Comparison Electrolux EKK 54552 OX stainless steel vs Gorenje CC 700

It is the volume of the oven provided in the stove. It s the maximum volume of products that can be placed in it without compromising work efficiency. Accordingly, a larger oven is useful for large volumes of cooking; on the other hand, such a capacity will significantly affect the price and dimensions of the stove.

If you buy a regular household stove with 4 burners and do not plan to cook a lot in the oven, you can not pay much attention to this parameter. The capacity of the oven is usually enough for most simple tasks like cooking a pie or baking chicken. But for more serious tasks, a larger oven may be required. Detailed recommendations on volumes can be found in special sources.

If there is an additional chamber (see below), this paragraph usually indicates only the volume of the main oven.

The lowest temperature the oven can provide. Usually, it is in the range of +30 to +50 ˚C. So, for example, the minimum heating temperature at +30 ˚C allows you to defrost products. Models with a minimum of 40 ˚C and 50 ˚C allow you to heat ready meals, heat tableware (before serving), dry rusk, etc.

Rated power of the oven installed in the stove. Specified only for electric ovens (see above). When determining this parameter, the power of all heaters and other devices installed in the oven (grill, convector, motorized spit, etc.) is taken into account; in other words, this item indicates the maximum power consumption.

This data is useful primarily for assessing electricity consumption, as well as the connected load during operation. But only ovens with similar functionality can be compared with each other in terms of power — for example, two models with convection. Otherwise, the comparison may be incorrect.

It is the method of cleaning the inner surface provided in the design of the oven. In addition to traditional and more advanced steam cleaning, there are catalytic and pyrolytic cleaning. More about them:

— Traditional. This option assumes the absence of any devices that facilitate cleaning: you have to wash the oven manually, using ordinary detergents and cleaning products. Such a procedure can be quite troublesome and time-consuming, but such ovens are much cheaper than similar models with more advanced types of cleaning.

— Pyrolytic. Cleaning with high temperature. Dirt on the interior surfaces of the oven is burned to ash, which can then be easily removed without using detergents. At the same time, pyrolytic cleaning equally effectively handles all types of dirt, both new and old. The disadvantages of such a system are the duration of cleaning (sometimes up to several hours), high cost, and significant consumption of resources (electricity or gas, depending on the type of oven). In addition, during the operation of the cleaning system, unpleasant odours often arise, generated by the combustion of contaminants in the oven.

— Catalytic. Ovens with this type of cleaning have a special coating on the inner surface that breaks down grease on the oven walls. Fat disintegration is accelerated at high temperatures; the oven is thus self-cleaning t...o a certain extent. However, the efficiency of catalytic cleaning is lower than that of pyrolytic cleaning. It is unable to cope with the entire amount of fat on the walls. Therefore, such an oven should be washed from time to time. On the other hand, ovens with catalytic cleaning are cheaper than ones with pyrolytic cleaning. And the cleaning itself does not require additional electricity/gas costs, nor is time-consuming (except for washing/wiping).

— Steam cleaning. Cleaning the oven with heated steam. A certain volume of water is poured into a baking sheet or another container, the container is placed in the oven and the cleaning mode is turned on. Due to heating, the water evaporates, and the heated steam softens the dirt on the walls and partially disintegrates the fat. After the end of the programme, it is enough to wipe the oven with a damp cloth. Such a cleaning requires less time and resources than pyrolysis and often turns out to be more effective than catalytic — steam can soften even old dried-up contaminants. At the same time, these ovens are relatively inexpensive. At the same time, this mode does not guarantee to cope with any contamination. It is possible that after the end of the steam cleaning, the oven will have to be washed traditionally.

— Enamel. Enamel coating is inexpensive and relatively easy to clean. In addition, enamel can have different colours, which allows you to give the stoves an original appearance (although the most popular is still the classic white colour). On the other hand, cracks, chips and scratches may appear on such a surface. As a result, such a coating is typical for relatively inexpensive boards.

— Stainless steel. Steel hobs are highly durable and attractive. But, it will take a lot of effort to keep such a stove clean: even slight dirt is noticeable on a steel surface (especially polished). And it is more difficult to clean them than enamel. In addition, such surfaces are somewhat more expensive than enamelled ones, and there are, in fact, two design options for them - matte and polished.

- Glass-ceramic. A material is found predominantly in electric stoves; rarely used in gas models, mainly for aesthetic reasons. The main advantages of glass ceramic are resistance to heat and high permeability to heat and electromagnetic radiation. Schott Ceram and EuroKera, manufacturers of this very glass-ceramic, which manufacturers of household appliances install in their models, were especially successful in this. It allows electric burners (regardless of type) to be placed directly under such a surface. The re...sult is a flat top with no protrusions, making cleaning easier and providing a neat appearance. The main disadvantages of this material are high cost and sensitivity to impacts.

- Tempered glass. A material similar to the glass-ceramics described above: the glass surfaces have an attractive appearance, usually with a glossy finish. Another common feature is the ease of cleaning: most of the contaminants are easily removed. However, this material is not as strong as glass-ceramic: it is much more sensitive to impacts and tolerates heat much worse, which makes it poorly suited for installation above burners. As a result, tempered glass is used mainly in gas stoves, where the burners are located above the work surface and tempered glass heats up relatively weakly. Another category of stoves with such a surface is electric models with induction hobs, where the dishes and not the surface are mainly heated (see below for more details).

— Plastic. Working surface made of special heat-resistant plastic. A rather specific option is found mainly among portable single-burner electric stoves with induction heaters (see below). There are several reasons for this. One of them is that, despite the heat resistance, even fairly advanced plastic does not tolerate heating on gas or a classic electric burner. But with an induction burner, this material works without problems, especially since it is well permeable to electromagnetic radiation. Plastic is cheaper than tempered glass or glass-ceramic, and it also weighs less - the latter is important for a stove that is planned to be moved frequently from place to place. At the same time, all these advantages cannot be called critical. As a result, this option, even in its niche, has not received much popularity.

It is the material from which the burner grates of the stove are made. This parameter is relevant only for gas burners — electric hobs do not have grates.

— Steel grates. The most common type of grates is steel grates coated with a special heat-resistant enamel. They are quite practical, reliable, have a relatively small weight and neat appearance, and at the same time are inexpensive, due to which they are often found in entry-level and middle-level models. The main disadvantage of steel grates can be called the difficulty in cleaning from adhering contaminants — too intensive cleaning can damage the enamel. In addition, they are less durable than cast iron ones, and under heavy dishes containers, they can deform — as a result, the dishes will not stand stably on the stove, and the grate will most likely have to be replaced.

— Cast iron grates. Cast iron grates is much heavier than steel ones. Moreover, they often look more massive and rough. On the other hand, they are more reliable, durable and stable, can cope even with heavy weights and keep their working shape much longer. In addition, cast iron is easier to clean: although dirt comes off worse than enamel, in extreme situations it is quite possible to use abrasive products without fear of damaging the surface.

The type of automatic switch-off provided in the design of the stove.

Auto-off can be provided for the hob(hob), for the oven, or for both at once, regardless of whether the hob and oven are gas or electric. This function is implemented through a timer, after which the device turns off.

The connected load of the stove is the maximum electrical power consumed during operation. This parameter is indicated only for models that are equipped with at least one electric heater — burner (burners), oven or grill. It is the burners that are the highest consumption in terms of energy consumption; Features such as auto-ignition or oven lighting require little energy, a ordinary socket is enough for them.

First of all, the requirements for the power grid depend on this indicator: it must be able to provide such power without overload. It is worth noting that for household sockets the power limit is about 3 – 3.5 kW; with more power, you need to connect the stove to a 230 V network according to special rules. An alternative is a three-phase 400 V mains: most modern stoves with electric heaters allow connection to both 230 V and 400 V.