Buying guide: Ovens, cooktops and freestanding cookers (upright ranges)

We explain how to buy a new oven for your kitchen

GoodGearGuide Staff (Good Gear Guide)
— 24 August, 2010 12:30

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Comments 21

Image Credit: agit on stock.xchng (http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=457757)

Shopping Checklist: Ovens, Cooktops and Freestanding Cookers

• Cooker Type

Decide whether you want: a (i) freestanding cooker/upright range; (ii) hob/cooktop and wall oven; or (iii) hob/cooktop and underbench oven.

• Gas, electric or dual fuel: Determine which type of fuel you will use based on what you have available and your personal cooking preference. Remember that most gas cookers can be connected to either natural gas or LPG, but you will probably need a conversion kit professionally installed for LPG.

• External Size: Are you planning on cooking for a team, or looking for a compact apartment unit? If you are replacing an existing cooker check the dimensions carefully to avoid potentially expensive kitchen renovation. Also note the amount of space around the cooktop you are required to leave.

• Metal, ceramic or induction hob: If you have decided on electricity for your hob, decide on the type of hotplate.

• Oven capacity and dimensions: Look at capacity and dimensions to narrow your selection of ovens.

• Self-cleaning: Decide whether the additional cost of a self-cleaning oven is justified.

• Door glazing: More layers of glass usually mean the door stays cooler to the touch. Two layers are standard, but three and four layers of glass are also available on some models.

• Hotplate / burner spacing: Are they adequately spaced to allow you to have all the pots and pans you need at the same time on the stove? Can you use the other hotplates / burners if you are using the wok burner?

• Special hotplates / burners: Do you want special burners or hotplates such as fish burners, teppanyaki plates, a BBQ grill, simmer plates or a deep fryer?

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GoodGearGuide Staff

Good Gear Guide

Topics: cooking appliances, kitchens, cook tops, ovens, kitchen appliances

Comments

Anonymous

Tue 08/09/2009 - 07:20

Thanks!

Thanks for a great article; really appreciated it!

OttoAu

Tue 03/08/2010 - 14:13

You need to mention that if you buy a dual fuel freestanding, make sure its 10AMP plug otherwise if its 15AMP you will need to have your house rewired, adding $100's to the cost.....

David

Thu 05/08/2010 - 22:13

Excellent article..right information..

child-friendly kitchen needed

Sun 29/08/2010 - 14:55

Thanks for this article. I have just started looking for what I want in a kitchen, and this article seems to have covered lots of info I hadn't even been aware to look for.
I also appreciate the honesty when identifying features that are not necessarily a need, such as a self-cleaning oven, when cost is such a big fator in so many consumers minds.

Paul

Sun 19/09/2010 - 15:30

Question, rather than comment, re flame failure cut-outs (ffd):
Is it true that, should there be an electricity black-out, the gas cooker ffd, allegedly electronically steered, will prevent lighting a burner by whatever other means available?

EMurf

Thu 16/06/2011 - 07:49

One thing you have to look our for when replacing an existing cooker in a corner, is whether the door opens left to right or right to left. I just bought a Zanussi freestanding cooker which is absolutely useless to me, as the thickness of the oven door and the ridiculously thick external handle means you have to have at least 135 degrees available to you if you ever want to take out the grill pan or shelves. Mad.

cab maker

Tue 21/06/2011 - 16:27

Looking for depth size as well overall?

Jo

Mon 05/09/2011 - 20:56

Very useful. Thanks heaps.

vanessa schofield

Mon 10/10/2011 - 17:38

thanks for the article it helped me a lot

Evelyn Platus

Tue 11/10/2011 - 21:04

I'm looking for a dual fuel 600m cooker with an internal oven measurement of 500mm wide. Any chances??

Lydgatelass

Mon 17/10/2011 - 09:47

Thank you, very informative article......much better than Choice info absolutely hopeless!!

hel

Wed 26/10/2011 - 11:56

Great article and very informative! Now I'm much clear what I want! Thanks heaps!!

Kaz

Sat 21/01/2012 - 16:59

Thanks so much for such a great article. Just what I needed to help me narrow my choices.

Ner

Sun 12/02/2012 - 19:36

Have spent the day oven shopping - using all the above information to help us. But now to make the huge decision!!
Has anyone got any feedback for me regarding Falcon ovens - in particular FXP 90.
Thanks

Retsub

Thu 16/02/2012 - 23:36

reply to OttoAu

If you buy a duel fuel oven it has to be 15amp as the power drawn from an oven element is more than 10 amp (standard power cercuit).
An oven that uses a 10 amp curcuit would be a gas oven using the power curcuit for flame failure, electronic ignition, clock and timer curcuit.

In Response to paul

Yes it is true that flame failure uses the electricity to power the flame failure curcuit therefore if the power does go out that curcuit automatically defaults to close the gas flow. hence no power no gas.