Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

PasturesNew

I've never had to make those sort of oven decisions in my life

chewmylegoff

Do you want a grill? They're usually rubbish in a single oven in my experience; the only thing I ever use my top oven for is to grill. It isn't fan assisted so I don't like using it as an oven.

michaels

We have two ovens on top of each other, a 'main' fan oven which we have never used and a combi fan oven/grill/microwave with a turntable which we use for pretty much everything.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

We have two ovens on top of each other, a 'main' fan oven which we have never used and a combi fan oven/grill/microwave with a turntable which we use for pretty much everything.

That describes my old cooker. I never used the main oven as the top oven did everything I wanted, so this time, I specified an oven that did what I wanted and had a fan and it is great. One feature I particularly like is the timer you can set to beep, but you can also set to switch the oven off, so if you're busy while cooking, dinner never burns.

vivatifosi

Urgh... more weather warnings have been posted for tonight.. rainfall in Scotland and winds elsewhere, including south coast, should be noisy rather than damaging hopefully. Wales and SW also on watch list. Not Herts, bit hope other NPs manage to have a restful night.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

Urgh... more weather warnings have been posted for tonight.. rainfall in Scotland and winds elsewhere, including south coast, should be noisy rather than damaging hopefully. Wales and SW also on watch list. Not Herts, bit hope other NPs manage to have a restful night.

You guys need to pay close attention to my travel plans.... I always travel, when dates/times are at my choosing, when it's dry, still and bright

I should have returned yesterday, but had a 2nd unexpected date with a dentist.... but I checked the weather first and knew I could travel today. After today the next clear spot's next year.

For a NYE on the streets.... head as far south west as you can get.... midnight will be windy but dry.

Spirit_2

Generali wrote: »

I love caffeine too but recently it has been mucking me up quite a lot. A real favourite is an espresso with a small piece of very dark chocolate.

Stick with it, it will ease off. OH gave up regular caffiene about 18 months ago as part of managing migraine, it helped him and I decided to reduce my intake too.

A really good coffee as a treat is enough now. Otherwise we drink mint tea. Decaff instant coffee doesn't taste anything like coffee but its not a bad drink on its own.

Generali

Spirit wrote: »

Stick with it, it will ease off. OH gave up regular caffiene about 18 months ago as part of managing migraine, it helped him and I decided to reduce my intake too.

A really good coffee as a treat is enough now. Otherwise we drink mint tea. Decaff instant coffee doesn't taste anything like coffee but its not a bad drink on its own.

I've been on decaf Yorkshire Tea. It's not bad actually if you exclude the insomnia and violently upset stomach.

Yorkie1

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Do you want a grill? They're usually rubbish in a single oven in my experience; the only thing I ever use my top oven for is to grill. It isn't fan assisted so I don't like using it as an oven.

Yes, most ovens I've been looking at have a grill at the top of the single / top double oven.

michaels wrote: »

We have two ovens on top of each other, a 'main' fan oven which we have never used and a combi fan oven/grill/microwave with a turntable which we use for pretty much everything.

Hmm, interesting. This all has to fit underneath the hob and I've got a standard manual microwave, so that arrangement may not be feasible.

Generali wrote: »

I've been on decaf Yorkshire Tea. It's not bad actually if you exclude the insomnia and violently upset stomach.

I don't drink caffeine but prefer PG Tips decaff (I love a strong builder's tea, one you can stand the spoon up in, and PG Tips is even better than Yorkshire tea for this!!)

Hope the rest of the symptoms subside really quickly, Gen. Anxiety can have real impact, I know.

Generali

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Will need to replace built-in single electric fan oven at some point in the not-too-distant future. The current one uses a 13A plug.

The vast majority of replacement ovens now require hardwiring.

I know I'll have to get a sparky in to quote for a new circuit from the fuse box through the washing machine understair cupboard, a wall and the kitchen cabinets to the rear (?) of the oven recess.

However, assuming that the cost and impact isn't too great, then I suppose the world is my oyster as regards replacement oven.

I could go for a straight replacement oven which just slots in. Or a double oven, which would require extra carpentry work to enlarge the recess.

Most of my cooking involves a large casserole dish but would like to do some baking. It's just me most of the time.

What are NPs' thoughts about oven selection? What things would you look out for in a new oven, and what would you consider a gimmick?

I'd love a light and a programmable timer.

No present plans to replace the gas hob, unless there's a particular reason I don't know about which makes it a good idea to do it at the same time?

If it's just for you I'd consider getting a Remoska as well as a standard single oven with the features you want.

I've found that the more expensive ovens tend to have more accurate temperature and if you bake that can be important. Miele ovens are fantastic if you can stretch to them. Otherwise Zanussi/Electrolux products tend to offer plenty of bang for the buck.

If you can't stretch to that then those ovens from Wicks/B&Q are fine. They aren't always accurate and I'd avoid the very cheapest as the build quality is poor so the outside can get hot and they break down a lot.

A Remoska is great for one or two people. Slow cookers are a good alternative too if you make a lot if stews. Both are cheap to buy, cheap to run and give great results.