A range cooker can take centre-stage in any kitchen. As well as providing a statement for the room, they can offer so much more than just their appearance. Not only do they boast more advanced features than a standard oven, but they also come with a variety of cooking settings for your cooking experience.

These aspirational appliances are now taking it a step further and combining both brains and beauty with the latest technology being brought in to make cooking even easier. With advanced technologies being a part of built-in ovens, many consumers now expect this from range cookers. In this blog post we will take a look at different types of technology, including induction cooking and Bluetooth control, as well as how introducing these could be the future of range cooking... 

Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Connectivity

Want complete control of your cooker without having to be in the kitchen? Smart cookers are filled with fresh tech that lets you connect with them via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. So not only can you prepare large meals but you can also take control of timings and settings from an app on your phone.

Benefits

• If you are in your living room watching tv or need to get things sorted upstairs, you can take control of your range cooker from your phone.
• You can monitor and adjust your cooking times from your phone by checking the time you've already set up.
• Your own cooking settings can be saved for future meals, meaning any meals you love to make each week can be set up quick and easy with the correct settings.

Zeus™️ and Stoves

Zeus™️ is a downloadable app that allows you to connect to your compatible Stoves oven via Bluetooth. This Bluetooth technology allows you to control your range cooker from within 15 metres. You can automatically sync your oven clock with your phone, meaning 100% accurate timing when it comes to your cooking. You can also store all your favourite cooking settings for convenience when it comes to cooking your next meal.

The Stoves Richmond Deluxe includes the Zeus™️ Bluetooth connected programmer, which can control the main oven from your phone as well as providing a minute minder. This isn't the only thing the Richmond has to offer, with this S900G model having a conventional gas main oven, a dedicated variable gas grill cavity above and an impressive 83 litre Titan twin fanned electric oven and grill on the right. On top are five gas burners and a powerful central Powerwok burner to give you all the cooking capacity you need.

Smeg Connect

Through the Smeg Connect app you can operate, control and monitor your appliance from anywhere. It is a great solution for both preserving and exhibiting your wine collection. Smeg Connect wine cellar perfectly controls the serving and preserving temperature, with other functions including sharing the wine list through Facebook with your friends.

Its attractive and intuitive interface gives access to lots of traditional content, such as matching your wine to particular recipes, whilst a Personal Assistant helps for app search and using all your smart appliances. 

Induction Technology

Induction hobs have been a popular choice for many years. Induction refers to the heat transfer when cooking. They may look similar to an electric hob, but they work in a completely different way. Beneath the hob's ceramic plate, induction coils made from copper create a magnetic field as electricity is passed through. The benefit of this technology is the hob stays cool, with only little residual heat from the pan. Because of this heat transferral method, there is a limited amount of residual heat left on the hob's surface. A thermostatically controlled fan cools the electronic components below the surface. Due to the extra contact with the heat below it, induction hobs will stop the pan developing hot spots.

When it comes to cooking a lot of us still opt for the traditional gas or electric hobs, not knowing that induction cookers can often be quicker, cleaner and even safer. The AGA Masterchef Induction brings you all the iconic and timeless qualities you would expect from the AGA brand but also gives you a very modern range cooker with flexibility.  Featuring a large multifunction oven, with fanned, conventional and grilling capabilities, a tall fanned oven with four shelves and a useful plate rack on the right and a dedicated grill in the top left. The sleek surface of the induction hob not only looks good and performs well, but it is also a dream to clean with just the wipe of a cloth after cooking. 

Steam Cooking

The desire to eat healthier has resulted in the spread of new cooking techniques, with steam cooking being one of them. Steam ovens enhance the flavours of foods, whilst maintaining their nutritional benefits. They also reduce wasted energy and raw materials, creating an overall cleaner cooking experience. Direct steam technology is a function that features on this Smeg Portofino 120 model, which requires manual management of both loading the water in the bottom of the oven cavity and steam activation at the moment deemed most suitable for your food. The simplicity of this oven provides a great support for those wanting to take a healthier approach to cooking, without losing flavour.

The Smeg Portofino 120 Twin Steam range cooker has a 70 litre multifunction oven with pyrolytic cleaning and functions such as eco mode. The second 63 litre multifunction oven has eight cooking functions including the direct steam technology. Both ovens come with easy clean enamel interior and five cooking levels in each cavity. 

Precision Temperature Control

No longer do you need to endure inaccurate cooking conditions. ILVE have added the advanced E3 Digital Temperature Control technology to their range cookers. With E3 technology, you can carefully adjust the temperature in 5°C increments, from 30°C to 300°C using a control dial to nudge the setting. This new, improved temperature control feature has been lacking from the range cooker market, making it a unique feature for ILVE. The higher temperature is great news for pizza lovers and home bakers, with the more exact adjustment meaning more accuracy when it comes to bake quality. It also means more efficient self-cleaning, with catalytic oven linings featured as standard in ILVE ovens.

The Roma 150 Fry Top is just one of ILVE's models to feature this advanced technology. The versatile 97 litre multifunction main oven gives you 15 fanned, conventional and grill functions, with the 65 litre second oven offering non-fanned cooling as well as grilling functions. Both ovens feature a rotisserie, easy clean enamel interiors and two-height halogen lighting. Also included is a soft-close full width storage drawer, providing ample room for trays and other cooking accessories.

With technology being developed all the time, it is likely we will see even more smart functions added to range cookers in the future. If you want to find out more about any of these advanced technologies, please contact our team on 01244 402 975. You can also find out more about any of these products on our website here.