There are so many options when it comes to most anything, and ovens are no different.  Here is a quick look at just a few of them:

• Gas vs. electric. Different than pretty much anything else, electric ovens are generally considered more efficient and better in the long run. However, they can be more expensive .

• Double ovens, wall ovens, etc. These options will generally be smaller than traditional ovens, but for some households traditional ovens are more than they need.

• Some ovens come with self-cleaning options. You should definitely take advantage of this option. Self-cleaning ovens will have better insulation, so they are generally more efficient. However, if you clean the oven too often, you negate the efficient benefit.

• Ovens come with appearance features, rack options, and various settings. You will just have to weed through all the options, and decide which ones would work best for your household.

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Well, we all have different capacity needs, so the first thing you need to do here is determine how large an oven you really need. I mean, do you cook/bake a lot? or do you do more just toasting bread? Don’t get a full-sized oven unless you really need it. When a small, counter top appliance works pretty much just as well, use that; those appliances tend to be more efficient, certainly more efficient than heating up the entire oven for a couple of pieces of bread!

I realize that for many households, counter top appliances won’t do. In this case, you still need to find out what size oven you need. Remember: need. If that need combines with your want, you’re in luck. It’s much more important to consider your needs over your desires. So, if you like and are looking at a built-in wall-mounted oven, remember that those ovens tend to be much smaller than the typical oven/range combo.

The main thing to remember is not to buy too little an oven for your needs. Don’t buy one too large either, but for sanity’s sake, it would be better to be stuck with an oven rather larger than you need than to have one you can hardly use because it’s too small.

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As I mentioned in the last post, Energy Star does not have a standard for ovens. There are a few things you can look for, and do, to help keep things efficient.

Electric ovens, believe it or not, are actually considered more efficient than gas ovens! Self-cleaning ovens are usually more efficient because they are insulated better. However, you will only save energy if you use it only two or three times a year. Convection ovens are also more efficient than convention alovens; if they work correctly, they will use a third less energy and save you time!

You can also do things yourself to increase efficiency… or at least decrease inefficiency. Don’t preheat the oven a long time before you actually use it; only leave it on as long as you absolutely need it. You can even turn the oven off a few minutes before what you’re cooking is completely done; this allows you to still take advantage of the oven while it’s not working to heat up. Leave room for the air to circulate freely. This cuts down on the cooking/baking time, and, as a result, uses less energy. Glass pans are another really good way to save energy. When you cook with glass or ceramic pans, you can decrease the temperature by as much as 25°!

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… for a new oven?

As with any major appliance, there are things to consider. Here are just a few of them; we’ll go into more detail later.

• Efficiency ~ There is currently no Energy Star label for ovens, but there are still some things to watch for to help you keep it efficient.

• Size ~ This can be quite an important consideration; you really don’t want to have an oven that’s too small for your needs.

• Options ~ There are really quite a few options for ovens: electric or gas? double? self-cleaning? etc.

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