hob & oven VS Cooker

[runjumpclimbswim]

I was all set to get a range cooker - then I read an article by Which? which talked about how unreliable cookers are vs hobs & ovens.....

What are your experiences?

I think it probably depends what kind of range you buy. They do vary enormously in quality and price from really quite cheap to very expensive indeed.

I like separate hob and oven personally - always have. But I also like very sleek contemporary kitchens, rather than the modern shaker-style stuff, and I think separates look nicer in that kind of look. If I were doing a more modern shaker-style thing, I'd go for a range as more 'fitting'. BIL has done this, and his one tip was to go and actually look at every model, because some models (even quite expensive ones) have plastic handles, not metal.

Given a choice, I would always go for a hob and waist level oven (ie not built in under the hob). Can't understand why anyone would want to bend down to floor level to get stuff out of the oven.

I’m having a range in my new kitchen so this is interesting. I hadn’t read that about reliability. I’m having dual fuel, do you know if that is likely to contribute to the potential problems?

I was thinking about a range - I like the look - also thought it might be cheaper as don't need to buy units housing and pay for cut outs ? but with a house full of teens all cooking at the same time I think it is more practical to separate out the two functions - rather than someone trying to rescue their cheese on toast / pizza / bacon whilst I am cooking on the top - also dont want to be bending down all the time.

We had a range for years, it was here when we bought the house. It looked great and everyone commented on it but it wasn't great for cooking, the gas hob wasn't too bad but the oven would cook unevenly and the temperature was a bit erratic. We had a new kitchen fitted last year and now have an induction hob and 2 eye level ovens. I love them so much, they heat up quickly, I can see how things are cooking, how warm the oven is, can set a timer for the hob as well as the ovens, it's completely changed our cooking experience.

Oh thats really good food for thought! Especially the idea of multiple people cooking as we're a family of 5 so there will be that scenario at some stage!

I chose hob and chest/waist level ovens. Have gone back to cooker as currently moved out but I hate it. Bending down to peer in to oven is difficult. Trying ro remove hot, heavy dishes while crouching and having to lift them up to counter height is tricky. My hob was super - fast, wide and had work surface either side and pan drawers underneath. Same for my ovens. Will buy separate again as soon as I move although I do love the look of a range.