When buying an oven, you should pay attention to the lowest possible power consumption. There are other functions that make a good device
Without a stove and oven in the kitchen, you can forget about cooking, frying, grilling and baking. Especially those who like to spend a lot of time at the stove should rely on a modern appliance.
A good oven or stove uses less electricity, is easier to use and more precise in its temperature reproduction. Depending on your cooking habits, retailers offer devices with interesting additional functions.
Oven – pay attention to energy efficiency when purchasing
Many new electrical appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, refrigerators and televisions have had the new EU efficiency label without plus classes since spring 2021. Things are different with ovens. Here, energy efficiency is still shown as “A+++”, “A++”, etc. The new energy labels will not be available for this until 2024.
Both the old and the new EU energy label indicate the power consumption of an electrical device. On the one hand, this is marked by color: green is particularly energy-saving. “A+++” means that the device is economical in energy consumption. “B”, on the other hand, indicates high consumption.
An economical oven uses 0.9 kilowatt hours
The general rule when buying is: the better an oven is insulated, the lower the consumption. It is therefore better to choose a device with triple glazing on the oven door.
You don’t often find an oven with “A+++” or “A++” in stores. Most devices are offered with “A+” or just “A”. The difference seems marginal, but that is deceptive. Ultimately, an oven with “A” can draw around 30 percent more electricity.
The energy consumption of the oven for the heating types “top and bottom heat” and “circulating air/hot air” is stated on the label. However, the consumption of the stove’s hobs is not labeled. The experts at the consumer advice center recommend paying attention to the stated power consumption of the oven when purchasing.
The most economical devices would use less than 0.9 kilowatt hours during a normal baking process with top and bottom heat. The volume of the baking space is between 45 and 65 liters.
Many professionals and even experienced hobby chefs prefer to cook with gas because they can adjust the heat immediately and precisely. And consumer advocates also recommend choosing a gas stove when buying a new oven – if you have the appropriate connection in the kitchen.
Their argument: Gas is more climate-friendly. This would keep energy costs low. Similar to an induction cooker, a gas stove does not generate any residual heat, which makes these devices particularly efficient.
How do the hobs differ on a stove or oven?
On an older stove, cooking was done on cast iron plates. You can now mostly find devices with Ceran® hobs, i.e. made of glass ceramic, in stores. There is also the practical combination of a gas stove with Ceran® hobs. Or vice versa: electric stoves with gas hobs. The hobs are heated in different ways: halogen heaters or infrared heaters use roughly the same amount of energy.
Cooking zones with induction technology are particularly economical in terms of consumption. Here the heat is generated by magnetic fields in the bottom of the pot and pan. What stays cold is the hob itself. For induction cookers, however, special cookware must be used that has a magnetic base. Otherwise it won’t work.
Induction and pacemaker
It is often not recommended to cook with induction if you have a pacemaker. This is especially true for older devices. The health risk is lower with newer models and newer pacemakers.
For example, AEG recommends asking your doctor whether your pacemaker is immune to the influence of an induction hob. If this has no concerns, you should still maintain a safety distance of 30 centimeters when cooking.
Additional function popular with professionals
There are devices on the market that can clean themselves. Such an oven heats up to 500 degrees Celsius and simply burns all blobs and crusts to ash. However, this so-called pyrolysis function has its price and is anything but energy-saving.
An oven with a steam cooking system, however, makes the heart of every ambitious hobby cook beat faster. Several dishes are gently cooked by the hot steam. Many types of vegetables retain their own aroma using this method.
