what is so great about range cookers?

[whoneedssleepanyway]

we are moving house to somewhere we will stay for probably at least 15 years. we are going to do the kitchen straight away.

can someone tell me what is so good about range cookers, SIL has one but as far as I can tell from what she has been able to tell me about it, she got it for the look and design rather than its cooking capability....can someone who has had both a range cooker and a conventional fan oven tell me what is better about a range cooker?

I'm sure it is mostly for the look and design tbh, although it is useful if you cook for a lot of people to have more rings e.g. At Xmas.

If you do get one, get one with 2 ovens rather than one big one, as the 2 ovens are much more useful than one big one.

thanks trixy, I did wonder that, def want two ovens but am thinking a conventional double oven and separate hob but may go for five ring hob. think this would be much cheaper than a range...SIL paid £1600 for hers.

I don't think there's any advantage of a range cooker over what you are suggesting, it's just the look of them you pay for IMHO.

They do look lovely and I wanted one for ages. The thing that put me off was having a low-level oven after years of a 'chest-level' one iyswim.

When we finally get our kitchen done I plan to go for a bigger hob and then two separate ovens (at the moment a normal one and a steam one; although that could change depending on which magazines I am reading lusting over at the time!)

After spending 6 months in a rental with a low level oven nothing would tempt me to get a range...my new kitcehn has 2 waist level ovens and a big hob....oh the joy of never again having to get down on my hands and knees to peak into the oven.

I have a huge range cooker with seven burners and four ovens (one is a slow oven/plate warmer and one can be a grill). For me the joy of it is being able to cook three things at different temperatures in ovens so I can have eg really good roasties with my slow-roast belly pork and be cooking a pudding at the same time if I want to so it can come out and cool before eating if I want it to. The seven burners mean I have a whacking great enormous one for the wok/big paella pan and plenty of space to separate things on the hob so that I can get to everything easily and fit big pans on there without it being crowded. There's also a griddle which fits over two burners for steak/burgers/other meat But I cook a lot, really A LOT, and I cook complicated large meals for lots of people. If I didn't do that and also like doing it, there wouldn't be that much of a point. I don't have a bad back, either. Can completely see the point of higher ovens for people with aching backs.