Welcome to this ultimate guide offering some quick tips and tricks on how to use your cooking range safely and efficiently. A cooking range is a common appliance needed to cook a variety of dishes in homes and restaurants across the UAE. Right from making breakfast and simple meals to festive delicacies, a cooking range can do it all if handled the right way. However, we often make mistakes while using our cooking range effectively. This is because we are not aware of many important things about this appliance. Don’t fret, we have your back. Plus, we have also penned down a lot of points on cooking range maintenance, accessories that you can buy for your cooking range, and so on.
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Say hello to a delightful cooking experience by using your cooking range efficiently and following these safety tips. Additionally, this will also help you to save energy and costs without compromising on cooking tasty, mouth-watering meals.
Choosing the Right Cooking Range for Your Home
First things first, in order to use a cooking range effectively and obtain great cooking results, it is very important to choose the right cooking range that suits your needs. Since there are various types of cooking ranges available, to make it easier for you to purchase a cooking range and to avoid mistakes while buying it, consider your cooking habits like how often you cook in a day, the quantity of the food, how many members you have in your family, and other preferences and requirements before you make a purchase. Firstly, if you cook a lot, especially heavy meals or large quantities then you will need a cooking range with a large number of burners.
Secondly, if you prefer cooking with gas rather than electricity, you will need to purchase a gas range. Further, if you are concerned about energy efficiency then choose an electric cooking range that comes with an energy-saving feature. Furthermore, once you have narrowed down your options or have chosen the right cooking range to suit your needs, it is important to read the user manual provided by the manufacturer carefully. The user manual provides instructions on how to use your cooking range properly and effectively. This will help you avoid accidents or damage to the cooking range and will also give you great cooking results. Additionally, it also includes important safety measures.
Simple Tips to Follow Before and After Cooking
- Note that if you are using a small pot then using a large burner will lead to a waste of energy. Therefore, ensure you make use of the right size burner for the pot or pan that you are using. A small pot can be placed on a small or mid-size burner.
- Set a timer to help you keep track of the duration of cooking. We know that every recipe or food item has a different cook time. Sometimes, we place the utensil containing water on the gas to boil it and forget about it. Or, you may place something that would take only 3-4 mins to heat, but it is there for more than 10 minutes. Besides wastage, this can also lead to unfortunate accidents. Setting a timer is the best thing you can do to avoid overcooking the food and prevent waste of energy.
- Note that preheating the oven is not required for every recipe. In fact, it is necessary for only certain recipes. Don’t worry, if you’re not sure whether to preheat the oven or not, simply check the recipe instructions and you will get a clear idea.
- Lastly, once you finish cooking, simply turn off the burners that were on. Also, let the oven cool down completely before you start cleaning it. Avoid touching the oven till it is cool.
General Safety Precautions While Using a Cooking Range in UAE:
Taking safety precautions is important when using a cooking range. What you need to do and how you need to do it is mentioned below. Ensure you read through all these safety tips and precautions mentioned in this guide and use your cooking range confidently without any fear.
- UAE has more of a hot arid climate indicated by extremely high humidity, hot weather, and hot winds. This increases the risk of fires. Therefore, you need to limit your oven usage. Try using the oven less often to save energy. This strategy is worth trying out during this season as it is summer. August is one of the hottest months in Dubai. Alternatively, you can try grilling or cooking outdoors.
- In case of a grease fire, never make use of water to extinguish it. The best thing you can do is cover the fire with a lid or use a baking sheet to trap the fire.
- If you are using a gas range, ensure you ventilate the kitchen properly as this will help to prevent the buildup of grease and fumes, which can cause a fire hazard. Additionally, it will also help to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
- If food particles or grease build-up, it can catch fire. Hence, ensure you always keep the cooking range clean and free of debris.
- Keep cooking oil and gasoline much away from the cooking range.
- Next, never ever leave a cooking pot unattended. If you need to go to the other room and nobody is in the kitchen then simply turn off the burner. Or, you can also remove the pot from the heat, but the safest thing to do is turn off the burner before leaving the kitchen. This will help avoid any risk.
- Install a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector in your kitchen. Don’t forget to test the detectors daily to ensure they are working properly.
- If you are using a gas range and are planning to clean it then ensure you turn off the gas supply to the cooking range before you start cleaning it.
What are Energy-efficient Cooking Ranges?
Energy-efficient cooking ranges are those that help you save money on your utility bills. Several features make a cooking range energy-efficient, some of which include:
- Convection ovens: A convection oven circulates hot air around the food thereby helping it to cook quickly and more evenly.
- Self-cleaning ovens: These types of ovens utilize a high-heat cycle to burn off the food residue. This, in turn, helps to reduce the amount of energy that is needed to clean the oven.
- Automatic shut-off burners: These burners shut off automatically after a certain period of time provided they are not in use.
Cooking range maintenance in the UAE
Cooking ranges require regular maintenance to keep them working properly and to prevent fires. Here are some tips for cooking range maintenance in the UAE:
- Get an annual servicing done for your cooking range by a professional technician. This is one of the most important cooking range maintenance tips since it will help to identify potential problems if any and will also be able to fix them. If you don’t get an annual servicing done then there is a higher risk of a fire or other safety hazards.
- Clean the burners and oven daily or at least thrice a week. Make use of a mild soap and water solution to clean the burners and oven. Avoid using harsh chemicals because these can damage the range.
- Store flammable materials away from the cooking range. This includes things like cooking oil, gasoline, and cleaning products.
