It’s getting hot in here – Picking the right oven for your Kitchen

Choosing your oven is something that is often overlooked in the Kitchen planning process, but it’s something that can make such a big difference to your life if you get it right - making your perfect recipe or baking your favourite meal will become a joy, and can make you fall in love with cooking again!

We’re not going to lie, there is a lot to think about, but we are here to help with our useful guide to picking the right oven – for you.

You wouldn’t have thought there are so many things to consider before you make that decision – type, size, price; picking the right one can make a huge difference to the success of your new kitchen, so here are some things to think about

What is your budget?
What size do you have to play with?
Where is it going to go?
What do you want it to do?

Budget

As with everything – the more you have to spend, the more gadgets and gizmos you can get. We would advise that you split the budget for appliances out from your overall Kitchen costs which will give you a true view of what’s available. Also, have a good think about what you use your oven for – this will ensure you spend your budget on the right one. Don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to know what is right for you, but our showroom consultants are on hand and will be happy to guide you and show you what’s available from the state-of-the-art displays in our showrooms.

It’s also worth popping in as we are currently offering up to £500 cashback when purchasing selected NEFF appliances, so please ask in any of our 7 Kitchen showrooms for more details.

Size

This not only refers to the size of the inside, but also the size of the space you have to fit it and the space you have around.

All ovens are 60cm across the width however, some appear smaller in size and others have a bigger interior capacity so you want to ensure that the size of the inside will fit all your much loved pans and baking trays.

If you’re struggling for space around the kitchen then look at options like NEFFs patented slide and hide, which ensures you’re not left with any wasted space when the oven door is open.

Where

A big question, where is your oven going to be situated within the kitchen?

In first instances, think about practicality. You’ll need to have some worktop space at least one side of the oven for setting down hot food.

It’s also worth thinking about where your other appliances are around the kitchen, do you want to carry food from the microwave to oven, the full length of the kitchen? Now is the time to make those decisions as this can all be flushed out in your kitchen plan.

We have a variety of built-in ovens on display in any of our showrooms, these are normally at a height that suits you, and are built into the carcassing units so create a seamless look. Many people opt for these at chest height, which makes them much more convenient for inserting and removing food with no need for constantly bending down, and allows for cupboard space under the hob for that much needed storage!! The convenience of a built in oven are very popular in Kitchen trends however if this isn’t right for you then there are still other options available; The classic oven that combines a hob, or perhaps something a little more traditional like a range cooker, however we do advise that these probably suit a larger kitchen space more as you’ll need to ensure you have lots of landing space either side to allow you to place hot items and trays of food.

If you like the idea of a built-in oven, then it’s worth looking at the option of a double oven, which will allow you to have independent heat and feature controls, and more space - so you can cook dinner for the week all in one go! (We like that idea!). But this does come with more expense, so it’s worth deciding whether you will need the use of 2 ovens at the same time.

What

What do you want your oven to do? Firstly, look at the different types of ovens. In a nutshell there are six, all of which feature different cooking methods – Conventional, Convection, Steam, Combination, Microwave and Range ovens.

It’s worth having a think about the way you cook and then taking a look to see if any of these suit your cooking methods or needs better:

Conventional – Built with two heating elements
Convection – Fan assisted that circulates heat for even and faster cooking
Steam – Uses vapour supplied from a water tank, cooking food with more moisture
Combination – Has the convenience of convection features with microwave, conventional or steam heat all in one single unit
Microwave – Uses the intensity of radiation to cook food for speed
Range – One big unit, usually including 2 ovens and a grill, all separate for large capacity cooking

Once you’ve picked your type of oven – you can then look at what gadgets and gizmos they come with. Many ovens now have self-cleaning features (yes, you heard right, ovens that clean themselves – AMAZING!). Take a look at the NEFF’s Pyrolytic feature that burns away any dirt and grime so you can just wipe it out the bottom. In addition, most self-cleaning ovens have more insulation – keeping the heat in thus saving on energy costs and offsetting their expense – even better!

Finally, once you have made your decision, whether its convection or combination, range or built-in – we would still advise you to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully before using it for the first time, and operate as recommended. Ensure that you clean any spills of food residue up as quickly as you can and also test out your ovens head occasionally using a thermometer to ensure the oven is heating accurately.

There are lots of options and we understand that it can be a bit overbearing, so we are more than happy to talk through your requirements with you in any of our Kitchen showrooms. We have 7 based around the South – Bournemouth, Frome, Gillingham, Newport (IOW), Salisbury, Southampton or Warminster.