Range cookers have long been the choice for traditional country-style kitchens, but a range is now the ultra-chic option for more contemporary designs too. But what's so good about a range cooker, and would one be suitable for your kitchen? If you're considering a range cooker for your new kitchen, but you aren't sure whether or not one would be suitable for your needs, read on to find out more.
Looking good
Gone are the days of sombre black ranges! The choice of colours now available is quite astonishing, and you're virtually guaranteed to find something to suit your new kitchen colour scheme. Whether you want traditional racing green, pillar box red, or even hot pink, you're bound to find a manufacturer who will stock the colour you want. Some specialist range companies will even produce ranges in bespoke colours to order. If colour won't fit with your new kitchen vibe, brushed stainless steel ranges are a popular option for more contemporary or modern kitchen design schemes.
Most kitchen supply stores also offer tiles and splashbacks to colour co-ordinate with your range, so you can really make your range a style statement as well as a functional appliance.
Space saving and economical
Modern ranges are designed to allow you maximum flexibility and to negate the need for having multiple cooking appliances in your kitchen.
Old-fashioned ranges had only two ovens – one for cooking in and a smaller one that served purely as a warming oven. In addition, they only had one or two flat hotplates on the actual cooking hob and no grill. There were no heat control options for the hotplates; they were either on or off! This meant that households with an old range cooker usually had to purchase a modern electric oven too, taking up valuable space and meaning more outlay for both the initial purchase and running costs.
The old ranges' modern counterparts offer at least two large, fully-functional ovens, often with an integral convector fan for quicker, more economical cooking. The old-style hotplates have been replaced by up to five powerful, fully-adjustable burners, and all new ranges have a dedicated, high-powered grill. This extra cooking capability makes catering for dinner parties and family gatherings easy, as you'll never be short of hob or oven space.
Range cookers are fitted with cleverly concealed storage cupboards and drawers so that you don't have to purchase and fit extra kitchen cabinets – a further saving when budgeting for your kitchen renovation.
Another innovation of range cookers that presents an advantage over modern electric or gas ovens is that ranges vent cooking odours and steam through a rear vent, rather than spilling them out into your kitchen. This means that your new fixtures, fittings and décor won't be subject to damage by greasy steam, and your kitchen will stay cleaner too.
In conclusion
There are plenty of advantages to be gained by choosing a modern range cooker as part of your kitchen renovation project. For more information about what's available, call into your local kitchen appliance supplier.