With so many ovens on the market it can be tricky to find the best one for you. Let us remove some of the confusion with our oven buying guide.
A Quick Guide to Buying Ovens
You’d have thought buying an oven was a relatively straightforward affair – but with a bounty of types, shapes, styles, and pros and cons, it could be very easy to make the mistake of buying one that ends up not being suitable for your home.
Deep breath, then; here we plunge you into the veritable domestic appliance feast that is our quick oven-buying guide.
Types of Oven
There are four types of oven:
- Single built-in
- Double built-in
- Double built-under
- Smaller compact ovens
Single Ovens
Whether it’s in an eye-level cabinet or under a counter, this type of oven will fit pretty much anywhere in your kitchen. The only possible limitation is that you’ve only got one oven to roast, grill and bake in, but you’ll find there’s generally enough space to cook everything you want.
Electric Single Ovens
If space is at a premium in your kitchen, electric single ovens can be the ideal choice. They’re around 60cm tall and can easily be fitted into an eye-level kitchen unit or under-counter unit. The grill itself is in the oven.
Pros
A single electric oven – especially one with a fan – is excellent at distributing heat all around the oven. As well as heating accurately, they also represent the largest selection of ovens available on the market.
Cons
Having just one oven can be a limitation to some people, particularly if you want to perform multiple cooking tasks – grill and bake at the same time, for example – or if you’ve got lots of cooking to do.
Gas Single Ovens
If you prefer to cook with gas – and also if you don’t have much space in your kitchen – this is the ideal oven for you. The same size as an electric oven, you’ll need to have them professionally installed by a Gas Safe-registered engineer.
Pros
When it comes to fuel efficiency and cost, gas is the most cost-conscious way to cook. True, the savings might not be huge – approximately a £25 difference between the cheapest-to-run gas oven and a high-end electric oven – but it’s a saving nevertheless.
Cons
This type of oven isn’t quite as effective as electric ovens when it comes to distributing heat evenly, and the range of gas built-in ovens is now very limited. You’ll find a much better selection if you’re looking for an electric single built-in oven.
**Image by: VFW
Double Ovens
There are two types of double oven – double built-in and a smaller double built-under – and they offer more cooking options than their single counterpart. The biggest difference is in how tall they are – so it’s crucial you choose the best one for your kitchen, taking into account the space you have available.
Gas Double Ovens
If you’re the Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson of the house and prefer to cook with gas, the best oven option for you would be a double built-in or double built-under oven. Just bear in mind that built-in doubles have more room inside than their built-under counterparts.
Pros
Gas is the cheaper option to cook with than electricity, and the fact of the matter is that two ovens are also going to be more useful than one. When the family’s all gathered around on Christmas Day morning demolishing the Brazil Nuts, rest assured the main oven in a double built-in gas oven is normally more than ample for a decent-sized Christmas turkey.
Cons
They’re too big to fit under a counter, and, while there might be two ovens, remember the main oven on a double built-under is generally smaller than a single oven.
Electric Double Ovens
These ovens are roughly 90cm tall and have to be slid into cabinets at eye level. At 72cm, double built-under ovens slide into an under-counter unit. They also have a grill in the top oven and, in some of the more high-spec models there’s one in the main oven as well.
Pros
Electric ovens provide an accurate and even heat, even more so if they come with a fan. Preparing dinner with two ovens is a lot easier, and there’s usually plenty of space in a double built-in oven.
Cons
Surprisingly, the ovens on double-built under ovens are smaller than you might imagine – especially the main oven – primarily because the manufacturers have fitted two ovens into a space which is only 12cm taller than a single oven.
Compact Ovens
True to its name, if space is tight in your kitchen then compact ovens are an ideal choice for you. At 45cm they’re smaller than single ovens and are the same size as a large built-in microwave, complete with a grill and oven.
Compact steam ovens are also available, although these are more like to be used as an additional cooking appliance as opposed to the main oven.
Pros
This type of oven is without a doubt the most space-efficient way of cooking and, although they’re the same width and depth as a single oven, they save you kitchen space because they’re 25% shorter.
Cons
With this type of oven, the largest Christmas turkey in the shop definitely isn’t an option.
If you can’t decide whether to opt for a gas or electric oven, read our blog post to help you make up your mind.
Of course, domestic appliances will break down from time to time or you might need emergency spare parts. At Capital Repairs we can fix your oven or supply you with the spare parts you need to get cooking again as quickly as possible.
* Image by: rhodesj
**Image by: VFW
