Cookers come in all types and sizes, so to help you on your way to buying one just right for you, here’s what to look out for when buying a cooker.

Types of Cooker

It is probably best to look for the type of cooker that matches the energy type you use, to keep energy costs down. Here are the different types of cookers you can have, from electric to dual fuel cookers.

Electric Type Cookers

The electric cooker has a hob and an oven, both powered by electricity. They will usually have fan ovens too that help cook the food more evenly. Some cookers will have both a fan oven and a regular oven, so you can choose which is best in any given situation.

Electric Induction Cookers

Electric induction cookers use an induction hob that heats the pan directly through magnetic fields, rather than heating the hob. As well as this they have an electric powered oven. This means you’ll need pans made of stainless steel or something based on iron.

Gas Cookers

Gas cookers are the least expensive to use, and gas hobs aren’t as hard to use as electric hobs. Though you may get less consistent results from your cooking with gas cookers compared to electric cookers.

Dual Fuel Cookers

Dual fuel cookers have both an electric oven and a gas hob. meaning you get an easy-to-use hob with the consistency of an electric oven. A Gas Safe registered engineer will have to install one of these ovens which may be an extra expense, but not much.

Cooker Pricing

The least expensive cookers are gas cookers, as they are usually the simplest option for people who have gas power. They on average cost around £350, so you can pick one up pretty cheap. Other types of cooker and hob are more expensive. For instance, if you’d like an induction hob, you’ll be paying upwards of £400 at least. If you want to go cheap, most of the cheap options have just one oven, if you’d spend a little more then you’ll be able to choose from lots of different features. Still do your research though, some cookers truly can’t justify their price tag. Range cookers are the most expensive type of cooker because they cover a multitude of different cooking styles, they’re much larger and use more fuel. They also tend to be of better build quality overall. Brands like Rangemaster are the best in the business for these types of cookers.

Which Type of Cooker is Cheapest to Run?

Electric cookers are more expensive to run than gas cookers, on average you’d expect to pay between £40 and £60 on your energy bill for an electric cooker, compared to as low as £15 for a gas cooker.

Good Features for a Cooker

Automatic Ignition is a great feature to find and is much more convenient when starting your cooking. A timer is a great feature that makes it much easier to keep track of your meals, especially if you’re busy! A multi-function oven is a great feature to look out for as it adds so much versatility to your cooking, and gives you ways of cooking you may never have tried before. Thermostat indicators are always a good shout too to make sure you’re keeping it at the right temperature, and for knowing when the oven is heated up to where you need it. One more great feature to look out for would be a pyrolytic self-cleaning program. This gets the oven incredibly hot to get rid of spillages that are hardened onto the walls, you just need to sweep the sh away after it’s done.

The Size of your Average Cooker

Pretty much all of the usual cookers are roughly 60-65cm wide, but if you’re in need of something smaller there are slimmer moels available at around 50-55cm. Range cookers and other similar cookers that are built-in can be a lot bigger. They are all around the same height to fit your worktops, at around 80cm high and with a depth of around 60-65cm.

Oven Capacity

You will want to be careful when buying an oven based on the capacity as their measurements include space that isn’t used for cooking. So we always recommend you check specifications and research the capacity further before buying because of this. Also, something worth looking up is the number of oven racks that are given with the cooker as this changes the amount you can cook in there too.

Installing a Cooker

If you go for a cooker that matches your fuel type then you’ll be looking at around £65 to £100 for a good oven installation. Some companies will also charge for the removal of your old oven, but it wouldn’t be much on top. There also may be local companies that do cheaper installations, but these are the prices from companies like John Lewis and Currys.