What to Look for When Buying a Cooking Range

I’m still winding down from the chaos of the cookbook and figured now would be a perfect time to give you my review of our  Fisher and Paykel Professional Style Gas Range.   We put on a lot of miles on it these last few months while we were developing, testing and doing our photoshoots for the cookbook (which I can’t WAIT to share with you all for the record!).

Charles and I decided to build our dream home this last year, and of course the kitchen got more than it’s share of love!  Charles and I are both at our happiest when we’re in the kitchen, so having the right appliances that met our needs was super important to us.  We ended up working with Fisher and Paykel, which is a brand that originated from New Zealand with exceptional quality appliances for the whole house (laundry included, can’t wait to share it all with you!).

One of the MOST important parts of our house was our range.  This is where we laugh, drink wine, cook endless meals for our friends and family… it’s the heart of our kitchen.  Here was our must-have checklist that we developed before going shopping for a range:

• double ovens
• gas
• 6 or more burners
• easy to clean
• industrial/professional look
• old fashioned knobs (vs digital, we’re just not that techie)
• reliable and powerful
• budget friendly

When we were hunting around at Coast Appliances (highly recommend going there if you have one in your area, we worked with Rob Siddon at the Kelowna location and he was amazing!), this Fisher and Paykel appliances met ALL of our key criteria.

A few things that I LOVE about our Fisher and Paykel Professional Style Gas Range that really stand out includes:

Perfect Heat with Sealed Dual Flow Burners™ that delivers fast boiling right down to a gentle 140°F full surface simmer (on all 8 burners…yahoo!).

Halo-illuminated cooktop dials that gives you control and clear indication of which burner is on (priceless when little Max is flying through the kitchen messing with everything within his reach!).  The dials are so easy to use and virtually indestructible.

Cooking Flexibility of the oven capacity with maximum usable space – large enough to hold full size baking sheets or a 20lb turkey.  The side oven is amazing for cooking side dishes or even a lasagne as it fits a 9×13″ pan!

Of course everyone’s needs are different!  One thing that is nice about the Fisher and Paykel brand is that they carry a few different range options to cater to everyone’s taste ranging from contemporary sleek to a more professional kitchen style.  Here are some considerations when looking to invest in your own range:

1. Fuel Type: Gas vs Electric.  We actually ended up putting one of each in our house given the amount that we cook and bake: I know it seems over the top but we get SO much use out of them!  The electric oven is a wall oven that is in our pantry and is used for baking (dryer heat) while the gas oven in the range is used for everything else (moister heat).  I’m so grateful I get to have both of them.
2. Size and Style:  There are so many styles to choose from: fully integrated, counter depth size, classic heritage style vs. contemporary sleek style vs. professional kitchen style.  Find the one that fits your style as a range is a very focal point of the kitchen that really stands out!
3. Burner Quantity and Style: We opted for the 8 burner Fisher and Paykel Professional Style Gas Range with a removable grill option that can be taken out when needed (we use the extra burners more often but the grill option is amazing for those busy brunches).  Think about how often you’ll be entertaining and how many dishes you’ll be preparing at any given time.
4. Ease of Control: To me there is nothing worse than trying to multi-task when cooking and having to fiddle with finicky knobs and electronic buttons (especially when my hands are often covered in food, I’m a messy cook).  Call me old-fashioned but I like the straight forward knobs, no touch buttons or fluff.  Of course, to each his own but I also like the fact that manual dials means less to go wrong!
5. Power: Having enough heat when you need it is invaluable!  This was one of the selling features for us with the Fisher and Paykel line, and let me tell you there’s no lack of power, it took some getting used to as I had been using an ancient electric cooktop in our pre-renovated house that we basically had to smack to work properly.  A definite upgrade!
6. Budget: Of course this is a consideration that most of us have to factor in!  I realized how much of a range there was (pardon the pun) in prices when shopping around for a range, and the Fisher and Paykel brand delivers an exceptional product for the value.  We’ve been so so impressed!

We ended up using the Fisher and Paykel hood fan (it’s a big range and needs a powerful hood fan!) and integrating it into our kitchen cabinets (Norelco did SUCH a good job!). It all turned out so much better than we could have planned!

I hope this helps if you’re on the hunt for a new range, please feel free to ask any questions below of course!

This post was sponsored by Fisher and Paykel. All opinions are my own and very genuinely reflect my opinion of the appliances!

 Photography by Sharla Pike Photography