Which stove should you buy?

If you want to connect an electric stove in the Netherlands, you need an extra powerful connector: a power group in your fuse box. You also need to have a Perilex socket in your kitchen. This is a socket with 5 openings.

A gas stove needs to be connected to a gas connector in your kitchen and to a regular socket with 2 openings. Check to see whether your kitchen has a gas connector and a socket.

Now that the Netherlands is slowly moving away from cooking on gas, induction cooking has become the future. An induction stove uses magnets for its heat. This means only the bottom of the pan is heated and not the cooktop itself. In comparison to a ceramic or gas stove, an induction stove heats your pan very quickly and is safer to use.

• No open fire
• Heats up quickly
• Cooktop doesn't become hot
• Energy-efficient
• Easy to clan

• You need special pans

On a gas stove, you can heat pans in a traditional way: with fire. Some gas stoves have a wok burner. This is an extra powerful burner to stir-fry chicken or vegetables at a high temperature. Each gas stove has flame protection: when the flame goes out, the gas supply stops.

• Easy heat control
• Direct transfer to the pan
• No special cooker circuit in fuse box required

• Less child-friendly due to the open fire
• Difficult to clean
• The Netherlands is moving away from cooking on gas

A ceramic stove uses heating elements below the cooktop. The surface and the pan on top of it are heated by these elements. In comparison to an induction stove, a ceramic stove doesn't heat up as quickly. On top of that, the cooking surface of ceramic stoves becomes hot. This is not the case with induction stoves.

• No open fire
• Easy to clean thanks to the smooth surface

• Longer warm up time than with an induction stove
• The cooking zones stay hot for a long time

A standard stove is 60-centimeter wide and has 4 cooking zones. Would you like to cook more elaborately or do you have a large kitchen? There are also 80 or 90-centimeter wide stoves available. These have 5 or 6 cooking zones and a spacious oven. Is your kitchen not that big or don't you think cooking is that important? Take a look at smaller stoves that are 50 centimeters wide. Keep in mind that you can't use 4 pans at the same time on these stoves.

Each stove has simultaneous upper and lower heat. This function is suitable for preparing roast meats, pastry, or dishes that need to rise in the oven. Use lower heat to prepare the perfect pizza. Do you like cooking multiple dishes at the same time? If so, opt for a stove with a fan function. This function is also suitable for preparing large dishes, such as an entire chicken with rosemary or a turkey.

Every pan is suitable for a gas stove, but this isn't the same for induction and ceramic stoves. For example, the bottom of the pan has to be magnetic if you want to cook on an induction stove. It also can't have been used on a gas stove. Otherwise, the pan won't heat up. To cook on a ceramic stove, it's important the bottom of the pan is smooth and thick. Check if you have the right pans for your new stove.

Cooking on induction is more energy-efficient than on other heat sources. But what do you really need to know about your induction stove? The cooktop of the stove heats the bottom of the pan, so the cooktop itself doesn't get very warm. Via sensor buttons or a slider, you can choose the right cooking zone and setting. It's important that you have the right connector and that your pans are suitable for an induction stove.