Definition

An enclosed space to cook food or heat the surrounding space is a stove. Now, it can be made from metal or other materials, but it has more or less the same operational features, and output. As input, it requires fuel to perform its requisite function.

General precautions

As they are used for cooking purpose, stoves must always be kept clean. You must make it a habit of clearing all the food debris every time the stove is used. One can often find food debris collected on the sides of stove burners, cleaning which should not take more than a few minutes of your time. All the grease should also be removed from the surface as they can catch fire easily. Cleaning of stoves goes beyond hygiene. When it comes to stoves, you should be more concerned with the safety than anything else. During the course of cooking meals throughout the day, stove collects a lot of grease that should be wiped off as soon as possible. Before you start cleaning the stove, turn off the whole unit and make sure it is cooled down. It is important to let it cool before you begin cleaning because if you wipe a wet cloth over a hot surface, there will be steam burns that you won't be able to remove afterwards. Maintaining and cleaning the stove has further incentives apart from the safety quotient. If your stove receives proper maintenance, you are in turn extending its life, and making sure that it consumes less energy. That further helps the environment and also helps you make savings on your time and budget.

Choosing your stove

The most common types of stoves used are electric stoves. Gas stoves are a great alternative to electric stoves, and can also be seen in many households. Electric stoves forayed into the market a long ago, and are more widely bought, but last few years have seen a surge in the buying of gas stoves. The range for either of these forms is wide. Some stoves come with a top fitted into a countertop. This variety has a compatible wall oven as well, which is installed separately.

Gas Stove

There are a number of reasons why gas stoves are the most bought. One of the biggest advantages associated with them is that they let you have a control on the cooking temperature, something which cannot be said with absolute surety for the other forms of stoves. For the fact that gas stoves function consists of cooking or heating over flame burners, the flames are visible to us, and we can accordingly adjust them depending to suit our requirements. Certain types of food items need controlled heating, otherwise they stand the risk of getting spoiled, and that's where gas stoves can prove to be resourceful. Simply for the fact that the required heat is produced directly from the flames, the specific temperature one needs to cook food can be reached instantly. This is contrast to other types of stoves which require one to wait for long durations for them to reach the desired level of temperature. And when it comes to cleaning the stoves, nothing quite beats gas stoves! To clean gas stoves is an easy job that does not make you remove the plugged in parts of the gas, which are difficult to install back in.

Electric Stove

Arguably, the kind of stoves that most of us have used at one time or other in our lives, electric stoves also come with a range of benefits. To begin with, not every household has the availability of gas, and that is where electric stoves are the first choice. It would be safe to say that electric stoves are more universal type of stoves in comparison to the gas stoves. Another incentive to buying electric stoves is the savings you can make at the time of purchase. Electric stoves are definitely cheaper than the gas stoves. The electric stove is probably the most common type of stove. Since gas is not available in all homes, electric cook tops are a good option for universal use. In addition, electric coil stoves generally cost less than other types of stoves.

Stoves for Outdoor Camping

Outdoor camping has its own touch of adventure. Take your family or friends along for one, and they will vouch for that. Enjoying meals in fresh air has its own charm. However, cooking outdoors doesn't come easy to a lot of folks. You might carry with yourself ample food, but if cooking turns out to be bad, it is a major dampener. This is why you need quality equipment that makes your job easier and cooks top of the line food. Portable stove is the best alternative available, as it is easy to carry and works efficiently. You have single burner stoves that are available with carry cases. You can also look for disposable gas canisters in the market. These can be connected to the CE approved stoves for a fuss-free and quick set up.

Which stove for which use?

Now, there are many types of stoves out there. Based on what your requirement is, you can narrow down your research. It depends on your preferences and also the place you live at. Some of the most sought-after stoves include:

Solid fuel stoves

As the name suggests, these run on solid fuels, like wood and charcoal. Again, based on your geographical location, you can find the solid fuels from the options available. Coal, dried seaweed and corn cob are also available in many parts of the world. Cob stoves are huge popular anyways.

Alcohol stoves

It's not hard at all to find alcohol stoves. And the most commonly bought stove among the alcohol stoves in Trangia. Denatured alcohol, methylated spirits count amongst the fuels that are available in next door shops in most parts of the world. The Trangia is said to be there from close to 9 decades now.

Propane and Butane stoves

These are arguably the most easily available type of stoves, which also offer an assortment of choices. Owing to their wide availability, propane and butane stoves are extremely sought-after. The fact that they perform their function smoothly adds to their utility and popularity.

Electric BBQs

At certain locations, due to various factors, it is very risky to use open fire type stoves. The open flames produce smoke emissions that are difficult to control. For those places, electric BBQs can be the ideal solution.