Buying a gas stove is actually very confusing as you can find many options available in the market.
To buy a gas stove, it is important for you to understand what’s your requirement, need, and features you want, and then look up options that match your requirement.
If you have unsuitable equipment, then you are not going to enjoy your time in the kitchen and it will be like a burden for you.
So, in this article let us know a few points so that will help you understand your need as well as what to look for when buying a gas stove.
What to look for when buying a gas stove?
Okay, so let us see those points one by one that will let you understand your requirement and will help you have the best buy.
(1) Type of Ignition
In India, you get mainly two options in the mode of ignition of a gas stove. The first one is manual ignition and the second one is auto-ignition.
In manual ignition, you have to use a matchstick or a lighter for the ignition of the stove whereas, in auto-ignition, you just have to turn the stove knob which generates spark under the burner helping it to light up.
Auto-ignition adds convenience to your cooking. So, if you want more convenience in your cooking you can go with the gas stove that has an auto-ignition feature. But if this auto-ignition feature gets damaged, it might cost you extra money for repair.
And because of this reason, most Indians prefer manual ignition.
(2) Burners
Burners are another main thing to look for before buying a gas stove/cooktop. These days you can find many types of gas stove burners like a gas stove with 1 burner, 2 burners, 3 burners, 4 burners, and so on and also types of gas stove burners based on materials with which they are made of like brass burners, aluminum burners, and iron cast burners.
Among these, gas stove with how many burners to go for?
Well, there are a few factors with which you can decide to go for which product.
How many dishes do you cook at a time or how many times do you cook or how much space do you have in your kitchen? These are a few things with which you can determine the right number of burners that will be perfect for your cooking.
Try to figure out yourself and go for the product that fits your need and requirement.
4 burners or more are perfect for a family of more than 5 members, 3 burners are perfect for a family of 4-5 members, 2 burners are perfect for a family of 2-3 members, and 1 burner is enough for a single person.
And always remember, though a gas stove with more burners with save your time it will also take more space in your kitchen.
(3) Burners Layout
The position, layout, and size as well of gas stove burners are as important as the number of burners you need.
Make sure that you go with a gas stove with spaced-out burners. If the burners are close to each other, then there are chances that while using all burners at a time, utensils are touching each other and are not sitting or settling down properly, then this situation can be dangerous.
And if the gas burners are less spaced, there is also the chance of getting burned due to hot utensils.
Suppose you are buying a 3 burner gas stove where you are getting a simmering burner, one medium-sized burner, and one large-sized burner. So, the layout of the burner must be like, simmering burner on the front and medium and larger sized burners on the back.
If the layout is like this, you can access all utensils when all the three burners are getting used without any harm.
(4) Brand
Brand plays an important role in buying a gas stove. And the first question that comes to mind before buying a gas stove is ‘ gas stove of which brand should I go for? ‘.
A gas stove is long-term investment stuff and it is not a thing that people buy regularly.
People usually buy branded products because brands provide quality for their money and have gained the trust of thousands with their services.
I would recommend you to research thoroughly the brands that provide products that are durable, safe to use as well as a bit affordable.
Some of the gas stove brands that you can rely on are, Prestige, Glen, Elica, Sunflame, Butterfly, etc.
(5) Pricing
If you want to have branded product, it will obviously cost you more. But these days, many brands also gas stoves at affordable prices.
The price of a gas stove increases as we go upward from 1 burner to 2 burners, 3 burners, 4 burners, and so on of the gas stove.
Cheaper doesn’t mean inferior. You can find stainless steel gas stoves in a cheap price range. Whereas, glass top gas stoves are a bit expensive as compared to stainless steel stoves.
(6) Material
Gas stoves are of two types if categorized with the material with which they are made up of. The first one is stainless steel stove and the second one is a glass top/fiberglass gas stove.
Stainless steel gas stoves are rust-resistant and are enough durable to take high thermal shocks but they lose their shine as time passes.
Glass top gas stoves are strong but when compared to stainless steel stoves, they are more fragile and require more maintenance. We can also say that glass top gas stoves are more prone to damages.
These days people usually prefer buying a glass top gas stove that looks better over stainless steel stove and gone are those days when people used to buy stainless steel gas stove.
But still, if you do not want a gas stove for aesthetic purposes and want your gas stove to give service for a long period of time then I would recommend you to go for stainless steel gas stove.
On the other, if you want a good-looking gas stove that compliments your kitchen then you can go for a glass top gas stove. I would recommend you to go for that model of glass top gas stove that doesn’t shatter and stove that has toughened glass. So, do thorough research before selecting one to buy.
(7) Durability and Efficiency
All you want from your gas stove is long life so that it can provide you service for a long period of time. But to provide you service for a long period of time, your gas stove must be durable enough.
The durability of a gas stove depends on the material with which it is made up of or manufactured.
While talking about durability, one thing that comes to mind is stainless steel gas stove as the material with which it is made of i.e stainless steel is quite sturdy, corrosion-resistant, and also has high thermal qualities making it perfect for long-term use.
Glass top gas stoves are strong and durable as well but not as strong as stainless steel stoves. If you handle glass top gas stoves with care and maintain it on regular basis, then it’s also going to give you service for a long period of time.
Any gas stove can be called efficient which saves your time, fuel and also lets you have hassle-free and fast cooking.
(8) Stove format (Gas stove/Hobtop)
Gas stoves have a simple design with a simple working mechanism. They also have small legs at the bottom of every corner with which they stand.
Whereas built-in hobs have a different design as well as functionality compared to traditional gas stoves. Built-in hobs are mostly used in the modern kitchen and they are integrated on the countertop of the kitchen by cutting some part of it.
As hobs are permanently fitted at one place in the kitchen, so you cannot move them somewhere else and are way more expensive than traditional gas stoves. But besides these cons of hob, many extra features are provided like alarm, timer, etc which you do not get in traditional gas stove.
Gas stoves and built-in hob tops, both have their own pros and cons. So, figure out yourself, how much space you have in your kitchen, what is your budget, stove with which design you want, beforehand.
(9) Maintenance
For the long life of your cooktop, one thing that is required is the maintenance of the appliance.
Look for the gas stoves that have a surface ready to take spills and besides this, the surface is easy to clean as well.
If you are a busy person and do not have much time to clean or maintain the stove, then you can go for stainless steel stove as it doesn’t require much maintenance. All you have to do is to take a wet cloth and wipe the whole surface and you are done cleaning your stove.
Glass top gas stoves require much more maintenance and care compared to stainless steel stoves. Though glass top stoves are expensive, the cleaning task very easy and are gonna give your kitchen an elegant look.
(10) ISI certification
The full form of ISI is the ‘ Indian Standard Institute ‘.
The ISI mark or stamp shows or certifies that the product your going to buy is safe to use and is made on the bureau of Indian standards.
Always go with the gas stove which is an ISI mark or stamp on it.
CONCLUSION
So, that was an article about ‘what to look for when buying a gas stove?‘.
The objective of writing this article was to provide you with information about the factors you should look for before buying a gas stove.
We hope that this article gave you enough information making you able to figure out yourself, your requirements and needs so that you can have the best buy.