How to choose your next oven
Before you start the purchase process, the idea of choosing an oven might seem easy. After all, most people don’t give much thought to the appliance since it was probably already there when they moved in. But once you start looking you’ll quickly be overwhelmed by the number of decisions to be made. But don’t worry, take a deep breath because we’re here to help.
What kind of oven do you need?
When you’re buying a new oven, the perfect combination of features is essential – and to get to that perfect mix, you need to think about how you’re likely to use it.
Are you often short on time? Do you have limited space to work with? Are you cooking for a big family? Are you looking to step up your home cooking game? Your kitchen goals directly influence what features will work best for you, and asking yourself these questions will help you decide what’s most important to you.
To help narrow things down, this guide walks you through all the possible features, and what they mean for your kitchen or your cooking style:
How to choose between standard size, compact and multiple ovens
The size and number of ovens you should buy comes down to the type of cooking you need to do and the volume of food you need to make.
How many dishes do you usually need to prepare at once? If you’ve got a big family, have a family member with food intolerances, or host a lot of dinner parties, a double oven might be the one for you. NEFF double ovens come with a compact oven on top and a full size oven with CircoTherm® on the bottom, you can cook a three course meal, all in one sitting.
For those who just need to cook for one (but have it be cooked really well), and potentially have less space in their kitchen, a traditional 60cm single oven or even a 45cm compact oven is the way to go.
View NEFF’s oven range here.
Should I buy a steam oven?
If you’ve ever owned a steam oven, you’ll agree that it’s hard to go back once you’ve experienced the tender, juicy cooking that comes with high-moisture baking.
Here at NEFF, you’ve got a few options: for die-hard advocates of steam, the FullSteam feature combines 100% steam with conventional oven functions. Use this function when you’re after precision, like making this creamy bacon and egg risotto recipe.
For those just wanting to use steam every now and then to improve their dishes, VarioSteam ovens allow you to add right amount of steam when the recipe calls for it. This function is for those making the perfect sourdough bread or succulent chicken dishes, making sure that they never dry out.
For those who want two ovens and keep their steam cooking separate, we would recommend getting a 60cm oven without steam function and 60cm oven with steam function to combine the best of both features. With two separate ovens, you can cook a beautifully steamed chocolate crème bruleé while you prep your roast in the other oven.
View our range of Steam ovens here.
You can’t go past the NEFF Slide&Hide® oven door
NEFF’s famed Slide&Hide® feature helps keep your kitchen accessible, safe and neat with a unique fully-retractable oven door. This one-of-a-kind feature allows you to tuck it away to get better access to the oven cavity, keep it out of the way of busy bodies, and avoid drops and spills with more space to move around safely.
Find an oven that pairs this feature with another essential function for the perfect option. Find out more about our Slide&Hide® feature here.
What are built-in microwaves?
For those home cooks who are always in a hurry, the NEFF built-in microwave combines all the fast convenience of microwave ovens with the sophisticated German quality the NEFF is renowned for. Plus, it hardly takes up any space, giving you more room to deck out your kitchen with the essentials and less clutter on your countertop.
View our range of microwaves here.
What are self-cleaning ovens?
Self-cleaning ovens come with functionality that help you to wipe away food debris and stains without the need for harsh chemicals
NEFF ovens with the EasyClean function are eco-friendly and make for a fast clean, while Pyrolytic ovens do all the work for you – taking self cleaning ovens to a whole new level.
Cleaning up after a dinner party can put a real damper on your cooking experience. But with NEFF’s state-of-the-art self-cleaning features, you can hand over the hard work to the technology, and get back to your guests.
Explore your options here and below is a video explaining what pyrolytic oven is.
If you would like to learn more about the right appliance for you, book a free demonstration with a NEFF Cooking expert.