Dual Fuel Cookers

Dual fuel means a gas hob on top with an electric oven below. You're combining the responsiveness gas cooks tend to prefer (instant heat, visible flame, easy to drop to a simmer) with the even, fan-circulated baking electric ovens are known for. Some shoppers search for a "dual gas cooker" by mistake; the actual setup is gas hob plus electric oven, not gas in both places. Read More...

It's a sensible pick if you cook a lot from the hob, wok, sear, reduce sauces, but you also bake, roast and want predictable oven temperatures.

Width is the single biggest decision and it's set by two things: the gap your old cooker left behind, and how many people you cook for. 60cm slots into a standard cooker space without joinery work. 90cm and wider usually means rethinking the run of units, but you gain a second cavity and a more capable hob. Measure the gap, then decide from cooking habits.

A 60cm freestanding dual fuel cooker drops into a standard cooker gap between units, so it's the path of least resistance when replacing an old freestanding cooker. You'll typically get a four-burner gas hob and either a single tall oven or a main oven plus a separate grill cavity. Plenty for a couple or a smaller family doing weekday cooking.

Step up to a 90cm dual fuel range cooker and you'll usually find a five-burner hob with a high-output wok burner, plus a tall main oven and a second cavity that doubles as a grill or smaller oven. Useful if you regularly cook for guests or run multiple trays at once.

100cm and 110cm range cookers add a sixth or seventh burner, often a griddle or simmer plate, and two genuinely full-size cavities side by side. That's the territory for households who entertain, batch-cook or want a Sunday roast and pudding running at different temperatures simultaneously.

A single-oven dual fuel cooker gives you one large cavity, which is great for big roasts and trays of pizza but limits you to one temperature at a time. A double oven cooker splits the space: a smaller top oven (often a grill) heats up fast for weeknight cooking, and the main oven handles bigger jobs.

If you bake and roast in parallel, double oven wins. If you mostly cook one main thing and want maximum cavity space, go single.

A wok burner at the front of the hob makes a real difference for stir-fries and big pans, and cast-iron pan supports stay put when you slide a heavy casserole across. Flame safety devices that cut the gas if a flame goes out are standard now, but worth confirming.

In the oven, fan or multifunction modes give you even bakes; a base-heat or pizza setting helps crisp pastry. For cleaning, catalytic liners absorb splashes during normal cooking, hydrolytic uses steam for a quick refresh, and pyrolytic burns residue off at high heat for the deepest clean. Pyrolytic costs more but means almost no scrubbing.

Dual fuel sits at the awkward intersection of two trades, gas and electrical, and most install surprises come from underestimating one or the other. Before you order, check three things: who'll do the gas connection, what your kitchen's electric supply can carry, and whether you have extraction that matches the appliance width. Get those right and the rest is straightforward.

Any gas connection must be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and that's not optional. The electric oven side is where people get caught out: many dual fuel cookers, especially 90cm and wider ranges, need a hardwired cooker circuit (often 32A) rather than a 13A plug. Check the rating against your existing supply before you order.

If you're on bottled gas rather than mains, look for a model that ships with an LPG conversion kit or supports one. Pair the cooker with a hood at least the same width as the appliance (90cm hood for a 90cm cooker, 100cm for 100cm) and follow the manufacturer's clearance to walls and overhead units.