. This provides instantaneous light and heat. Halogen has most of the advantages of induction cooking and in respect to its performance, is almost a blend of induction and conventional electric cooking.

No preheating is necessary and halogen offers instant visual response. Even at low temperatures it can clearly be seen that the element is on. The glass surface makes it extremely easy to clean and as the heat rises upward and not sideways, the surround is relatively cool.

Ovens

Tower ovens, built under worktop style, freestanding.

Nowadays, there are as many kinds of tower oven as there are hobs. You can choose gas or electric, microwave and convection ovens, or a combination of them. Each can be built into your design, for the maximum efficiency. Consider carefully your every day and special occasion needs and base your decision on this.

Often, you may need to simultaneously prepare foods so a double oven may make a better choice than a single.

Oven features include: warmer shelves, rotisseries, attached meat thermometers, self cleaning or continuous cleaning interiors and variable speed broilers. Even pressure cooking is making a comeback! Before you choose an oven, become familiar with the alternatives.

Convection ovens

In convection cooking, hot air is circulated throughout the oven, so causing the food to cook.

Just as a fan blowing over an ice cube would cause it to melt faster by removing a layer of cool air surrounding it, the same principle is used in the fan assisted version of the convection oven. As an added bonus to this fan assisted method, cooking times can be reduced by as much as a third over a static convection oven, as it circulates the hot air uniformly around the interior.

Aside from energy savings and greater cooking flexibility, the fan assisted oven is the chefs choice for pastries and meats. Pastries cooked in convection ovens have flakier crusts and lighter textures as they are cooked at a lower temperature and therefore cooked more evenly than a conventional electric or gas oven.

If you've ever wondered how restaurants make meats like prime rib, crusty and flavourful on the exterior and rich and juicy inside, convection ovens are the answer. As the meat roasts in the convection oven, the juices coming out are crusted on as the hot air hits them. This crusty exterior forms a barrier which seals the meat and traps the flavour inside.

Microwave and convection oven

With this technique, cooking is achieved from the inside out and coupled with convection oven technology, allows for the food to be crisped and browned on the outside. Microwave, thermal cooking reduces preparation times by around 25-30%.

Range cooking

Ranges combine the hob with the oven in one unit and are usually freestanding, though there are some 'drop-in' and 'slide-in' versions available. Models and finishes are as variable as those offered with separate appliances.

All are available in electric or gas (or a combination).

Refrigerators

For the sake of efficiency, base your selection of refrigerator on the size of your family, your shopping habits, and the lifestyle you lead, not forgetting the size of kitchen.

Finishes include standard appliance colours, retro styles, steel frontal and fully clad, and door panel kits to match your kitchen decor. There are also built-in models that can have matching kitchen doors fitted.

Before selecting a model, consider its features:

For example, consider the number and adjustability of shelves, crispers, meat storage compartments, range and location of temperature controls, ice maker and defrost options, and energy efficiency rating.

Sinks & Taps

Gone are the days when a single bowl was the only option.

In today's kitchen, there can be one, two, or even three bowls. Depending on the type of worktop chosen, these can be a drop-in or surface mount, built-in or under-mounted style.

There are many materials to choose from including steel, acrylic, granite, enamel, and ceramic.

The 'Belfast' or butler sink is now making a very popular return, and can come as a single or double bowl. The taps you choose to go with it are also almost infinitely variable in design and finish.

Retro look taps compliment butler sinks very well and nowadays you can buy taps with built in water softener spouts and spray attachments. Chopping boards, drainer baskets, and built in storage wells are all commonplace.

Worktops

Selecting the right work surface material is a matter of taste, function, and cost.

The colour and textures of counters provide an extra touch to your kitchen and this should be taken into account when making a choice. Each surface has its own care considerations, so it is important you are aware of the properties of each before making a decision. Consider combining materials for the best qualities of each.

Laminate

Very durable, colourful, and in a range of textures and finishes, a moderately priced laminated worktop is the most used worktop for builders and property developers. Finished looks can vary from wood and granite effect to abstract graphics and metallic. Matte finishes to highly polished scratch resistant. On the market now, are matching splash backs to take the place of tiling on the wall. Laminated worktops can be given a round, square, or rolled edge (sometimes referred to as 'pencil') 'Pencil' round edges vary from manufacturers so it is usually advisable to stick with one.

An alternative to these edges is to fix a wooden batten edge around to match the decor of the kitchen. This also allows for more interesting shapes to be formed throughout the kitchen as you are not restricted to the makers preformed style.

Laminate is an excellent material for resisting grease and stains. Its patterned side is almost impervious to water, though all cut sections should have the edges sealed with varnish to protect them (as the water resistant properties are lost when the worktop is cut).

Abrasive cleaners should not be used and sharp objects will tend to scar or mark its surface.

Hot pans will burn and scald the surfaces, and once damaged, laminate is almost impossible to repair.

Tiled worktop

Usually set onto a chipboard or ply surface, the tiled worktop is not as popular as it used to be. As with many things, if a job is done professionally, it can last a lifetime. This is true of tiled worktops but there are many pitfalls.

Incorrectly installed tiles can cause problems such as cracks in the grout lines, condensation and mould growth, and eventual loss of work surface. If you drop an item on to the tile, expect it or the object to break.

Wood

It depends on which wood is chosen as to its properties. The ideal worktop for a cook who does a lot of dicing and slicing is Rock Maple or Beech. Worktops come in 27mm or 40mm and they must be pre-oiled before and after fitting, and instructions given to the new owner must be followed to ensure that there is no warping, shrinkage, or splitting.

Periodic rub downs with mineral oil (sometimes called 'Danish' or 'White' oil) protect the finish and preserve lustre. Some wooden surfaces actually look better with age! However, if neglected, beech and butchers blocks can turn black if improperly sealed. Wooden surfaces can last a lifetime if treated properly.

Pricing varies greatly with material and finishes chosen but expect to pay roughly four to five times as much for a wooden surface as a laminate.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel worktops are very much in fashion in today's market, with the majority of clients going for stainless
steel appliances too. The surface works well near to the sink and because it is heat resistant, is also practical near ovens and ranges.

A disadvantage of stainless steel is that it does have a tendency to scratch and dent, and needs constant de-greasing from finger marks and the like. Some new products have been made available to alleviate this problem. Prices are a little more than wood, depending on the grade and thickness of the steel, and the overall complexity of design.

Marble

Often mistakenly referred to as granite, marble is not recommended for kitchen use. Oils, alcohol, coffee, tea, wine, tomatoes, and citrus fruit stain marble and on occasion etch the surface.

Stone

Increasingly popular (though somewhat expensive), granite naturally comes in an extraordinary array of colours and texture. Each granite colour comes from a different quarry throughout the world. No two quarries yield the same colour. Granite provides a virtually worry free surface and require very few special precautions.

Most granites are impervious to scratches, staining and heat blistering. Hot pots and pans shouldn't damage it (although pan-stands can be set into the worktop), and a soft cloth with some soapy water is all that is required to keep it clean. Drainer flutes can be cut into the surface and usually under-mounted sinks are fitted, but real granite sinks can be made!

A non yellowing paste wax can be purchased to treat your granite every six months or so to preserve its original brightness for many years. Prices vary with style, material and quantity but expect to pay around ten times that of a laminate worktop.

Simulated synthetic stone

Solid surface materials such as 'Corian' are water and stain resistant, non porous and easy to clean. Made from a resin base, fine grains of natural or synthetic material are added during production to give around 100 different styles to choose from. This material (and there are alternatives on the market today) can be easily shaped and installed with woodworking tools to create unique edging details.

It is again, not resistant to heat or scratches but unlike laminate, on most occasions can be adequately repaired on site. The price of 'Corian' is around the same as some types of real granite.