Getting Your First Cooker; All you need to know.

Cookers are often considered one of the most essential home appliances because many individuals use theirs quite frequently. Cooking doesn’t have to be stressful; in fact, it should be among the most fun activities in the house. Cookers don’t only make cooking easier, faster, and better; they have a way of making the kitchen look more tidy, organized, and neat.

It’s a great feeling when you find the perfect cooker for your home. Whether you love the charm of a range model or the sophistication of stainless steel, cookers are a great way of adding personality to your kitchen. Not to mention the fact that they play an important role in keeping us healthy and alive.

Cooking at home rather than eating take outs has so much benefits than you could ever imagine. On one hand it takes a bit of your time and energy, but on the other hand is one of the best things you could ever do. Apart from the money saving benefits there's also a whole lot of health benefits to it.

* Preparing healthy meals at home can support your immune system and reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

* If you are on a special diet or trying to lose weight, preparing meals for yourself gives you more control over ingredients and portion sizes. This enables you to better control your weight.

* By practicing safe food handling while you cook at home, you are less likely to contract a food-borne illness.

Just to mention a few. Cooking at home is also a great way to spend time with others, and you don’t have to be an accomplished chef. Whatever your abilities or experience as a cook, you can learn to prepare quick and healthy meals that can have real benefits for your mental and physical health.

Cooking and eating with family are also a great way to bond with your loved ones. The benefits of home cooking are truly endless and so you would need everything to make the process easier, a cooker would do just that.

However, before getting your very first cooker there are certain things you have to understand and consider. I would briefly mention some of them now.

1. The available fuel source; could be gas or electric.
2. The size of your household; how big is your house and how much cooking do you intend doing.
3. The type of cooking you intend doing.

Fuel Source.

There are three kinds of cookers; gas, electric and dual fuel which uses both gas and electric. Although these three kinds of cookers will get your food cooked, they go about it in very different ways, each with their advantages.

    GAS.

* Gas cookers; These are the traditional cooker type; they give you instant and precise heat control. It’s a superior choice if you need powerful heat for your stir-fry. They are known for their heat control and cheap running costs, making them a popular choice for pro chefs and entry-level users alike.

* Gas hobs; These have a traditional look with a pan frame support that sits over the burners. They provide instant heat as soon as you turn on, compared to electric hobs which take a little longer to heat up, and you can easily control the heat by turning down the flame. Any style of the pan can be used on a gas hob.

* Gas ovens; Unlike electric models, gas ovens don't usually have fans to circulate the heat around the oven. As heat naturally rises, this means the top of your oven will get hotter than the bottom, enabling you to cook multiple dishes at different temperatures.

Pros of Gas fuel type:

* Provision of instant hob heat. Unlike electric hobs, you don't have to wait for them to heat up. You'll be able to quickly start frying and bring water to a simmering point with this fuel type.

* Less expensive to run as in gas is cheaper than electricity, this will make help cut your fuel costs.

Cons of the Gas fuel type:

* Often difficult to clean due to the frame support. Gas hobs are more difficult to clean than the smooth electric hobs.

     ELECTRIC.

* Electric cookers; This is a popular choice, especially in modern kitchens. They tend to offer faster cooking times, even cooking results and are easy to clean, but usually cost more to run. Electric cookers are easy to clean and come equipped with intelligent features.

* Electric ovens; Electric ovens have the advantage of oven fans, which help to spread the heat around the oven cavity. This even heat distribution in electric ovens makes them ideal for baking. The oven fans won't heat as fast as a gas oven; however, it will give you a more even cooking temperature, making it ideal for cooking multiple dishes at the same temperature.

* Electric hobs; You would commonly see the sealed plate hob out there; they are also called the hot plate. These hobs are robust but tend to be slower at heating up. They are a more affordable option and worth considering if you are on a tight budget.

Pros of Electric Fuel type:

* They have a sleek finish. Models with ceramic hobs look great in contemporary kitchens, even the modern gas hobs today look very sophisticated.

* They are easy to clean. This is because they have a flat and smooth surface that makes it quick and easy to wipe clean.

Cons of Electric Fuel type:

* They are often more expensive.

* Ceramic and sealed plate hobs take a while to cool down after they've been turned off, which can be a safety hazard if you have pets or kids.

    DUAL FUEL; GAS + ELECTRIC.

Dual fuel cookers combine the benefits of both electricity and gas. This gives you what many consider the best features of the two single-fuel cooker types; the even temperature control of an electric oven, and the precise, instant heat of a gas hob.

Household size.

    Space.

How much space you have in your kitchen is the first and most important thing to consider when getting a gas cooker. You have to measure up your kitchen and decide how much space is needed for your desired cooker.

The most common cooker you will get is a freestanding, all-in-one unit that contains at least one oven and a hob. It stands on the floor, and in most kitchens will fit perfectly in a small corner. The freestanding cooker is a good value alternative to buying an oven and a hob individually.

Cookers come in different width sizes, making them easy to fit into your kitchen and handy if you are replacing an old cooker. Freestanding cooker sizes generally have a standardized depth of 60cm and a height of 90cm. This means that they will sit neatly alongside most kitchen units.

You have a choice of widths to choose from depending on the space you have available in your kitchen. Most cookers have a width of 60cm, but if you are tight on space there are also 50cm and 55cm wide options.

They can be a great compact solution for smaller spaces. And if you have a large family or you just love to cook and entertain people, then a Range cooker is the most appropriate for you.

Range cookers refer to a style that is usually wider than standard cookers, typically between 90-110cm in width. They are available for all fuel types, and their size and capabilities make them a great choice for larger families. A range cooker is especially ideal for people who love to entertain and love to cook.

Another option you can consider is the Table top cooker. These table-top cookers are very portable and can usually seat comfortably on your kitchen counter-top. They are compact and very reliable when it comes to gas consumption. They are among the cheapest and smallest options out there.

One of the major Pro of getting a table-top cooker is effective space management. It helps to manage the kitchen space effectively. The compact design of the table-top gas cooker makes them fit well into your kitchen and there will not be an issue finding a space for them in your kitchen.

The majority of these table-top cookers come in sleek stainless-steel finish. This makes your table-top cooker last longer as they can withstand the commotion of a busy home. They can also resist stains and rust despite constant, messy use. This durable material will keep your appliances looking like new for years.

Another thing to note is the number of burners which is usually proportional to the size of the cooker. A standard sizes cooker would have 4 burners, and you can get up to 6 burners with a larger cooker. Some more portable options like the table top cooker can have as little as one or two burners.

Type of cooking.

What kind of cooking would you be doing? Just boiling? Or there's roasting, grilling, baking, frying and so on. All these would determine what kind of cooker you would get too. To make this easier you would need to look at some of the features these cookers offer.

These features would show you which cooker best suits you and your house. New features also encourage you to try new things, they open your mind to new cooking styles and options. Today's cookers have many amazing features that can make the selection process a bit confusing, but it's good to know all your options.

Some of these features include:

* Easy cleaning: Most cookers have some sort of lining to aid with cleaning. Some may have pyrolytic cleaning, which burns off grease and grime at 500°C, leaving you to simply wipe away ash. At a minimum, cookers with easy-clean enamel make wiping away grease easier.

* Multi-function oven: Many freestanding cookers come with multi-function ovens, which allow you to cook with a variety of heat sources independently or in combination. Compared to conventional and fan ovens where you can just control the temperature and possibly turn on a grilling option, multi-function ovens offer up to 8 pre-set cooking programs.

* Grill in oven: A grill comes in really handy for quick snacks, they are also ideal for giving an oven cooked dish a crispy or golden finish. If you do a lot of grilling then, you will need to think carefully about if having a grill is an important feature for you.

* Auto ignition: Most gas burners ignite automatically when the burner knob is pushed. These are more convenient to use than a separate ignition. It allows you to save costs and you won't need to buy matchboxes or lighters again.

* Lids: Some cookers come with a lid, these lids can either be glass lids or stainless-steel lids and they are mostly seen on gas cookers. They can come in really handy to protect the hob and enable you to utilize the surface space as a worktop. When they are up whilst you are cooking, they also come in ideal as a splash-back.

* Programmable timer: Apart from some basic models, most cookers will come with a timer, even if this is just a minute minder to alert you when your cooking time is up. Some high-end cookers have programmable ovens, they turn the cooker on, time your cooking and will turn the cooker off when the food is done.

This is just a few of the amazing features that you would see in cookers today. So, you see, there's a lot to think about when getting your very first cooker. I have already talked about the different kinds of cookers you have out there, from their sizes to their fuel source, and the different features they have to offer.

Now you know how to choose a cooker that best suits you and your family. This is the first step, there's more. You want to know how much these cookers would cost so you can have a budget. You also want to know where to get the very best product.

I hear you; you want to know and I will tell you in the upcoming blog, "Getting your first cooker 2".

However, with this information you can start planning for your very first cooker.

So, get your paper, get your pen and start planning!

See you soon.