About Glass Ceramic Cooking Panels

The hob (or panel), replacing the usual cooker, has, of course, a lot of advantages. On this page the author illuminates one type of electric cooking surface - glass-ceramic, as this particular variety is characterized by the most vivid positive qualities. It will be fair to note that glass ceramics have some drawbacks. Therefore, if we want to purchase such equipment for our kitchen, it is desirable to know, if possible, about everything that concerns its use.

As for the appearance, the glass ceramic hobs are beyond praise - a smooth and absolutely smooth panel, the absence of visible heating elements, the elegant device of the control unit, the various colors of the glass ceramic itself. All this beauty and accuracy look quite modern and stylish, which, of course, very attracts the buyer.

It starts with the high functionality of the glass ceramic hob. This is dictated by the special qualities of the material of glass ceramics. Extremely strong special glass-ceramics (produced, by the way, in Germany, the USA, France) conducts heat from the heating element directly in the zone of the burner. Other areas of the panel remain cold. Moreover, heat is easily transferred from the bottom up, from the heating elements to the bottom of the dishes, and extremely badly - along the surface. As a result, the dishes are heated much faster.

Further, the heating elements, which are located under the glass-ceramic, can be in different versions - and according to the principle of heating, and in size, and in design. As a rule, these are high-performance HiLight burners, when a ribbon element is laid on the asbestos base. The design of the burner can contain an extra powerful halogen lamp, which, when the cooking surface is switched on, generates a lot of heat and almost immediately releases the burner to full power, even before the main heating element reaches the preset mode. These are halogen burners. There is another type of burner - induction, in which the heat from the induction unit is generated by electromagnetic waves directly on the bottom of the dishes, while the burner itself remains cold (except from the bottom of the dish itself). Halogen and induction burners, superior in performance to all the others, are designed for mounting only under the glass-ceramic panel.

As a result, the noted features of heat transfer allow you to connect to the glass-ceramic panel a lot of functions that simplify and facilitate the cooking process, and also save time and electricity consumption. The wide variety of models for design, dimensions, number of burners, type of control (touch or rotary switches) and installation method (dependent / independent) are also obvious pluses. Especially we note the simplicity in keeping the plate clean, thanks to a smooth surface and the availability of special cleaning products for sale; To clean strong or old dirt, a special scraper is attached to the surface. On some aspects of cleaning, note in the minus section.

To the dishes used with a panel of glass ceramics, some requirements are required - a thick and even bottom and that the width of the bottom of the dishes is not less than the diameter of the burner on which it is installed. These 2 basic rules protect the panel from damage and quick failure. Cooking panels with induction hobs require only utensils with a magnetized bottom, and no other will fit. The recommendations listed below relate to the effectiveness of using a panel of glass ceramics. Dishes with a copper or aluminum bottom leave difficult traces of metal, in ceramic or glass glassware, the cooking time is significantly increased and the temperature of the dish is not regulated quickly, dishes with wet or unclean bottoms will also add trouble with cleaning the panel. When buying new dishes, it is necessary to take it with the notation "for glass ceramics", then it will be fine.

It remains to note the disadvantages of glass-ceramic surfaces (panels).

About resistance to accidental shocks of glass ceramics, we can say that the split and cracks can occur from point impacts, from falling on a hot water ring (especially a splash of cold water). If wet dishes are put on an unheated cooking zone, then in the future there is a high probability of cracks appearing.

Minuses of care. Do not clean and wash with metal brushes and abrasives, nor with a washcloth / sponge, lint-woven cloth, nor the dish-washing liquid. Unexpectedly, but sugar in any form is harmful to glass ceramics. It, first, can scratch, but also sintered, changing the surface structure of glass ceramics. Therefore, sugar and other loose solids should be cleaned immediately. To facilitate life and preserve glass ceramics, aluminum foil, melted plastic, burnt sugar and other fusible materials should be removed immediately, while they are still hot, with a scraper.

Note that neglecting any of the above recommendations or using improper dishes can lead to the appearance of stains, stains, scratches, even cracks and chips, or discoloration on the glass ceramic. True, apart from the chips and cracks, the remaining damage will not affect the functionality of the panel, but only the owners will be offended to see this.

Those wishing to familiarize themselves with models of glass ceramic hobs, as well as to buy kitchen appliances and kitchen sinks from famous European manufacturers, are sent to the site http://www.atlant-u.ru/ of the online store Atlant-Yu.