An electric stove or electric range is a stove with an integrated electrical heating device to cook and bake. Electric stoves became popular as replacements for solid-fuel stoves which required more labor to operate and maintain. Some modern stoves come in a unit with built-in extractor hoods.

Unlike gas stoves, electric stove tops don’t produce a flame. Instead, an electric current causes a heating element to activate. If your stove has coils, the heat transfers directly from these coils to your cookware. If your stove has a glass or ceramic top, the heat emanates to this cover and then transfers to your pots and skillets.

How Does an Electric Stove Work?

Each heating element on electric stove (typically four or five in total) connects to its own control switch. When this switch is turned on, it closes the circuit by connecting two “legs,” each with 120 volts of alternating current. Electric current travels down each leg, and when this current collides in the heating element, heat is produced.

A temperature switch also exists as part of this circuit, which allows you to easily adjust the heat output for your electric stove top. When the specified temperature is reached, the circuit will open and current will no longer be supplied to the heating element. But, when the temperature cools down too much, the circuit will close again to supply more heat. Because each burner represents its own circuit, you can remove and replace one faulty burner instead of replacing the entire stove.

History

From the Stone Age to today, the search is constantly underway for better, more efficient ways to cook food. Reflecting many of the advances in science and technology, the electric range has become a popular choice for homes and businesses.

RangeTo find the origin of the stove, one must go back to dynastic China. The first known cooking apparatus that completely enclosed a fire was built from clay during the Qin dynasty (221 – 207 B.C.). A few thousand miles to the west, the first record of a stove in Europe occurs in 1490 in the town of Alsace, France.

Benjamin Franklin invented a wood-burning stove made of iron in the mid-18th century. Although a genius by any standard, he made a major design error in routing the smoke out through the bottom of the stove. Eventually fumes were eliminated through a tube atop the stove that reached outside. Variations of the Franklin model were the standard for several decades.

Eventually, gas stoves replaced coal or wood burners as many customers found them easier to use. English inventor James Sharp received a patent in 1826 and by the start of the 20th century gas ovens were commonplace in households due mainly to their ease of operation and nominal space requirements.

Numerous breakthroughs set the stage for the next step in the evolutionary process of how people cook their food. Canadian executive Thomas Ahearn put together the first electric range in 1892.

In 1896, William Hadaway received the first patent for an electric stove, and by the late 1920s, these stoves began to compete with their gas counterparts. Electric stoves became more fashionable because they were easier to clean, less expensive and faster.

Many companies began manufacturing electric ranges, nearly all of them resistor heating coil models with the same basic components. Each has a thermostat, burners, separate broil and bake rods, a timer and an oven light. The burners are typically made up of circular metal cylinders of nichrome-alloy resistance wires. Electricity is sent through the wires, producing heat that comes out of the elements, which turn red when the control knob reaches the highest level. The levels of voltage allowed through the wires determine the different heat settings.

Inside the oven are the cooking racks – a bottom element used for baking and a top element for broiling. As is the case with the burners, once the flow of current is turned on, resistance materials allow each to heat to the pre-set temperature. When the oven reaches that level, a thermometer gauge signals the thermostat to turn down the heat. When the oven begins to cool, it signals it to resume heating.

Glass-ceramic burners were the next major innovation. Introduced in the 1970s, the burners offered the advantage of a low coefficient of heat conduction that allowed the easy passage of infrared radiation. Due to its physical makeup, the burner heats more rapidly with minimal afterheat. Another advantage is a smooth, flat surface that is simpler to clean.

Nearly all kitchens in the United States have either a gas or electric range. Both can accomplish the same tasks and the choice between them comes down to individual tastes.

The Advantages of An Electric Stoves

1.The Electric Stove Has An Elegant and Contemporary Shape
The first advantage that you can see from an electric stove is that it has an elegant and contemporary shape that is very different from a gas stove. In fact, the electric stove has a slimmer appearance that makes it look modern.

Therefore, many apartments or minimalist-style houses use this type of stove because it saves more space.

2.Safer to Use Inside Confined Space
Many people switch to using electric stoves because they feel safer when used in a closed room. You know, gas stoves are at risk of gas leaks that can lead to explosions and fires.

While on an electric stove, this terrible thing is nothing to worry about because it uses electricity instead of gas. Not only that, electric stoves are considered safer because they don’t feel hot when touched directly by hand.

3.Equipped with Many Modern Features
Not only is it modern in shape, but electric stoves also have a variety of advanced features. The goal is to adjust the temperature produced so that cooking activities will be more effective.

The features and components of the electric stove that you can enjoy include timers, automatic pan size, safety shut off, to boost.

4.Easy to Clean
It is undeniable that the gas stove always leaves burnt marks around the installation area, so you have to spend more time so that the stove looks as clean as before. This sort of thing will not happen when you are using an electric stove.

Because almost all brands of electric stoves use glass material with a flat surface. Thus, you only need to wipe the surface until it is completely clean.

5.Electric Stoves Produce Heat More Evenly
Who would have thought, the heat generated by electric stoves is far more stable than gas stoves. This is what makes your cooking evenly cooked.

Interestingly, the stable heat allows for much shorter and more effective cooking times. In fact, the bottom of the pan will not turn black from exposure to excessive heat.

6.Generated Heat Lasts Longer
Almost all electric stove products have the ability to store heat for a while after being turned off. Even if the heat that remains isn’t the same as when it was turned on, you can still use it to warm up small portions of food.

The Disadvantages of An Electric Stove

Although it is equipped with various advantages, but it turns out that electric stoves also have disadvantages.

1.The price is relatively expensive
Compared to a stove, of course, this is an relatively expensive electric appliance. This is because the electric stove is equipped with a variety of sophisticated and modern features. However, this price is comparable to what you will receive later.

In addition, the price of electric ovens is also affected by the number of ovens available. The more stoves, the higher the price.

2.Requires a lot of electrical energy
As the name implies, this stove uses electrical energy as a substitute for fuel. But unfortunately the power required is very high, which is about 300 to 1200 watts.

3.You must use cooking utensils
Apparently not all cookware can be used on an electric stove. The surface of the stove that tends to rise will certainly not allow you to cook in a deep pan. Therefore, when you want to use an electric stove, you should have the whole list of cooking utensils with a flat floor.

Not only that, you can only use cooking utensils made of iron, steel and stainless steel. Because these three materials are able to create a special interaction with the surface of the electric oven to complete the cooking process.

source:wikipedia , yaletools , hunker , nationalmaglab

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