Should I get a Built-in or Free-Standing Oven?
A kitchen is never complete without an oven for your favourite meat and bakes. But with a plethora of choices available, deciding on the size and build has never been more difficult. Today, we will solve one of your greatest kitchen dilemmas – choosing between a built-in and a free-standing oven, by exploring the pros and cons of each option before deciding which fits your kitchen best. Let’s dive right into it!
Built-in Oven
Right away, you will notice that built-in ovens typically blend in perfectly with the design of the entire cooking space to give your kitchen a spacious and ultra-modern feel. This is the biggest plus of such ovens – minimalistic. As it fits nicely in between your kitchen cabinetries, a built-in oven accommodates ample storage space above and below to keep your cooking necessities accessible. Such an installation also creates a clutter-free countertop for more efficient and enjoyable meal preparation. A double side-by-side or top down (oven and microwave) installation is a kitchen trend that many households looking for a chic design go for these days.
A built-in oven offers unparalleled convenience and space savings compared to a free standing unit which takes up precious countertop space.
Built in ovens offer space savings and also larger cooking capacity
Free Standing Oven
This is perfect if you have extra countertop or storage space which allows you to place your appliance. It is also more flexible in terms of placement whereby you can easily shift the location or simply remove it when you need to service it or relocate to another home. Unlike built-in appliances which require an installer to install or remove from the cabinetry, free standing appliances save you time and money when you need to replace it. Do also note that when you are selling your home, built in fixtures such as appliances might need to be left intact for the next owner like your lights and fittings, so do make sure this is properly discussed with your next home owner!
A mini free standing combi oven for the cooktop
Free standing ovens comes in many shapes and sizes from microwaves ovens, to convection to combi steam, so do consider your cooking needs and the space required to house them.
There is a growing trend towards free standing ovens that come equipped with cooktops as well; more commonly referred to as free standing cookers. These can be easily relocated so long as you have the suitable gas or electrical inlets and outlets ready.
Photograph by Bertazzoni: Free standing cooker that comes with oven and cooktop functions.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, it boils down to personal preference and your cooking habits. If you are thinking of replacing your built in oven or simply modifying your cabinet to fit a different size oven, our team at Kitchen Papa can assist you. We also offer new and refurbished ovens and installations. Contact us now at enquiry.kitchenpapa@gmail.com or 6282 2278 for more information.