Cooking buying guide

Fit Type

All cookers are freestanding and therefore cannot be stored under or built into your kitchen units, however ovens and other cooking appliances can. Required spacing and fit types depend on specific product dimensions, so bear this in mind when choosing your new appliances.

Fuel Types

Gas, electric or a bit of both, the choice is yours!

Gas is great for instant controllable hob heat, whereas electric is ideal for maintaining an even temperature within the oven and a quick pre-heat time. The fuel type that is best for you depends on your individual needs. Things like availability of gas and electric supplies may also make your mind up for you.

Place settings

Full-size dishwashers (60cm wide) have room for 12 or more place settings. Slimline dishwashers (45cm wide) can fit 8 or 9 place settings. A Tabletop can hold 4 or more place settings. A place setting consists of a cup, a saucer, a bowl, a side plate, a dinner plate and cutlery.

Hobs

Gas hobs are still a firm favourite, they are easy to control and provide instant heat. Electric hobs, have changed beyond belief over the years and thanks to modern design and ceramic, halogen and induction technology, they now look amazing and perform outstandingly. Whoever thought a hob could be such a talking point?

Induction hobs

Innovative Induction technology uses a magnetic current to generate heat to the bottom of the pan, they are as controllable as gas and are easy to clean, perfect for today’s busy lifestyles.

Oven capacities

This is all down to what you cook and how you cook it. Cookers with 2 or 3 ovens are great for entertaining, but if you haven’t got the space try to go for one with a separate grill compartment.

Touch controls

Touch controls are accurate and easy to use. Not only do they look great they are also easy to wipe clean as they are flush to the surface of the oven control panel.

Programmes

Look for a dishwasher with the features you need. Practical programmes such as; Pre-wash for baked on food, quick wash great when you’re in a hurry or glass-care for your delicate glassware, are usually handy.

Pyrolytic

Do you hate cleaning the oven? Thanks to pyrolytic ovens this is now an easy task. These ovens work by heating themselves to extra high temperatures burning off the baked on food and leaving a pile of ash that can just be swept away

Cooker hoods

Here, design is often as important as function. Cooker hoods all work in pretty much the same way by extracting food smells from your kitchen either through a filter or expelling them via a tube outside. So, it pretty much comes down to looks. Check out the latest stainless steel and glass chimney combinations to find a hood to suit your kitchen!

Steam Ovens

These ovens provide the ideal way to cook vegetables, fish and meat healthily at temperatures ranging from 40°C to 100°C. You can cook various dishes at the same time without intermingling the flavours. Thanks to gentle heating you retain more vitamins and minerals, the food remains moist and does not dry out and because you use lower temperatures less energy is used.

Microwave oven

Everyone knows that ovens are handy for re-heating food however now they are capable of; grilling, defrosting, adjustable temperatures, convection heating and automatic programmes. Power ranges from 600W-1100W what you need really depends on what you are using the microwave for.

There are three main types:

Standard – Defrost, reheat and cook.

Standard & Grill – Standard with the addition of a grill to brown or crisp food.

Combination, standard & grill – Standard & Grill with and hot air convection.