Don’t Cook Up Trouble For Yourself In The Kitchen

Don’t Cook Up Trouble For Yourself In The Kitchen

Unless you’re some kind of workaholic who lives off ready-meals, or you just like the idea of dining out every evening with no dishes to wash afterwards, most of us – at some time or other – are going to indulge in a spot of culinary creation in our kitchens.

For a lot of people these days experimenting in the cooking sense has become quite a hobby (just go to your local Tesco store and see how big the cookery book section is!). So, it’s important, then, that you get the right cooker for your needs. But how can you tell what’s a good cooker and what makes a bad one? And, more importantly, if you’re getting a kitchen re-fit, then what are you going to replace your old one with?

At My Beautiful Kitchen in Glasgow we look here at the two major kinds of cookers available and the pros and cons of each. Before you do that though there’s an initial decision to be made – if you’re thinking of a range cooker, do you actually have enough room in your kitchen for the space it’s going to claim? Buying one that’s too big will result in a lot of modifications needing to be done to your kitchen and that’s not going to come without a hefty price tag.

One the other hand, buying a cooker which is too small for your kitchen could lead to a lot of dust, dirt and grime being caught between the cracks – which again, isn’t ideal.

 Range cookers

We’re talking ‘classic’ here such as an Aga or wood burning stove. These provide a great focal point for a kitchen but are not necessarily the easiest things to cook with. For instance they’re not as quick as gas and electric cookers as both need a while to warm up. However, once they do they’ll heat the entire kitchen, not just your food so can prove a saving in heating cost terms.

An Aga and stove are great if you have a large family to cook for or are the type who likes to hold lots of dinner parties. This is because they can cope with a lot of food at once. They are expensive, however, and many come with a range of features that, let’s face it, most of us will probably never get round to using.

 Freestanding cookers

As we’ve mentioned, these tend to be smaller than range cookers regardless of whether they’re gas or electric. Dual-fuel models actually run on both with a gas hob and electric oven. They can be just as good-looking but won’t create the same country kitchen cosy atmosphere as the range cooker.

If cost is a big priority, gas cookers aren’t as expensive to run as electrical models. They’re also quicker to cook with on the hob, thanks to the instant flame. However, according to consumer champions Which, of the two, electric fan ovens are better due to the heat being distributed more evenly.

On the whole freestanding cookers are less expensive than range cookers which makes them more attractive in most people’s eyes. And décor-wise they’re not a disaster because, if you’re willing to spend a bit more money, you could opt for an integrated oven with doors to match the rest of the fitted kitchen. They also give you more options as your hob and oven don’t necessarily have to fit together.

When it comes down to choosing that actual cooker it’s about how much cooking you’ll actually be doing and whether looks really are more important than function.

Hope This Helps
Tommy