Edited Choice: Range Cookers

If kitchens are the heart of the home, then range cookers are the heart of the kitchen. They act as the centrepiece or pièce de résistance of the room, filling it with character – and even heating it, too. It’s the essential ingredient for any keen cook, large household or family that loves entertaining. No kitchen appliance is coveted quite like it. As most range cookers mirror the warm, curved lines of a traditional Aga, they sit particularly well in country or shaker-style kitchens – but with all the cutting-edge technology of the smartest and most contemporary designs in colours hot off the catwalk, they are just as at home in modern kitchens too. These days you can even find a blend of the two; with traditional-looking ranges featuring ultra-modern induction hobs. And although range cookers don’t come cheap, they’re certainly worth the investment.

(Image credit: Liquid Image)

This range cooker comes singing This range cooker comes singing and dancing with a huge cooking area, two ovens, separate grill and stainless steel hob. With its simple, chunky handles, clean lines and sleek induction cooktop, it’s the perfect fit for a chic contemporary kitchen.

It’s not just the on-trend shade that make this Smeg design ultra-desirable. It boasts an AA-rating for energy, making it cheaper to run than its power-guzzling cousins. It also has a stone for making pizzas, and an induction hob which wipes clean with ease.

(Image credit: matt oliver)

This sleek design in blue is not just a pretty face. It has a clever energy saving panel that allows you to split the oven in half – so you can use the full oven for making your Sunday roast with all the trimmings, the transform it into a compact, economical single oven for smaller meals. Genius.

(Image credit: RAVASSOD)

Perfect for whipping up a feast for friends, this range has not one but two large 55-litre ovens – perfect for slow roasting melt-in-the-mouth meat – plus a third, smaller oven and grill that heats at a quicker speed. The fourth compartment is ideal for warming plates and keeping food warm so even late arrivals can have a hot dish. Not so keen on the lavender finish? It’s also available in 29 further colours, with 6 different metallic finishes to choose from.

If you love the range look but can’t spare the room, this compact two-door cooker still ticks all the boxes; with an AA-energy rating, 105 litre oven capacity, a five-burner hob and even a handy built-in digital clock with minute minder – all at a price that won’t bust the budget.

They say size doesn’t matter – but we’d beg to differ, particularly when it comes to the traditional AGA that all other range cookers were first modelled on. It’s capacious, with four ovens, has two hotplates that are always ready to go, and keeps the kitchen toasty all year round. The only downside? It’s admittedly expensive to run.

They say size doesn’t matter – but we’d beg to differ, particularly when it comes to the traditional AGA that all other range cookers were first modelled on. It’s capacious, with four ovens, has two hotplates that are always ready to go, and keeps the kitchen toasty all year round. The only downside? It’s admittedly expensive to run.