Range cookers are single unit cooking equipment that combine two appliances - burners and ovens - with the former sitting on top of the unit and the latter being arranged below. Some of these cookers come with grills. For fuel range cookers use either gas or electricity, or a combination of the two which then makes for the term 'dual fuel cookers'. The most preferred types of dual fuel range cookers are those designed with gas hobs and electric ovens. Today's ranges have dimensions starting from 600-1200mm, at least five burners, two or more ovens, and wok and integrated burners.
These cookers were first made in 1777 by John Flavel. Enthused by the spas of Leamington, Flavel initially founded a 'vapour baths' foundry but with time and after some experimenting he observed that his baths could do a much better job when used as stoves. He established one of the first range cooker factories in the world after moving his operations to Leamington in 1803 and his work was carried on by his son who developed the 'kitchener' which is recognized as the forerunner of range cookers as we now know them. The 'kitchener' grew in popularity as a truly versatile cooking machine that could cook anything in pretty much anyway that you needed it to and soon it became a staple inclusion in the kitchens of Europe's affluent. Range cookers have from then been redesigned multiple times by different manufacturers leading up to what you can see in the market today.
What are the features that make these cookers a definite favourite for every homeowner? Well, there are so many of these but just to mention a few we can have those with:
-double electric ovens,
-adjustable separated grills,
-adjustable flame settings hobs with as many as eight gas burners plus enamel pan supports,
-two ovens - a fan oven and a static oven - both thermostatically controlled, with interior light, and with easy-to-clean enamel surfaces,
-digital clocks,
-cookers with storage compartments,
-those with wok burners,
-automatic ignition and flame supervision capabilities,
-those with hob kits to facilitate a switch from using gas to using LPG etc
When it comes to selecting range cookers by brand name you also have a plethora of varieties to choose from. The household names you'll have to consider include Rangemaster, Stoves, Britannia, Leisure, Cannon, Belling, Falcon, Mercury, Bertazzoni, Lacanche, Samsung, Siemens, Maytag, AEG, Caple, Baumatic, Bosch, Electrolux, Fisher and Paykel, Hotpoint, La Germania, Indesit, Miele, Neff, New World, Rosieres, and Fratelli.
With this information in mind how do you go about selecting a top range cooker? Probably the first and most ideal approach will be to start by making brand comparisons via the internet. By studying the various aforementioned brand names you will definitely get a couple of cooker models that stand out in terms of functions, features, price etc. and it's from these that you can make a final decision. Sometimes it is possible to get top brand websites offering inventory clearance sales on models they wish to discontinue and this may be your chance to purchase a quality range cooker at a fraction of its normal price but with a sizable span of warranty time.
An internet search can be followed up with a visit to a physical store for purposes of ascertaining the various features you noted on a particular interesting model. Armed with a printout of that model you can confirm the various details including knob sizes, number and sizes of gas burners, oven types and sizes, etc. While there you can also look for information about possibly necessary accessories like splashbacks and cooker hoods.
