Using the cooktop
Make certain that there is a minimum
distance of 5/8" (15 mm) between
the pan and the control panel.
Never place a pan on the control
panel.
The outer part of the gas flame is much
hotter than the center. Therefore the
tips of the flame should be in contact
with the base of the pan and not
spread out to the sides. Flames which
spread out to the sides of the pan
merely warm up the air in the room.
Suitable pans
Material
Most pans can be used for cooking on
gas.
Pan base
Pan bases do not need to be even for
gas cooking, in contrast to those used
on electric burners. Through the
spreading action of the flame, heat
reaches all parts of the base.
Thin pans conduct heat to the food in-
side more quickly than thick ones.
Since heat is never evenly distributed
over the pan base, there is a danger
that food may overheat in places.
Therefore, when using saucepans with
thin bases, stir the food more often.
Thick pan bases lessen the risk of
food overheating, as better heat dis-
tribution is possible.
Size of pans
Using a small pan on the large burner
does not make cooking faster, but sim-
ply results in wasteful gas consump-
tion. The correct procedure is to cook
with small pans on the normal burner
and large ones on the large burner.
small pans = small burners
large pans = large burners
Wide, flat pans are more suitable than
narrow, tall ones, since they heat up
more quickly.
Lids
Less heat is lost by cooking in a
covered pot.
Using the cooktop
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