Freestanding oven reviews

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! :rofl:

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?

1 Like