Ease of cleaning is well worth considering at the outset. Stay clean liners resist dirt build-up but pyrolitic cleaning is the ultimate. It burns off all baked-on debris at 500°C so that all you have to do is sweep out the resulting ash. Look out for ovens with a steam cleaning facility, too, and remember that some ovens have removable inner doors that are easy to clean.

In our opinion, the old fashioned box graters work the best since they are sturdy and offer several different grating sizes.

When baking, it is best to allow ingredients, such as eggs, butter, and milk, to become room temperature before mixing with other ingredients