POTTERY Remember that a wide-bottomed pan allows a faster cooking than a narrow one. Always use pots which properly fit what you have to cook. Particularly make sure that the pans are not too small for liquids, since these could easily overflow. Moreover, the pans should not be too large for a faster cooking. In fact, grease and juices may spread on the bottom and burn easily. It is better to use non-openable moulds for baking cakes. In fact, an openable mould lets juices and sugar leak through, falling on the bottom of the oven and consequently burning on the bottom of the baking tray, making cleaning difficult. Avoid putting plastic-handled pans in the oven as they are not heat-proof. You should use oans with the right diameter to fit the burner, in order to make the most out of it, thus reducing gas consumption as in Fig. 2. It is also advisable to cover any boiling casserole and, as soon as the liquid starts boiling, lower the flame enough to keep the boiling point.
HOTPLATES The hotplates control knob can be adjusted on six different positions, according to your cooking needs, from maximun heat (position 6) to minimum heat (position 1), as shown in Fig. 3.
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Saucepans suitable for use on solid plate hobs should have several characteristics: � � � they should be fairly heavy duty; they should fit the heat area exactly, or be slightly larger for efficient use, NEVER smaller; they should have a flat base to ensure good contact with the plate (see Fig. 4).
This is particularly important when using pans for high temperature frying or pressure cooking. Ensure pans are large enough to avoid liquids being spilt onto the plates. Never leave the plates on without a pan on them or with an empty pan on them.
