Ovens at Home

What to Look for when Purchasing a New Oven

Whether the decision is thrust upon you or if you just decide to buy a new oven as an upgrade to your kitchen it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. There are numerous brands of oven available nowadays from CDA to AEG ovens, from Neff to Bosch. Making the decision which to oven buy can be a tricky and time consuming one, so hopefully this short guide will aid you in your decision making process.
The oven itself is one of the most important purchases you will make for your house, the fact that it is used once, twice or even three times daily means it has to be sturdy and reliable. For this reason it is always important to opt for one of the large manufacturers, be it a Bosch, Siemens or AEG oven. Another important factor to take into consideration can be energy efficiency. An energy efficient oven can save you both time and money, which are both important in our day and age.

Types of Oven to Consider

Freestanding or built in? These are the two types of oven you are going to be considering. Built in ovens are very popular when considering a modern sleek looking kitchen as they generally incorporated into the design of the kitchen. Freestanding ovens, such as range cookers, are generally used gas oven double in a more traditional style kitchen, although the design of these ovens are becoming more modern. Generally both types of oven - whether you buy a Neff range cooker or an AEG oven - have the same kind of features, so the choice tends to be an aesthetic one in this instance.
Now you have decided whether to go with a freestanding or built in oven you will need to start looking at the different options you are going to be presented with; gas oven, fan oven, multifunction oven, electric oven or double oven? Let us take a quick look at each of these ovens and see how they can benefit you and your lifestyle.

• Double Oven - Exactly what it sounds like, the double oven gives you two ovens on top of each other. This kind of oven is especially useful when you need to cook two dishes at the same time (perfect for the big family with kids who are fussy eaters!)
• Gas Oven - These tend to be hotter at the top, if you cook a lot of casserole style these are the perfect oven due to the moisture that is retained within the oven.
• Electric Ovens - While the electric oven is notorious for taking a while to warm up they have the benefit of being warmer at the top at and cooler at the bottom. Due to this you can cook two dishes that require different cooking times at the same time.
• Fan Ovens - The choice of the busy household. The fan within the ovens helps to circulate the heat quick, subsequently the oven warms up quicker - no need for waiting around!
• Multi Function Ovens - The daddy of ovens. Need to cook all kinds of dishes? Need to have the oven warm up quickly? Need a fan? Need a grill? The versatile Multi Function Oven is going to be your choice then as it can deliver on all these factors and often many more.

There are a number of other factors you may want to take into consideration when you looking for your new oven.

• Does it have a self cleaning feature? The ultimate in time saving devices - never again will you be sat on the kitchen floor, brillo pad in hand, covered in a black residue, cursing yourself for even starting to clean the oven.
• Does it have a timer? We don't all have the time to hang around in the kitchen waiting for our dinner to be ready. Find an oven that has a large display and an alarm that is loud enough to alert you that your dinner is ready - even if you are elsewhere in the house.

Hopefully this short article has helped you decide on the factors that are important to you and guided you towards picking the perfect oven.