The Basics: Electric Ovens

Enter any high-end home center or appliance store and chances are you'll be surrounded by a dizzying array of built-in electric ovens. From the very simple to the highly featured models that cook at lightening speed, there are so many to choose from that it is difficult to know where to start.

Whether you're replacing an old model, redesigning your kitchen or building a new home, setting some simple guidelines will make this shopping experience easier. First of all, you will need to set a reasonable budget. With oven prices ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, you'll need to narrow the choices to a specific price range. It's recommended that you determine a budget amount for all the appliances you'll be purchasing and divide it among the units you will need. If you plan to do lots of baking and entertaining, the oven may well be the most costly of the appliances you will be purchasing. If cooking is not your thing, you may be better served by budgeting less for the oven and spending more in another area of the kitchen. Either way, setting a budget is a good place to start. You can always reevaluate your budget later, assigning different amounts to the individual appliances based on the priorities you identify during your research.

Electric ovens are usually built into a large oven cabinet that is designed specifically for the purpose of housing an oven. Increasingly, these ovens are being placed under the counter as well. Under-counter installations may be chosen to save space or simply to provide additional oven capacity in a large kitchen that already has one or more ovens elsewhere in the room. Often under-counter electric ovens are installed under a cooktop, but this is by no means necessary. Flexible kitchen layouts encourage designers to try many unconventional built-in installations. Historically, built-in electric ovens used to be installed directly into a wall, but are rarely used that way today.

How To Shop

Once you have fixed a budget and decided on a type of installation, you can make further decisions based on size and available space. The most common built-in electric oven is 30 inches wide. Other sizes such as 24, 27 and 36 inches are also available. The smaller built-in ovens are usually sold as replacement models. Most 24- and 27-inch models sold are the same size as the older models they are replacing. In most cases they are installed without alteration to the kitchen layout, floor plan or cabinetry. The largest of the built-in electric ovens, the 36-inch models, require an unusually large amount of space to accommodate them. For this reason they are typically used only in new kitchens or in kitchens that are undergoing considerable renovation. Regardless of the space you have available for your new oven, be sure to take some careful measurements before you begin your shopping. That way you can limit your search to only those products that will work in your home.

After determining the width of the oven you will need, you can begin to investigate the different features of built-in electric ovens. The least expensive of the built-in electric ovens is the conventional single oven. These models are available in manual or self-cleaning styles. Today, far more self-cleaning models are sold. For most buyers the added cost of a self-clean cycle is well worth the investment. Convection is another feature that is frequently added to ovens. Convection adds a fan and sometimes even an additional electric element to the oven. The fan works to improve the circulation of hot air in the oven. Improved circulation of the air in the oven promotes more even baking and allows three racks of baked goods to be prepared at one time. Convection also works to promote and speed up the browning of roasted meats and poultry. In some ovens, convection systems are combined with microwave energy. Convection ovens with microwave energy offer increased speed on top of the benefits of convection. Ovens with convection and microwave energy can be expected to cut cooking times by 1/3 to 1/2.

One of the newest and most expensive technologies for ovens is often referred to as speed-cooking. Speed-cooking combines heat, convection, microwave energy and a fast-cooking halogen-quartz light all in one oven. These functions can be used separately or combined for the ultimate in fast meal preparation. With speed-cooking, baking and roasting can be reduced to 25 percent of the conventional preparation time. Manufacturers often have their trademarks for this type of technology. If you're interested in this type of oven, look for trademarks such as Tri-Vection, Ultima and SpeedCook. Although sales of these models continue to grow, you should be forewarned that the speed of the results may at times affect the quality and taste of the finished meal. For this reason, many of the most expensive and prestigious appliance brands do not yet offer this relatively new technology.

When families enjoy entertaining and have the benefit of a large kitchen, double ovens are frequently used. Like single ovens, these ovens can be featured in a number of ways. Most offer self-clean cycles in both ovens. Many offer convection or speed cooking features. Some ovens are microwave capable, while some units consist of a microwave stacked above an oven.

When comparing ovens, you'll probably come across some of the newer features that serve to differentiate one product from another. Variable time self-clean cycles provide shorter cleaning times and work well to clean lightly soiled ovens in record time. Variable broil settings allow the user to broil more efficiently by using only part of the broiling element or by allowing different foods to be broiled at various temperature settings. Oven lighting may be standard or enhanced by the brighter, more effective halogen bulbs. Interior lights may turn on autmatically or require the flipping of a switch. These days, lots of attention is being paid to oven racks. Higher priced models tend to offer stable racks that glide in and out more easily than those in less expensive models. When shopping, pull out the racks in order to test their use. Auto-shutoff is a safety feature that is offered on many low- to mid-priced ovens. Often the user can override the shutoff if it is necessary to operate the oven for long periods of time. Clocks, timers, delay-bake settings and digital/electronic controls are becoming increasingly common. A few manually controlled models are out there, but they are becoming more difficult to find.

Remember, there is no one "best" oven. If there were, the market would not have such a wide selection of products. The oven that is right for you is the one that fits your budget, works with your floor plan, and offers features for they way you and your family live your lives.