Black Ovens

A standard 60cm single oven slots into a tall housing unit at eye level, and that's the layout most fitted kitchens are designed around. Double ovens need a taller housing, but they earn their keep when a Sunday roast and a tray of potatoes need different temperatures at the same time. Read More...

Built-under doubles are shorter and sit beneath the worktop, which is the right call when wall cabinets are full or when the hob is going on top.

Single ovens dominate the black oven line-up, doubles are the next biggest group, and a small number of compact models pair an oven with a microwave or steam function in a 45cm housing for tighter runs.

Almost every black oven you'll come across is electric. Gas built-in ovens are now a niche, mostly chosen by households on LPG or in flats without a 32A cooker circuit. If you're replacing like for like, check the existing supply before you buy.

Within electric, fan ovens (or multifunction ovens with a fan setting) are the default. The fan moves heat evenly across shelves so you can bake on two levels without rotating trays. Conventional-only ovens are rare and tend to be entry models.

Pyrolytic ovens heat the cavity to around 500C and turn grease to ash you brush out. They cost more upfront and use more energy per clean, but the payoff is real if you roast often.

Catalytic liners absorb fat at normal cooking temperatures and slowly break it down. Hydrolytic uses a low-temperature steam cycle from a tray of water. Both are gentler on the wallet than pyrolytic, both need occasional manual help.

Enamel and easy-clean enamel are the standard finish on lower-priced models. Treat them as wipe-down rather than self-clean.

Black isn't one finish. Gloss black with a glass front is the most common, sits well next to chrome and shows fingerprints. Matt black, including AEG's matt black range, hides smudges better but can mark if you lean on it with a wet cloth. A few models pair black glass with a stainless steel trim or graphite frame, useful when the rest of the kitchen has stainless appliances and you don't want a head-on clash.

Bosch and Neff sit at the premium end, Series 8 and the higher Neff lines bring pyrolytic cleaning, slide-and-hide doors and steam assist. AEG and Samsung overlap that bracket with their own takes on steam and pyrolytic, Samsung's Bespoke series in particular leans into the matt black look.

Hotpoint, Hisense, Belling, CDA, Candy, Hoover, Indesit, Zanussi, Russell Hobbs and Montpellier cover the mid and entry tiers, where you're choosing between catalytic and enamel rather than pyrolytic, and where double ovens are most affordable.

The 60cm label refers to the housing width. Cavity volume is the number that actually decides what you can roast, and it ranges from roughly 65 to 75 litres on a single oven and 90 litres or more across both cavities on a double. Before you buy, measure the housing height (typically 590mm for a single, 888mm or 720mm for a double), the width, and crucially the depth from the back wall to the door front, hinges and trim eat more space than you'd think.