If you’re looking for a combination oven/cooktop that doesn’t need to be mounted in your kitchen wall or cavity, our freestanding ovens review (member content) will help you choose the best one for your needs. We also have a freestanding oven buying guide that you can access at no cost to help understand the features, functions and installation of this type of oven.
Share your experience with freestanding ovens below and help inform others in the Community before they purchase.
Our old electric range (freestanding cooktop and oven) is dying. I’d like to replace it with something that fits in the same location so another freestanding range would be good.
Gas would be nice but we aren’t on a main gas supply so that seems too impractical (storing and changing bottles).
Induction looks appealing but it seems that cooktops are the main rule, not free-standing ranges. Has Choice done a review of ranges with induction cooktops?
Hi @daffmeister, we’ve done a review on dual fuel freestanding ovens, but not freestanding electric ovens. Thanks for the interest, and I’ve passed on your request.
Its not a freestanding range, but I’ve been using a Breville induction cooktop (cost $145 over 5 years ago), and have been very happy with it, It is hugely more efficiient than gas (I’ve conducted and written up tests), and doesn’t heat up the kitchen in summer like gas does, and since I’m off-grid solar, it costs nothing to run. Way ahead of gas on all counts!
You can buy electric ovens with induction “burners” on top, quite a few models are available.
Try before you buy over the years I have had several and most of them have had at least one plate that only works on some induction cooking pots.
Even a regular curved wok works on my Breville induction cooktop, and I use it frequently, but it is almost impossible to get our smallest induction saucepan positioned corectly, it just wont handle the 12cm base size.
I don’t know about stand-alone cookers, but the induction cook top set into our kitchen bench works very well. You have to buy special saucepans, but you probably pay for them in the electricity savings over a year ot so. The other advantages is that they cook very quickly, and the stove never gets hot - the heat is generated in the saucepan content by electrical induction.
JohnN
I concur with the comments on how good induction cooktops are.
Perhaps it is time to consider replacing your old free-standing range with a cooktop and a built-in oven? Can you fill the range’s hole with a cupboard and build into that?
Hi daffmeister. We have a test of freestanding ranges coming up, for publication online in February. We’re still deciding which models to include but it’s possible we’ll include some with induction cooktops. Meanwhile. as others have suggested, you could consider a separate oven and cooktop, though I understand why you’d prefer to just slot in another range in the existing space.
We need also need a new cooktop soon and have just begun researching. The advice to stand at least 30cm from active hot plate to avoid strong electromagnetic fields seems a fair ask when stirring and cooking! Although the digital clocks seem to measure quite high EMR and that is on all the time. Any health issues?
Hi @aldgate098. There aren’t any known health risks from using induction cooktops, except that there could be a slight risk for people with a pacemaker. After some studies identified this risk factor, the British Heart Foundation recommended that people with a pacemaker should get no closer than 60cm to an induction cooktop.
Hi @daffmeister,
Here is our updated review on freestanding ovens (including electric), in case it’s still of interest.
I’m currently on the search for a new upright cooker/freestanding stove, call it what you will… I’ve just looked at the Choice reviews and oh my god what a schemozzle… So frustrating.
Here’s the thing… its absolutely pointless to have electric and gas stoves all in the same review. You can’t compare them properly. I dont really have an option… I need to have gas, and I need to have a small stove and thats going to mean cheap as chips. I expected that Chef would have been reviewed for its gas stoves, but no, not even one of them.
Very disappointing, and needs a serious review of the review.
I asked a similar question, under the wall oven topic.
There has been some useful feedback in the topic, re the options.
From experience, we’d suggest for an all gas freestanding oven and stove. Fan forced, auto ignition, flame out protection need to be on the feature list. Our older style Chef (natural gas) in our T/H has none of these features except for flame detectors on the grill and oven burners. At home we have a Westinghouse Freestyle fan forced oven and auto igniters. It’s on bottles and 20+ years ancient. It has only needed a new oven burner, due to corrosion. Appliances online stock what appears to be an equivalent replacement model.
It is likely Gas cooking is on the way out. It might be a consumer driven desire coupled with a retailer view that all electric is cheaper to produce, hence more marketable. There are also still some gas oven choices in very expensive semi professional and commercial designs. That everyday electric ovens are not perfect might be demonstrated by the promotion of the latest steam or moisture enhanced electric oven technology. In a way trying to replicate the great non drying roasting environment of the gas oven?
Waffle follows:
I have noted that in the USA their market for gas ovens is still substantial, with several sources suggesting 30+% of oven sales are gas. However comparing Aust and USA is not that relevant. Our standard free standing units are nominally from 54cm wide compared to the US larger 76cm (30”). Australia has a different approach to gas as a fuel too. This has made it far more expensive a fuel than it needs to be.
We have bottled gas which costs for two approx $350 pa after recent price rises. That meets the needs of two for all cooking and all HW. The cost of replacing both with electric including the electrical cabling costs is hard to justify. It’s easy to understand why there is still a demand for gas appliances in Aust, aside from hanging in there when the power goes out. (Nothing a $30,000 investment in off grid electric can’t solve?)
CNET USA comments that gas appliances over there tend to be more expensive than similar electric. A further observation from CNET is that electric induction ovens tend to cook faster and more evenly than radiant ovens and gas ovens.
Wow - “the induction oven”, something we don’t yet have here! Not really. The USA is not immune from advertising misdirection and lies. It appears to be what we simply call fan forced! 
There’s plenty of buying advice on the Choice Consumer web site, but as you noted, no current reviews of free standing all gas oven and stove tops. Aka ‘cooking range’ in the other world?
Well, I’ve had a visit from a plumber and electrician this morning. The cost of going all electric is prohibitive, there is no circuit for a stove on the power board, so they would have to create one, and then the wiring would have to go miles through walls and the ceiling to get from the board to the stove area. The quote for just putting a 10amp plug and lead in, is $199 and thats discounted. That way I could have a few extras. I cant even imagine what it would cost for the other.
The plumber blinded me with science (so to speak) and presented me with a quote for 2 arms and 2 legs. Over $700 for disconnect of old stove, and removal to the garage, and a new isolation valve because mine doesnt have one, he said. I just think maybe I’ll keep the old stove which works, even though I dont much like it.
It’s worth shopping around for a reliable gas fitter. The whole job of swapping your old stove for a new one and the added valve, assuming the new stove is there should be less than one hour. True it might need a second body to move the two stoves around the house safety, or possibly just a trolley? It’s some time past, however when we had a kitchen upgrade the cost for the plumber/gas fitter to come twice was around $250 total. In that job the gas stove was disconnected and later reinstalled as well as the kitchen sink, which being different needed some plumbing mods to complete.
The missing valve is a surprise as even our 30+ year old T/H has an isolation valve just outside where the gas leaves the meter to come into the house.
Interesting. I’m pretty sure I have one also, the meter and supply lines were completely replaced only about a year ago, because they checked around and some of the older ones were leaking a bit. Why would he want to put something in the cupboard. I think he was having a lend of me. Also he totally ignored the statement I made about not requiring them to do an install of a new stove, so the quote included that, as well.
I’ll get some more quotes.
The only Chef two that are gas fuelled for grill, oven and hobs are the models CFG503WB & the CFG501WB. The other gas and hob types have electric grills. All are 54cm wide models. I guess you probably already found these but this is a just in case post.
For the entire gas hob & oven range see:
https://www.chefappliances.com.au/Freestanding/gas/
This is the Appliances Online buying page for the CFG503WB
This is the Elgas buying page for the CFG503WB
https://www.elgas.com.au/appliances/chef-cfg503wa-gas-cooker-price.html
The Good Guys for the same model
Harvey Norman for the same
I couldn’t locate exact pages for the CFG501WB with any shop
I’m interested in buying a freestanding multi-oven gas cooktop (90cm) oven. Brands here in Australia that I’ve seen on internet are:
http://www.falconworld.com/au/range-cooking/range-cookers/kitchener/kitchener-90-dual-fuel
http://www.delonghi.com/en-au/products/kitchen/major-appliances/free-standing-ovens/upright-double-oven-def9085dgw
http://ilve.com.au/freestanding_cooker/td90clmp/
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/kitchen-appliances/appliances/freestanding-cookers/belling-90cm-sterling-dual-fuel-freestanding-cooker-stainless-steel.html
Has there been a review on these? Any advice?
Hi @harbertsofoz, I’m not sure whether you multi ovens or dual fuel. If you mean dual fuel there was a review done in August 2015. Bit dated, but it should give you some guidance on what to look for. https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/kitchen/ovens/review-and-compare/freestanding-ovens
