French cookers

[Peter S Bartlett]

Can anyone recommend whether I should buy a French or British cooker prior to the move to France, as I have been told that the oven burner on a French Oven is in the centre of the bottom unlike the British type where it is usually at the back. This causes the food to burn, so I am told. Is this a wind up or operator error, after all, French food is suppose to be good.

 

Thanks

[Hereford]

We bought a French gas cooker and Yes the burner is at the bottom and the food does burn!  This is the first time we had ever used a gas oven (only had a gas hob before) so we no nothing about UK cookers.  It may well be that not all French cookers are like this!

We are fed up with gas bottles - they always run out at a critical time so will change to fully electric in the not too distant future.#

hereford

[Iceni]

We bought a French cooker with gas top and electric oven - more expensive to buy but Di takes cooking seriously and will not have a gas oven. The gas bottle lasts over 3 months of several times a day use (no electric kettle) so changeovers are not too onerous.

John

 

 

[Dog]

When you think your gas has run out lay the bottle on its side and get the rest out.

[Creusois]

Madame Gateau has a gas hob (and we are still on the same bottle that we started in March of this year) and an electric oven - her cakes are just as good as ever - and my waistline proves it!!!.   One problem with bringing a UK oven to France is that unless it is a European brand/make, you will unable to get a local repairer to look at it - which is one reason why we left ours behind.

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

I agree with whoever informed the original posters; I have not been able to find any gas oven in France with a burner at the back.

There are not many British ovens available with jets for bottled gas but they do exist.

Bottom heat is bad at the best of times but a whole lot worse when the thermostat goes which it often does after a couple of years; French gas ovens are relatively cheap and nasty, the up-market ones are electric.

I've never liked cooking with electric and regular storms and power cuts make it unreliable in my area.

Which leaves the wood-burning stove, apparently excellent but to use it for cooking would take a whole lot more wood than I've managed to organise for the winter...

[Simon]

You know what they say of bad workmen...

I have French bottom burning ovens both in France and the UK, no problems here.

 

Simon

[Mistral]

I'm a bit confused. (doesn't take much) about what is meant by bottom burning cookers etc. My mum's cookers in the UK have always had the flames at the back of the base of the cooker. My gas ovens in France have always been the same. What am I missing?

[Catalpa]

Hereford said:

<< We are fed up with gas bottles - they always run out at a critical time so will change to fully electric in the not too distant future. >>

We have got two gas bottles as we currently do hot water and hob cooking via gas. Very irritating when I've got a head covered in shampoo and the hot water ceases. We have a changeover... valve?... widgit?!.. which connects two bottles and when one is empty the widgit automatically flips over to the full bottle so there's no break in supply. There is a red line in the indicator of the widgit which shows when this has happened so the empty one can be changed. I can get details from TOH if you or anyone else is interested.

Carole

[Alexis]

I have been cooking with this oven for the past ten years and I've never had anything burn.  Apart from my fingers because all it's knobs have long gone.  Except for two.  It was given to me.

I have asked Father Christmas for a new one but if it doesn't fit down the chimney, I won't really mind.

Gas always runs out when the shops are closed.  Usually a Sunday.   It is a French law.

Mind, with gas at least you have something when the electricity disappears for a couple of days.  If you don't run out!

 

[BJSLIV]

I'm sure that part of the problem in the great French ovens are rubbish debate is that people who have an expensive oven in the UK but a cheap and cheerful beast from Butorama and then are surprised at the dodgy results.

On a more serious note, it is worth bearing in mind that the lad from an oven may be high enough to necessitate an increase in the "strength" of the power supply. When we were chugging along on 6Kw if the oven was on we were plunged into darkness from time to time. An alternative is add one of those load shedding boxes to the distribution board.

 

 

[Hereford]

[quote]Hereford said: >We have got two gas bottles as we currently do hot water and hob cooking via gas. Very irritating when I've got a head covered in shampoo and the hot water ceases. We have a changeover...[/quote]

"We have a changeover... valve?... widgit?!.. which connects two bottles and when one is empty the widgit automatically flips over to the full bottle so there's no break in supply. There is a red line in the indicator of the widgit which shows when this has happened so the empty one can be changed."

Hello Carole

Problem is that the gas bottle is in the stove. It is a Rosieres with an integral cupboard for a gas bottle but no room for two. As our stove is in a chimney alcove we can't have one near it and the wall it is on is the boundary to next door!  Years ago in Herefordshire a relative had a changeover valve on two bottles that were both outside. Worked very well, but she had to switch it manually. 

We always have a spare full bottle and keep a diary so that we know how long it has been going. Lasts between 36 and 56 days, depends on how much cooking I have done.

Mrs H.