Freestanding cookers: Features explained
Types of cooker
Gas burners
Gas cookers
Gas cookers are very good for heating pots and pans on your hob.
The heat spreads right around the bottom of the pans.
Electric cookers
Electric cookers offer you more control over the oven temperature and most have fans to spread the heat right around the cavity.
Some are multi-function, which allows you to cook with a combination of heat from the top and the bottom of the oven, the grill and fan.
Size and style
Width
Most freestanding cookers are 50 or 60 cm wide. If you’re a busy cook, you should consider a 60 cm model as there’s more room for pots and pans on the hob. All are 60-65 cm deep.
Oven volumes
Double ovens tend to have a large main oven of about 55 to 60 litres and a smaller oven of about 30 to 35 litres. The smaller one will also double as a grill.
Single ovens have one oven of approximately 55 to 60 litres. Electric ovens usually have a fan in the large oven compartment.
On top end models you can expect to find a fan in the top oven too.
Cooker features
Cooker doors
Drop-down oven door
All of the cookers we've tested have drop down doors. Large drop-down doors can be inconvenient to use if you have to lean across them to place dishes on the shelves. This can make them difficult for people who have bad backs.
Double ovens
These offer you more cooking options and the ability to cook dishes at different temperatures simultaneously.
Hob
Electric hobs can be easy-to clean-ceramic or electric plates. Gas burners spread the heat well around the bottom of the pan.
Grill
Whether they’re eye-level or part of the oven itself, good grills have wide and even heat spread across the grill pan.
Fan ovens
Most electric cookers come with a fan which helps to distribute the heat evenly around the oven.
Timer
Digital timer
This lets time your cooking and will turn the machine off when the food is done.
Thermostat indicator
On electric cookers you’ll usually find a light which turns off when the oven senses it has reached the desired temperature.
We found they were not always accurate, though.
Convenience
Automatic ignition
Some gas burners ignite automatically when the burner knob is pushed.
These are more convenient to use than using a separate ignition.
Extra cooking zone for larger pots
Flame supervision devices (FSDs)
A 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 1st June 2008 CORGI registered engineers won’t be able to fit it for you. See How to Buy for more.
Flexible cooking zones
These allow you to use as much or as little of the hob as you need. Helpful if you’re using very big or very small pans.
Minute-minders
Helpful when trying to produce perfectly cooked food and avoiding over-cooking.
Non-tip shelves
Non-tip shelves offer you some extra protection when dealing with hot and heavy dishes. Instead of reaching into the oven, you can pull out the shelf itself.
Storage compartment
Cookers with an eye-level grill also tend to have a drawer at the bottom to store or warm your plates.
Cleaning your cooker
Storage compartment
Catalytic liners
Rough surfaces inside the oven catch, absorb and break down food spills which are burned away during normal cooking making your oven walls easier to keep clean.
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
Specialist oven cleaners are made of strong stuff and can be corrosive, so be careful how you handle them, always read the label and store out of reach of children.
Removable glass panels
Some oven doors have glass panels that can be taken out, which makes them much easier to clean.