Compare the Best CookersDecember 2019

A cooker is the central componant of many larger kitchens - they are usually made up of a freestanding oven, with a hob comprising of several burners on top. Their size mean that they have a sizable footprint in the kitchen, but can also be used to cook several dishes at once - making them invaluable for large families.

There are several different types and configurations of cooker, and your choice will be dictated largely by how much food you prepare on a regular basis, and whether you need the capacity for both oven cooking (such as baking cakes or pies) and hob cooking (such as boiling and frying).

Oven

The oven is the main section of a cooker, and is mainly used for baking, roasting and slow-cooking dishes. Most cookers will have a single oven with the hob placed on top - however some more expensive brands contain 2, 3 or even 4 ovens. In these cases there is usually one oven that is the larger 'main' oven (for cooking large dishes like turkeys or geese) and several smaller ovens.

The capacity of the oven(s) is extremely important since the larger the capacity, the bigger the dishes you can prepare. Oven capacity is measured in litres - we look both at the capacities of the individual ovens and the total capacity of the entire cooker to help you make an informed decision.

Hob

The hob is the second section of the cooker - a collection of hot plates or burners which allow several different dishes to be cooked at once. When comparing hobs on a cooker, it's important to look at the number of cooking zones (burners or hot plates) on the hob. Most cookers have 4 burners spaced evenly across the top of the machine - however some models have as few as 2, or as many as 7.

Another important consideration is whether to choose a gas or electric hob for your cooker. Both have advantages and disadvantages:

Gas Hob: Gas burners have no heat-up time, so are far quicker to use, and the heat levels are easier to control than electric. Gas flames tend to spread more evenly across the bottom of pans, meaning quicker heating and more even cooking. They are also cheaper to run than electric hobs, saving you money on daily use.

Electric Hob: Electric hot plates take time to heat up, and tend to have a far more concentrated heat radius, leading to uneven heat distribution with large pans. They are also more expensive to run than gas hobs - however they are easier to clean, and significantly easier to set up and use.

Power Level

The power level of both the oven(s) and hob is an important consideration - the higher the power level, the faster and more efficiently food can be cooked. All our ovens and cookers are measured in watts (W).

Extras

Finally, there are a multitude of smaller features and functions to consider when choosing a cooker. These can involve safety features such as child locks and automatic shut-off systems and pre-programmed settings to make cooking popular dishes extremely easy. We also have cookers in a wide range of colours and styles, so you can match it perfectly to the design of your kitchen.

Cooker Prices

Cookers range in price from $179 to $4,999 and in total we found prices for 26 cookers. On average, a new cooker costs $1,090 and 80% of cookers are priced between $359 and $1,495. The most expensive cooker that we found is the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U at $4,999, and the cheapest is the New World 550 at only $180.

Cooker Brands - Price Range

The highest average cooker price out of all brands is Thor Kitchen cookers with an average price of $4,999. Thor Kitchen cookers start at $4,999 and their most expensive cooker costs $4,999.

The average price of Stoves cookers is $1,895 which is the second highest average price of all cooker brands. Stoves cookers range in price from $1,495 to $2,295.

LG cookers start at $1,079 and their most expensive cooker costs $2,090. The average price of LG cookers is $1,423 which is the third highest average price of all cooker brands.

Cooker Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 18 expert reviews and 23,232 user reviews for cookers and used this information to evaluate the average rating for each brand of cooker. Rangemaster is the top rated cooker brand with an average rating of 87%. Bertazzoni is the second best brand with 82% and Belling is the third best brand with 82%.

Biggest Cooker Retailers

The biggest cooker retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 11 current cooker offers from eBay.

When Are Most New Cookers Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any prominent trend in the release month for new cookers. In March 2018, 77 new cookers were released making it the biggest month that year for new cooker releases. The biggest month in 2017 for new cooker releases was July, with 158 new cookers released that month. 330 new cookers were released in October 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new cooker releases.

How Fast Do Cooker Prices Drop After Release?

In the first 6 months after release, cookers drop in price by 9% on average.

A typical new cooker costs on average $1,090. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $98.

Product Types

Product type denotes whether the cooker is designed to be free standing, or to be built in to fixtures unobtrusively.

The most popular product type amongst new cookers is freestanding. We found 1,502 cookers that are freestanding cookers. Integrated is the second most popular product type amongst new cookers. We found 18 cookers that are integrated cookers.

Oven Types

The category of oven e.g. gas, electrical.

Amongst new cookers, the most frequently found oven type is electric oven. We found 1,161 cookers that are electric oven cookers. We found 350 cookers that are gas oven cookers, making gas oven the second most common oven type amongst new cookers.

Hob Types

A hob (burner on top of cooker) can be gas, induction, ceramic etc.

Gas hob is the most common hob type amongst new cookers. We found 889 cookers that are cookers that have a gas hob hob type. We found 458 cookers that are cookers that have an electric hob hob type, making this the second most common hob type amongst new cookers.

Ovens

Some cookers have more than one oven compartment. The temperature of each compartment can be controlled separately.

Across the range of cookers, the ovens range from 1 to 4. The ovens of the majority of cookers range from 2 to 3. The cooker with the most oven is the Stoves Richmond 1100DFT, which is a 4 oven cooker and is available at $1,495.46. The Simfer SCO60EX, which is on sale for $358.83, has the least oven and is a 1 oven cooker.

Burners / Cooking Zones

The number of burners (gas) or cooking zones (electric) on the hob.

Across the range of cookers, the burners / cooking zones range from 1zone(s) to 8zone(s). The burners / cooking zones of most cookers range from 4zone(s) to 5zone(s). The cooker with the most burner / cooking zone is the Stoves Richmond 1100DFT, which is a 7zone(s) burner / cooking zone cooker and sells for $1,495.46. The Simfer SCO60EX, which currently retails for $358.83, has the least burner / cooking zone and is a 4zone(s) burner / cooking zone cooker.

Main Oven Interior Capacities

'Main Oven Capacity' is a measurement of how much food can fit inside the main oven in the cooker, measures in litres (L).

The main oven interior capacities of cookers range from 18L to 200L. The main oven interior capacities of the majority of cookers range from 60L to 70L. The cooker with the biggest main oven interior capacity is the LG LRE3061ST, which is a 178.4L 1st oven interior capacity cooker and is available at $1,099.99. The Belling Cookcentre 90 DFT, which can be purchased for $1,154.82, has the smallest main oven interior capacity and is a 35L 1st oven interior capacity cooker.

Energy Efficiency of Cookers

The Energy Efficiency Class of a cooker is a measure of how much energy is wasted when the appliance is in use.

We found 1,008 cookers that have an energy efficiency rating of A, which makes A the most common energy efficiency rating amongst new cookers. A+ is the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new cookers. We found 403 cookers that have an energy efficiency rating of A+.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Cookers?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying cookers. For each retailer it shows the total number of cookers where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying cookers. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 11 of their cooker prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Cookers for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for cookers by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of cooker prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's cooker prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 100% of their cooker prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.