Range cookers: How to buy a range cooker

This guide will help you work out exactly which type of range cooker you need and which one will be best for you.

There are hundreds of range cookers to choose from including gas, electric and dual-fuel cookers and some with fast-heating induction hobs.

Cooker video buying guide

This video buying guide will help you find out exactly which type of cooker will be best for your home.

If you already know what you need, head straight to our cooker reviews for impartial reviews of the latest range cookers and freestanding cookers.

 

Please enable JavaScript to access this content.

Video transcript

If you're in the market for a new cooker, there are hundreds to choose from. But which If you go for gas or electric, free standing or range. And all features such as catalytic linings and induction hobs, really that helpful. Here at Which we've tested over a hundred cookers, and you can find out which ones we rate as best buys in our free-standing and range cooker reviews But first, lets look at which cooker is best for you.

all cookers are roughly the same height and depth and free standing cookers come in three standard widths. 50 cm, 55 cm and 60 Centimetres. Range cookers are bigger, with most being 90 cm and 110 cm wide. Mini range cookers like this one. A range in name but not in size. They come in exactly the same size as a normal free standing cookers.

Induction hobs heat quickly and efficiently, and the great thing about induction is that it heats only the pan, rather than the hob itself. But if you're buying a cooker with the induction hob, make sure you use iron based pans Like this stainless steel one. Gas is the cheapest fuel to cook with and the Hobs on gas cookers Are easy to control and provide instant heat when you need it.

Dual fuel cookers come with an easy to control gas hob and an evenly Heating electric oven. Gas cookers and duel fuel cookers will need to be installed by a gas safe registered engineer. find a qualified engineer in your area. on which local. Usable volume figures that you see on a manufacturer's website can be a bit deceptive, because they include the space beneath the lower oven shelf.

you can't actually use that to cook with. Volume measurements in which cooker reviews are only for the space you can actually use. And then in our test. We try to fit in the plastic turkey and the tray of roast potatoes to see what you can actually fit inside. But when your in a shop. Why not take a roasting tray with you.

Or borrow one from the cookware department. To see if you can actually fit it in. Gas is cheaper to cook with than electricity and the cheapest gas That we tested. Cost around twelve pounds a year to run. The most expensive cooker, is all electric. And cost around �37. Ovens with a pyrolitic. Self cleaning program.

Heat to around 400 degrees. All you need to do afterwards. Is sweep away the ash. Catalytic self cleaning oven linings, absorbs spills and splashes, and burn them off during normal cooking. Many cookers come with multi-function ovens Which allow you to cook with a variety of heat sources. Independently or in combination.

Most electric cookers come with a fan to Distribute the heat evenly around the oven. In cookers with two electric ovens usually one has a fan and one is conventionally use it. By upper and lower heating elements. There's almost no limit. to what you can pay for a range cooker. And some free stand cookers cost more than a thousand pounds. But, you don't have to pay that much.

Best Buy range cookers start at around 600 pounds. And you can buy Best Buy free standing cookers for just 300 pounds.

Types of range cooker

Range cooker sizes - Range cookers are bigger than freestanding cookers, with most being between 90cm and 110cm wide and coming with between six and eight hob rings or burners, two ovens, a grill and a warming or storage drawer.

90cm-wide range cookers have fewer burners or hob rings and tend to come with two ovens and a grill. Larger range cookers have more hob options and also come with a warming or storage drawer.

Mini range cookers - Mini range cookers are range cookers by name but not in size – they’re actually just the same size as a standard freestanding model, but have the look and feel of a larger range cooker.

Use our range cooker comparison tool to find the type of range cooker you need at the right price.

Range cooker fuels

Electric range cookers – Most electric range cookers have the advantage of oven fans, which help to spread the heat around the oven. If your cooker has an oven fan it’s going to heat up more quickly - this means you can reduce the cooking temperature and cooking times.

Electric induction range cookers - Electric range cookers with an induction hob heat quickly and efficiently. When you cook with induction, the hob zones themselves don’t get hot. But you’ll need iron-based pans, such as stainless steel, if you’re cooking on an induction hob.

Gas range cookers - Gas range cookers will be the cheapest to cook with. The hobs on gas cookers are easy to control and provide instant heat when you need it.

Dual-fuel cookers – Range cookers with a gas hob and an electric oven provide the best of both worlds for some people, with an easy-to-control and quick-to-heat gas hob and an evenly heating electric oven.

Range cooker installation - Gas range cookers and dual-fuel cookers will need to be installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer – find a qualified engineer in your area on Which? Local.

Range cooker volumes

When you’re in the shop, take a look inside the cooker to see how much space there is. Oven space can be deceptive and the usable volume figures provided by manufacturers include the space beneath the lowest shelf, which you can’t use to cook with.

Volume measurements in Which? cooker reviews are only for the space you can actually use. And in our tests we use a plastic turkey and a tray of roast potatoes inside the oven to see what you can actually fit in.

Range cooker energy use

Gas is cheaper to cook with than electricity and the cheapest gas cooker we’ve tested costs around £12 to run for a year. The most expensive is all electric and costs around £37.

Range cooker features

Range cookers with pyrolytic self-cleaning – Range cookers with a pyrolytic self-cleaning program heat to around 400°C and incinerate oven waste. All you need to do afterwards is sweep away the ash. If a cooker comes with pyrolytic self-cleaning, this will be shown on the dial or the control panel.

Range cookers with catalytic self-cleaning - Catalytic self-cleaning linings absorb oven spills and splashes, break them down and burn them off during cooking.

Multi-function ovens – Many range cookers come with multi-function ovens, which allow you to cook with a variety of heat sources independently or in combination, such as the grill and fan together.

Fan ovens - Most electric cookers come with a fan to distribute the heat evenly around the oven. On cookers with two electric ovens, one usually has a fan and the other is conventionally heated by upper and lower heating elements.

Range cooker accessories

Door-mounted roasting tray – Roasting trays mounted to range cooker oven doors are helpful because you don’t have to remove the roasting tray from the oven to baste your meat.

Range cooker fish burner – This is a longer-than-average burner designed for use with a fish kettle. Fish burners can also be used for casseroles and griddles.

Rotisserie – Rotisseries inside range cooker ovens turn large pieces of meat slowly as it cooks under a grill.

Wok burner and supports – A wok burner is a large hob burner designed for wok cooking or rapid boiling. Wok supports, or rings, provide a cradle to hold a wok and keep it stable. They also move the bottom closer to direct heat, which is great for searing meat.

More on this…

Which? works for you