Electric Cookers Have Changed the Way People Cook

Electric cookers can be said to be one of the greatest innovations ever to grace the kitchens of modern homes. This is because in medieval times, people used to use coal, fire and rudimentary cooking stoves to prepare food and warm the house. These are still used in some parts of the world where modern civilization has yet to find a foothold. Today homes use mostly a combination of coal, electric cookers and gas cookers although electric cookers and gas cookers are predominant. Gas cookers are more or less found in homes while electric cookers are usually found in apartment homes and condominiums. This is true in the United States but in other parts of the world the opposite may be true. It is not uncommon especially in the Third World countries to find people purchasing a gas stove which has a portable gas container which can be refilled when the gas is depleted. In the West, these portable stoves still exist but they are mostly used for outdoor activities like picnics or backyard barbecues which are common during the summer. Let us examine some basics about electric cookers and also see why they are popular.

Electric cookers usually come in a one freestanding stove that has four electric coils. The mechanism that drives them is simple. The coil is attached to a metal plate that is in turn connected to an electric cable. When you turn the knob to light the cooker, electrons bombard the steel plate that is attached to the coil and because of the resistance, heat is generated. As more electrons continue to hit the plate, the coil gets hotter and hotter until it is red hot and sometimes white hot. At this juncture it is ready to be used to cook or warm whatever is needed. The cooker comes with the ability to adjust the level of heat and this is ideal because not everything requires the same amount of heat to prepare.

The electric cooker also comes with an in-built oven which is usually situated right under the top of the countertop, usually metallic, where the coils are embedded. The oven works much in the same way as the coils work. There are differently-shaped coils which also when heated in turn heat the air inside the oven. The oven works best when it is closed and the heat inside can also be regulated to fit whatever is being cooked or broiled.

Electric cookers are generally cheaper to buy because the technology involved in creating them is rudimentary. They are also advantageous because there is a very low risk of fire and some are even created to cut off power if water spills on them or something is forgotten on the stoves. Modern innovations in electric cooker design has also seen what we call as Induction cookers which have a specialized coil which only heats up when in contact with a surface. This was created because wit the previous cookers, someone could easily and accidentally touch the coil and be seriously burnt.

Autor: Theodor Cartman

Looking for electric cookers? Check out complete guide to electric cookers.

Added: December 25, 2008
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/