Old school oven grill on top

[Bibbitybobbityboo86]

I’m re doing my kitchen this year.
Would it be really not cool to buy an old school oven with the grill on top.
Would it look really out of place in 2022?
I loved my mums old one and making cheese on toast and omelettes on it was so much easier.
My house isn’t retro style it’s fairly modern
What’s your thoughts on this?

I don't know, but that style of cooker was the best one I've ever had, I still kick myself for getting rid of the one we had before we moved.

You could try creating a 'tower' which seems more common now - with a cupboard/pandrawers at the bottom, then two ovens stacked on top of each other, with your grill in the top one? That's what we have, great not to have to bend down.

I do know exactly what you mean about cheese on toast - staple food for teenage me

I don't know why they ever stopped making eye level grills. Go for it if you can find one.

Very good design and favoured by the older generations who don’t want to bend down.

I suppose an oven/grill in a higher cabinet is similar?

@Thighdentitycrisis

Very good design and favoured by the older generations who don’t want to bend down.

I suppose an oven/grill in a higher cabinet is similar?

The current older generations weren't old when eye level grills were popular. Maybe younger people would also prefer not to bend down or kneel on the floor to keep an eye on their cheese on toast.

Also, importantly, the eye level grills were not the same as the current type of grill in the oven. They were just grills although, if not actually grilling, you could also warm your plates over the hob.

@CaptainMyCaptain

I don't know why they ever stopped making eye level grills. Go for it if you can find one.

They haven't stopped making them. My mum got a new one last year

My top oven is a microwave/oven/grill comb and eye height. It's a night mare to clean and sometimes feels unsafe to use as when you open it the door sticks out and you have to reach over it to clean/get hot food and I'm too short to do it easily.

Just to say I agree, they were the business. We looked at getting one of these once but couldn't fit it in the kitchen plan.
hi-grill.com/

Is this the type you mean?
Still available

Yes those are the ones. Yes you can still get them. Just was wondering if they’d look out of place in a 30 somethings house in 2022
I don’t want my kitchen looking weird ha ha

My old free standing cooker had a grill at waist height, above the oven but under the hob. It was perfect.
Not so high that hot fat could spit in your eye while grilling, but not so low that it required bending down to reach.
However, after knocking through a wall and building a new kitchen, I now have a modern stack, with the standard upper microwave/oven/grill combo, lower big oven, on two pan drawers.
I rarely grill now, as it’s much more unwieldy. The grill only works if its door is shut, so you can’t see if the food is getting done. And it’s quite high up for a shorty like me. But the worst is that, because I mainly use the microwave function, the odd small soup or porridge splash sticks unnoticed on the upper grill element. Then when you turn the grill on, it pours out smoke as the stuck splodge begins to burn!

Grill also good for heating up your kitchen. Have to remember if you're using it to make toast!

My mum and dad insisted on one of these cookers for years! They had a huge, modern kitchen and it did look a bit out of place but they insisted it was such an amazing cooker.

This takes me back! It’s your kitchen so get something you love. I’d also advise this to be at the end of a set of units though rather than I. The centre of modern units. That way any potential future owner could replace with a build in oven in matching units if it wasn’t to their taste. Happy cheese on toast grilling!

I had a lovely old oven like that in my last house. When I downsized I made do with the modern fan oven which came with the house. It's not really to my liking but I put up with it. It's called progress but let's face it, it's simply change for the new fashion of looking streamlined.

When I had the kitchen revamped I didn't insist on the older type of oven. It would have meant more work and expense, cutting out the worktop, etc so I didn't even bother to ask. I bet they would have tried to persuade me otherwise but at least I could have tried. The old oven was gas though - are these being phased out?

I have to bend down and twiddle the buttons to operate the grill and the pan is rather weighty and awkward - so I don't bother, I simply can't be arsed now. I think back to those lovely cheese, tomato and bacon toasties with a nostalgic longing.

Go for it Bibbitybobbity - who cares if it looks unusual? It'll be a talking point and I'm sure you'll be the envy of all your friends.

I've just moved into my late nan's house, she had one of these ovens that was only bought a few years ago. The grill is fabulous and the oven makes the best roast potatoes I've ever done. I do miss having the extra little oven though.

I think one of the the reasons those cookers have gone out of vogue is because when you plan a new kitchen, most people want an extractor fitted above the hob which you can't have with the eye level grill there.

We had a separate grill in our kitchen when we were kids (there were two cookers as it had been a B&B previously, which was marvellous in itself!) The grill was wall-mounted like the Salamander ones a PP linked to, and had a rotisserie function, but mostly we made toast with it, or mixed grills. It was fabulous and I'm not surprised you're hankering after one, as they are much better grills than the one in ovens.

I would do it OP, have what suits you and don't waste any time wondering if other people will think it doesn't look how they'd want their kitchen to look. Of all the opinions in the world, yours is the most important here! The PP who pointed out some people want their kitchen to be streamlined and prioritise that, hit the nail on the head. What you'd be prioritising is functionality, and what works for you.

If you want a vintage centrepiece, look out for an old Cannon Cordon Bleu range. Ultimate recycling. You can still get spares for them
picclick.co.uk/Cannon-cordon-bleu-classique-range-123381013196.html

@Bibbitybobbityboo86

I’m re doing my kitchen this year. Would it be really not cool to buy an old school oven with the grill on top. Would it look really out of place in 2022? I loved my mums old one and making cheese on toast and omelettes on it was so much easier. My house isn’t retro style it’s fairly modern What’s your thoughts on this?

very hard to find now days, no idea why, my parents where looking for one a few years ago and had to give up. i wish I had one, I dont even use the one in the oven, I got a toaster and george foreman grill instead.

@dementedpixie

Is this the type you mean? Still available

Good to know. I'm not looking for a new cooker at the moment but it's good they're still an option.

@Babdoc

My old free standing cooker had a grill at waist height, above the oven but under the hob. It was perfect. Not so high that hot fat could spit in your eye while grilling, but not so low that it required bending down to reach. However, after knocking through a wall and building a new kitchen, I now have a modern stack, with the standard upper microwave/oven/grill combo, lower big oven, on two pan drawers. I rarely grill now, as it’s much more unwieldy. The grill only works if its door is shut, so you can’t see if the food is getting done. And it’s quite high up for a shorty like me. But the worst is that, because I mainly use the microwave function, the odd small soup or porridge splash sticks unnoticed on the upper grill element. Then when you turn the grill on, it pours out smoke as the stuck splodge begins to burn!

Used to have a Cannon gas cooker like that, I loved it but oven was a bit ifffy