Built In Ovens Buying Guide

Single or double cavity ovens are available to build into or under kitchen units. The choice is between built-in to a cabinet at a higher level or built-under which means underneath the work surface.

After this the main decision is whether to have a single or double oven. Some double built in ovens have only one real oven, the second being a cavity with a grill. Here is some more information on features of built in ovens:

Conventional ovens

Conventional ovens can be gas or electric. In a conventional gas oven, the heat comes from the gas burner at the rear bottom of the oven. In a conventional electric oven, the heat comes from elements under the base and at the top of the oven. In a conventional oven, heat rises to give a hotter temperature towards the top of the oven, and a slightly cooler temperature towards the bottom of the oven. The heat zones in a conventional oven make it ideal for cooking a number of dishes together, where different cooking temperatures are required. Conventional ovens are perfect for traditional cooking for things like cakes and roast meat. 

Electric grill

Electric grills consist of either single or dual elements, and may have fixed or variable heat settings, depending on the model. The heat output of variable grills can be controlled by turning up or down, between low heat and high heat settings. 

Fan assisted ovens

A fanned oven has an even cooking temperature throughout the oven as the fan circulates the heat. This makes it perfect for batch baking. Heat comes from the element in the back of the cavity, beit in the middle or top of the oven, and the hot air is circulated around the oven cavity so that an even cooking temperature is achieved throughout the whole of the oven. 

Fanned Grilling

Available in ovens showing multifunction and fanned ovens in the specification. Heat comes from the grill element, and hot air is circulated around the food, so that there is no need to turn during grilling. Ideal for grilling meats as it helps cook through the food as well as browning it.

Fan and base cooking

This feature is available in selected multifunction ovens only.

Heat comes from the element in the base of the oven, and is circulated throughout the oven by the fan. Ideal for cooking moist dishes where the filling and the base need to be cooked evenly. 

Multifunction oven

A multifunction oven is an electric oven which has many cooking functions. These functions will include a selection of the following; fanned oven cooking, conventional oven cooking, grill, fanned grilling, base heat only, top heat only, fan plus base heat, intensive bake and defrost.

These ovens usually have a triple glazed door so the oven can withstand the heat required to burn off excess food. The ovens go to extremely high temperatures and automatically lock themselves so you cannot get close to the heat produced.

Here is a summary of the popular manufacturers of ovens in the UK:

The German brands like Bosch, Neff, Siemens, AEG, Zanussi and Electrolux are very popular, offering most kinds of features and a comprehensive range. There are many mid range ovens to choose from by the likes of CDA, Baumatic, Whirlpool, Tecnik, Fagor and Hotpoint.