Kitchen & Cooking Buying Guide

The first and more important requirement to bear in mind when buying an oven is the size. Make sure you measure your kitchen cavity and compare it against the dimensions of the product before you purchase.

Thanks to advances in technology, today's gas ovens deliver precise, even temperatures that are perfect for baking, roasting and more. Gas ovens produce a moist heat which is ideal for cooking succulent roast meat and deliciously rich puddings. Additionally, gas is an economical and environmentally-friendly energy source.

Steam ovens make it easy to prepare low-fat, nutritionally rich food. It's been proven that you can retain the highest nutritional content of vegetables through steaming (compared with boiling or frying). And because steaming cooks food without drying it out, you don't need to drown it in fats or oils to retain the moisture. As an additional benefit, steam ovens are easy to keep clean - as you don't get that 'baked-on' effect you tend to get with conventional ovens.

An upright oven combines a cooktop and an oven (and sometimes also a grill) in the one appliance. Upright ovens are available in electric, gas, and you can also get dual fuel models which combine an electric oven with a gas cooktop. Most upright ovens are designed to widths ranging from 60cm, 70cm, 90cm and 110cm. These upright ovens are also available in an array of finishes, including the classic white, black or stainless steel.

Once again, we urge you to measure the space available in your kitchen before you buy a new cooktop. Cooktops come in various different shapes and sizes, so please double check there is enough room. And if you need to have your new cooktop professionally installed, Appliances Online can arrange installation with our very own Winning Services fully qualified installers. To get your appliance installed exactly how you want it, contact us on 1300 020 020 to arrange a time.

Gas cooktops are a fantastic choice because they're extremely powerful and they respond instantly to heat adjustments. Gas also provides an economical alternative to electricity. If you love cooking Asian-inspired meals, look for a gas cooktop with a specialised wok burner.

There are two types of electric cooktops on the market: solid and ceramic. Solid electric cooktops feature an exposed metal element that (in most cases) glows red to provide a visual indicator that it's switched on. These cooktops are easy to use and are also the cheapest of the lot.

Ceramic electric cooktops feature a stylish flat glass surface that is easy to wipe clean. The glass is reinforced to prevent scratching and cracking, however, you will still need to be careful not to drop heavy pots and pans onto the surface.

In the same way that steel and iron objects stick to magnetic surfaces, stainless steel, and cast iron pots react with induction cooktops to create heat. Instead of transferring heat from the element to the pot, heat is created within the pot itself - which makes induction cooking remarkably fast and energy efficient.

They are also incredibly safe. If you remove the pot from the cooktop's surface, your induction cooktop will automatically switch off - which makes it impossible to accidentally leave the stove switched on.

However, you will still need to be careful not to scratch or crack the glass surface. Additionally, induction cooktops are not as convenient if you enjoy wok cooking - although you can buy a special wok adapter to get around this problem.

Appliances Online have a huge range of canopy rangehoods, slideout rangehoods, fixed rangehoods, under-cupboard rangehoods, and island rangehoods to choose from. Ultimately, your decision will come down to the amount of room you have in your kitchen, as well as where your cooktop is located. (An island cooktop, for instance, will require a canopy or an island rangehood). For help with your decision, please contact us on 1300 000 500. 

Appliances Online also have a range of stylish rangehood splashbacks to choose from, to keep your kitchen clean and presentable.

Appliances Online have the largest range of the world's best microwaves. We've got basic models that are perfect for quickly heating up last night's dinner, as well as state-of-the-art stainless steel models that allow you to perform more complex cooking functions.

If you have a small kitchen, a convection microwave is a great solution as it performs all the same functions as an ordinary microwave together with the ability to roast, grill and bake. You can use your convection microwave to quickly defrost meat - and you can also use it to roast meat and brown the cheese on the top of your pasta bake. Nifty!

Finally, our range of food waste disposers will provide an easy and environmentally-friendly solution to the problem of food scraps. Designed to be installed in your sink (professional installation by a licensed tradesman is recommended), a food waste disposer will safely grind food scraps into a fine paste which can then be washed away. This is much better than throwing your food scraps in the bin because it helps to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in the landfill.