The kitchen is the heart of the home and the centrepiece is the oven. It's an appliance you rely on and turn to every day, so it's important to get it right. It can be overwhelming thinking about the style, size and functions you may need. We've put together a guide to help you define exactly what you need to look out for, so you can pick an oven that will suit your cooking needs and lifestyle.
The kitchen is the heart of the home and the centrepiece is the oven. It's an appliance you rely on and turn to every day, so it's important to get it right. It can be overwhelming thinking about the style, size and functions you may need. We've put together a guide to help you define exactly what you need to look out for, so you can pick an oven that will suit your cooking needs and lifestyle.
The oven is placed within a column cabinet. This makes lifting dishes in and out of the oven much easier as there's no bending required, great for hefty cookware.
Electric ovens tend to be the most popular choice. They deliver great results when it comes to even heat distribution and achieves much more accurate temperatures, ensuring reliable cooking.
With a single oven you get the one cavity to bake, roast and grill in. At around 60cm tall they can be built-in or built-under. The average single oven has a 64L capacity. They're very popular, so you'll have plenty of choice.
Double ovens give you two cavities to cook in, there's always a grill in the smaller top oven. Built-under double ovens are around 70cm tall, whilst built-in double ovens can be up to 90cm tall. The average main cavity is 62L whilst the top cavity is 35L.
Oven capacity is measured in litres. The larger the capacity the more cooking space you'll have. Large capacity ovens are ideal for large families, keen chefs and organised batch bakers. Whilst smaller capacity ovens come in great for smaller homes. We have plenty to choose from, with ovens starting from 35 litres up to a whopping 82 litres.
Conventional ovens use heating elements in the top and bottom of the oven to heat the interior without a fan to circulate the heat. Cooking with a conventional oven will require you to wait longer for the oven to heat up than in comparison to a fan or fan assisted oven.
As the heat inside is not circulated conventional ovens tend to cook unevenly and may require dishes to be turned halfway through cooking. Conventional ovens are good for roasting large cuts of meat like legs of lamb and whole chickens and another benefit of a conventional oven is that as there is no fan the air is not disturbed so they are good for delicate baking.
Fan assisted ovens utilise a heating elements in the top and bottom of the oven with a fan to circulate the air. Fan assisted ovens offer more even temperature distribution than a conventional oven for consistent results throughout the oven and are quicker to heat up than conventional ovens.
As fan assisted ovens use a top and bottom heating elements most also have a conventional cooking function allowing the heating elements to be used without the fan
Fan ovens utilise a ring heating element at the back of the oven with a fan to circulate the heat. As the heating element is directly in front of the fan the oven heats up quicker than a fan assisted oven and provides an even temperature throughout the oven.
Many fan ovens are multifunctional incorporating fan, fan assisted, and conventional cooking functions in one.
Steam ovens use high temperature steam to cook and are a great way to cook food while helping to lock in vitamins and minerals. Perfect for steam cooking vegetables and fish steam ovens often come with a refillable water tank to generate steam so there is no need to plumb them in.
Pyrolytic ovens use high temperatures exceeding 300°C to break down any grease inside the oven to a fine ash which can be easily wiped away with a damp cloth. This self cleaning function leaves the oven interior spotless without the need for scrubbing or any harsh chemicals.
Catalytic ovens have specially treated linings which quickly absorbs grease and when the oven is heated to normal baking temperatures the dirt is reduced to ash in the background while you cook so you can clean the oven easily when finished cooking.
Hydrolytic ovens use steam to help soften grease and dirt in the oven interior. After running the hydrolytic cleaning programme the fat and food residue can then be easily wiped away.
If you're super tight on kitchen space, a compact oven is the way forward. They measure just 46cm and can come with both oven and grill functions. They're also good for individuals and couples.
There are a few grill options to choose from, more than you'd think. With a simple grill you place your dish inside, the closer to the grill the more intense the heat. A double grill covers more space and is ideal for larger dishes. A variable grill allows you to set the temperature.
Our LPG convertible ovens are gas ovens which can be converted to run on bottled LPG. These ovens are great for those wanting the precision of gas but who don't have access to a mains gas supply and make a handy solution for holiday homes and caravans.
Shop LPG Convertible OvensThese are the ovens we see them using on the Great British Bake off. The oven door opens and slide underneath out of the way, making it much easier to access your dishes, they're a great safety feature.
Basic models may not have a timer, some have a simple minute minder, which alerts you when the time is up. Ovens with a fully programmable timer, allow you to set the oven to cook for a specific time and also set when the oven turns on and off.
With oven and hobs both being independent appliances you can create any combination you like, as long as you have the fuel supply available in your home. To make shopping easier we’ve created a range of oven and hob packs, take a look here. »
The price of installing a gas oven and an electric oven vary. For more detailed information you can take a look at our installation service or give us a call on 0871 984 4416.
The standard oven width is 60cm, heights can vary depending on the amount of cavities. It’s always best to check the dimensions on the product page before ordering and if you’re replacing an existing appliance, make sure to measure up your space carefully.
Your oven will always need to be positioned near the fuel supply. If you go for a single oven you can choose to build it in or under. Whereas with a double oven, you need to decide whether you want it built in or under first, as there are two different sizes to suit each fit.
There are some ovens which require hardwiring and some ovens that can be simply plugged in, there are also a few which can be converted to be plugged in. You’ll be able to clearly see which of our ovens can be plugged in.
Shop plug in ovens. »
When an induction hob is installed within a countertop it will require more space below for efficient ventilation. So you’ll need to ensure when fitting the oven there’s enough space between them, be very careful if you’re going for a double oven as they are taller.
We do indeed! You can see all of our appliances with the Sabbath mode feature here. »