Number of solid plates
The number of solid plates in the design of the stove.
Solid plate hobs are the simplest type of electric hobs (see Hob type). Such a burner has the appearance of a "pancake" raised above the hob. The main advantages of such burners are the simplicity of design and low cost. On the other hand, they heat up slowly and have high thermal inertia — they react with a great delay in heating power adjustment. Another disadvantage is that solid plates can deform over time. After 2-3 years such a burner may need to be replaced. As a result, solid plate burners are typical for low-cost electric stoves, as well as, combined models, where the electric heater is a spare. But the variety can include both 1-burner
stoves and 2-burner stoves.
Number of Hi-Light burners
The number of Hi-Light burners in the stove design.
Hi-Light is an improved kind of electric burner in comparison with the solid plate ones described above (see "Hob type"). In such burners, the tubular heating element is replaced by a thin metal strip, and the working surface is usually made of glass-ceramic (see "Hob material"). Due to this, the heating and cooling rate of such burners is much higher than that of solid plate ones (although it does not reach the instantaneous reaction of gas stoves).
Burner power
Rated burner power. This parameter allows you to estimate how much electricity the burner 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 operating capabilities of the stove by the power of the burners. It is quite possible to proceed from the fact that the burner will be enough for a dish of the same diameter.
Burner diameter
The heating power, the performance of the device and the speed of cooking depend on the diameter of the burners. 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 W.
Some hobs use dual-circuit burners that allow you to adjust the diameter of the heating zone. If it is indicated that the diameter of the burner is 180, 200, 220 mm, then the heating zone on a particular burner can be narrowed and/or expanded, depending on the size of the dishes used.
Connected load
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.