Double oven reviews

04.What to look for

Double oven

• Controls for each oven should be intuitive and not confusing.
• Half-oven location and installation height should suit your height and needs. If the half-oven will get the most use, choose one that’s located below the main oven and install it at the right height for easy access.
• Check that the functions in the half-oven suit your needs, as they tend to be limited – generally, top and bottom element (convection bake) and grill. Only a few have a fan-forced, fan-assist function or other extras.
• Most half-ovens come only with one shelf and one grill tray/baking tray. The Whirlpool’s half-oven comes only with a baking tray, no shelf, and the main oven shelf doesn’t fit in the half-oven.

Any oven

• Check the useable space by measuring inside the oven or taking your largest baking dish with you to the store rather than going by the stated gross or useable capacity. Manufacturers tend to use a European standard that overstates the usable capacity. We measure from runner to runner, the depth of the shelf, and from the oven floor to the grill element as you can use the base for warming, proving dough, grilling in the half-oven, etc.
• Catalytic liners (or self-cleaning surfaces) work by absorbing fat splatters and burning them off while in normal use. And with some models you will need to regularly heat the oven to 250°C or a dedicated cleaning cycle for an hour to burn off the splatters. Properly cared for, they should last a long time, but may eventually need replacing at an additional cost. Some brands have reversible liners; see the table for details.
• Shelves should have a safety stops to prevent them from being pulled out accidentally.
• Good range of shelf positions. Three or more shelves can be handy, especially if you want to cook several things at the same time.
• A grill tray should be easy to slide in and out and come out far enough that you can place food towards the back. Look for a safety stop mechanism to stop it from pulling right out.
• A smokeless grill tray traps fat and grease below it, rather than under a wire rack. This is important for an internal grill as spattering and smoking fat can be messy.
• A grill element should be recessed into the top of the oven or have a shield so that it isn’t exposed and can’t be accidently touched. This is particularly important if you place the oven under the bench.