Guide to Buying a New Kitchen Range

It is important from the outset to make sure you know with certainty the space you have available for your range. You'll want to measure the width, length, height and depth of the area; this will come in handy when you're shopping. It is also useful to make a note of all the doorway measurements from the front door to the kitchen to be absolutely sure that on delivery day your new kitchen range can fit! With so much choice it is easy to become distracted and end up wasting time looking at appliances that simply will not fit into your kitchen.

Choosing whether to have a small or large range is an entirely personal choice, depending on the size of your family or how large a part cooking plays in your home. You may even consider it worth redesigning your kitchen to make more room for a larger appliance and really make it a focal part of this busy heart of the home.

Some people love the high tech, futuristic stainless steel options. With its sleek lines and easy to clean functions and surfaces and other ultra modern, digitalized features, it slots neatly into the modern, contemporary kitchen.

Others may enjoy the more traditional look. These too have many modern day functions but housed within a classic, retro design reminiscent of the 1940s. Perfect for the traditional, farmhouse kitchen look.

As with the contemporary ranges the choices of colors, designs and features continue to grow allowing any customer to match their new range perfectly into their home.

There are 3 main types of kitchen range:

Freestanding ranges are finished on all sides and typically have controls on the backsplash. They can stand alone or at corners where the sides will be seen.

Slide in ranges with control situated at the front offer a clean, seamless look.

Drop in ranges have unfinished sides and front controls. They are designed to drop down into spaces left by old stoves and ranges and may necessitate alterations to the cabinets for a snug fit.

In days of high energy prices consideration has to be given to the fuel you choose to use; natural gas or electric. To save installation costs it makes sense to go with like for like. Cooks tend to like the familiar anyway once recipe times have been perfected, perhaps over years.

Gas ranges come with open and sealed burners. The open burner makes use of a lift off top. It catches spills on top but is easy to remove to clean underneath. The sealed burners are recessed into the cook top surface. This leaves a flush surface for fast and hygienic clean ups. An additional benefit of choosing gas is that in the event of a power out you still have the facility to cook.

The electric range, ranging in size from 20 to 36 inches, have smooth top designs and designs with the heating coils on show. They allow for precise heat control, and are able to deal with unusually large or small pans, griddles or fish steamers. Cleaning is easy, a simple wipe down with a damp cloth most often but for a thorough clean, the elements can be disconnected and cleaned around safely and the drip tray lifted away for cleaning.

Ranges with coil elements tend to cook for more evenly than the smooth top. Smooth top designs can be broken if something heavy falls on them. Should this happen the entire cooking top will need to be replaced rather than, if a coil should be damaged, replacing just one small part at considerably less expense.