Tips - Kitchen Gadgets Tips

Should a Gas Stove Always Be Hot? In most kitchens today, gas stoves are used and preferred by a vast majority of chefs around the globe. However, gas stoves are a potential danger that might cause much damage, loss of property, and loss of life if not well handled. Due to the critical nature of gas stoves, many people wonder, should a gas stove always be hot? No! Gas stoves have a pilot light that acts as a safety feature making lighting easy and addresses any small quantities of combusted gases that might leak from the system by burning them and avoiding any potential hazards resulting from such miniature leaks. This light is also meant for starting the system when needed. This safety utility does not require any adjustments; it should always be on. Its warmth should be felt, but it is not meant to be hot always. Due to the plethora of benefits they provide, gas stoves have enjoyed a wider usage by professional chefs who want to stay at the top of their niche. Their wide acceptability is linked to their enhanced heating speed, visual flame monitoring, better temperature control, adaptability to diverse cooking methods, and compatibility with different cookware. What Is A Pilot Light, and should it always be on? This is a small light that is fitted in older gas stoves. Acting as the stove’s safety utility, it's always on.The small light lights bigger lights in the stove and the ovens. However, this light might go off. When this happens, it results from food debris being blown off by wind or a draft. Additionally, if it's too old, it may get finicky over time. This causes the burner and oven to fail, meaning that you will not cook your food. Luckily, it's not hard to relight a gas stove’s pilot light after it has gone out. How Do I Light A Pilot Light After It Has Gone Out? When a pilot light has gone out, it needs to be lit again. Before you attempt to light it again, ensure that you turn everything off. Try to smell your kitchen to ensure it doesn’t smell gassy. If you have tried to ignite the oven or stove several times without success, the chances are that your kitchen will smell like gas. If this is the case, make sure you first open all the windows to increase ventilation in your kitchen and wait for some time. If you have your user manual, it's advisable to use it here. However, you may still be able to light your pilot light without a manual. After your kitchen clears the gas smell, remove the burners. You can then soak them in your sink so that they soak for a good clean. Proceed to open the stovetop. If your brand does not have a hinge that enables you to open the entire top, you will be required to remove the trays to have the workings of the stovetop revealed. After this, locate the pilot port by looking between two gas lines, one to the left and the other. Between them is the pilot port. There would be a little blue flame if things were up and running, and that is the pilot light. Now, go on and thoroughly clean the area. Particularly, pay attention to any grease or debris on these pipes that may block the opening. If there is any visible blockage or debris, use your microfiber cloth to wipe it gently. After this, you can then replace all the parts and then check your burners. Proceed to replace your burners and ignite your pilot light. However, if you have tried the above methods and still can’t light your stove, you might need to contact a professional oven repair mechanic. It's an added advantage if you hire a person who specializes in gas stoves and ovens. Are There Any Health And Safety Concerns Related To Using A Gas Stove In Your Home? Yes! There are many concerns raised by scientists over the increased use of gas stoves in modern homes. Scientists agree that there are many measurable indoor pollutants emitted from gas ovens and cooktops to the tune of between 50 and 400 percent more than what we have in homes without gas cooktops and ovens. Consequently, you need to stay safe, especially if you have a pre-existing respiratory condition or children. While these appliances have been used in the USA and Europe for over a century, that alone cannot be used as a rubber stamp, giving the appliances a clean bill of health. Indeed, indoor air in homes that use gas stoves has been classified as 2-5 times dirtier than outdoors. Scientists argue that such air is not only dirty but toxic. Therefore, it's safe to assert that these appliances pose a significant health risk to homes. Shockingly, this scientific research and findings are not a new thing. It has been around for over twenty years now. Thanks to COVID-19, this research is now getting the necessary attention! This is due to realizing that clean air and respiratory health are crucial to surviving/avoiding exposure to COVID-19. You need to give these findings more thought, even as you spend more time cooking at home due to the threats of the pandemic. Pollutants from gas stoves come in three categories including, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, and Particle pollution. The exposure is more serious for children and people living in older homes with poor ventilation or smaller homes with less square footage. Some of the effects of these pollutants are increased Risk of asthma, IQ learning difficulties Irritated airways Increased susceptibility to lung infections changed lung function Deleted tissue antioxidant defenses Increased susceptibility to allergens Cardiovascular Effects How Do I Manage Gas Flames? It's easy to manage gas flames with a knob. This can be adjusted to either high, medium, or low. As you adjust the flame, you should be careful not to burn your fingers with the heat emanating from the gas stove. Your fingers should never reach out from under the cookware that is on the burners. The burners should remain on as long as cooking is in progress. As soon as you are done with your cooking, you have no reason to keep the burners on. Fire hazards and accidents may happen when you leave the flames unattended or when the stove is not in use. The burners must be turned on only for the duration of cooking. How Do I Maintain My Gas Stove? A gas stove should last a very long time. However, it may not give you the appropriate service if you do not take care of it. As far as a gas stove is concerned, the provision of a long-lasting hassle-free useful dependent on proper maintenance practices. Carelessness is a very common maintenance concern in relation to gas stoves. Additionally, improper maintenance wears down the appliance rather too soon. First, ensure that your stove is cleaned daily. The burners and heavy grates should be taken out and washed with soapy water. If there is a blockage of the burner walls by waste or food debris, you can opt to use a toothpick to clear the blockage. However, for you to this safely, you will need to wait until the burners and the grates are cooled down if you were using the stove for cooking. Will Using The Right Utensils Ensure More Safety With My Gas Stove? Yes. It's essential to use the right utensils with a gas stove. If you do not use the right utensils, there will be issues with your gas stove every other time. A sure way to get the right utensils on your stove is to see your cookware covers the flame when turned high. This means that no flame should escape from the cookware’s bottom to the sides of the appliances. Additionally, the material that makes the cookware needs to be non-inflammable and anti-corrosive as well. The use of any plastic, glass, or melamine utensils on your gas stove(Amazon Link) should never happen. Before you put the utensils on your stove to cook, ensure that they are clean and dry. One of the excellent materials that make utensils is copper. Therefore, as you go looking for the right utensils, consider copper pots as they are ideal for use with gas stoves. Do I Need To Monitor Carbon Monoxide When Using My Stove? Yes. It's crucial to ensure that you monitor your stove as it cooks. Unfortunately, as good and convenient as a gas stove might be, one of the most significant drawbacks with its use is the emission of carbon monoxide. This is a harmful odorless and colorless gas that can scarcely be detected until you experience its detrimental effects. Dizziness, nausea, headaches, and vomiting will often result from extended exposure to Carbon Monoxide. Peradventure you experience any of the symptoms, chances are that you are inhaling too much of the toxic gas. It also means that the gas is coming from your gas stove. As a precaution, it's essential to buy a carbon monoxide detector and then install it in the kitchen. Armed with this, it will be easy to monitor this deadly gas that may take your life in seconds. How Do I Practice Proactive And Careful Cooking? When using a gas stove, you are required to pay close attention to details. Indeed, this is a great way that will determine the level of safety that you will enjoy using your gas stove. Additionally, it's essential to ensure that the handles of your cookware are maintained clean at all times. Again, you will need to keep them to the side or using the back burners as they will be effective in preventing your cookware handles from protruding beyond your countertop. This way, you will eliminate any possibility of knocking your utensils over, causing hot food spillage everywhere. Again, you will need to develop a culture of turning off your burners as soon as you finish your cooking. Paying close attention to your flame is also a great way to ensure that things run all the way smoothly. Again, you do not want to leave your stove unattended as this has been a cause of many accidents and fire hazards. How Do I Prevent Gas Leaks And Fire Hazards? When using a gas stove, ensure that you are constantly aware of your surroundings. You will need to observe even slight signs of potential mishaps as this is a sure way to ensure safety when using gas stoves. However, the highly flammable nature of gas coupled with potential perilous fire hazards is the most significant causes of concern regarding gas stoves. This is an attribute that you will always need to remember when using your gas stove. If you think your gas is leaking or you can smell it, be swift to turn off the burners and resist any temptation to turn it on again until the scent is fully expelled from your home. Conclusion Gas stoves are one of the modern, convenient cooking methods. As such, people find them irresistible to use. As with many other appliances, these appliances have their share of risks and safety concerns. It's essential to understand these health and safety concerns as you continue to use your gas stove. Practice caution when using your stove, as this will determine how long you will enjoy the appliance without fire hazards. A gas stove does not need to be hot always. Although the pilot stays on always, this does not make the gas hot always. It only keeps it warm. This safety feature makes lighting easy and addresses any small quantities of runaway gases by burning them and avoiding any potential hazards resulting from such miniature leaks. It's required that you regularly maintain your appliance to get rid of any grit and food debris. Failure to remove food debris may occasion other failures to your appliance.