Width

Over the years Freestanding cookers have come in various different sizes and there is no standard but the current range is available in the following sizes

• 50cm width
• 55cm width
• 60cm width

55cm wide has a very limited availability these days with most manufacturers not making this size, however if this is what you need then look at Zanussi, New World and Stoves for this size requirement.

Hob Type

You will have the following choices when choosing a Freestanding Cooker:

• Ceramic Glass
• Induction
• Solid Plate
• Gas

If you are looking for an Electric cooker, Induction is the most upto date technology which is the most energy efficient and is also more controllable and quicker than gas, if your budget can't stretch to induction then Ceramic is still very popular, being very easy to clean and lasts a long time because the elements are sealed under the glass. Solid plate is the cheapest option but the pan sits directly on the element which causes rusting and problems due to the element being in direct contact with the pan which always spills water over the hot element.

Oven Cavity Types

There are few different types of oven types that you need to consider:

• Single Cavity: This is where you only have one door/cavity and the oven and grill will be in the same compartment, not ideal if you want to oven cook and grill together
• Twin Cavity: This is where you have two seperate cavity's, one for the oven and a seperate one for the grill.
• Double Oven: This is where you have two cavity's, the main oven at the bottom, the top cavity will have another smaller oven and also the grill. This is ideal for both families and people living on their own as you have the use of the small oven to cook smaller meals which stops you having to preheat and power the large oven for cooking small meals. For families it is ideal because you will get the use of both ovens at the same time, ideal at Christmas and those times when you have a lot to cook.

Capacity

The capacity that we quote on the website is the litreage of each individual cavity, it should be used as a comparison tool really as most customers will never know how many litres of space they need to use their cooker to its maximum capacity. The bigger the capacity, the more flexibility you will have to use the oven to its full.

Cleaning Options

Freestanding cookers have a few options to consider to make life easier regarding cleaning:

• Catalytic Liners: These are liners that sit on the walls of the oven(s) which help to keep your oven clean, they don't mean you never have to clean the oven though.
• Removable inner glass doors: on some models now, the inner door of the oven is easily removed to help clean it and get at the outer glass panel for cleaning.
• Ceramic and Induction Hobs: Much easier to clean with just a wipe over required, however this needs to be done after every use as if the stain is continued to be burnt onto the glass then the glass will permanently mark. We recommend you use a proper hob cleaning paste to keep your hob looking like new for the life of the product.

Timer Options

Some cookers will come with a timer, there are however two different types of timer that you could consider:

• Minute minder timer: This is basically an egg timer built into your cooker, it does not start or stop your oven but merely gives you an alarm when the time set has come to end.
• Programmable Timer: This timer will control the start time and end time of the cooker and is ideal for customers who want to programme a casserole for example to be ready for when they arrive home.