Whats a good oven to buy ?

[jags]

Thought i would add
I also noticed the internal size difference in ovens definitely worth checking each one you look at .
They maybe all 600 out size but some internally are the size of an icecream container .

[Ashore]

Still another vote for Gas hotplates / electric FAN FORCED oven , we don't have a conventinal oven though just a larg convection microwave , you can use it as a fan forced electric oven , a microwave or a combination of both , so you can roast a chook exactly the same as you would in an oven , at 180 deg bout 60-80 minutes depending on size or 40 minutes if you go at 180 deg and 100-160 watts of microwave at the same time , chook looks and tastes the same both ways

[woodcutta]

I don't agree with Bleeding on the self cleaning though (at least not on ours) the pyroelectric cleaning works a treat. The oven heats up to 500 C and just vaporises any crud.

I'll second what craigb says. Having lived in the US for 3 years where nearly all ovens are self clean - best thing ever.

We have just bought a Fisher and Paykel self clean oven. Its a 70cm and that bit of extra width allows 2 trays or frypans to be put on one shelf

With 13 shelf positions there is no wasted space.

AT -try Winning Appliances for a good range of ovens

woodcutta

[bitingmidge]

Yeah, but the pre-heat time is a bit of a killer.

nah, that's what the oxy's for!

P

[redheeler]

Hi Jake

We have an induction cooktop (Miele) that I have found to be almost as quick as gas. Advantages - when cooking, if you remove the pot and the hot plate is still on, no burns as surface only generates heat if in contact with pot, not flesh - great for those of us with small offspring. A completely flat surface that is easy to clean. Energy efficiency - only the base of the pot receives gets heat, not the whole element.
Disadvantages - induction cooktops are pretty pricey. As well, special cookware is required, as induction uses electromagnetic energy that will only respond to cookware that has a base that a magnet will stick to, so standard pots don't work. I do heaps of cooking and induction is the best as far as I am concerned.

Cheers
Redheeler

[macca2]

We have redone the kitchen recentley and when choosing a stove and cooktop went for the Teknica gas cooktop and a Westinghouse electric oven.
The main reason for the Westinghouse was that when you pull out the oven trays they have stop at the back of the tray and cannot be pulled all the way out of the oven without lifting the front of the tray first.
All of the European oven we looked out,although they had some good features, it was possible to pull the oven trays straight out of the oven, thereby dumping the hot roast etc on you lap or down your shins.
A very good safety reason to buy the Westinghouse.
Macca

[journeyman Mick]

nah, that's what the oxy's for!

P

Or a 50/50 mix of petrol/diesel

Mick

[China]

My grandmother was a chef and would use only gas, there good and bad in both, I have installed a 900mm emilla/glem made in Italy (no one in australia makes a similla one) it's all stainless steel and has both electric and gas oven in the one unit it's too early to tell how long it will last but it works like a dream, it does come with a price tag of $3000.00 including stainless conopy

[rhancock]

Definitely gas hob, electric oven.

SWMBO bought Smeg from the scratch and dent auctions and the oven's been a piece of cr&P from the day I put it in. The hob and dishwasher are good though. Bought a Whirlpool side by side fridge freezer from scratch and dent which has been great too.

In England, "European" appliances means cheap and nasty, so I see no reason to buy them here! I couldn't recommend anything else from experience though.

I did have a job for 3 months running the complaints call centre at an old fashioned cooker company in Britain a few years ago. The cookers were manufactured downstairs and the call centre was upstairs so if there was something we didn't know, we'd go down to the factory floor and ask the experts! You don't get that from a callcentre in Mumbai...

So I"ll fully back the recommendation that you talk to the appliance repairers first - they will know all the faults going back over the last 10 years or so. They'll tell you which models are dummies and which are top class.

Remember at the end of the day you want an oven to get to the right temperature and stay there. Anything else in the way of complications is money the maufacturer hasn't spent on what you actually want it to do, so keep it simple.

[JDarvall]

Thanks. I like that advice on asking appliance repairers. Thats crafty. like that.

Thanks on all the other advice as well.

Will be calling Harvey Norman -> Hardly normal for now on. ( go well with our other shops....crazy clarks -> crazy tarts, mitre 10 -> mitre 50 )

So definetly gas top. The oven must be fan forced. Not sure if it should be gas or electric.

[woodbe]

Another vote for Gas cooktop and electric fan-forced oven.

We bought a St George side hinge door electric oven and Smeg gas cooktop about 5 years ago. The oven has those self cleaning inserts, which seem to keep it cleaner than if they weren't there, but we're not over the moon about them, the oven still needs cleaning every now and then We chose the side-hinge model because we got sick of the bottom hinge that we had last time, you have to reach over the door to get to the contents.

Reliability: The cooktop hasn't missed a beat, the igniters (push to spark) work well and have given no problem. The Oven has had maybe 4 service calls, and currently needs another (dies if you turn it over 160) it has killed 2 oven lights in the time we have had it. The service calls have been for an element not working or the oven not turning on at all, repairs have been quick and simple, and mostly under warranty. When it works, (which is most of the time) the oven is very good. If we decided to replace it, I think we would look hard for another brand, but as long as parts remain available, I can't see that happening anytime soon.

As a side note on the electric oven being 'drying', my brother, who is into things culinary, tells me that the best commercial ovens have a water connection that is used to keep things moist. As far as electric ovens 'staying hot' and gas ovens cooling down quickly, I would have thought that is a feature not a fault.

woodbe.

[rhancock]

Funny story to keep the mood light...

Went to see friends at the weekend, and swmbo tried to use the oven, but couldn't get it hot, so asked hostess who didn't think anything was wrong with it. - but agreed to ring service. Turns out one of the elements had never worked, but hostess had never realised that it didn't get hot enough.

[Andy Mac]

We have a run-of-the-mill gas stove top and oven, one piece. I wish it was a bit bigger, and had a wok burner, and I wish the click starter on the stove kept working, but I'm glad the one inside the oven keeps going!
My only comment about what's been said is I don't really see the point of worrying about fan-forced and even heating in the oven. Heresy!! Maybe I'm a Luddite, never owned a microwave even, but why not just accept hot spots, learn to use the oven for what it is. If you need a hot, quick cook like a pizza, shove it on the top shelf. If you want a slow cook, maybe for a roast joint, or a cake, adjust the shelves to the lowest point and cook at the bottom of the oven. If you have two or three shelves in use and something's not cooking at the right rate, swap things around. To me it allows more options.

Cheers,

[woodbe]

Now you're talking.

To heck with the oven. Some of the best food I've ever eaten was cooked in the coals of a campfire.

In cooking, like most human pursuits, the results are dependent on the skill of the operator more than the quality of the tools.

woodbe.

[journeyman Mick]

Uneven heating isn't too big a deal for roasts and the like but is disastrous for baking pastries and other delicate stuff that needs to rise and/or is easily burnt.

Mick