In this section
- Planning your kitchen
- Buying your kitchen
- Appliances and furniture
- Maintenance and care
- Kitchen design tips
- Accessible kitchens
- FAQs
- Kitchen image gallery
Special features
KBSA Consumer Guide
Our FREE guide contains practical advice for consumers who are considering buying a new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or home office.
Ovens
The majority of ovens are fuelled by electricity, because of its superior evenness of temperature, especially a fanned electric oven. Traditionally, gas ovens have zoned heat, with the hottest section at the top, the coolest shelf at the bottom, but fan assisted cooking has evened this out. The most popular combination is a gas hob and electric oven.
Decide on the style you require: Single and double built-in ovens can be at eye level for easy grilling and less bending. Some models are combined conventional and microwave ovens. A separate hob is required.
Built-under ovens may be single or double cavity and also need a separate hob. Double cavity ovens are essential if you want to cook one dish and grill another at the same time.
Design and finish are high on most people’s list of priorities. Fashionable stainless steel is here to stay for a while and comes in ultra-modern designs with electronic touch controls or more conventional knobs. Brushed finishes avoid the problem of sticky finger marks. Anthracite, a dark grey, is also emerging as an avant-garde choice. Coloured appliances are popular, from classic racing green, blue and claret (usually traditionally styled, often with brass trim) to pale pastels. White, however, is the enduring favourite.
Keen cooks may want to take advantage of multi-function ovens – usually aimed at the top end of the market. As well as traditional cooking, fan or fan-assisted cooking and grilling, these ovens offer up to nine further functions. These include: Top element only (browning), bottom element (final cooking of pastry dishes or pizzas), fan and bottom element (delicate cooking), fan only (thawing).
The standard 60cm oven has been joined by various other sizes. Now consumers can choose from 60, 70 and 90cm wide built-in single ovens. Always check the internal capacity shown in litres as well as the external dimensions.
Ease of cleaning is well worth considering at the outset. Stay clean liners resist dirt build-up but pyrolitic cleaning is the ultimate. It burns off all baked-on debris at 500°C so that all you have to do is sweep out the resulting ash. Look out for ovens with a steam cleaning facility, too, and remember that some ovens have removable inner doors that are easy to clean.
