One of the few commonalities that links virtually every culture in the world, the art of cooking is a shared past-time that is ubiquitous across the entire globe.

While the style, dishes and flavours may differ from border to border, cooking is a process that has become as ingrained into our daily routine as life’s other essentials such as sleep, washing and, of course, Facebook.

However, much like many of life’s other long-standing rituals, the roots of cooking in general are largely deemed to be a mystery and the origin of cooking food for consumption remains a hotly debated subject in historical circles.

With that in mind, let’s turn up the heat and serve up a searing feast of juicy food for thought that will leave your historical taste buds satiated and satisfied with no room for seconds.

Tuck in!

Hot Stuff: An Oven History Timeline

While the exact starting line for cooking with fire is unknown – believed by some to be anywhere as far back as a two million years ago – ovens have been in widespread use for considerably less time, despite what The Flintstones may have taught us.

Dark Times

While the ancient Greeks are often credited for their use of simple “ovens” for baking bread (namely the front-loaded bread oven), the first evidence of legitimate oven-like technology in the UK was believed to have occurred in the middle ages.

Sizeable brick hearths were constructed to house large fire pits, where metal cauldrons containing food were hung above for heating, effectively creating the first bonafide “oven” as we know it.

European Influence

The first historical recording of a purpose-built oven was said to have originated in 1490 in Alsace, France. From there, a variety of innovations ultimately led to the invention of cast ovens in the 1700s, where Germany’s five-plate/jamb stove models were produced in mass quantities.

This German technology paved the way for the first recorded enclosed oven soon after, known as the castrol stove/stew stove. Further innovation occurred at the tail end of the century with the first stove to feature an adjustable temperature.

Gas and Electric

Things began to heat up in the 1800s with introduction of gas cooking. The first gas oven was patented by inventive Brit, James Sharp, way back in 1826 and gas ovens had become a staple of the British kitchen by the 1920s.

Not to be outdone, electric ovens were in hot pursuit, arriving on the scene in the late 19^th century. Despite this fact, once again, it wasn’t until the ‘20s and ‘30s that electric ovens really began to get a widespread buzz.

The invention of the electric oven is commonly attributed to the mind of Canadian inventor, Thomas Ahearn, in 1882; however, his invention was used exclusively in the Windsor Hotel in Ottawa.

The first official US patent for an electric oven was issued to William Hadaway in 1896. Coincidentally, Hadaway would also go on to invent the toaster 14 years later, revolutionising breakfast as we know it!

Magic Microwave: TV Dinners Catch Fire

When it comes to modern technological breakthroughs in cooking, few innovations can compare to the microwave oven. Incredibly, what has become an essential item in kitchens across the globe, the microwave was actually invented by a man who never even finished grammar school.

An Unlikely Hero

Percy Spencer was forced to leave school at the tender age of 12-years-old for work, after his father died, his mother deserted him and he was left in the care of his aunt and uncle (the latter of whom also passed away).

Despite this fact, Spencer remained hungry for knowledge and eventually became a self-taught expert in radio technology, owing his education to countless textbooks, which he read while he was on night watch in the US Navy.

Knowledge is Power

The studious reading paid off – particularly for those looking to go undetected by the Navy during the night – and Spencer subsequently taught himself a variety of skills, including trigonometry, calculus, chemistry, physics and metallurgy.

His studies saw him become world-renowned in the field of radar tube design and a well-respected expert during World War 2, where he was a pivotal part of Raytheon – a major US defence contractor concerned with the manufacture of weapons and military electronics.

Under the Radar

While standing in front of an active radar, Spencer noticed a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. The incident proved to be a eureka moment for the curious tech-wiz and led to additional investigation, ultimately culminating in the Radarange in 1946 – the first commercially produced microwave oven.

The result was incredible. Better yet, the result was edible! The invention proved to be revolutionary and was quite literally the best thing since sliced bread…which had been invented two decades earlier.

So, there you have it – a brief oven history of cooking! While technology has undoubtedly come a long way since the days of the Greek front-loaded bread oven, even modern ovens aren’t indestructible. If your oven is causing you aggro or your need any oven parts to keep your kitchen feeling the heat, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 02920 452 510 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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Over the last several decades, kitchen appliances have seen a variety of technological breakthroughs, from the George Foreman Grill to instant-boiling taps.

Despite the range of inventions, innovations and advances, the humble oven has stood firm as a tried and true mainstay of the kitchen.

However, the ovenary option of gas and electric has long been a hot debate, with both sides of the argument staunchly loyal to their preferred supply.

So, which one is better? Let’s find out as we turn up the heat on gas ovens vs electric ovens, in the ultimate battle for kitchen supremacy.

Pros and Cons of a Gas Oven

If you think a gas oven will provide more of a spark to your culinary capabilities, check out these pros and cons and give yourself a balanced view.

Benefits of a Gas Oven

Gas ovens tend to heat up very quickly, speeding up the overall cooking process as it reduces the time needed to pre-heat the oven to the desired temperature.

They also provide a levelled heat distribution which can be useful for achieving different results while cooking things at the same time; e.g. cooking meat on the bottom shelf and roast potatoes on the top.

Disadvantages of a Gas Oven

Gas installation is a specialist skill and can be extremely dangerous if conducted by an untrained amateur. As such, you’ll need to enlist the aid of a qualified gas professional to install your gas oven safely. Naturally, this will usually come with a price tag.

Gas ovens usually won’t feature a fan either, which can make it harder for heat to circulate. While this can be great for achieving varying cooking results (as noted above), it can result in an uneven bake and require some serious shelf juggling if you’re looking to achieve the same results for multiple trays.

Pros and Cons of an Electric Oven

If you’re switched on to the idea of an electric oven, be sure to take the following into account for a well-rounded decision.

Benefits of an Electric Oven

While gas may have the edge in terms of heating speed, electric does tend to offer a quicker cooking experience.

Electric ovens tend to distribute heat more evenly, particularly fan-assisted ovens. This allows the hot air to be circulated around the oven, surrounding the item and cooking the food from multiple angles.

Disadvantages of an Electric Oven

As noted earlier, electric ovens can take a long time to heat up, extending the cooking time by potentially up to 30 minutes. It also retains its heat for a long period of time, making adjusting temperature tricky at times.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of electrical ovens is that they can be a notable casualty when a power cut occurs. If the power is down in your area and your midway through an oven bake, it’s an immediate roadblock that doesn’t have a detour.

Is Gas Cheaper Than Electric?

In short, yes. Cooking with gas typically works out notably cheaper than cooking with an electric oven.

One study by consumer watchdog Which? found that cooking with a gas oven worked out over 50% cheaper than cooking with an electric oven over the course of a year.

In addition to that, gas cookers are also typically cheaper to purchase up front as well, providing savings on a number of levels.

Gas Cooking vs Electric Cooking

While your decision will likely come down to costs, efficiency and practicality, it’s also important to note that gas cooking also provides a different cooking style to electric.

Gas ovens provide heat with more moisture than electric, culminating in a dish that itself is ultimately more moist. This prevents certain dishes from drying out and can make all the difference when cooking items like meat.

Meanwhile, electric ovens provide a drier heat that’s perfect for achieving crispier textures. This is particularly helpful when baking cookies of crisping up chips.

Which is Better - Gas or Electric?

Ultimately, who prevails in the battle between electric and gas depends largely on your own preferences and desired methods of cooking.

While gas can be cheaper in the long run, it does require specialist installation, whereas an electric model simply needs an outlet. That being said, if you live in an area where power cuts are common, an electric oven can be an unreliable solution.

The differences in cooking quality and end result can also be a decisive factor, while many will simply opt for what they are familiar with in a “better the devil you know” mindset. That being said, if you really are torn, there are hybrid options that provide the best of both.

Whichever option you ultimately go for, you can be sure that Cooker Spare Parts will have you covered if you need a replacement component, new rack or a spare tray to go with it.

If you need any help making up your decision, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 02920 452 510 or get in touch online using the link below.

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Are you searching for a new cooker but not sure which type to go for? The cooker you choose will depend on the previous cooker you have used and, of course, your personal preference when it comes to cooking. This blog highlight’s the pros and cons of gas and electric cookers, to inform you of which cooker is suitable for your needs. While both of these style cookers do a great job, they both have advantages and disadvantages.

Which is cheaper to run?

Both gas and electric cookers cost money to run, but they do differ greatly in how much they cost. If you use an electric cooker, you will use less energy but as electricity costs are more than gas per unit, you may end up paying slightly more for an electric cooker.

If you were to use your cooker for around five-hours per week, tests have shown an electric cooker will cost you on average £40 per week while a gas cooker will cost around £17 per week. Not to mention, gas cookers tend to retail cheaper also. While we understand, it’s not always about how much it will cost you, this will influence which cooker you purchase.  

Advantages and Disadvantages; Which cooker is best?

Gas Cooker

Advantages

1. Gas cookers are great for simmering food as they offer quick and easy-to-control heat temperatures. Overall, the cooker hobs provide even heat for the base of your pan. Therefore, you spend less time preparing your dinner to get it cooked properly.
2. They are also cheaper to run, compared to electric cookers. As a result, you’re going to save more money if you cook with a gas cooker.

Disadvantages 

1. Gas hobs are a lot slower than electric hobs, meaning they take longer to warm larger volumes of food. If you’re planning on cooking large meals each night on your gas hob, we recommend you safe yourself some time and go for an electric cooker.
2. Gas hobs can sometimes be harder to clean as they have raised burners and pan supports. Trying to clean them does become slightly trickier and time-consuming. As gas hobs have raised burners and pan supports they are more susceptible to collecting dust and excess food from spillages.
3. A gas cooker has less even heat distribution in the ‘oven’ compartment compared to electric ovens, making it harder for the heat to circulate around the cavity of the oven. This means the heat will stay at the top of the oven, rather than the bottom. While this is seen as a disadvantage for some, others utilise this element as they cook different foods, with different cooking instructions, at the same time!
4. Conclusively, installation of a gas cooker can also be a tricky one and you are required to have a qualified professional to install your appliance – this does cost, so bare this in mind if you are thinking of purchasing a gas cooker.

Electric Cooker

While there is no definite answer to which cooker is best, as experts, Cooker Spare Parts can advise you of the advantages and disadvantages of each cooker, to make sure you’re buying the most suitable cooker for your home and your requirements!

Electric cookers have a few more advantages than they do disadvantages and this is why;

1. Electric cookers evenly distribute its heat, this is because they have fans, which help circulate hot air around the cavity. This means your food will tend to cook evenly and will take less time (this is a great benefit if you are cooking large meals or are looking to cook a meal quickly).
2. Electric ovens also tend to have different heating elements that you can utilise to your advantage. With this element, you can cook multiple meals at the same time. For example, using your grill and fan to cook different meals (perfect for families with children or those with different food preferences).
3. If you tend to cook a lot, have a large family or, are a messy cook (this is not a bad thing), then an electric oven would be the cooker we would recommend. Electric cookers are much easier to clean and take less time to clean – so, if you’re in a rush or cooking a lot, it saves you a lot of time and stress when it comes to the deep clean.
4. If you purchase an electric cooker that has ‘induction cooking’ you can speed up cooking times; induction cookers heat up faster which is great if you’re in a rush and are looking to whip up a quick meal.
5. Finally, it has been proven that electric cookers are better at grilling food to that of gas cookers. So, if you like to grill your food then we’d recommend an electric cooker.

Disadvantages 

1. Electric cookers cost fractionally more, so your energy bills will be slightly higher if you opt for this cooker style.
2. Electric cooker hobs tend to take longer to cool down as they retain heat after they have been switched off – be careful if you have little ones, as they can be very hot to touch after they have been switched off!

Cooker Spare Parts can inform you of the types of cookers available and how they can work for you. However, it really depends on your cooking preferences as to which cooker is best! Both gas and electric cookers do a great job at cooking but they do have different functions so, make sure before buying, you are aware of their pros and their cons.

If you do have any questions about which cooker is best, don’t hesitate to give our friendly advice team a call or email; you can find their contact details here. Additionally, at Cooker Spare Parts we stock a range of gas and electric cooker replacement parts so at any time you find your cooker in need of fixing, we can help too!

There’s nothing worse than getting home from a long day at work to find your electric oven has broken – there go your dinner plans! Luckily for you, we can save the day with our powers of damaged-electric-oven-diagnosis (…think of us as a more practical superhero). So, from minor oven faults to an oven which has completely cut out, we have the ‘problem + solution’ equations to get your electric oven back up and cooking.

Know Your Elements (no, not the periodic table kind)

Faults with heating elements are a pretty common problem with electric ovens. If you’re finding that the light or fan still come on, but your oven isn’t heating up properly, you probably have a faulty heating element. In the majority of cases, the best way to fix this is to identify the damaged element in your electric oven and replace it. You can find all our oven element replacements here.

Burnt Grub

If your oven is still cooking food but doing its job a little too well –  i.e. burning everything to a crisp –  the issue is likely down to the thermostat. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that a thermostats job is to manage the temperature of your oven, when it breaks or becomes dirty the temperature becomes unstable. A quick tip for checking this is to take the temperature of the heat inside your electric oven manually – if the reading is higher than the temperature your oven is set to you can be sure the thermostats to blame – browse this page for a replacement.

Black Out

The dreaded electric oven cut out. If it appears that your oven is completely broken, it understandably causes a bit of panic – while it’s hard to diagnose the exact oven fault without knowing the specifics, there are a few common oven issues we can outline for you. One possible problem is that the power from the mains has cut out due to a blown fuse (luckily, this is easily fixed). Alternatively, you may have an issue with the thermal switch or cooling fan. If you’re concerned, we recommend getting in touch with us – we can help whatever your electric oven problem.

Too Much Heat

We all like some warm weather, but if you find that your oven door or knobs are very hot to the touch – or even that other utilities in the kitchen are heating and burning you may have a broken oven door or faulty cooling fan. A damaged oven door allows the heat to escape and consequently can burn furniture around the kitchen. Once you’ve identified whether the fan or oven door is the issue, you should look into cooling fan and oven door replacements.

If we didn’t identify your electric oven fault here then fear not, you can give our team a call on 02920 452 510 so we can help diagnose the problem and recommend quality parts to get your electric oven fixed. For those of you already in the know, you can browse all our spare electric oven parts to find what you need for excellent value for money!