Electric Ovens

While there is no clear ‘best’ when it comes to deciding between gas and electric, each has its own advantages that could suit depending on your own personal preferences.

Electric ovens are the most common and come with a greater variety of cooking functions. Also, if you're after a pyrolytic oven, steam oven, or a combi oven, these are all electric. Although electric ovens tend to be more expensive to run, basic electric ovens are often the cheapest to buy and install. When cooking with an electric oven you will find it creates a dryer, more stable heat than gas ovens, which makes them a great option for foods like breads and pizzas.

If you want to retain more moisture when you cook (for roast meats and cakes amongst other things) then gas might be worth considering. If you don’t mind missing some of the specific cooking settings you generally get with electric (and your home is connected to mains gas), you’ll save on running costs in the long term.

Although generally speaking Electric Ovens tend to be cheaper and easier to install than Gas fuelled counterparts, most Electric Ovens are required to be installed by a licensed electrician. For Electric Ovens stated as having a 10 amp plug to 'plug and play' these should still have all wiring checked and certified by a licensed electrician before installing.

As always the first step before installation comes before buying as having accurate dimensions measured out in the Oven's space ensures it's appropriately sized and easy to install. Different types of ovens can be more complex than others to install, such as Built-in Ovens saving space being more complex than a Freestanding Oven.

We offer Oven Installation services as a part of our Home Services offerings, which includes installation, demonstration, clean up and can even optionally include recycling / disposal of the old unit.

Regardless of whether you cook with Gas or Electricity all Ovens work on the same principles. Inside Ovens are a single source of heat with Gas burners or a heating element that is usually found at the bottom. A Convection Oven is no different aside from the addition of a fan and exhaust system. The fan moves the heat around the Oven allowing the entire Oven to heat quicker and evenly.

Convection settings allow for quicker and more even cooking which tends to be more energy efficient overall at a reduced temperature with shorter cooking time. Convection also offers dryer heat making them great for browning, crisping and roasting. Turn convection off when cooking recipes that require rising like cakes and especially souflles as they cook too quickly for them to rise properly which negatively impacts their texture.

Generally, the easiest way to keep your oven clean and running well is to clean it regularly, shortly after using it. If you can quickly wipe away any residue before it dries out, you can ensure your oven is always smoke-free and cooking normally. You will also save yourself from more intensive cleaning further down the line, but like anything, if time gets away and you're needing some assistance, there are oven cleaners to help.

Some ovens also include features that will help make regular cleaning much easier, like some of the Smeg ovens with a ‘vapour clean’ setting to help loosen and soften the grime and food spills that may have built up in the oven - or some of the Bosch ovens with catalytic liners that automatically absorb the grime.

Pyrolytic ovens tend to be a little more expensive but will make up for it with their self-cleaning Pyrolytic setting. A pyrolytic oven runs at an ultra-high heat cycle of up to 500°C to burn off all the grease and grime in your oven, leaving only ash that can be wiped away once the oven has cooled down.