Burners

Getting to the stoves implies commitment and skills. Opting for the best burners means choosing to rely on a functional and efficient element able to meet the habits and needs of those who need to prepare lunches and dinners. The market offers several typologies of burners to choose from. Normally the technical characteristics, the quality and materials are factors to be evaluated, while the number of burners determines the size of the cooking hobs. These can feature from one to six burners and therefore take from 30cm to 95cm in width. Next to the number, the size of the burners is yet a relevant element, since the larger they are, the more they are efficient. Some models of burners feature two or three concentric crowns, in a way that contains the external diameter to the advantage of the flame's power. Some hobs, on the other hand, especially if equipped with 6 burners, have two burners positioned at a short distance apart, so that they can be used together to heat an oval-shaped dish or a particularly long grill.

Characteristics of burners

It is worth clarifying that a burner alone cannot make for the overall effectiveness of the performance of a cooking hob. As a matter of fact there are many other characteristics that can at the same time enhance or limit the general characteristics of a burner. A burner is usually conceived and manufactured in such a way that it has the maximum efficiency (therefore effectiveness) and the lowest possible level of harmful emissions based on its shape, number of flames, crowns and power. Whatever the basic characteristics, the quality of the final performance is determined by the shape of the cooking hob (that is to say its width, the inclination of the basins that accommodates the burner) and by the shape and consistency of the grids supporting the pans. Indeed such factors can negatively impact the flow of the so called primary air and therefore the proper functioning of the burner. This is another reason why the performance of a burner is never to be evaluated alone, but always with the application on which it is mounted. Gas consumption and cooking speed are measured by the efficiency of the burner. The more efficient the burner, mounted on a given hob, the lower the consumption and the faster the cooking time. Another characteristic of burners is their great flexibility of use, with power ranging from 0.8 kW to 4.0 kW. The triple crown burner, that is composed by three concentric flames, favors rapid and powerful cooking, guaranteeing professional performance. On the other hand, the flat burners with vertical flame reach very high levels of efficiency, allowing considerable energy savings and limited emissions.

Burners: different typologies for the right cooking

But what are the characteristics a burner should have to guarantee the right flame to cook? The flames of a burner (with single, double or triple crown) need to be correctly and appropriately distributed and adequately studied in such a way that the gas heating power is transferred to the pot in the best possible way and avoiding that by interfering with the supporting elements present on the hob, the overall performances are affected. It is always recommended to remember that flames are generated by the right mixture between air and gas; it is therefore essential that a burner be conceived in such a way that in its inside part, air and gas can properly mix. From a structural point of view, there are two kinds of burners; in the aspirated air (or atmospheric) burner for civil use the air is naturally sucked in by the fuel thanks to a duct that has a narrower section at the point where it is introduced; the blown air burner, used in all industrial applications, has a forced air intake, thanks to a fan placed upstream of the burner itself.

Efficiency and materials of burners

What are the structural details that contribute to make a burner efficient? In absolute general terms, the flames inclination and their direction towards to pot are key factors. Next to these, evaluations and studies on the masses of the burner and its components also come into play, with an aim to reduce the heat absorbance of the burner itself. As far as materials are concerned, on the other hand, their choice almost never influences the cooking performances. The aluminum alloys that are normally used by most part of the producers are more than adequate to withstand the thermal and mechanical stimulus a burner is usually subject to. Thus metal burners are the most used as they can guarantee the best performances in terms of efficiency and quality (flame inclination and its direction towards the pot).