Simmerstats - also known as an energy regulator or infinite switch - are responsible for turning the heating elements on and off in hobs, grills, and various other cooking appliances. During the cooking period, the simmerstat tells the heating element to turn on and switch off at regular intervals. The length of those intervals is determined by you, the user - you simply turn the control knob that's hooked up to the simmerstat to determine how long you want each on period and each off period to last (and thus how much energy you want the heating element to use).
An example of a simmerstat in use
Let's imagine you're heating up some pasta sauce on your cooker's hob.
The instructions on the jar call for a low heat, so you turn the hob's control knob a quarter-turn. This is effectively telling the simmerstat that you want the hob's heating element on a quarter of the time.
Switching the hob on begins a cycle that is regulator by the simmerstat (energy regulator). For instance, the heating element might come on for 10 seconds, then turn off for 30 seconds, then come on for another 10 seconds, then go off for another 30 seconds...
You get the idea. This duty cycle means that, overall, the hob's heating element is operating at roughly a quarter of its full power, and since it is switched off for 75% of the time, your pasta sauce won't be allowed to get too hot.
If you're cooking something else that calls for a higher heat setting, you might turn the control knob three-quarters of the way around. Now you're telling the simmerstat to keep the hob ON for 75% of the time and OFF for 25% of the time. In this case, the element would theoretically stay on for 30 seconds before switching off for 10 seconds.
Need a new simmerstat?
If your simmerstat has stopped working then your cooker won't work properly either. Don't worry, though - we have a range of spare energy regulators available here at Cooker Spare Parts.
Buy cooker thermostats and simmerstats >
