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The Range Cooker Buying Guide

You’ve heard range cookers are a good purchase? Or you’ve seen a range cooker in a friend’s house and thought, that looks fantastic, I wouldn’t mind one of those in my kitchen. But you’ve had a look into range cookers, and aren’t entirely sure what’s good, what’s bad, or if it’s even worth it for your own cooking needs.

That’s where our handy little guide comes in. Here at Appliance City, we’ve been selling range cookers for over 30 years. We know them inside and out, and know exactly what you need to think about before buying. Read on to find out!

What is a Range Cooker?

A range cooker is a combination of your oven, hob and grill in one, giving you the ultimate cooking machine. They can often feature more than one oven, enabling you to cook multiple dishes at a time. Range cookers are freestanding and are significantly bigger than a regular oven.

What’re the main benefits of a range cooker compared to an oven?

Cooking Flexibility

These appliances come with a variety of features and useful compartments such as a grill, a tall oven or even a proofing drawer. So you can cook up a storm easily, moving from different compartments without any trouble. Cooking Christmas dinner is a breeze with a range cooker.

More features

Range cookers often have more features than a normal oven. This can include anything from a rotisserie, to a simple storage drawer. Now, this isn’t always the case. You can get simplified models, and then you can get models with all the trimmings. It’s up to you which features you’d like to go for. Whether you’d like a grill, or a storage drawer, or a towel handle bar, it’s completely down to personal preference.

No extra research

Buying a range cooker gets it done in one! Instead of faffing around searching for an oven (or a double oven), a hob and any other additional ovens, you can get it just done in one purchase. Although it’s a large appliance, it really does make life easier.

Long lasting

A good quality range cooker should last you between ten and twenty years, with some lasting even longer with a good level of care. This can be similar, if not longer than a built in oven. A range cooker is made out of strong, high-quality materials such as stainless steel, giving you incredible reliability.

What are the main drawbacks?

The main drawback of a range cooker is it’s not integrated. This means unlike a built in oven, you can’t have it at eye level and look directly at your food. A range cooker will sit in it’s designated space, and that’s it.

With integrated appliances, you can mix and match different ovens into something called a gallery design. This can be just as pleasing as a magnificent range cooker, and keeps you from having to bend down as much to reach for your food.

Another drawback is that a range cooker might be more than you need. Range cookers take up a significant amount of space and can have a lot of ovens, which is fantastic for a larger family with a bigger house. If you’re cooking for two, a range cooker might not be the best choice of appliance.

What do I need to think about before buying a range cooker?

Fuel Types

Knowing what fuel type you want first is a good place to start. We offer three types of fuel: Gas, Electric and Dual Fuel. You can also get LPG kits too if you need this. So, what are these gas types?

  • Gas: This type of range cooker has a gas cooktop, as well as a gas main oven. Sometimes the additional ovens in these models are conventional or electric.
  • Electric: This range cooker has an electric or induction cooktop, with an electric conventional or fan main oven.
  • Dual Fuel: This type of range cooker has a gas cooktop with an electric conventional or fan main oven.

With the fuel types, make sure you know exactly what type of fuel is coming from each oven. Obviously, induction and electric ovens are more energy efficient than gas fuel types, so make sure to look into the energy consumption before you buy if that’s something you’d like at the top of your requirements.

Brands

Are there any particular brands of range cooker that you prefer? If you’ve had a recommendation from a friend, or seen a video of a particular model online, why not give it a try?

Our bestselling models certainly come from Rangemaster. They’ve been supplying fantastic range cooking appliances to UK households for decades, and they’ve got great reviews to back this up. They have a selection of models, such as the Kitchener, Nexus and Elise. They range from the essential requirements, to meeting the needs of professional chefs. And they’re not badly priced either.

Other than Rangemaster, we have a fantastic selection of range cooker brands for you to choose from including Stoves, Belling, Smeg, Bertazzoni, Britannia, AGA Masterchef, Falcon plus many more. We understand that having so many brands to choose from can be incredibly overwhelming, so it’s wise to take your time when deciding on a brand.

Browse our website and have a look at the benefits of different brands, or you can give our sales experts a call on 0115 965 1937. You can talk to them about what style you prefer, fuel type and other features and then they can help find the perfect model for you.

Sizes

Knowing the size of the range cooker you need will also refine your search. Standard widths are 90cm, 100cm and 110cm, however we also supply a few 120cm wide models.

Measure the gap in your kitchen and decide what size model fits best to give you a flush, seamless style. If you’re in the process of designing or building your new kitchen, you’ve got free range! Generally 110cm will give you more ovens & options, but may be more expensive.

Colours

You’d be surprised at how many colours options there are with range cookers. If you’re looking for standard black or stainless steel, you’re covered. However if you’re looking for something to add a bit more of a statement, there’s options for you too. Green, purple, red, all colours of the rainbow, if you can think of it—we’ll probably stock it!  

Where can I see a Range Cooker?

A range cooker will be in your home for years to come, and they cost a pretty penny too, so it’s only wise to get a good look at what you’re buying. We have a great showroom in Nottinghamshire with a selection of over 30 range cooker models available for you to come and look at.

Bear in mind we don’t have all of our models on display, so make sure to give us a call and see if your desired model is there for you to look at. Or, if you’re completely open minded, come have a look and talk to one of our sales experts about what model you prefer.

And if you find the one you’re looking for, you can buy it there and then!

Conclusion

Range cookers are a fabulous piece of kit. They’ll give you all the cooking power you need to make adventurous meals, or even just plain old cheese on toast. Buying a range cooker will get all of your cooking needs satisfied in one purchase.

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