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Falcon Tips - Cooking with different fuel types

Technology has certainly changed since the inception of ovens. Over the years we have moved from open wood fired ovens, to gas cookers, and then electric ovens came along. So what are the current fuel types that are available when it comes to purchasing a new oven, cooktop or freestanding upright cooker?

For ovens you can choose between gas and electric whilst for cooktops you generally have the choice of gas, electric (ceramic or elements) or induction. So what is the difference between each fuel type?

Electric ovens
Electric ovens tend to distribute heat more evenly than gas. They can range from being a conventional oven (top & bottom element only), to fan forced (fan and surrounding element), right through to multi-function options including both of the above mentioned plus many more such as fan assisted, bottom or top element only… and the list goes on! Multi-function electric ovens in particular are very flexible as you can choose the cooking function to suit the food type, giving you the best results.

Gas ovens
Roasting with gas tends to create a moist atmosphere and can help prevent your food from drying out. It isn’t quite as flexible as electric, as you can’t get multi-function capabilities in a gas oven and the heat distribution is a little uneven – often preventing things such as batch baking on multiple shelves. It is possible to use gas however for cooking, even when natural gas is not available. Most gas appliances offer the option of converting to LPG (liquid petroleum gas), perfect for properties and rural areas that don’t offer mains services.


 

Electric cooktops
These days electric cooktops are largely ceramic. You can still find the occasional element cooktop though, particularly on old school white upright cookers – probably the style from your Great Nanna’s kitchens. Electric hob cooking is probably the hardest to control when it comes to temperature. It is slow to heat up and once at the desired temperature it isn’t easy to ‘quickly’ turn it down. Generally your best option is to switch to a new zone on a lower setting, if you find your dish is cooking at too high a heat, if you want instant results. It also stays quite hot generally, long after cooking has finished.

Induction cooktops
Induction cook tops use magnetic fields to generate heat which means two things:

1) If your child turns on the cooktop but there is no pan sitting on the cooking zone, no heat will be generated, so their precious hands remain safe if they touch the surface.
2) Because a magnetic field is used to too generate heat only the pan is heated, which means spillages or food dropped on the surrounding surface will not burn, making it extremely easy to clean.

Induction is fast and responsiveness, even more so than gas. They waste precious little energy and provide a very even cooking surface, without hot spots. When it comes to hob cooking, induction cooking is by far the safest and most efficient way to cook and even safer for families with inquisitive children. It is only after exceptionally long cooking periods that the hob zone may become too hot to touch – but residual heat indicators are generally standard on these models and provide a visual safety warning.

Gas cooktops
Gas is a very flexible way to cook. The open flame is easily managed with dials and the temperature can be adjusted fairly quickly. With the nature of the flames and dependent on the size of the pot on the burner, it can however create hot spots if the pot is too large or too small for the burner. It is important to always use the correct size pot or pan compared to the overall burner size this will help achieve the best cooking results.

So what does Falcon offer when it comes to fuel types?
Falcon offer three types of upright freestanding cookers (depending on the model):

Dual Fuel – electric oven with gas cooktop
Gas – gas oven with gas cooktop (our 90cm Classic gas cooker in fact has one electric oven & one gas) All electric – electric oven with induction cooktop

With a range of fuel options, there is sure to be a cooking style to suit you. If you want to know more about the Falcon range please visit our website, phone our sales team on 1800 685 899 or send us an email.