Choosing a New Gas Cooker

View the selection of Gas Cookers available from the Marine Shop

When the time comes to replace your cooker, there is a bewildering choice. None of the models are cheap and making the wrong choice could lead to years of frustration making do. Sadly it is so often the case that you select a cooker that is not exactly what you want because you are restricted by space or budget. There is never the simple answer to the question “which is the best cooker?” So what is the choice? What should you be looking for? And what features will you have to compromise over?

Check the system

Replacing the cooker is a good opportunity to give your gas installation a close examination. Components such as hoses and regulators have a finite lifespan and need replacing on a regular basis.

The hose to the cooker will often have to be replaced or relocated as fittings differ from unit to unit. If in any doubt about your gas installation, then employ the services of a competent CORGI-registered gas engineer. Take a look at a list of registered engineers.

Cooker space

Cookers are generally fitted by the boatbuilder and the space in the galley where they fit is restricted by other fitted furniture, so to change the size of your cooker could mean some radical carpentry. Marine cookers most commonly come in widths of either 450mm or 500mm. The European manufacturers such as Bavaria and Bénéteau fit a 500mm-wide cooker, while UK manufacturers such as Moody and Westerly fit a 450mm-cooker.

Common features

It is now a requirement that all cookers have flame supervision devices on all burners, so if the flame goes out the gas is automatically turned off. All the cookers reviewed have glass oven windows; they have three shelf positions but only one oven shelf and all have door locks. They all have grills – although some are more effective than others. Cookers with interior grills have a plate that deflects the escaping heat away from the control knobs. If these are not used the control knobs will become too hot to touch or in extreme cases melt. Some have ignition buttons, although in my experience they invariably fail and cause more annoyance than if they were not fitted in the first place. They all have a built-in fiddle and pan clamp system. Most cookers have an 8mm gas inlet located on the left hand side.

Length of service

There is no doubt that quality materials will last longer, but just because you spend more on a
cooker does not guarantee that the whole cooker will last forever. Often the same parts can be found on both entry-level and top-end cookers. These parts fail just as quickly, regardless how much you spend. As a rule, the more you spend, the better quality oven case you get – but the bits inside are all the same or similar.

Cookers at a Glance

Gas Cookers on Test

Which cooker is the best?

The answer to this is subjective as everyone wants different things from a cooker: they all boil water, but the need for piles of perfectly browned toast, or the ability to produce a full Sunday roast becomes very individual. All spares are available, but ones for SMEV can take a while. Having said that, for overall performance, quality, ease of service and installation, the SMEV is hard to beat and given no restrictions would be the one to choose. But there are other considerations such as size and budget. The SMEV is an odd size and not cheap, so if you are replacing a 450mm cooker it won’t fi t. The Neptune will and is a good all-rounder. Although not built with top quality materials, for the price it is exceptional.

View the selection of Gas Cookers available from the Marine Shop