Is It A Cooker? Is It A Stove? Is It A Range? Is It An Oven?

Some people call it a stove, some people call it an oven, some people call it a range, and some people call it a cooker. Whatever you call it, it's the appliance you use to do your cooking on, unless you exclusively use a microwave which some people do because they have no interest in cooking per se, but just want to throw something in the microwave to produce food to eat, regardless of whether it is good for them or not.

Leaving the microwave aside for the moment, a 6 burner oven is not just an oven. An oven is just the enclosed lower part of the cooker or stove that heats your food all round, while the burner part is the top on which you cook food in saucepans, frying pans, and so on. What people refer to as a 6 burner oven is in fact a cooker with an oven and six burners on the top as opposed to the more common four burners. Even the word "burner" is something of a grey area, because that tends to indicate a gas burner, which is fine, but an electric cooker has hotplates or rings or ceramic hobs or induction hobs, depending partly on how old it is, and the design and build of the appliance.

 

And you thought buying a new cooker was going to be easy?

In the majority of cases, a 4 burner oven is what you will find in most homes with four hobs and an oven. Some may actually have two ovens which can operate at different temperatures. Many family homes simply don't have the room to accommodate a 6 burner oven in the kitchen, although it has to be said that they have their uses, particularly if you frequently have guests round for dinner parties. Those two extra hobs give you the chance to do some extra vegetables or cook a sauce which could be very difficult with four hobs.

Of course, cookers can be powered with natural gas, propane, or electricity. Some cookers are what are known as dual fuel cookers which have an electric oven which provides a consistent even heat, while the gas burners on top allow extremely high temperature control. Gas doesn't retain heat in the same way that an electric powered hob does, and so can be turned up or down and provide an instant reaction.

As you can see, buying a cooker is not as straightforward as you might think, so you need to do proper research.

What's the Difference between A 2 Group Coffee Machine and A Compact?

A standard 2 group coffee machine usually has a 10 litre boiler, whereas a compact espresso coffee machine has a 5 litre boiler. The boiler is usually placed vertically in the machine which means that the machine takes up much less space. For example, a La Spaziale 2 group coffee machine is 77cm wide, while a compact machine is only 58cm wide. This is quite a big difference if you only have a small counter space.

A compact espresso machine will also use quite a lot less power than a standard 2 group coffee machine. Most compact machines can run off a standard 13 amp plug because the maximum power they use is 3,000w. 3,000w/240 volts is 12.5 amps, so a 13 amp power outlet is fine. 

You might wonder how well a compact machine could deal with busy spells. In most cases it will deal with them with no problem. The main difference between a standard size and a compact machine is the boiler size. Now because the boiler is smaller you have less storage for steam. If you draw lots of hot water and you steam very large cups, then it might have a bit of a problem. If your cups are normal size and you don't draw off lots of hot water, then it will be perfectly happy. There will be no difference from a standard size machine.

When it is a case of making more coffees at the same time, what matters is the groups. A 3 group will handle more than a 2 group, but it is not necessarily the case that a standard 2 group can deal with more than a compact 2 group.

When you draw a lot of hot water from the boiler, the steam pressure drops because you have the same amount of steam in a bigger space. The boiler also draws in water so the water in the boiler cools. If you draw off lots of hot water the steam pressure can drop too far, but as long as you give the machine enough time to recover, it won't cause a problem.

The Problems with Single Door Bottle Coolers

Bottle coolers are an essential item for every bar or restaurant that sells bottled drinks. There are a number of things to take into consideration when purchasing a bottle cooler, not the least of which is the amount of space that you have available. If you only have a narrow space you will obviously have to opt for a single door bottle cooler, but you can obtain these in a height of around 6'6" which will accommodate five shelves full of bottles.

One disadvantage of a single door bottle cooler is that it will have to have a hinged door as opposed to a sliding door. A hinged door means that a bottle cooler is not so energy efficient as one with sliding doors because a hinged door lets out the cold air every time the cooler is opened. The other disadvantage of a single door bottle cooler with a hinged door is that it takes up more space in the backbar because every time the door is opened it can interfere with other staff moving up and down the bar to serve. This can be a problem when the bar is busy because the door can actually be opened several 100 times during the course of a day. 

Furthermore, if you only have space for a single door cooler it will need refilling more often than a double or triple door bottle cooler which again means letting more cold air out of the cooler as it is loaded, and of course gets in the way of other staff. If you have the space, a sliding door bottle cooler is much better for all those reasons.

You can also get under counter single door coolers, but these will obviously hold less stock than a larger one, which means even more refilling. Another consideration here is longevity. It is simply a fact that a hinged door will not last as long as a sliding door, so a hinged door bottle cooler will have to be replaced more often. There is also the matter of display, because with a single door bottle cooler you simply cannot display as much stock as with a double or triple door cooler.