Whether you are renovating your kitchen or furnishing your new home, an oven is a great kitchen appliance to buy. An oven lets you bake and roast your favorite recipes and dishes. Finding the ideal kitchen oven that best fit your lifestyle is an essential part of a perfect kitchen. However, it can be daunting and overwhelming to choose the perfect oven due to the numerous oven types in the market with different features.
Here is a guide on how to choose the perfect kitchen oven just for you.
• Type
Would you prefer a wall oven, a range oven, or a countertop oven? A range oven combines an oven and a cooktop and saves space if you have limited space in the kitchen. A wall oven is installed into a wall and has less cubic space as compared to a range oven. It is more convenient when inserting and placing out food, and you don’t have to bend over. You can opt for a countertop oven that is placed on the countertop without consuming much space. The best countertop oven is space saving and bakes or roasts food faster.
• Gas/Electric Oven
Decide whether you want a gas or electric oven depending on your existing connections. You can go for a gas oven for its instant response, precise controllability, and low operating cost or an electric oven for the evenness of electric heat and low initial cost. Consult your electrician or plumber if you need any new connections for your oven. Ask them whether a power or gas connection can be made to the oven’s location.
• Cleaning
Settle for an oven that is easy to clean. Only a few people enjoy cleaning baked-on spills, so a self-cleaning oven becomes handy. Self-cleaning ovens are time and energy saving and you don’t have to spend hours cleaning the oven manually. Also, they save money because of the added insulation they are endowed with. Ensure that you check how the self-cleaning feature works for the model you settle for.
• Interior Space
Consider the oven’s interior space when choosing the perfect kitchen oven for you. The oven should accommodate the pans and baking sheets you use often. Ascertain that the oven size can fit the foods you like to cook. For example, if you love cooking a turkey, ensure that the oven can fit a huge turkey. You can purchase a small oven if your most common dishes are pizza. Also, consider the exterior oven size; it should fit well in your kitchen.
• Color
Consider the color of the oven before you make a purchase. What color would you like? The common colors are white, black and stainless steel. Choose a color that matches your cooktop and other appliances in the kitchen such as the refrigerator.
• Controls
The most common and convenient controls are located on the front or side of the oven. If you have a curious toddler, front-situated controls may not be good options. You can opt for backsplash controls that are far from the exploring fingers of your toddler. No matter where the controls are located ensures that they are easy to understand and operate.
• Price
Kitchen ovens come with different prices depending on the brand and features. A wall oven with manual cleaning starts at around $700, a basic range costs around $350, and a countertop oven cost around $100. While a range oven comes with a cooktop, for a wall oven and a countertop oven, you have to consider the cost of a cooktop.
• Other Features
You can consider other features such as interior lights, thermometers, flexible rack systems, digital displays, rotisseries, and recipe memory. Choose an oven that includes these features if they appeal to you.
There are many considerations to make when purchasing a kitchen oven such as cost, type, color, and interior space. Buying the right oven can make a big difference in your kitchen and enhance your cooking experience. Whichever type of oven you choose, ensures you use it properly and it will serve you for years to come.