Getting the right cooker for your kitchen and your lifestyle can be tricky. There’s so much to choose from – a whole range of exceptional manufacturers, budget and luxury appliances and a host of different functions so you can cook the way you want.
Whether you think you simply can’t live without a rotisserie, you really want a specialised wok burner, or you want just want a simple fan assisted oven for easy baking, there’s a cooker out there to suit your exact requirements. Have a look through our straightforward guide to learn more about the different cookers available…
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Freestanding Cookers
Freestanding cookers are the most popular. Available in three standard widths (60cm, 55cm and 50cm), they can be easily integrated into almost any kitchen, helping to save space and money!
However you like to cook, you can choose a free standing cooker with a combination of functions to suit your style, such as double and single ovens with separate grills, single ovens with built-in grills or single ovens with an eye-level grill. You can also choose your fuel type – sole gas and electric ovens have different benefits, but if you think you would prefer to cook in an evenly heated electric oven, but have the benefits of an intense gas hob you can also choose to have a dual fuel freestanding cooker. The price of a freestanding cooker varies greatly, with cheaper models available for as little as £200, perfect for people with a limited budget, whereas more stylish and modern models can be £1000s. Although there’s a massive range available, if you’re having a fitted kitchen, you may be best choosing a built-in cooker for ease of design.
Range cookers offer a great degree of flexibility to suit a wide range of cooking styles, and thanks to the diverse selection of styles, they will complement any kitchen, traditional or modern. They vary on width from the compact 90cm models, to the full 150cm models, and you can choose a model that has all the functions you want. The variety of functions offered range from double ovens – fan assisted and gas, grills, storage compartments, warming drawers and gas or induction hobs with between 4 and 8 burners, as well as griddles, hot plates, wok burners and rotisseries. So however you cook or bake – there’s a range cooker to suit. There are some less expensive models available at around £800, but for high end models from leading manufacturers a range cooker can be more than £5000!
If you need a cooker hood or extractor, either for aesthetic or functional purposes, there’s a huge selection to choose from. And with prices ranging from as little as £50, up to almost £200 for high end options – you can be sure to find one to suit your budget. The chimney hood is one of the most commonly installed, but you can also choose from integrated, telescopic, canopy and conventional hoods, all designed to suit different cookers, kitchens and requirements.
It’s always advisable to get a cooker hood that is at least as wide as your cooker, to ensure the utmost effectiveness.
Built-in cookers are perfect for slotting seamlessly into fitted kitchens and allow you to maximise your potential space by separating your oven compartment and your hob to more practical places. You can choose from having a double or single oven, and from a variety of hobs such as gas, gas on glass, electric ceramic or electric halogen. They offer a huge range of features, including steam ovens, programmable ovens, turnspits, meat probes and multi-function cooking – so however you like to cook, there will be a built-in oven solution to suit you. You can see Although they offer great flexibility in the kitchen and stylish design, built in combination cookers can be much more costly than a simple freestanding cooker – the oven compartment alone can easily cost over £1500! Whichever type of cooker you choose, whether you prefer the professional cooking experience offered by a range cooker, or you want a simple freestanding model, always make sure you have measured the size of the space you want your cooker to fit in to, and if in doubt ask a professional.