What range cooker is right for you?

We eat in them, work in them and host dinner parties, cooking courses and discussing ingredients while guests watch greedily. Often considered the heart of the home, the kitchen is where many of us spend a significant amount of our time.

Creating meals has become a family affair thanks to the increase in cooking shows on television and influencer chefs on our social media feeds. Preparing meals has become less of a chore and a more enjoyable way to spend time. We have learnt to enjoy baking, roasting and sauteing, taking our tastebuds on culinary journeys around the world from the centre of our kitchens. It’s, more often than not, the room we spend the most on when renovating – and why wouldn’t you, when we are spending more and more time in them? Gone are the days of small, poky rooms with too few cabinets, a basic stove, and a cluttered benchtop. Today’s kitchens are beautifully and thoughtfully designed, with designated zones, state-of-the-art appliances, and cleverly constructed cabinetry fit for purpose – and taking the prime position at the centre of it all sits your cooker.

Where do you start?

Buying new appliances can be one of any kitchen design’s most exciting or daunting stages. Some people have a clear idea of what they want. Months of research and Pinterest boarding have led them to make a specific purchase decision. They may be staunch AGA advocates, having never known any other way to cook. Or perhaps they are less brand conscious and more concerned about the latest induction cook top, or passionate about gas hobs with a designated wok space.

Redesigning your kitchen is the perfect time to look at all the different styles and modes of cookers available and perhaps even purchase something you may have never considered.

If you’re just updating or replacing, then you will need to fit your old cooker’s footprint. But if you are renovating your entire kitchen, then the world is your oyster! Range Cookers come in a vast range of shapes and sizes outside of the 60cm and 90cm we are familiar with. They can be anywhere from 100cm right up to a hefty 180cm. So do your research nice and early so you can design your space to accommodate the cooker you really want rather than making do. You can then build your bench spaces and cabinetry to the correct height and width with enough space to install your new cooker.

Remember, some ovens can take up to six months or more from order to delivery if they aren’t in stock. So, allow yourself plenty of time from design concepts to installation so you aren’t holding up your renovation. Get those plans drawn up and your cooker ordered before you get your plans into the council for consent.

Choosing what’s right for you and your kitchen.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a cooker beyond brand, colour and functionality. Thinking about your kitchen design is just the beginning! A quality cooker will last you 20 years and beyond if you look after it, so consider how your purchase will adapt to your changing lifestyle.

The shape of your kitchen

Galley, L-shaped, U-shaped or island kitchen shapes need to be top of your list for cooker consideration. Where your cooker best fits for ventilation and space available will dictate the size of the cooker you can realistically fit without eating into bench and cabinetry space.

The size of your family

Are you at the start of building your family, or are you empty nesters looking to downsize? The number of diners you are catering for on any given day will help you decide the size and type of oven that best suits your circumstances. Preparing dinner for two may not require a larger-sized cooker with all the multiple baking, roasting, and warming functionality. Or maybe you want all the function but in a smaller form? Never fear; there’s a cooker to suit every situation.

What you like to cook

What’s your favourite cuisine? Or your cooking style preference. Thinking about how you use your cooker the most will help guide you on the type to purchase. If you love using the oven to roast and bake, over stir-fries in a wok or quick dinners on the stove top over slow cooking, some styles will better suit your lifestyle. Some cookers can do it all, including helping to heat your home.

Your utility connections

Cookers come in various configurations to support whatever your house runs on.
Sometimes it just comes down to preference, but the primary energy considerations are:

• Gas
• Electric
• Dual fuel
• Induction

We’ve noticed some customers shying away from gas cookers due to the fear of the fuel becoming phased out in the near future. While the world is moving away from fossil fuels, companies like Siemens are working on hydrogen-ready power plants to replace natural gas. Other companies are blending hydrogen with gas for a more gradual approach to fuel replacement, which the UK is currently working on. These studies are in the initial stages, and it will be a number of years before natural gas is completely phased out and your fuel supply is replaced with something more sustainable.

What is your design style?

• Classic
• Contemporary
• Minimalistic
• Country chic
• Industrial

Cookers not only come in a broad range of shapes and sizes, but also styles and colours. Finishing touches like handles and knobs can make a huge difference to the appearance of your cooker. Stainless steel or stylish white or black should suffice if you are after a more ‘traditional’ or ‘industrial’ look. But if you want a real statement piece in the kitchen, AGA, Rayburn, and La Cornue offer contemporary colours and designs for that real ‘wow’ factor.

While some absolutely striking shades are available, the thing to remember with fashionable colours is they can become outdated or tired. So, make sure you pick something that won’t become unfashionable, or you know you won’t get tired of looking at it after a few years. Also, if you are considering selling your home before buying a new oven, think about resale – kitchens and bathrooms can make or break a sale. It’s easy to change the wall colour, but our quality range of cookers can last well beyond 20 years. So, think about longevity.