Whether you’re good enough to be on Master Chef - or you can barely boil an egg - we’ve got plenty of advice on choosing the right kitchen appliance. Use the drop-down menu on the left to get some handy tips.

Cooking

Sometimes size does matter – what size oven do you need? The largest size in a single oven is about 80 litres capacity. If you have a large family, or love to entertain, then you might want to consider an even bigger format. Double ovens allow you to cook at two different temperatures or functions (e.g cook a roast and a delicate soufflé at the same time) and they either feature an additional half-sized oven or a second full-sized one. The extra half oven is an economic option for grilling or baking small dishes while the full-sized double oven is the choice of serious entertainers.

Choosing an oven: how do you like to cook? Your choice of oven or stove may depend on your budget but also needs to reflect the type of cook you are. A basic “bake & grill” oven may be sufficient if you don’t cook often or for rental properties however a multi-function oven is needed if you are, or aspire to be, a more accomplished cook. Multi-function ovens can range from three to thirteen or more baking functions – the different functions can make your baking better but not if your too confused or intimidated to use them. Let us help you choose wisely.

Get the low-down on the latest induction cooktops They say once you’ve used an induction cooktop, you’ll never look back! Induction hobs work by creating an electro-magnetic field with the base of your cooking pot. It will work on any pot with a ferrous metal base – you can test this by seeing if a magnet will stick to the pot. Induction technology combines the easy cleaning of advantage of ceramic cooktops with the speed and responsiveness of gas hobs and has greater control as a bonus. The speed is impressive - water can be brought to the boil in half the time of traditional cooktops. It is also safer, because it creates heat in the bottom of the pot so the rest of cooking surface and your kitchen remain cooler.

Cooking with gas v electricity: the pros & cons When it comes to cooktops, a ceramic electric hob is space-saving and easy to clean; but you’ll need to take care with the surface. Gas hobs offer instant and responsive heat, and most have a dedicated wok burner. The downside to gas is they can be difficult to keep at a very low simmer and can get messy with trivets to clean around. Induction cooktops (see below) can offer the best of both worlds.

Ovens

Sometimes size does matter – what size oven do you need? The largest size in a single oven is about 80 litres capacity. If you have a large family, or love to entertain, then you might want to consider an even bigger format. Double ovens allow you to cook at two different temperatures or functions (e.g cook a roast and a delicate soufflé at the same time) and they either feature an additional half-sized oven or a second full-sized one. The extra half oven is an economic option for grilling or baking small dishes while the full-sized double oven is the choice of serious entertainers.

Cooktops

Cooking with gas v electricity: the pros & cons When it comes to cooktops, a ceramic electric hob is space-saving and easy to clean; but you’ll need to take care with the surface. Gas hobs offer instant and responsive heat, and most have a dedicated wok burner. The downside to gas is they can be difficult to keep at a very low simmer and can get messy with trivets to clean around. Induction cooktops (see below) can offer the best of both worlds.

Get the low-down on the latest induction cooktops They say once you’ve used an induction cooktop, you’ll never look back! Induction hobs work by creating an electro-magnetic field with the base of your cooking pot. It will work on any pot with a ferrous metal base – you can test this by seeing if a magnet will stick to the pot. Induction technology combines the easy cleaning of advantage of ceramic cooktops with the speed and responsiveness of gas hobs and has greater control as a bonus. The speed is impressive - water can be brought to the boil in half the time of traditional cooktops. It is also safer, because it creates heat in the bottom of the pot so the rest of cooking surface and your kitchen remain cooler.

Rangehoods

Choosing a rangehood for your kitchen style You’ll find a choice of rangehood models at your 100% Appliances store - from simple entry-level models, to super-stylish designer versions that will complement the look of your kitchen.

That really sucks! A guide to extraction rates for rangehoods As a rough guide, a good starting point is 400 cubic metres/hour. You may need more powerful extraction, depending on your kitchen needs. Some models come with a useful ‘boost’ function – so you can ramp up the power for a short burst of intensive cooking (e.g for the billow of steam when you add liquid to a pan) before automatically returning to the pre-boost level.

Where does it go? How ducting works for your rangehood Your rangehood should ideally be ducted outside. If you can’t duct outside, say because your kitchen has no external walls, then you can choose the reticulation mode that’s available on most models although we recommend you opt for carbon filters as an accessory to better clean the air.