Range cooker - all gas or dual fuel?

[iomtdk]

I am in the process of buying a range cooker and I am looking for reliability first. So, not too worried about energy type although I have always used gas and would probably lean that way.
What would be the most reliable cooker on the market given a budget of around £3k?
Is a gas oven more reliable than electric in terms of what is likely to break? I have heard that gas parts can be much more expensive than electric - what fails and how much for parts?
Any advice much appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

the heating element in an electric oven has a limited life and will need replacing from time to time.

Nothing ever seems to go wrong with my gas cookers. Perhaps I've just been lucky?

A range cooker with two or three ovens will need a special electrical circuit which may be expensive to have installed.

I find a gas oven makes a better skin on rice puddings, and smells less of hot fat when you are roasting meat. I always assumed the flames burn away some of the fat vapour.

Certainly a gas hob is faster and more controllable than an electric one.

If you have always used gas cookers you will not be happy with an electric one.

p.s. "Which" tested Range Cookers in March, and you can read the review free at your local library.

Some of the best buys they found were (listed best first):

Rangemaster
Toledo 110 Dual Fuel
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF Pomegranate Pink
Leisure
CM101FRCP
Leisure
CM101FRKP
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF White
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF SS
Hotpoint
Ultima EG902GX
Flavel
Aspen 100 AP10FRK or AP10FRS
Hotpoint
EG1000EX
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Gloss Black
Belling
Country Chef 100DF Anthracite
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Latte
Belling
Country Chef 100DF
Cannon
Professional 10450G
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Cream
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Rose Taupe
Belling
100DFDO
Falcon
Continental Dual Fuel
Falcon
Continental Dual Fuel

I notice that some of the £800 ones score the same as, or higher than the £2500 ones.

 

[Richard C]

I do all the cooking & have a duel fuel range cooker (Prochef), now 5 years old. Gas 5 ring hob (LPG as we don’t have mains gas here) + double 1 & ½ electric ovens; we’ve had one small element failure in that time (cost a tenner on-line & simple to replace. I haven’t used a gas oven for many years but, from memory, they tend to get grubby more quickly inside. I have to use electric hobs fairly regularly & although they are Halogen, I find them a complete & uncontrollable PITA to use. Gas or electric ovens, your choice really as I think both work equally as well but I would never, ever consider anything other than a gas hob in my own home.

 

[JohnD]

I use a dual-fuel at home; I think the electric fan oven smells more of hot fat, and I am not satisfied with the skin on my rice puddings

Agree about the gas hob being miles better

 

[Richard C]

My ovens have twin glass "Powervent" doors (basically air circulation between the glass panes) & this tends to make the smell rather worse but they are extremely safe doors if you have young children in the house or even if you haven’t; something else to consider. If you do any serious cooking, a twin fan cooker hood with a decent extract rate will take care of most of it but I stress the word “decent” as most of the cheap ones are designed to look good but don’t really do much else.

The skin on my rice puddings come out fine; put nutmeg on them, works a treat & tastes good. I should be careful here, I'm begginging to sound like a right tart

 

[wsts]

the heating element in an electric oven has a limited life and will need replacing from time to time.

Nothing ever seems to go wrong with my gas cookers. Perhaps I've just been lucky?

A range cooker with two or three ovens will need a special electrical circuit which may be expensive to have installed.

I find a gas oven makes a better skin on rice puddings, and smells less of hot fat when you are roasting meat. I always assumed the flames burn away some of the fat vapour.

Certainly a gas hob is faster and more controllable than an electric one.

If you have always used gas cookers you will not be happy with an electric one.

p.s. "Which" tested Range Cookers in March, and you can read the review free at your local library.

Some of the best buys they found were (listed best first):

Rangemaster
Toledo 110 Dual Fuel
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF Pomegranate Pink
Leisure
CM101FRCP
Leisure
CM101FRKP
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF White
Stoves
Sterling 1100DF SS
Hotpoint
Ultima EG902GX
Flavel
Aspen 100 AP10FRK or AP10FRS
Hotpoint
EG1000EX
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Gloss Black
Belling
Country Chef 100DF Anthracite
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Latte
Belling
Country Chef 100DF
Cannon
Professional 10450G
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Cream
Rangemaster
Elan 110 Dual Fuel Rose Taupe
Belling
100DFDO
Falcon
Continental Dual Fuel
Falcon
Continental Dual Fuel

I notice that some of the £800 ones score the same as, or higher than the £2500 ones.

I'd like to add a little reality to that list as a cooker specialist, there are no £800 range cookers that are anywhere near the quality of the falcons on the list and nobody in my line of work would tell you to buy some of the cookers on that list, some of them are truly appalling quality and made with cheap parts.

Stay safe when buying a range and get a Rangemaster or if your budget can stretch maybe even a Falcon, you wont regret it.

 

[JohnD]

there are not many brands in that list, some of the cookers appear to be the same but painted a different colour.

Which brands do you think are poor?

 

[wsts]

there are not many brands in that list, some of the cookers appear to be the same but painted a different colour.

Which brands do you think are poor?

I told you which ones were good, I wouldnt buy any of the others over those.

p.s. I've been an engineer for more than 1 of the companies who make the appliances.

 

[iomtdk]

Thanks for the info guys.

I have bitten the bullet and gone for a Rangemaster Classic 110 in natural gas and got a good deal from Gillmans in Gloucester.
If the Falcon 1092 had been available in all gas I would have been sorely tempted, but it would have been hard to justify double the price over the Classic 110. I also preferred the Rangemaster Elan 110, but again they don't do an all gas version.
I would like to get the springy handles they use on the Elan for the Classic so if anyone knows of a supplier? I don't think the Elan ones will fit - too narrow.
I found a secondhand Falcon 211 GGO in immaculate condition, but was put off as I read spares could be difficult to obtain for models which are not current.
So, here's hoping for many years of Rangemaster trouble free cooking.......