Freestanding ovens

If you already have gas connected for heating and hot water and are looking to replace an existing freestanding oven, we think a dual-fuel oven is a good option.

But if you’re renovating your kitchen and have the option to install a separate built-in oven and cooktop we think this offers more flexibility and better performance.

All the dual-fuel oven cooktops in our latest test are set up to run on reticulated natural gas. If you don’t have access to natural gas, the cooktop can be adapted to run using bottled LPG. We recommend looking into the costs of installation and fuel supply before buying a dual-fuel oven.

Installation

Whether you choose natural gas or bottled LPG, a licensed or certifying gasfitter needs to install the oven. Once installed, you need to obtain a gas certificate from a certifying gasfitter to confirm it’s been properly installed.

We recommend getting an electrician to check your home’s wiring before you buy to ensure your oven of choice is compatible. We found some tested models had a maximum load above 5 kW (the average oven draws about 3.2 kW). This may be more than your home’s wiring or fuse box can handle (especially older houses).

Fuel costs

If you’re hooked up to reticulated natural gas you’ll pay a fixed daily charge plus the cost of whatever you use – daily charges range from an average of $1.20 in Auckland and the top of the North Island to $1.80 or more in Wellington – so it makes sense to make the most of it and use it for space heating, water heating and cooking.

If you’ll be using gas for cooking only, you may be better off converting the cooktop to LPG. This requires a conversion kit for the oven, so consider that cost at the time of buying. A licensed gasfitter must perform the conversion.

LPG is supplied via 45kg cylinders installed outside. These will cost $88 to $107 to fill (and you’ll need two) plus an annual cylinder rental fee of about $115.

An alternative is using 9kg “swappa” bottles, which can be filled for $30-$40 at petrol stations. Ideally, these will be installed outside but can be installed in a cupboard next to the oven if there's adequate venting to outside and there's no electrical sockets or switches. All hoses and fittings must be LPG-approved. In some situations, other requirements may apply so it pays to contact the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board to check.

Your heart’s set on one of the 90cm-wide models? Here are a few things worth knowing.

• The shelves and baking trays are much wider than a standard oven’s. So they can be difficult to handle, especially when hot.
• The trays and shelves won’t fit in a standard kitchen sink. If you’re installing a 90cm-wide stove as part of a new kitchen, choose your sink accordingly.
• These large ovens can take a long time to preheat: around 30 minutes to heat to about 200°C. During our testing, some ovens never quite reached their maximum heat setting and so the preheat light remained on.
• For the quickest preheat, choose the hottest function with the most elements switched on and then switch to the appropriate setting once the oven is up to temperature. If there’s no “rapid heat” function, use “fan-assisted baking” – this uses the top and bottom elements to heat the oven, and the fan to circulate the hot air.
• On the plus side, these ovens provide loads of internal space. So you’ll be able to roast two turkeys at the same time on Christmas day. Try doing that in a 60cm-wide wall oven!
• The best models performed well in our oven and cooktop tests. But we think you can get even better performance – and greater flexibility – from a separate cooktop plus a built-in oven.