Choosing the right fuel type is clearly important, and can be influenced by efficiency, safety, speed, gas/electrical supplies and aesthetic appeal ...

All electric ranges
Some people do not have access to a gas supply, or simply prefer the benefits of an all-electric range. The vast majority of electric range cookers now offer an induction hob which is fast, efficient and safe, and largely considered the more environmentally friendly fuel choice. This is largely down to the method of heating the pan rather than the food (hence less energy wasted to the surrounded environment) and the increasingly renewable methods of producing the electricity used to power induction hobs, rather than burning gas.

All-electric ranges will obviously draw more electricity than their counterparts, and you will therefore need a sufficient electrical supply in place. In most cases this will mean a 10mm heat-resistant cable into a 45Amp fused circuit via an easily accessible double-pole switch, but the rating could be as high as 60Amp (with the exception of Stoves and Belling who offer induction cookers to run off a 32amp connection). Please consult a qualified electrician if in any doubt. The rating for your chosen range will be shown on our product specification table, although we recommend checking this with the manufacturer prior to ordering.

Induction cooking is an increasingly viable choice in domestic cooking and is beginning to eclipse dual fuel as the most popular fuel type.

Dual fuel ranges
A dual fuel range uses both gas and electricity, and you will need a mains or LPG gas supply in place, together with an electrical supply sufficient for your chosen model. 

LPG conversion
Although your range will usually arrive configured for mains gas, almost all dual fuel ranges will convert for use with LPG (bottled) gas, and a set of LPG gas jets will either be supplied with the product, or this will be available for a small charge from the manufacturer.

Gas ranges
Many people prefer using an all gas range cooker, as they have grown used to the moister results of a gas oven. Alternatively, a high-current electric circuit may not be available, and a gas cooker is an ideal solution. You will still need an electricity supply to run the timer, ignition and lights, but this will usually be via a 13Amp plug rather than a dedicated cooker circuit.

All-gas cookers need to be purpose-built for the type of gas used, and are usually NOT convertible. It is highly dangerous to use the wrong gas type, so ensure you seek professional advice from a Corgi-registered engineer.

Most UK households will have Natural Gas piped into their property. More remote properties will often be using Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the form of Butane or Propane, via large tanks or smaller bottles. In the Channel Isles, although the gas supply may be piped into the house in the normal way, the gas used is LPG mixed with air.

LPG ranges
As the demand for all-LPG ranges is very low, many manufacturers have dropped them from their product range in recent years. Only a few models are now available, and Rangemaster is the only major brand still offering them, with one or two others offering single cavity models.

All-gas cookers need to be purpose-built for the type of gas used, and are usually NOT convertible. It is highly dangerous to use the wrong gas type, so ensure you seek professional advice from a Corgi-registered engineer.

Induction technology has been used in professional kitchens for over 40 years, but is relatively new to the domestic scene. The first brand to introduce induction to a range cooker was Stoves, who launched their Sterling 1100E model in 2007. Induction cooking can still be something of a mystery to many consumers, but the advantages are manifest, and new users of induction hobs often wonder why they ever cooked on anything else.

How Does it Work?
A powerful electro-magnet below the hob's glass surface acts directly on the molecules of the ferrous material in the pan above, exciting them to the point where heat is produced. Because the rate of excitement can be directly controlled by the electrical flow to the magnet, the effect of any adjustment is immediate.

Why Choose Induction?

Fast and Responsive
Induction is fast! Even better, it powers up instantly and switches off immediately, making it controllable like gas but almost twice as fast. It can take only seconds for water to begin to boil on an induction hob. Reducing the pan to simmering is equally quick, as there is little residual heat to slow things down. Useful functions can include:

Auto Heat-up function - powers up to maximum before automatically reducing to a given setting.

Power Boost - when needed, power is drawn to a single zone for extra intensity. Great for wok cooking.

Uniform Cooking
Another benefit of induction is that because the heat is distributed evenly throughout the pan floor and walls you are far less likely to burn the contents, and there is less need to stir to spread the heat evenly - great for jams and sauces!

Energy Efficiency
Induction is considered to be 25% more energy efficient than ceramic heat sources and 30% more than gas. Induction zones are faster and more energy-efficient than radiant ceramic zones because the induction technology uses only enough energy to heat a particular pan, rather than heating up an element, the glass surface and then the pan, so any heat-loss is minimal.

Touch Controls?
Although usually controlled using rotary knobs, range cookers with induction hobs will sometimes feature touch controls, and all will have a digital power-level display. Because the surface does not get dangerously hot the touch controls can be positioned on the surface of the hob itself, removing the need for additional control knobs on the front of the cooker. 

Clever Functions (check your chosen product's spec)

Timers are often featured, allowing you to set simmering times to avoid boiling dry.

Pause function - if the doorbell goes, just pause then go back to where you were.

Recall function - saves your last setting, so you can repeat a favourite process.

Auto switch-off - pre-set the switch off time for peace of mind and convenience.

Keep-warm function - a slow trickle of power which is just right for delicate sauces, melting chocolate, etc.

Griddle or bridging zone - pairs-up two adjacent zones for use with a large griddle pan or fish kettle.

Safety Benefits
Only heat conducted back from the pan will effect the cooking surface, and quite locally, so induction is particularly safe to use. It is possible that after long cooking spells the glass surface may get hot to touch, so residual heat indicators alert users should the temperature rise above 60°C. Also look out for:

Child safety locks, which invariably feature as standard.

Safety shutdown - if unattended for a long period all zones are automatically switched off.

Pan overheat sensors - if anything boils dry, the zone will automatically switch off.

Easy to Clean
With just a smooth glass surface to wipe over, and no burnt-on spillages, induction hobs are a breeze to clean. There are proprietary ceramic hob cleaners available from supermarkets for the occasional spruce-up.

Will I Need New Pans for Induction?
Because induction relies on electro-magnetic energy, your pans will need to include a ferrous metal to be effective. Look for a pan bearing the "Class Induction" logo on its base or packaging, or the wording/logo “Suitable for Induction”. Induction is becoming fairly popular, so even supermarkets will stock suitable products at affordable prices. Of course, you may already have some suitable pans:

Stainless Steel - Unless they have been made especially, with a steel plate embedded in the base, normal stainless steel pans may not work well with induction, as the ferrous content is relatively low.

Enamelled Steel - Pans in enamelled steel, with or without non-stick coating, will work very well.

Cast Iron - Great with induction, but to avoid the risk of scratching the glass top of your hob use pans with an enamelled base, or avoid sliding the pan across the glass surface.

Enhanced Aluminium Pans - Aluminium is a great conducting material, but you will need induction-suitable pans with a thick base, as this ensures more even cooking.

Incompatible Cookware - Glass, ceramic or earthenware pans, aluminium pans (unless they have a special base), copper pans.

Electric ovens
An electric oven can often provide you with a good deal of cooking flexibility. In addition to conventional (zoned heat) electric ovens, most ranges will feature a fanned or multi-function oven, or perhaps a mixture of all three types.

Pre-heating
A major advantage of electric ovens is fast warm-up times compared to gas ovens. Fanned ovens are particularly good in this respect, and In addition to added convenience, will also save energy. To get the best results from a conventional gas or electric oven, you will need to allow 10 to 15 minutes before placing your dishes in (compared to 3 to 4 minutes for a fanned oven). Placing-in food only when the oven is to temperature is especially important when cooking chilled or frozen foods.

Gas ovens
Gas ovens use natural convection to distribute heat throughout the oven cavity. This results in a higher temperature in the top section and a cooler lower section. Although not as quick to warm up as fanned or multifunction electric ovens, many people prefer gas ovens because they have become accustomed to using them, or perhaps prefer cooking in the slightly moister air they generate, which is excellent for baking.

Very suited to traditional roast meals, the different temperature zones allow you to cook the meat, for example, on the middle shelf, the potatoes on the top and the pudding towards the bottom.

Slow cook ovens
A slow cook oven is used to cook stews and other liquid-based dishes at relatively low temperatures, with correspondingly long cooking times. Many recipes simply call for the ingredients to be put in the dish with little preparation so, for example, you could throw together a casserole before leaving for work and it will be ready when you come home. Slow-cooked stews and hotpots tend to taste better, as the meats are beautifully tender and the juices more succulent. Rice puddings come out great, too!

Dedicated slow cook ovens
Many Stoves and Belling products (also the Rangemaster Excel) now feature a dedicated slow cook oven, usually the small cavity on the lower right, heated by a low-powered electrical element. This can obviously free-up your main ovens for preparation of the rest of the meal, and when not used for cooking can also prove useful for plate-warming.

Integrated slow cook functions
Many gas ovens will feature a slow-cook setting on one of the main ovens, which is controlled by a simple on/off switch or a setting on the control knob.

Fanned electric ovens
Most double-oven range cookers will include at least one fan oven, which is a great asset to cooking in general, and great for batch baking, as the heat is very evenly spread throughout the oven cavity. Because they are very efficient, fanned ovens will also reach temperature much quicker than a conventional oven, saving you both time and energy costs. In addition, you will be able to set a cooler temperature than your recipe shows.

Fanned ovens also offer additional functions, as described below.

Multifunction ovens
Many brands are now featuring Multifunction ovens on their range cookers, which is good news if you enjoy cooking, as you will certainly come to appreciate the flexibility this offers. Selecting the most appropriate heat for the meal you are preparing will make a real difference to the way it turns out, and you will wonder how you coped with your old cooker!

Although availability of functions may vary slightly from brand to brand, the guide below will show you how to use them to best advantage.

Internal oven features

Standard enamel
Although some products feature self-cleaning linings, these will add to the cost of a product, and the familiar wipe-clean enamel is still a standard feature on many range cookers.

Cleaning
The key to avoiding turning the cleaning of your enamelled oven into a big and rather unpleasant job is to ensure that you adopt a "clean as you go" habit, and perhaps keep a baking tray on the floor of the cavity to catch any spillages.

If excessive splashing does occur in the oven, wait for the oven to cool down and then wipe the affected enameled area with a damp cloth wrung out in warm water and a mild detergent.
Any obstinate marks can be removed using a paste or cream cleaner or a well moistened soap impregnated steel wool pad rubbed gently so as not to damage the surface.


Easy-clean and Pristine enamels
Pristine® Enamel is an award-winning finish developed by and exclusive to the Stoves brand, but similar enamels can be found on other brands. Rather than opt for a self-cleaning lining, Stoves have chosen to adopt this less costly but very effective solution, with an exceptionally hard and smooth surface which is very difficult for stains to cling to.

Following exhaustive tests* involving a variety of ovens, Stoves were able to ascertain that Pristine enamel is three times easier to clean than standard enamel. Because the structure of the enamel is more compact, the absorption of food residue is greatly reduced, making it possible to just wipe it clean. In addition, Pristine’s unique formulation also offers inherent antibacterial qualities.

*The Vitreous Enamel Association has endorsed these tests and findings.

Cleaning - If excessive splashing does occur in the oven, wipe the affected enameled area with a damp cloth wrung out in warm water and a mild detergent. Any obstinate marks can be removed using a paste or cream cleaner or a well moistened soap impregnated steel wool pad rubbed gently so as not to damage the surface.

Catalytic oven liners
Variously referred to as Self-clean, Stay-clean, or Cook & Clean, these liners are included on many ranges, or may be available as an optional extra. They can often be recognised by their rough-textured grey surface. The liners normally fit to the sides and rear of the oven, but are sometimes available for the roof of the cavity too. Usually both oven cavities will be lined, but sometimes they will be found only in the main oven.

How they work
Catalytic liners are coated with fat-hungry micro-porous enamel and help absorb and eliminate the splashes that occur during cooking. This does not stop all marks on the lining, but helps to reduce the amount of manual cleaning needed. The panels work better above 200°C so if you do most of your cooking below this temperature, at the end of cooking (especially after roasting) leave the oven on its maximum setting for a further 15 minutes to allow the stay-clean process to do its work.

Cleaning liners
If a lot of liquid or fat has splashed the oven interior, wait until the oven has cooled down, then clean the splashes with a damp sponge. Then heat the oven for 2 hours on maximum. Repeat the cycle if certain difficult marks have not been eliminated. Periodically, it is advisable to remove the panels from the oven and wash them with lukewarm soapy water and dry them with a soft lint free cloth. The panels should then be dried and replaced and the oven heated at 200°C for about one hour. This will ensure the liners are working effectively.

• Do not use steel wool (Brillo) or any other materials that will scratch the surface.

• Do not use oven-cleaning pads.

• Never use abrasives, alkaline or acid detergents to clean the oven.

Pyrolytic oven linings
The holy grail of oven cleaning, pyrolytic ovens use heat to thoroughly clean the interior of the oven, leaving it looking like new. When the oven needs cleaning, the oven can be set to a very high temperate (the door is locked for safety), and all food residues are reduced to ash, which you simply brush from the oven floor once cool. This is an impressively effective process, but is a rare feature found mostly on top-end built-in ovens. On range cookers, pyrolytic ovens can currently be found on Rosières, Smeg, Rangemaster FX and Falcon 900S models, but hopefully more will appear as demand rises.