Dual-circuit burner
The presence on the hob of one or more
dual-circuit burners — heaters with the possibility of increasing the diameter.
Only Hi-Light or induction hotplates can be dual-circuit burners (see "burner type"). Such a heater looks like several circles of different diameters with a common centre; each circle corresponds to one of the options of the working diameter that can be selected for the burner. The number of these options is usually 2 or 3, and if there is more than one dual-circuit burner, they may differ in the number of diameters available.
Anyway, this feature allows you to select the working size of the burner for the diameter of the dishes. This function should not be confused with the oval dual zone (see below): the oval dual zone gives the burner an elongated shape, and the dual-circuit burner remains round regardless of the selected size.
Oval dual zone
The presence of an
oval-shaped heating zone on the hob. Such a heater is useful for working with appropriate elongated dishes (for example, goose roasters). In models with electric heaters (see "Burner type") the desired shape is provided by an additional segment installed close to the burner; the burner in normal mode works like a regular round one, and when the segment is connected, it turns into an oval. In gas models, a separate elongated burner is installed.
A similar effect can be achieved using the bridge mode (see "Features"). However, the bridge and the oval zone are still different functions: the first involves combining two burners, and the second is implemented strictly on one burner.
Burners power
Nominal burners power. It refers to the power consumption of the heater. This parameter allows you to estimate how much electricity the burners will spend when operating at maximum heating intensity. At the same time, the heat transfer power of different burners can be different, and the actual heating efficiency will also greatly depend on the specs of the dishes. As a result, it hardly makes sense to evaluate the working capabilities of the hob by the power of the burners. It is quite possible to proceed from the fact that the burner will be enough for a pot of the same diameter.
Burner diameter
The heating power directly depends on the diameter of the burners. And, at the same time, the performance of the device and the speed of cooking. The larger the burner, the more heat dissipation it has. Also, the diameter of the burner allows you to determine what sizes of dishes are suitable for use on the hob. Indeed, for induction models, this value is critical for high-quality heating. Burners can have the following diameter:
- small — about 145 mm, power within 1200 W;
- medium — about 180 mm, power within 1700 W;
- large — about 220 mm and more, power within 2000 watts.
Some hobs use double ring burners that allow you to adjust the diameter of the heating zone. If the diameter of the burner is 180, 200, 220 mm, then it means that the heating zone on a particular burner can be narrowed or expanded, depending on the size of the dishes used.
