this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] 57 points 11 months ago (12 children)

I know it's off topic but the stove design looks really weird to me. Why would you design a stove with all the knobs at the very back where they are hard to reach?

[–] vind 37 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Only reason I can think is to prevent kids from touching them

[–] mihnt 12 points 11 months ago

100%. Electric ranges tend to have a lot of safety features built in and/or come with them. They also come with a clamp for the leg of the stove to be slid into so if a child were to climb on the door it wouldn't tip over.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

And pets. I've got two fur monsters that like to jump on things when we're not around to correct, no matter how many times we've taught them not to. They won't do it when we're home, but as soon as we're away, counter surfing is the rule of the day, and with front-of-oven knobs on a gas stove we have come home multiple times to a small gas leak. We've taken to removing the knobs when it's not in use, which is fine but annoying. I'd much prefer back-of-oven knobs though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] uis 1 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Do you live in soviet panel house?

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[–] CoolMatt 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Every electric stove I've used in my 30 years of life in Canada has had the knobs at the back.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

They're not hard to reach for a normal sized adult.

[–] Mr_Blott 23 points 11 months ago (7 children)

But you're reaching over the hot parts. It's way more normal to have them at the front edge in front of the hot bits

[–] LemmyIsFantastic 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

You might disagree but walk into home depot, this style is plenty popular. I would say more popular when I was renting.

I'd rather have them at eye level easier to see from across the room and have them away from kids.

It's amazing how many people project their wants and needs based on their limited experience.

[–] angrystego 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

It's propably a local thing. The same stove design is not popular in every country. At some places every stove might look like this and at others people might have never seen such a thing.

[–] LemmyIsFantastic 2 points 11 months ago

You should probably mention that to the guy projecting.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Is home depot a generic name or do you mean the chain called Home Depot?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm assuming you're from Europe, and as such probably are using a gas stove. The front makes sense for gas because it's wasting a ton of gas to heat up air that goes around your food instead of into it. This means the air above the stove is really hot and will likely burn you, so the dials need to be in the front. For electric stoves, there's a lot less energy wasted. Almost all of the emerge goes directly into your pots/pans so the air above is relatively cool, unless you're boiling water or something. Having the dials in the back is easier to see while cooking and more childproof.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This explains why I, as an American who has really only known electric stoves both in my homes and friends homes, am more familiar with back controls, but the fancy cooks I watch on YouTube with gas ranges have them in front (though the cooks are still American). I kind of just associated front controls with “rich people stoves” which was a false equivalence since most of the online cooks I know happen to be rich but it’s the fact they’re gas stoves that makes the difference lol. I also follow one who has an induction cooktop with touch controls which seems kind of annoying.

[–] uis 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Or "soviet people stoves" I had same stove in same color

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Never seen a stove with knobs on the front outside of restaurant kitchens. I've been in many houses of varying wealth levels, and never seen that unless in a residential kitchen.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is regional thing. In Europe it is in front, which is of course superior. /s

[–] CheezyWeezle 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You have to reach over hot bits in the front to get to hot bits in the back when cooking anyways... once again, for a normal sized adult this poses literally 0 risk of anything.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What if you don't have hot bits in the back? The design seems annoying

[–] Theharpyeagle 2 points 11 months ago

I've used both styles of stove and really don't have a preference either way (other than anxiety about accidentally bumping into the front ones). My current stove has back controls and it really has never registered as a problem.

[–] uberkalden 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I agree it's better, but not normal. Most ranges are like this

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's common in America, especially with electric stoves. All gas stoves I've seen use the front, though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is what I was wondering. (Gas vs Electric) Wires are easy and cheap to route vs gas lines.

[–] uis 1 points 11 months ago

I think when they lean over open flame, something in their mind clicks and they think that something is definetly wrong.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (2 children)

So small children can't reach them.

[–] Frostbeard 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

I have not seen a electric convection stove in 10 years. Aren't they all induction these days?

And my plate top have the controls digitally/touch sensitive area on the top itself

[–] Theharpyeagle 2 points 11 months ago

Hub, I've yet to live in a house with an induction stove. All electric ones have either been ancient coil ones or glass top convection stoves. Would love to get an induction one someday, though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Induction requires ferromagnetic pans. Also, they pull a shit ton more power than standard electric why actually heating up the pan (their "efficiency" comes from getting there much faster and then not having to waste as much heat maintaining the temp). So, there are plenty of older buildings that are not wired to be able to handle induction. So, standard electric stoves are still very common.

[–] Frostbeard 1 points 11 months ago

Think this is an issue with me being Norwegian. Here I have not seen them in ages.I know that we had to put in two of those big plugs for oven and top when we built a new house in 2021. We considers buying and every house we looked at had induction.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What, you don't like your arm being incinerated when you go to turn the heat off?

What's wrong with you, that's the best bit.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

It's induction and unless you are dragging your arm across the top the likelihood of burning yourself is nil.

[–] uis 1 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Even while cooking when water boils and oil splashes?

[–] Frostbeard 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That is an issue regardless of the mode of heating

[–] uis 2 points 11 months ago

Exactly my point

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (4 children)

If your oil or water is splashing that high then you shouldn't be cooking anyways.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

That's the standard location of stove/oven knobs.

This is a safety feature. US homes use gas in some of thier stove tops and there have been cases where toddlers have turned knobs to release gas into the house and there have been fires associated with pets and toddlers bumping into the knobs.

[–] uis 4 points 11 months ago

To burn your arms of course!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I've used both. Think it's more a style choice than anything.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

To make them harder to reach so that you (or a child) don't accidentally turn one of the burners on when you don't intend to use it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Glad it's not just me, I've always thought this too. Surely you have to put your arms over the hot stuff?

[–] Frostbeard 2 points 11 months ago

It looks a bit old fashioned tbh. In Norway it's all separate tops and ovens. All the tops are induction and the controls are mostly touch sensitive areas on the top itself.