Top Four Features to Consider When Buying a Gas Cooker: Various models of gas cookers have been manufactured right from the time they started winning their way into the hearts of chefs and avid home cooks.
This in turn gave those intending to purchase gas cookers the freedom of choice. With this freedom, however, came the daunting task of deciding which of the gas cooker models to purchase out of the variety in existence.
This has made purchasing choices a big deal for intending customers.
A proper understanding of the features embedded in the gas cooker intended to be purchased has over time become a very important parameter considered by most customers before they make a purchasing decision.
This is because the gas cooker features always influence the gas cooker functionality which eventually helps to ensure that you spend your money and time wisely, especially in areas where it promises a good return of interest (ROI).
In every modern kitchen, the gas cooker has become a very essential appliance as it is the kitchen appliance that gets used the most.
Since the gas cooker is a frequently used appliance, it is therefore important that you purchase gas cookers that you would have a lot of fun working with rather than one that would make cooking seem like a daunting task.
To achieve this satisfaction, the features of the gas cooker would always come into play. It is no wonder why an appliance as fundamental as a gas cooker comes with a buyers’ guide enlisting all of the important areas to focus on.
Features of the Gas Cooker
The most predominant features considered when purchasing a gas cooker include the brand of the gas cooker, the design and layout, capacity, and durability.
While these features are important, it is also beneficial to consider the size, the installation, programmable controls, energy efficiency, safety factors, and other additional features before purchasing a gas cooker.
This is because for some users, cooking is a hobby and as such, comfort while cooking is a priority.
However, regardless of your reason for wanting to purchase a gas cooker, whether you’re an amateur cook or an avid experimenter, whether you live alone or in a large family, or if you just use your kitchen for heating the leftovers, it is important to choose your gas cooker according to your need.
Buying unsuitable equipment can clutter your kitchen making it impossible for you to enjoy your time there.
The following are the top four essential features of the gas cooker. These are the important areas to focus on when making a gas cooker purchasing decision:
1. Capacity
Gas cookers typically come in different sizes.
The size of your household (in the case of an avid home cook), or customers/guests (in the case of a chef) determines the size of the gas cooker you should settle to purchase.
The size of your gas cooker in turn determines the gas cooker’s capacity and the amount of meal it can prepare at a time.
For small families or families that don’t cook much, a gas cooker with 2 burner tops would work efficiently.
These kinds of cookers are usually portable and can fit easily into tight spaces. A family of this size may also consider using gas cookers with built-in cooktops as this helps to optimize kitchen space.
Gas cookers like these can also give your kitchen a modernized and streamlined appearance.
A larger family or one that loves to cook would however consider purchasing a gas cooker with 4 burner tops as this would serve more capacity.
The number of people you intend to cook for and consequently, the capacity of the gas cooker, is an important feature and should always be considered before deciding to purchase a gas cooker as this immensely affects the capacity of the gas cooker.
2. The Burner Type
The type of burner is another important feature to consider when determining the gas cooker model to purchase.
On a broad scale, the only type of gas burner considered is the conventional standing pilot.
The standing pilot has however been found to consume more energy than needed as it provides a constant flow of gas to keep the burner lit.
As a result of this, other types of gas cooker burners have been manufactured including:
- The Wok burners, which are best used for stir-fry cooking and fast boiling as they tend to heat up even more quickly than a large burner. Stockpots, extra-large frypans, and round bottom woks are the utensils best suited for use on the Wok burners particularly because they have an intense rapid flow.
- The Large burners, which are best suited for most uses such as frying, boiling pasta, and potatoes. These burners are used to cook or fry foods at relatively low temperatures, especially when non-stick cookware is used. They’re best for larger non-stick frypans or saucepans.
- The Medium burners, which are best suited for foods that require a quick response to temperature change such as rice or simmering casseroles and soups. This is because the ingredients here need to be brought to a high temperature initially and then reduced to a very low simmer.
- The Simmer burners, which are best suited for delicate ingredients such as making sauces, melting butter, and chocolate. Smaller frying pans and saucepans are the utensils best suited for this type of burner.
3. Material and Heat Controls
One great advantage of gas cookers is that they allow you to prepare your meals with minimum emission of smoke.
This advantage is attributed to the multiple heat control feature of the gas cooker, also enabling you to cook different foods at different temperatures.
This heat control feature is brought about mainly by the kind of material used.
Stainless steel is a material most of the regular gas cookers use.
This material is known to be highly corrosion and temperature resistant, very durable, requires low maintenance, possesses high tensile strength, and gives the gas cooker surface a relatively attractive appearance.
These properties of the stainless steel typically help to prevent rusting of the gas cooker in the steamy environment of your kitchen.
Even though the body of the stove heats up, the metal provides durability and is not prone to damage.
While gas cooker models with glass or fiber surfaces exist, these tend to be more fragile and would require high maintenance.
They also do not offer reasonably high resistance to temperature. These are potential threats to the heating of the cooktop which would ultimately result in accidents.
Therefore, an important feature to look out for when making your gas cooker purchasing decision is the material it is made of.
4. Brands
The prices of gas cookers vary depending on the brand. When deciding on a gas cooker to purchase, it is normal behavior for people to want to settle for something they can afford.
It is however important to bear in mind that gas cookers, like other appliances, are long-term investments and if properly handled, can serve for a really long time.
It is therefore recommended to not jump into making a purchasing decision simply because you’ve found a gas cooker that falls within your budget without considering how functional it is.
It helps to perform thorough research regarding the most durable brands that provide both affordable and safe gas cookers.
This way, you do not have to compromise your desire to spend less money and the satisfaction from cooking with an efficient and functional gas cooker.
Best Gas Cooker To Buy
Royal Luxury Gas Cooker | 4-Gas Burners & 2-Electric Hotplates (6942WD)
Royal 3-Burner Gas Cooker + Hot Plate (RPG6631CC )
Conclusion
Regardless of how nice a fancy-looking gas cooker is looking, if it lacks the important features, the functionality becomes questioned.
Ensure you look out for these top features when making a gas cooker purchasing decision.
When you notice a gas cooker has a delayed-start feature and the burners are low-powered, these are indicators of an inefficient gas cooker.
