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Cooker help?

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Cooker help?

Postby slimpersoninside » Sat May 21, 2022 11:31 am

I'm hoping to update our fairly small galley kitchen at some point and I could do with your thoughts on style of cooker please.

We currently have a built in electric double oven and a separate gas hob but I'm thinking of changing to a stand alone electric cooker (double oven with induction hob). My reasons are A) we could do with the worktop space the hob takes up, B) we both keep catching and burning our arms as we put things in and out of the oven.

So, crux of the matter time. We are now both in our 60's and whilst bending to to put things in and out of the oven is not a problem at the moment, I'm not sure if it will become an issue.

Our experience of stand alone cookers have been, at least for the past 20 odd years, whilst staying in self catering holiday accommodation. We don't come home with burns on our arms and we have no problem using the ovens.

Any thoughts of good/bad points to take into consideration with either set up would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Pampy » Sat May 21, 2022 11:38 am

I have wall-mounted cookers and find them much easier to use than having to bend down to a standalone cooker. I have a separate induction hob which I love. When I stay at my sister's house (which I do when I look after her pet when she goes away), I don't use the standalone oven at all - it's too low down for me to be sure I can safely remove things from it. Harder to clean too, as you have to get down on the floor to do it. Have you thought of wall-mounted ovens where the door slides completely underneath it? https://www.neff-home.com/uk/productlis ... ideandhide

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat May 21, 2022 12:02 pm

I have a free standing mini-range - gas hob, small oven with grill, main fan oven - and first chance I get I will replace it with an induction hob and a high level double oven

There are two reasons for this, one is the bending down, I’m quite arthritic, and the other is my poor vision, I have mentioned before I want an induction hob with knobs so I can’t set my sleeves on fire, but also I can sort of see into an oven at face level, and I’m determined that the oven will have a slide away door so I can stand squarely in front of it, see inside and not have to reach around the door while holding an oven tray

I think I’ll miss my wok burner but that’s a small thing and as a visually impaired person I probably shouldn’t have one

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Suelle » Sat May 21, 2022 12:15 pm

I've just had a new kitchen fitted and managed to incorporate more work surfaces with a complete redesign. One simple re-jig just involved turning the sink so that the draining board was on the right instead of left, which gave me 60cm more space on the main run of counter-top.

I've kept a built-in oven at waist height, but changed to a single oven (as I don't cook for more than one, most of the time) with a built-in microwave above - this made a bit more space too.

I don't understand why you burn your arms on a higher level oven, but not when the oven is free-standing, and lower. I'd expect it to be the other way round! I'm approaching 70, and wouldn't want to bend down to see or reach into a lower oven.

I can thoroughly recommend an induction hob though - once I got used to it, after a gas hob, it's a real joy to use and keep clean.
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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Earthmaiden » Sat May 21, 2022 12:48 pm

A wall oven and induction hob certainly seem the way to go (I struggle with induction hobs but feel sure I'd get used to one!). If you're used to a wall oven it would seem a big mistake to revert to one where you need to bend as you get older.
Most kitchen shops ( including places like B&Q) will send designers round to show you plans on a screen to see how you can save space.

If you have no choice but to go for a free standing cooker it is worth having an oven door that tucks underneath when you open it (made a huge difference in DD's tiny kitchen) and to have a lid over the hot plates which can be pulled down when not in use to create extra workspace.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Suelle » Sat May 21, 2022 12:53 pm

Earthmaiden wrote:A wall oven and induction hob certainly seem the way to go (I struggle with induction hobs but feel sure I'd get used to one!). If you're used to a wall oven it would seem a big mistake to revert to one where you need to bend as you get older.


My initial mistake was to turn down the heat too low once pans of water had come to the boil. I had used a gas hob which could never be turned low enough to simmer, for years, so it took a while to realise that an induction hob needed a higher setting to keep water boiling for pasta etc.
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Re: Cooker help?

Postby dennispc » Sat May 21, 2022 1:07 pm

Suelle wrote:I've kept a built-in oven at waist height, but changed to a single oven (as I don't cook for more than one, most of the time) with a built-in microwave above - this made a bit more space too.



I can thoroughly recommend an induction hob though - once I got used to it, after a gas hob, it's a real joy to use and keep clean.


Suelle, which single oven with built in microwave did you get? We’re thinking of that at the moment

One thing I do recommend is shelf sliders, we got ours 30 years ago, now essential.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Lusciouslush » Sat May 21, 2022 1:28 pm

I second the shelf sliders....!
My Neff double oven has them & I wouldn't be without them now, really useful putting/taking out large heavy casseroles & roasters. My regret is having a double oven instead of two single ovens mounted on top of each other - much more practical. I also use the hob as a counter top when not in use or you could have a small thin section of worksurface cut to cover it, but they really are tough & can take a lot of hammering.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Suelle » Sat May 21, 2022 1:37 pm

dennispc wrote:
Suelle, which single oven with built in microwave did you get? We’re thinking of that at the moment.



Sorry if I was misleading, they are separate appliances - just fitted one above the other. The oven is a very basic Bosch and the m/wave a Zanussi.

I was a bit worried about trading down from a Neff double oven with all bells and whistles, but I hardly ever used most of the functions so it wasn't too big a wrench in the end.

I ended up with a simpler oven than I really wanted, as the kitchen supplier made a mistake, but I decided to keep it for the time being rather than have delays while the right model was found. If it's too basic I can change to something better in a few years - the big worry is cleaning, as the better model would have had some form of pyrolytic cleaning.
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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Pampy » Sat May 21, 2022 1:43 pm

My top, wall-mounted oven is also a microwave. It has full oven functions plus varying levels of microwave power. This sort of thing https://www.neff-home.com/uk/productlis ... owave-oven - although my oven is also pyrolytic - heaven!

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby scullion » Sat May 21, 2022 2:29 pm

i have gone french style and have moveable, separate units.
the 'cooking' one has a Neff B47CR32N0B (ecoclean) hide and slide built under a 'smaklig' (ik3a) induction hob (- a very easy to use one with good sized lit numbers and very good reviews when i was looking for one - love both appliances).
i only have the one oven - we very rarely need more than that (even at christmas) and didn't replaced the microwave when it died.
i do use a halogen for some cooking and a 'wonder bag' when a slow cook or keeping hot is needed.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby dennispc » Sat May 21, 2022 4:57 pm

Lots of useful stuff for us, all forwarded to OH, thank you very much.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby slimpersoninside » Sun May 22, 2022 4:17 pm

Thank you all. Your comments have caused a rethink....this is a good thing!

I was dubious about the freestanding cooker and have decided I was right to ask about it. The induction hob was only if I went all electric, I'm happy with gas (oooh er matron ;) ).

The oven we have at present is small oven/grill on top with large oven below. It is the top oven that we find to be a bit of an awkward height and the cause of burnt arms. So for now we are going to keep what we have and use the bottom oven as the oven and the top one as a grill. This is mainly to see if we actually need a double oven. My only real problem with moving to single oven only is what if I want to grill and bake at the same time, maybe something like a George Foreman grill would do the trick?

The comments about covering the hob with something and using it as worktop space were most welcome, this is a great idea and really would help.

The main problem is we now need to give what we have a thorough clean :( .

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby smitch » Sun May 22, 2022 5:56 pm

I’ve got a single oven with grill and must admit I’ve never used the grill in the 8 years we’ve had the set up. I absolutely love my induction hob though.

When we replaced our ancient microwave, we got one with a grill function. It’s also got a (sort of) air fryer.
Last edited by smitch on Sun May 22, 2022 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby slimpersoninside » Sun May 22, 2022 6:55 pm

Oh Smitch, thanks for that.....silly me, we have both a microwave with grill (fairly new) and an air fryer :oops: .

Looks like we'd be ok with a single oven but, having made the decision, we'll stick with using what we have for now. Maybe think about updating the kitchen again in a couple of years after we've got some other stuff done. Think we maybe got a bit ahead of ourselves :roll: .

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun May 22, 2022 10:44 pm

I have a combi microwave (which I love) and I often use it as just an oven, it’s big enough when cooking for one and uses a lot less electricity than the stove

But I’ve never found the grill any use, maybe I should have another go

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Pampy » Mon May 23, 2022 12:17 am

Before I got my Neff stuff, I had a Panasonic combi-microwave and really gave it some stick. When I modernised the house, I gave it to my sister. The microwave part finally started to give up earlier this year so my sister has just replaced it. It must have been about 20 years old! As well as being useful in its own right, it worked well as a 2nd oven when needed.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Amber » Mon May 23, 2022 4:42 pm

Some disjointed thoughts…

I am a gas hob person through and through, but decided to be brave and try an induction hob (thanks BB for showing yours last year), I love it! I’ve had it about three months now. Different but great. But what I would say, is that my everyday pans aren’t as good as the expensive freebies that came with the hob. So if anyone isn’t happy with their induction hob, it may be the pans that are the problem. Mine were new last year, so I’m keeping them for now. And I love not having to worry about dangling sleeves or scarves catching fire. And the fact there’s space to leave my spoon. (I chose a large hob!) What I dislike about modern grills though (some? all?) is that you have to have the doors closed for the grill to work. I’m waiting for my second new oven to arrive to see if it’s the case with that one too. I’d never heard of shelf sliders, but I love mine. Unfortunately I don’t think my other oven has them fitted.

We decided to bite the bullet and update everything in the kitchen for the last time, as we’re planning to stay here, and hoping it will ‘see us out’.

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon May 23, 2022 8:50 pm

I miss the handle on the grill pan :(

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Re: Cooker help?

Postby slimpersoninside » Mon May 23, 2022 9:52 pm

Operation clean the oven began today, hubby has stepped up to do it.

Until we decide if we're staying put there will be no updating of anything that costs a lot e.g. new kitchen, it's just not worth it. We will decorate but that's it for now.

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