Ovens & Cooktops

For an oven, compare the required opening with the cabinet and room for the door to open. For a cooktop, check cutout dimensions, worktop thickness and specified clearances, not just visible width. A professional must verify ventilation, electrical supply and, where applicable, gas and local requirements. Replacing an appliance with a similarly sized one does not establish installation compatibility.

• If oven and cooktop share controls, check that the combination is explicitly compatible; independent models do not require that same relationship.

Declared litres alone do not tell you whether a wide dish fits or two trays are manageable. Check usable internal dimensions, shelf positions and supplied accessories. Fan-assisted heat may support certain uses on several levels, but the documentation should specify conditions. Choose functions for real dishes: steam, grilling or special modes can require extra cookware, water or cleaning.

Induction requires compatible bases sized for each zone's detection; being metal is not enough. Check minimum and maximum dimensions and spacing between pans. Flexible zones do not mean the entire surface heats any shape. Radiant cooktops accept different combinations, but response and residual heat differ. With gas, consider pan-support stability, cookware dimensions and professionally verified supply compatibility.

• Check whether available power is shared between zones during simultaneous cooking; an intensive setting is not necessarily available on every zone at once.

Check readability and adjustment with cookware in position, plus how residual heat and locking are indicated. A lock does not replace supervision or make a hot surface cold. Compare consumption only across equivalent modes and methods.

Pyrolytic cleaning reaches high temperatures and requires the manufacturer's conditions, including removal of specified accessories. Other systems may need manual work. Consider access to seals, pan supports and trays, spare parts and service. Do not use incompatible cleaning products or alter connections. A suitable purchase leaves room to cook and clean with your usual utensils without relying on an exceptional feature for every meal.