Freestanding cooker reviews: FAQs
How much do I need to spend to get a good freestanding cooker?
At the £600 mark you can find freestanding cookers with induction hobs
Cookers costing less than £200 come with a conventional heating element and no fan - in our tests, fan ovens are usually much more effective because they help the oven heat more quickly and distribute the heat more effectively than ovens with conventional heating elements.
Cookers with two ovens are rare at this end of the price range, but you will find cookers with an oven and separate grill compartment. The cheapest cookers come with one large cooking-space, shared by the oven and the grill. But you might need to buy additional oven shelves – cheaper cookers usually only have one.
Cookers for more than £250 come with more features to make cooking easier; almost all come with fan ovens and there are no Which? Best Buys below this price level. Double ovens also become more common at this price.
When you pay more than £400, double ovens, with a fan in the main oven, are standard. The main ovens are likely to be fully-programmable and multi-functional and self cleaning is common at this price.
A £600 cooker should be fully programmable and the oven should be multi-functional. This means that you’ll be able to set the oven to turn on, cook and turn off and be able to cook with a variety of heat sources, independently or in combination - such as grill and fan together.
If you pay around £600 for a freestanding cooker, you should expect to get something special. Induction hobs are quick and easy to control and you’ll find them on some cookers for around £600. You should also expect a model with a self-cleaning oven; the self-clean function works by either a super-heating pyrolytic program which incinerates spills, or by a catalytic oven lining which absorbs oven waste and breaks it down.
Why should you buy a freestanding cooker?
If your kitchen can’t accommodate a built-in oven or a substantial range cooker is too big, then a freestanding cooker is a great option. The good news is that freestanding cookers can cook every bit as well as range cookers or built-in ovens. They can be stylish too with many coming with stainless steel finishes. And there are gas and electric models to fit every budget.
How do you get the best out of your cooker?
Oven
Cakes baked in the oven
When using your oven, make sure you read the cooking instructions, take note of how long to bake for and at which heat.
And make sure you use the right shelves inside.
If you find that the results aren’t perfect first time, change the cooking time or temperature slightly.
Grill
It’s hard to find a grill that will spread the heat evenly all the way across the grill pan so always make sure that the food you’re grilling is in the right place to receive the right amount of heat.
Cakes baked in the oven
Hob
It’s important to make sure your pots and pans are receiving the right amount of heat. Some electric hobs have flexible cooking zones, which allow you to increase or decrease the amount of the hob being used.
To save energy, use pans that are the right size for each burner or plate. Always put a lid over the pan to bring things to the boil and reduce the heat afterwards.
And slicing vegetables into small pieces and cooking them in as little water as possible will help to reduce cooking times.
Cakes baked in the oven
Storage compartments
Gas cookers with an eye-level grill often come with a storage drawer beneath the main oven which is handy for storing plates. Although it’s not usual heated, if your main oven is on, some residual heat will help to warm your plates up.
The difference between gas mark and celsius
Sometimes cookbooks and recipes will only give temperatures in gas mark or degrees celsius - our quick conversion table will help you switch between the two with ease.
| How to convert gas marks to Celsius | |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Gas mark |
| 110oC | Quarter |
| 120oC to 130oC | Half |
| 140oC | 1 |
| 150oC | 2 |
| 160oC to 170oC | 3 |
| 180oC | 4 |
| 190oC | 5 |
| 200oC | 6 |
| 220oC | 7 |
| 230oC | 8 |
| 240oC | 9 |
How do you keep your cooker clean?
Stainless steel surfaces
Remove fingerprints as soon as possible or they will become harder to clean off. Wipe over with a clean damp cloth, then polish off all water with a soft dry cloth.
The E-cloth developed for stainless steel is a great buffer – you can buy it from some supermarkets, electrical retailers and environmentally-friendly product websites.
Remove stubborn marks using a stainless steel cleaner, or rub in a few drops of baby oil to restore stainless steel finishes.
Don't use cooking oils, as they contain salts, which can damage the metal. Avoid wiping down with wire wool or other scrubby pads, which can scratch the surface.
Oven
Always read the manufacturer's instructions. On enamelled surfaces, wipe the affected area with a damp cloth and mild detergent.
Remove stubborn marks using a paste or cream cleaner or well moistened soap-impregnated steel wool pad, rubbed gently so as not to damage the surface.
Self-cleaning ovens
Ovens with catalytic linings keep themselves clean by catching spills and splashes on rough surfaces which then absorb and break them down. They are then burned off during normal cooking.
Pyrolytic programs
Pyrolytic oven programs burn off dirt and grease at up to about 500°C – all you do is sweep out the ash afterwards.
Pyrolytic programs can take 2 hours, and for safety the oven door will lock during this time.
Pyrolytic cleaning programs aren’t yet standard on freestanding cookers.
Oven cleaners
If you have a self-cleaning oven, don't use oven cleaners, alkaline or acid cleaners, or detergents to clean the oven.
How do you install them?
Whether it’s gas or electric, you’ll need to get your cooker professionally installed. For gas cookers, you’ll need to have it installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
For electric cookers, in England and Wales, as long as you’re connecting to an existing cooker socket, you won’t have to let your local authority know.
However, if you’re installing a new power circuit for the cooker, then Part P of the Building Regulations will apply. This means that you will have to notify the Building Control Office of your Local Authority unless the work is carried out by a qualified electrician with certification that exempts them from notification.
In Scotland, use a certified electrician if the job is covered by a building warrant. Similar regulations don’t apply in Northern Ireland.
What about gas cookers in flats?
The standards regarding the installation of gas cookers in flats have recently changed. If you’re buying a new gas cooker for a flat or other multi-use dwelling, make sure it has flame supervision devices (FSDs) on each burner.
An FSD will shut off the supply of gas should burner fail to ignite or get blown out. If you buy a new gas cooker for a flat and it doesn’t have FSDs, from 1June 2008 Gas Safe registered engineer won’t be able to fit it for you.
