The first choice many consumers will face is whether to buy a cooker or an oven so it is important to know the difference.
A cooker is freestanding and will feature an integrated oven (or ovens), grill and hobs in one unit, whereas an oven is built in and does not have hobs. An oven is often more suitable for fitted kitchens as it is built under the worktop or into the units at a higher level. The choice will primarily depend on the layout of the user's kitchen and the space that the cooker or oven is to fit into.
Ovens usually fit into a space 60cm x 60cm x 60cm wide (for single ovens) or 90cm x 60cm x 60cm (for double ovens), although other sizes are available from some manufacturers, such as compact ovens which are 45cm or extra-wide ovens at 90cm. They can either be built into a kitchen unit or under the work surface. The benefit of an oven which is built into the kitchen unit is that less bending is needed to take dishes in and out of the oven.
If you are planning to buy a cooker, please see instead the buyer's guide to cookers.
Conventional Electric Ovens
Conventional electric ovens - the heat is controlled by a thermostat in the centre of the oven which results in the top of the oven being slightly hotter and the bottom slightly cooler than the middle. Conventional ovens also need to be pre-heated as they can take longer to reach the designated temperature.
Electric Fan Ovens
Electric fan ovens - the heat is distributed around the oven by way of a fan at the back of the oven which contains a heating element. This ensures that the temperature throughout the oven is more even and also means that the oven heats up more quickly and efficiently.
Gas Ovens
Gas ovens - these are usually heated via a flame at the back of the oven, and generally speaking, the top of the oven is hotter than elsewhere. As gas cooking produces moisture it can be better for certain types of cooking as food dries out less easily. Gas ovens are often cheaper to run than electric ovens however there must be a source of gas in the home to run them from, either bottled or mains gas.
Steam Ovens
Steam ovens - although less common than other types of oven, these ovens have a reservoir of water (usually detachable for easy filling) for steam cooking. One benefit of steam cooking is to reduce cooking time and it is also said that the food is healthier (as more vitamins are retained) and better tasting.
Combination Ovens
Combination ovens - these multifunctional electric ovens offer a range of features such as fan and conventional oven, grill and roasting. Some also offer a microwave function.
The user should analyse what use the oven will be put to and which specific features are needed.
- Consider how often the over will be used and for how many people. If it is to be used frequently for entertaining and dinner parties than an oven with a larger capacity or a double oven will be more suitable if there is available space in the kitchen. The advantage of a double oven, apart from the capacity, is that the user can cook food at two different temperatures but the same time as they are independent of each other.
- If mobility is a problem then an oven built into the kitchen units might be a better option rather than under the worktop as it will mean that the user has to bend less. This might also be a better choice if there are children in the house as toddlers will not be able to reach it so easily.
- If easy cleaning is important, there are models which offer catalytic oven liners or pyrolytic technology for self-cleaning and/or removable glass panels.
- Consider which safety features are important, especially if there are small children in the house. Some ovens have special safety features such as child proof locks and non-tip shelves.
Many models have different cooking programmes, with some examples being programmes for:
- Fan defrost - a defrost function where the fan in the convection oven gently circulates air around the food either at room temperature or at a low heat.
- Fan grill - this distributes heat from the grill around the food similar to a rotisserie.
- Dual grill - with a dual grill the user can choose to use either part or all of the grill as required thus saving energy
- Bottom Heat - this function is designed for finishing off pizzas and pastry that need to be heated from the bottom.
- Top Heat - this function is designed to brown the top of foods such as cheese topping.
- Sabbath - this programme will cook for 72 hours to allow families to use the oven during religious holidays.
- Automatic programmes - these automatically calculate the optimum time and temperature for a food type such roast meats, fish, cakes (baking and proving)
- User's favourites - the user can programme in different heat and time settings of their choice.
Most ovens have either a minute minder feature or fully programmable timer.
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CDA Ovens CDA - they manufacture a wide range of single and double electric and gas ovens, including compact ovens. |
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Belling Ovens Belling - they are a manufacturer associated with cookers, partly due to their space saving Baby Belling, so loved by students. In fact they offer a wide range of built-in and built-under ovens. |
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Candy Ovens Candy - they offer a selection of built in ovens including a compact integrated dishwasher, oven and hob. |
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Neff Ovens Neff - they have a full range of ovens using their CircoTherm fan technology including some with steam. |
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Smeg Ovens Smeg - their selection of design-led ovens includes double, single and compact ovens. |
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Whirlpool Ovens Whirlpool - the range of ovens that they offer includes double, single and steam ovens, some featuring their Six Sense automatic sensor technology. |
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Baumatic Ovens Baumatic - they offer built-in ovens in contemporary colours such as stainless steel and red. They also offer pyrolytic ovens and side opening ovens. |
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AEG Electrolux Ovens AEG Electrolux - they offer an extensive range of electric ovens, single and double, including multifunctional ovens with grill and steam ovens. |
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Stoves Ovens Stoves - they offer a wide selection of electric ovens in different sizes including the smaller than average 450mm size and the larger 700mm and 900mm sizes. |
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Indesit Ovens Indesit - this Italian manufacturer has a full range of integrated ovens, both single and double. |
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Miele Ovens Miele - this high end manufacturer offers a full range of integrated ovens including steam ovens, larger sized and compact ovens, as well as combination microwave ovens. Their high end models feature a cordless food probe. |
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Hotpoint Ovens Hotpoint - their oven ranges, which also includes the Creda brand, includes models with 'Intelligent Cooking System' functionality and touch control. |
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Electrolux Ovens Electrolux - they offer a selection of built-in ovens including the Inspiro oven with automatic sensors. |
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Bosch Ovens Bosch - this German manufacturer offers a wide range of integrated ovens from their value for money Classixx ovens through to the Avantixx and Exxcel ranges and the high end Logixx ovens. |
Catalytic Liner Catalytic Liner - these liners are treated with a material that absorbs grease, which is then automatically burnt off at high temperature. Some liners are removable while some are permanent.
Minute Minder Minute Minder - this device counts down how long food has been in the oven for, and makes a noise at the end of the cooking time to alert the user.
Programmable Timer Programmable Timer - this device can be used to programme the oven to come on or off at a set time.
Pyrolytic Pyrolytic - this is a self-cleaning oven which reduces any food spillage or grease to ash at high temperatures, which can then be easily wiped away.