Here at eSpares, we pride ourselves on our ‘Fix It Yourself’ mentality. But, sadly, if it’s not economically viable to fix your appliance, or if the years really are catching up with it, there’s always going to be a time when they go to that big junkyard in the sky.

When this is the case, we want to make sure our customers are as well informed as possible about buying that new appliance. So we’ve asked our friend Ben from Appliances Online to write a guest post detailing how to find the perfect new oven for your needs and budget. Ben used to be a sous chef at an Italian restaurant in Ealing so he’s somewhat of an expert on ovens. Take it away Ben…

The aim of this post is to give you a really quick guide on what to look for in an oven.

Choosing the right fuel – gas is cheaper to run but electric ovens (specifically fan-assisted ones) tend to perform better and give more consistent results.

Conventional, fan assisted or multifunction ovens – conventional ovens rely on the natural movement of heat to cook food while fan-assisted models force hot air around the cavity to speed up the cooking process. A multifunction oven is one that lets you choose between fan assisted and conventional cooking modes. Because using a fan assisted oven makes cooking quicker it’s a common mistake for people to burn food when they first get one but once you get used to them you won’t want to go back.

Pick the right configuration – in a choice between single and double cavity it comes down to personal preference and budget. Bear in mind that if you have a single oven with a built-in grill you won’t be able to use the grill and oven independently.

Understanding energy ratings – all electric ovens sold in the EU have an energy efficiency rating between A and G. A-rated is the most efficient and G rated the least. For an average household, the difference between annual running costs for a C rated oven and an A-rated oven of the same size is about £20.

Types of self-cleaning – most self-cleaning ovens use one of two methods; catalytic liners or pyrolytic cycles. Catalytic liners protect the sides of the oven and break down splashes of fat when the oven is used at high heat. Unfortunately, no manufacturer produces an oven with total catalytic coverage meaning that you still have to manually clean at least part of it. Pyrolytic cleaning works by heating the interior of the oven to very high heat (around 500 Celsius) and burning dirt off. After running the cycle you have to wipe the ash from inside but otherwise, the oven is totally self-cleaning.

Does oven capacity make a difference? – capacity can be a red herring when it comes to choosing an oven. So long as it has between 48 and 60 litres of room inside then the number of shelves and the internal layout will make more difference to the amount of food you can cook at once.

How to get value for money – if you’re spending as little as possible don’t be tempted by the absolute cheapest models on the market – spend about £50 more and you can normally pick up a fan assisted or multifunction model that will do a far better job.

If you’re looking to invest in quality then expect to pay between £400 and £750. The only time you should pay more than £750 is if a model has a specific function (or design) that you want – if you’re just paying more to get a better model then the chances are you won’t notice the difference between an oven that costs £1000 and one that costs £500.