RANGE COOKERS - who has one?

[HuwEdwards]

Right, am having a new kitchen and would like a range cooker. I have some questions that I would love your opinions on...

1. Which make would you recommend?
2. Are there any features that are fab?
3. Any you'd not bother with?
4. Stainless steel or not?
5. Any other advise/hints/tips/?

Love you all,

Thanks!

.

My friend has a Falcon range cooker

She works in the food industry so knows her stuff In her last house she had the ivory one, she now has a 5 burner stainless steel one (think she bought it reconditioned rather than brand new)

They aren't cheap but v well made with some excellent features (although I can't remember any of them at the minute too much wine...)

Very solid, 2 good ovens + grill, easy to clean.

Sorry not much advice on why they're so good, but I'd definitely get one if I was doing my kitchen. We have inherited a cheap Newhome one in our kitchen and it's a bit naff, eg has a flat grill plate on the top which I've never used cos you can't remove it to clean it, and also a plate warmer section on top too, also never used - they both just take up space when I'd rather have more (+ larger) gas burners. Oh, and the electric oven has a fan you can't switch off - it's noisy when you're spending a lot of your time in the kitchen. And you can't alter the level/heat of the grill.

I Have a Britannia s steel , twin oven with 6 gas burners. The large oven is a fan one the smaller is conventional with rotisserie. Both ovens are electric. We have only had it a couple years but think its great, I would recommend it if you have the space. We looked at loads inc Agas and plumped for this one - really well made - easy enough to keep clean etc.

thanks for these - anyone else?

I have a Godin, which is a French make. It's a lovely red with gold plated knobs, trims etc. They custom make them so you can get them in any colour.

Best thing about mine is that it has pyrolytic cleaning. About once a month it heats itself up to some unbelievable temp and burns off all the crap. Next mornign you just sweep up the ash that's left behind.

It also has a rotisserie for chickens etc which is great.

I can't think of anything I don't like about it (now that I have the English version of the instructions!)

I have a Britannia too. Have only had for a year but seems OK. Thought we would use the second oven, but don't think we have actually ever done so.

I do remember when we were buying them, being told by several people that there was a huge difference between cookers at the top and bottom of the range!

Mine's called a Godin Chatelaine, but I can't do links.

Blimey mumble - that cleaning malarky sounds FAB!!

Goosey - I have an old cooker at the moment with a double oven and I do use both - is it just that you don't do much oven cooking?

mumble you can do links just do a square bracket twice, like so copy the url then do square bracket after

@ godin and falcon

we've got a stoves one

it's still in our dining room atm so i can't tell you how well it cooks

but i can recommend their customer service - we damaged one of the knobs getting it in and the engineer was here 24 hours later, on time, and not only fixed it but talked me through all the features.

the things we looked at were a low ring for cooking stews for hours, and a plate warming drawer. i wouldn't go for one with a griddle built in, and i wouldn't bother with a wok burner either except they all seem to have them.

I'm going to have a play with this link malarky.

[www.godincookers.co.uk]

and again.

www.godincookers.co.uk]]

I have a Baumatic which has served me very well. Here are my tips ...

Make sure you get the big heavy cast iron grids or pan stands or whatever they are called (the bit that goes on top of the gas ring to rest the pans on) as some of them (like the enamelled, thinner variety) can be a bit tippy when it comes to pans. I like that I can slide big heavy pans over mine without them wobbling or tipping up.

Yes to stainless steel.

One thing I hate about my cooker, and it maybe a ridiculous safety before comfort measure which is unavoidable, is that the normal sized rings you use the most are at the back. I have a big wok ring in the middle - fine - but then a big, burny ring on the front left and a ridiculously small single-person-heating-up-one-portion-of-frozen-peas style ring on the front right. This has annoyed almost every day since I got the cooker about five years ago.

My oven is shite. I'm not sure why. It is electric and supposedly fan assisted, but it cooks too hot, burns stuff, uneven and just generally bollocks. I'm a good cake maker but this oven is failing me badly.

When you have your range cooker installed, make sure they put it in evenly. Most have adjustable legs. Mine is uneven so oil falls to the front slightly in the frying pan, cakes in the oven tilt etc.

God writeen down like this I can't understand why I am putting up with this cooker. I'm in the process of getting a Rayburn which will also heat my water and radiators.

www.godincookers.co.uk

TWO brackets each end mumble

Spider sorry for you that you can tell so many things to avoid

but thanks

Yes. Not a great advert for my Baumatic in the end despite my initial enthusiasm.

We have a Brittania ssteel double oven 100cm one.

I opted not to have windows as easier to keep clean.

I do sort of wish it was self cleaning inside though .

Otherwise very happy with it,definitely recommend dual cooker we use both ovens quite often.

Very good idea about not having windows (other than being able to check cakes etc as they rise) - mine are both glass and they're ALWAYS dirty

I have a Belling Sandringham one, and it's pretty good. I love the griddle pan on top, like Spidermama says, and I love having lots of hobs. The ovens are quite noisy, but they do a good job cooking. I thought I'd find the slowcooking oven useful but in fact I've only used it for warming plates so far. I do find the outside of it shows the dirt badly and is hard to clean.

I have

this one
and I love it.

I have a Rangemaster and its wonderful - it was in the house when we moved here, i am sure i would not have bought such an expensive one but i do enjoy using it. Only complaint is that the rack to warm plates is too small for most dinner plates!

I have the rangemaster professional Plus which I love. has a wee thin oven which i use loads just for cakes or if heating up stuff for the kids etc and a big oven. Both are fan assisted so really good.

only down side is i've notice that some of the chrome as scapped off the oven racks from where I have put them in and out of the oven.

think this one also looks great and has had lots of envious comments from friends.