Are you looking for a new cooker but can’t decide whether to spend such a large amount on a range cooker? Well we are here to tell you exactly why you definitely SHOULD splash the cash for a top appliance…

Range cookers have been a popular choice in households for many, many years. Not only do they boast more advanced features than a standard oven, but they also come with a variety of cooking settings to enhance your time in the kitchen.

As well as providing a statement piece within the room, they can offer so much in terms of both cooking capacity and flexibility. Here are just a few reasons why we think a range cooker would be great for you…

Larger Ovens

Many of our range cookers come with multiple oven cavities, but even our single oven range cookers offer copious amounts of capacity. With these cookers ranging from 60cm right up to 220cm, there is a wide variety of oven sizes you can choose from, depending on your cooking requirements and of course the size of your kitchen. A popular range cooker configuration consists of a main oven, a secondary oven and a separate grill, just like this Rangemaster Professional Plus 100cm range cooker.

The Rangemaster Professional Plus 100 takes Rangemaster’s 90cm format and scales up the tall fanned oven to a wider cavity, with a truly impressive 82 litres of cooking space! However, if you are energy conscious don’t worry, both ovens are A-rated for energy efficiency – which is an achievement with cavities of this size. On this dual fuel model, the impressive specification of two fanned electric ovens, separate dual circuit variable electric grill (with glide out grill pan) and five burner gas hob on top, make this range cooker a particular favourite for those feeding hungry families.

Or if you wanted a single cavity range cooker, the Bertazzoni Professional offers a whopping 105 litre capacity in it’s multifunction oven. It has 11 functions, ranging from convection to grilling and fast-preheat. A triple glazed oven door minimises heat loss, with the inclusion of soft motion hinges and anti-slam closing system. On top of this model, you have the latest induction technology to give you ultimate power and controllability, and the added benefit of an easy-to-clean vitreoceramic surface, with five heating zones that include a booster feature, pot detection and residual heat indication for each zone. The new bridging function also allows you to use the two cooking zones on the right and left as one single cooking zone.

Traditional or Contemporary Design

Making sure your range cooker matches your home interior is one of the most important parts of your decision. Whether you want the more contemporary look, or a traditional aesthetic, there is a range cooker out there to suit either design. Traditional range cookers usually offer a sense elegance, and whilst using on trend colours, can create a timeless space. Contemporary range cookers can bring a sleek, modern appearance, focusing on things such as the latest technology and storage concepts.

The Lacanche Cluny Classic is one of Lacanche’s best selling range cookers and a very popular traditional choice. The aesthetically pleasing symmetrical configuration offers versatility with two 55-litre conventional gas ovens and a five-burner gas hob. Both the Cluny Classic and the Cluny Modern offer ample storage space in the form of twin drawers and can be ordered in natural gas, LPG gas or all electric.

The Bertazzoni Heritage is the perfect mixture of traditional style but with a contemporary twist. The Heritage series was originally introduced to celebrate Bertazzoni’s 125th anniversary, with it taking inspiration from their original wood burning stoves. These newer models have all the advanced technology and engineering that you would see on a Bertazzoni Professional model. Combined with the classic appeal of a Heritage makes it a perfect addition to any style kitchen.

This 120cm double oven range cooker offers a main electric oven with 11 functions, ranging from convection and baking to fast-preheat, and a second auxiliary oven. Both ovens have triple glazed doors to minimise heat loss, whilst on top are six versatile gas burners including a dual-ring power burner and a stainless steel electric teppanyaki griddle. Finishing this well executed range cooker is a characteristic temperature gauge and a choice of two stunning colours, Nero Matt and Avorio.

Easy To Clean

Behind the fun of a range cooker is the cleaning. It is best to try and keep your cooker as clean as possible after use to prevent the oven cavity and cooking surfaces from having piles of dirt and dust build up, making them even more difficult to clean. If there are excessive spillages in the oven, wipe the affected areas with a warm, damp cloth and a mild detergent. Any of the more stubborn stains can be removed gently with a non-abrasive scourer and cream cleaner if needed. If something spills or boils over on the hob, try and wipe it up as soon as possible to prevent it from burning onto the cooker. It is often more time-consuming cleaning a gas cooker as they have pan supports and burners being more susceptible to dust collection and excess food from spillages.

Some range cookers even offer a feature called Pyrolytic cleaning. The easiest way of keeping the ovens of a range cooker clean is pyrolytic cleaning. Pyrolytic is actually a method of cleaning, rather than just the lining.

Ovens that include pyrolytic cleaning have a special program ready. When you use the program, the oven gets to a temperature of over 400°C. It is very similar to catalytic liners in the sense that they also use oxidants and heat to clean the air in your oven. These cookers are often more costly to use, as they require the oven to be preheated and takes a significant amount of energy to operate. However, pyrolytic liners can last up to about 12 times longer than catalytic or enamel before needing replacement.

The best part is that it ensures your oven has better air quality, enabling you to cook healthier food. Most pyrolytic ovens also have an automatic door lock too, so once the cleaning process has started, no one can open the oven until it has cooled down to a safe temperature. A downside, however, is your choice of range cookers with this setting is reduced due to the technology, so you will often need a bigger budget.

This purposeful Fulgor Milano range cooker features a 161 litre multifunction oven with dual internal fans and a range of fanned, non-fanned and grilling functions to give you full versatility when cooking (including warming and proving settings). Rapid pre-heat gets the oven to temperature quickly and conveniently, and there is an automatic pyrolytic cleaning cycle to keep your oven cavity looking sparkling new. Inside the oven are two heavy duty racks, one of which can be set up on telescopic runners, an enamel tray with anti-splash insert and plug-in food probe which works in conjunction with the 6-digit touch control timer to cook to a target temperature and see perfect results.

Storage Drawers

The majority of the range cookers we sell offer a handy storage compartment below. This could be the full length of the cooker, perfect for storing pots and pans with a drop down door or simply just a smaller drawer that is ideal for storing plates and smaller cookware.

On this 120cm ILVE Roma, the soft-close storage drawer spans the full width of the cooker, providing ample room for all those trays and accessories. This dual cavity ILVE range cooker offers copious cooking capacity and A+ rated energy efficiency in a premium and very refined package. The versatile and huge 97 litre multifunction main oven gives you 15 fanned, conventional and grill functions, with the 43 litre second oven offering non-fanned cooking and grilling functions. Both cavities feature a rotisserie, easy clean enamel interiors and two-height halogen lighting for a great view of what is going on, as well as child safety locks.

Multifunction Settings

If you opt for a slightly larger cooker, typically a multifunctional oven is teamed with a smaller, conventional oven. It allows you to cook different foods at different temperatures, all at the same time. You can find out more about some of the multifunction settings you can get and how to use them in our previous blog post here.

The ILVE Panoramagic 120 8 burner's 91L multifunction oven offers 15 different settings including fanned, conventional, pizza mode, intensive cooking and rotisserie. Alongside this is a 43L multifunction oven with five different settings including conventional, base heat only and rotisserie. Having these varied settings is what sets a range cooker apart from a standard oven, providing a more controlled cooking experience.

The smaller Rangecookers Select 90ei2 offers a multifunction, programmable main oven with conventional second oven, two integrated grills and a sleek induction hob. These multifunction settings include base heat only, fan assisted, fan grilling and even slow cook.

Unique Controls and Colours

No matter what style you have chosen for your kitchen, brands such as Lacanche, Rangemaster and Bertazzoni have the perfect colours to complement your overall design. 

If you want to use orange in your kitchen but aren't loving the bright hues for your walls, try a more mellow vibe with an orange cooker. This simple block of colour can be added to both dark and light decor to create a warm and inviting focal point. Just imagine a refined kitchen with dark units and marble worktops matched with a showstopping Professional range finished in Aranci.

Or maybe you want something more elegant but still adding that bold touch, in which case we think you should go for a Lacanche in Rose Quartz.

If you're really in need of some more inspiration, ILVE's bespoke colour matching service offers over 200 RAL classic colours to choose from, with hundreds of options to inspire your kitchen dreams. The choice is all yours.

So you've found your dream range cooker and decided on the colour, so now it's time to add the finishing touches. With a variety of trims to choose from, and chrome often being the trim of choice, there may be finishes you aren't even aware of.

When choosing your range cooker, it is important to consider the trim finish you want as some trims are only available on selected models. Chrome offers a shine that will match a variety of range cooker colours and kitchen interiors. Giving your cooker a modern look, a chrome finish offers a simple yet sophisticated addition to your cooker with sleek and contemporary detail. Stylish, shiny and easy to clean, this trim is a popular choice for many.

Brass is a standout choice for a range cooker. Available with premium brands such as ILVE, Lacanche and Rangemaster, this glamorous look highlights the warmth in a kitchen and particularly range cookers in colours such as red or green. Lacanche use natural, solid brass on their range cookers and this polishes perfectly to retain the beautiful look. We recommend matching with a Lacanche Bussy Classic 90 in Dark Olive or a Rangemaster Classic Deluxe 110 in Cranberry.

Copper is a chic finish to your range cooker and will stand out in your kitchen. A more elegant, delicate touch, this trim will match well with lighter hues such as white or pale colours such as blues and pinks. Matching copper kitchen accessories look great with this trim, blending your cooker in to create a traditional aesthetic throughout the room.

To find out more about anything we have mentioned in this blog post, or if you have any questions about range cookers in general, our team are always happy to help you on 01244 402 975 or visit our website here.