A kitchen must have some means of cooking food, and in this regard the number of permutations and combinations of ovens and hobs that are available to choose from is quite dazzling.

Fuel Options for cooking appliances

Size & Format

Electricity and gas connections

• If the oven or hob is electric, this should be connected to a 30 or 45amp supply via its own dedicated ring main, and hard wired into a switched fused connection that should be no further than 2m (6f 6in) from the cooker.
• A gas oven or hob will need to be connected to the mains gas supply.
• A gas hob or oven that simply uses electricity to create a spark should be hard wired into a 13amp switched fuse connection.

• By law, your oven or hob must be connected to the electricity, and/or gas, mains supplies by a qualified electrician or CORGI engineer.
• Ensure all electrical connections are certified by a NICEIC-registered electrician.

• Find a local electrician
• Find a local CORGI engineer

Performance

Electric ovens are graded from A to G, where A is the best, for energy efficiency depending on the amount of electricity it uses. Select a high graded machine to save money on running costs and get the best performance from your appliance.

Gas ovens and hobs are not included in these tests.

Key Features

• Pyrolitic Ovens – have a self-cleaning function wherein the temperature of the oven is taken to 500oC and any soiling on the inside of the oven carbonises and is turned into ash that can be wiped away with a damp cloth.
• Catalytic Liners – where these ceramic liners are fitted to an oven, they self-clean any spillages at temperatures of 220 oC or more by absorbing and oxidising grease, thereby preventing their build up.
• Telescopic Shelving – allows the rails on the side of an oven shelf to extend so that you can pull a pan out of the oven to turn or baste without having to support the weight or remove it from the shelf.
• Electronic Controls – provide greater accuracy and maintain a constant temperature.
• Touch Controls – that sit flush with the glass surface, make cleaning easy. Ceramic hobs may have normal control knobs which are hard to clean around.
• Wok Burner - flat ceramic hobs do not permit round-bottomed woks to sit stably on them, so some manufacturers supply wok burner accessories to provide a suitable stable stand.
• Timer – most cookers will have timers and alarms to remind you to turn the heat off, but more advanced appliances have a timer that will also turn the heat on and off on both hobs and ovens.

Further information and useful links

• Attributes common to all kitchen appliances
• Cooker hoods
• Introduction to kitchen appliances
• More kitchen appliances topics

• Find a Kitchen Appliances supplier near you
• Find an Electrician near you