Before you buy...

Choose your oven type Gas gives off water vapour as it burns, so you’ll get moist cakes and succulent roasts, and it's cheaper to cook with. Electric ovens get hotter at the top and cooler at the bottom, but those with a fan offer a more even heat. Multifunctional electric ovens let you use different combinations of heat, such as bottom only for crisping, top only for browning, or the fan for defrosting.

Choose your hob type Go for gas and you’ll get a burner for every occasion, from a gentle 1.5kW for simmering to powerful wok burners in excess of 5kW. Electric induction hobs offer the ultimate in control, speed, safety (the surface only gets hot if the pan is in place) and easy cleaning. However, they only work with ferrous-based saucepans.

Ready to buy? Click on to flick through our pick of the best range cookers

Chosen by Ideal Home

Photograph by Simon Whitmore/Ideal Home/IPC+ Syndication

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- Neutral Range Cooker
Tags:
- enamel
- dual fuel
- hob
- electric
- ovens
- catalytic
- ideal home
- pyrolytic
- range cooker
- gas