fornello

[StefanoT]

How is it said in English?
I mean the thing which burns gas, not the electric one, and above which you can place a single pot. A stove usually has four of them and perhaps an oven.
I've found "poker", "burner", "cooker" and "hot plate" (I've also found "kitchen range" and "stove", but I think these refer to the whole appliance).
Which one should I use? Are they all the same?

 

[Paulfromitaly]

You forgot the one I'd use: hob.

 

[TrentinaNE]

In AE, burner is probably most common, though I've heard cooker, too.

Elisabetta

 

[audia]

Ditto Elisabetta!

 

[TimLA]

How is it said in English?
I mean the thing which burns gas, not the electric one, and above which you can place a single pot.
I've found "poker", "burner", "cooker" and "hot plate" (I've also found "kitchen range" and "stove", but I think these refer to the whole appliance).
Which one should I use? Are they all the same?

Here is a picture of a "burner". Four to six burners together would make a "cook-top", or a "kitchen range".

An oven, is a chamber into which you place things...it has a door.

A stove is more problematic. In the kitchen, it is usually a combination of burners on top and an oven below.
If you go camping, a "stove" is usually a single burner.

A "hot plate" is usually electrical, occasionally not.

"Cooker" is pretty vague, and could mean almost any cooking appliance.

This is a poker.
This is a poker-player.

 

[StefanoT]

Thank you everyone and especially Tim. The burner you linked to is the one I'm talking about, so I guess "burner" is correct.

You forgot the one I'd use: hob.

I've searched for "hob" and what I've found says that "it typically comprises several cooking elements (often four), also known as 'rings'".

Does anyone also use "ring"? Can "hob" also mean a single "burner"?

 

[cscarfo]

Thank you, TimLA!! Excellent, comprehensive posting. It's just what I needed!
Ciao

 

[lsp]

In my experience the thing with the burners is a stove, whether or not it has an oven below it.

 

[parriparri]

You forgot the one I'd use: hob.

Hob = piano cottura
Ring= fornello (inteso come singolo fornello!)

E' giusto??

 

[london calling]

A hob in BE is what is commonly called il piano cottura/i fornelli, not a single ring or burner (fornello).

 

[SanFranJan]

I've been looking up the difference between la stufa and il fornello and I see that there is a lot of confusion about the words used for cooking appliances. In reference to cooking, we tend to use the word stove to refer to the appliance you use in cooking.

A stove can be the appliance pictured, with an oven below (it's officially called a range), or it can be a separate appliance that is built into the countertop, without an oven. In that case, it is a cooktop. We would say Put the pot on the stove whether it is a cooktop or a stove with an oven. You would not say, Put the pot on the cooktop. That would sound awkward. You also would not say Put the pot on the range. You would say I bought a new range, meaning the combined stovetop and oven. Or, you could say, We remodeled our kitchen and bought a cooktop with 6 burners.

This brings up another word: burners. Burners are the individual cooking units on the stovetop. They can be gas, electric or induction. There are usually 4-6 burners on a stove. But we do not say Put the pot on the burner. It would not be incorrect, and the meaning would be clear. I've just never heard anyone say that. We would say, Put the pot on the stove and cook on medium heat.

Ovens are the self-contained units for baking or broiling. They can be in the appliance combined with a stove (the range, shown below), or they can be built into the wall. Most people use their ovens for baking. Put the cake in the oven at 350º and bake for 40 minutes (we use Fº here in the US.)

There are lots of other ways these words can be used, but it gets really confusing. For example, there are camping stoves, wood-burning stoves (for heating rooms). There are also things like toaster ovens, which are small, portable units that can toast bread or bake or broil things. People with small living spaces might use a toaster oven.

If you would like to delve further into all the ins-and-outs of these confusing words, you can go to this site:
Oven, Stove, Range—What’s The Difference, Anyway?

I lifted my photo from this site so I should give them the photo credit.

Please keep in mind that this is an explanation of American usage. Brits have their own words, like hob. I think a hob is a stovetop, but I'll leave that to the Brits to explain. I just hear it on The Great British Bake Off.

Cheers! Happy cooking on your stove!