A cooktop (American English), stovetop (Canadian and American English) or hob (British English), is a device commonly used for cooking that is commonly found in kitchens and used to apply heat to the base of pans or pots. Cooktops are often found integrated with an oven into a kitchen stove but may also be standalone devices. Cooktops are commonly powered by gas or electricity, although oil or other fuels are sometimes used.
Gas
Gas cooktops consist of one or more gas burners with arrangements to control the rate of flow. They often have integral lighters or (in older models) pilot lights, and may have safety interlocks designed to reduce the risk of hazardous gas leaks.
Gas cooking has been associated with negative health effects, such as reduced pulmonary function and a higher rate of respiratory symptoms in children.
Electric
Coil
An electric coil cooktop uses electric elements that directly heat pots placed on them. They are inexpensive to buy and maintain, but are considered more difficult to clean than smooth-top models.
Plate
An electric plate cooktop is similar to a coil cooktop but uses plate-like base supports as opposed to coil supports.
Ceramic radiation heating
A ceramic radiation heating cooktop has a surface made of low-expansion thermal glass-ceramic that is transparent to infrared. This surface houses radiant or halogen heaters below it. The advantage of this arrangement is that the heat can be quickly controlled. These cooktops are often simply called ceramic cooktop or ceramic-glass cooktop, because they were the first type of cooktop to use glass-ceramic—however, other types of cooktops also use glass-ceramic surfaces, notably induction cooktops.
Induction
Main article: Induction cooking
An induction cooktop involves the electrical heating of a cooking vessel by magnetic induction instead of by radiation or thermal conduction from an electrical heating element or from a flame. Because inductive heating directly heats the vessel, very rapid increases in temperature can be achieved and changes in heat settings are fast, similar to gas.
In an induction cooktop ("induction hob" or "induction stove"), a coil of copper wire is placed under the cooking pot, and an alternating electric current is passed through it. The resulting oscillating magnetic field induces a magnetic flux that repeatedly magnetises the pot, treating it like the lossy magnetic core of a transformer. This produces large eddy currents in the pot, which, because of the resistance of the pot, heat it.
For nearly all models of induction cooktops, a cooking vessel must be made of, or contain, a ferromagnetic metal such as cast iron or some stainless steels. However, copper, glass, non-magnetic stainless steels, and aluminum vessels can be used if placed on a ferromagnetic disk that functions as a conventional hotplate.
Induction cooking is quite efficient, which means it puts less waste heat into the kitchen, can be quickly turned off, and has safety advantages compared to gas stoves. Cooktops are also usually easy to clean, because the cooktop itself does not get very hot. However, they must be regularly maintained to prevent dirt buildup and possible damage.
If the induction coil is of lesser diameter than the cooking pot, and the pot has low thermal conductivity, use of high power can potentially warp the pot due to non-uniform heating. 6" coils are common in low-end portable units, which is smaller than most pots and pans.
Ventilation and exhaust
Cooktops often have a kitchen hood installed overhead to expel or filter smoke, fumes and undesirable odors that result from cooking. However, when installation of an updraft ventilation system is undesirable or impossible (for example in an open kitchen design), a cooktop with an integrated downdraft ventilation system can be used instead. Such systems draw cooking fumes downwards rather than upwards, eliminating the need of an overhead installation. They are, however, less effective than overhead systems, and may not be able to extract fumes emanating from taller pots.
Placement
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Installed
Cooktops are virtually ubiquitous in kitchens. They may be built into a stove along with an oven. Alternatively, cooktops are often installed independently in work surfaces.
Hot plate
Main article: Hot plate
A hot plate is a portable self-contained tabletop small appliance cooktop that features one, two or more electric heating elements or gas burners. A hot plate can be used as a standalone appliance, but is often used as a substitute for one of the burners from an oven range or a kitchen stove.
Hot plates are often used for food preparation, generally in locations where a full kitchen stove would not be convenient or practical. A hot plate can have a flat or round surface. Hot plates can be used for traveling or in areas without electricity.
Brands
Some popular Cooktop Brands available in markets include:
- Prestige
- Pigeon
- Milton
- Whirlpool
- Butterfly
- Blowhot
- Sunshine
- Sunflame
- Haute
- Faber
References
- Klahre, Ayn-Monique (2018-02-04). "How To Light a Stovetop and Oven Pilot Light". Kitchn. AT Media. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- Prelusky, Alison (2018-02-01). "Can Gas Ranges Run Without Electricity?". P. C. Richard & Son. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- Ware, J. H.; Dockery, D. W.; Spiro III, A.; Speizer, F. E.; Ferris Jr., B. G. (1984). "Passive Smoking, Gas Cooking, and Respiratory Health of Children Living in Six Cities". American Review of Respiratory Disease. 129 (3): 366–374. doi:10.1164/arrd.1984.129.3.366 (inactive 1 November 2024). Retrieved 2020-09-10.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) - Garrett, Maria H.; Hooper, Martin A.; Hooper, Beverley M.; Abramson, Michael J. (1998-09-01). "Respiratory Symptoms in Children and Indoor Exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Gas Stoves". American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 158 (3): 891–895. doi:10.1164/ajrccm.158.3.9701084.
- ^ Byer, Beverley. "Cooktops". Smith & Smith Kitchens. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- Allaire, Jeff (2020-03-09). "Smooth Top Ranges - Pros & Cons vs Coil Top". Belingham Electric. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- Frost, Shelley (2019-10-03). "Electric Coil Range vs. Smooth-Top". Hunker. Leaf Group Ltd. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- "Induction Cooking Technology Design and Assessment; M. Sweeney, J. Dols, B. Fortenbery, F. Sharp; Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-09-19. Paper presented at the 2014 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
- Miller, Renee. "How Good Is a Cooktop Downdraft Ventilation System?". SFGate. Hearst. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- "Milton". Milton Official Website.
- "Sunflame Official Website". Sunflame.com.
- "Best Kitchen Chimney Cooktops & Appliances in India". Faber India. Retrieved 2024-04-25.