Electric Cooker Buying Guide: Choosing the Right Hob, Oven and Size

A freestanding electric cooker is the workhorse of most British kitchens: one unit that slots between the units, plugs into a dedicated circuit, and gives you a hob on top and one or two ovens below. When you are choosing one, the electric cooker hob matters as much as the oven, because the type of hob decides how the cooker looks, how fast it heats, and how easy it is to keep clean. This guide walks through the decisions that actually change day-to-day cooking: the hob type, single versus double oven, the 50cm or 60cm size question, and the small details that separate a cooker you love from one you tolerate.

Start with the hob

The top of the cooker is where most people notice the difference first. There are three broad types of electric cooker hob.

Sealed plate (solid hotplate). The old-school cast metal discs. Cheap, tough and simple, but slow to heat and slow to cool, and fiddly to wipe around. You still find them on budget cookers and they suit anyone who wants the lowest price and does not mind the wait.

Ceramic. A single sheet of smooth black glass with heating zones marked underneath. This is the most common choice on mid-range electric cookers. It looks smart, wipes clean in seconds, and heats faster than solid plates. The trade-off is that it responds a little slowly when you turn the heat down, and the glass surface needs a bit of care to avoid scratches.

Induction. Also a glass surface, but it heats the pan directly through a magnetic field rather than warming the glass. It is far faster and more responsive than ceramic, and the surface stays cooler, but it costs more and needs induction-compatible pans. Freestanding cookers with induction hobs are less common and pricier; if that is the route you want, our induction range cooker guide covers what to expect.

If you are torn between fuel types altogether, our gas versus electric versus induction comparison lays out the running costs and cooking feel side by side.

Single oven or double oven

This is the decision people most often get wrong, then regret.

A double oven electric cooker gives you a smaller top cavity, which usually houses the grill and works as a handy second oven, plus a larger main oven below. It is genuinely useful: you can roast in the bottom while keeping plates warm or baking on a different setting up top. Most 60cm freestanding electric cookers are double ovens, and for family cooking they earn their keep.

A single oven cooker gives you one larger cavity and, on 50cm models, a separate grill compartment. It is simpler and often cheaper, and the single big space suits anyone who batch-cooks or roasts large joints and rarely needs two temperatures at once.

Be honest about how you cook. If you regularly have more than one dish on the go at different heats, a double oven is worth it. If you mostly cook one thing at a time, the single oven’s larger space is the better buy.

Get the size right: 50cm vs 60cm

Freestanding electric cookers come in two standard widths.

• 50cm suits smaller kitchens, flats and galley layouts. You get a four-zone hob and usually a single oven with a separate grill. Space is tighter but the footprint is forgiving.
• 60cm is the standard family size, matching a 600mm gap between units. It gives a roomier hob, bigger oven capacity, and almost always the double-oven layout.

Measure the gap in your run of units before you shop, and remember to check depth and height as well as width so the cooker sits flush with the worktop. Leave the small clearances the manufacturer specifies at the back and sides for heat.

Fan oven, conventional or multifunction

Inside the oven, the way heat moves matters.

A fan (convection) oven circulates hot air with a rear fan, cooking evenly on every shelf and usually letting you cook at a slightly lower temperature. It is the most practical everyday choice. A conventional oven heats from top and bottom elements without a fan, which gives a traditional bake with a hotter top and cooler bottom, good for some cakes and pastries. Multifunction ovens, found on better models, let you switch between fan, conventional, grill and combinations, giving the most flexibility for the money.

Most freestanding electric cookers use a fan main oven, which is what most cooks want. If you bake seriously, look for a multifunction model.

Energy rating and running costs

Electric cookers are rated for energy efficiency, and the label gives an indication of oven energy use. A better rating saves a little each year, though the bigger factor is how you cook: a fan oven at a lower temperature and using the smaller cavity of a double oven for small jobs both cut the electricity you burn. The UK government’s energy label guidance explains what the ratings mean in practice.

The details that separate good from average

Once you have settled the big questions, these are the things worth checking on the spec:

• Cleaning. Look for catalytic liners or a pyrolytic (self-cleaning) main oven if you hate scrubbing. Ceramic hobs wipe easily; solid plates do not.
• Grill. Check whether the grill is inside the top oven of a double, or a separate compartment. A dual-circuit grill lets you heat just half for smaller amounts.
• Controls. Simple knobs are reliable and easy to use with messy hands; touch controls look sleek but can be fiddly. A timer or programmable clock is genuinely useful for roasts.
• Shelves and capacity. More shelf positions and a larger litre capacity mean more flexibility. Check the oven fits your largest roasting tin.
• Colour and finish. White and black are cheapest and most available; stainless steel and colours cost more. A good cooker hood above it keeps the kitchen and the cooker cleaner.

Which cooker suits which kitchen

For most family kitchens, a 60cm double oven electric cooker with a ceramic hob and a fan main oven is the sensible sweet spot: affordable, easy to clean and flexible enough for everyday cooking. Reliable mainstream brands in this space include Hotpoint, Beko, Zanussi and Stoves, and one confirmed current example of the type is the Beko EDC6731W, a 60cm double-oven ceramic model.

Choose a 50cm single oven if space or budget is tight, and step up to an induction hob or a multifunction oven only if faster, more responsive cooking or serious baking justifies the extra cost. If you are weighing electric against gas or a statement range, our gas cooker buying guide and Rangemaster model guide are the next reads.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best type of electric cooker hob? For most kitchens a ceramic hob is the best all-round electric cooker hob: it heats faster than solid plates, wipes clean easily and looks smart. Induction is faster and more responsive but costs more and needs magnetic pans, while sealed solid plates are the cheapest but slowest to heat and hardest to clean around.

Is a double oven electric cooker better than a single oven? It depends how you cook. A double oven lets you run two cavities at different temperatures, which is genuinely useful for family meals, and it is the standard layout on 60cm cookers. A single oven gives one larger space that suits batch cooking and big roasts, and it is usually cheaper.

What size freestanding electric cooker do I need? Measure the gap in your units first. A 50cm cooker suits smaller kitchens and flats and usually has a single oven, while a 60cm cooker matches a standard 600mm gap, gives more hob and oven room, and almost always has a double oven. Check depth and height as well as width.

Are electric cookers expensive to run? Running cost depends more on how you cook than the model. Using a fan oven at a slightly lower temperature, cooking small items in the smaller cavity of a double oven, and choosing a cooker with a good energy rating all reduce the electricity used. Induction hobs are the most efficient hob type for heating pans quickly.

Do I need a special socket for an electric cooker? Most freestanding electric cookers need their own dedicated cooker circuit wired to a cooker control unit, not a standard 13-amp plug, because of the power the hob and ovens draw. Some compact models can be plug-fitted, but always check the rating plate and have a qualified electrician confirm your supply before installation.