The way you cook is also key to deciding which type of range cooker to choose. No-frills heat storage ranges such as Agas retain heat they have gradually built up and generally have two ovens without temperature controls - the hot oven is for roasting and baking, the cool one for slow cooking/keeping warm.

If you enjoy eastern cuisine, you can buy a speciality hob with a wok burner. Similarly if you are a BBQ fan, choose a BBQ grill. If you are left handed, go for front rather than right hand side controls as this eliminates the risk of reaching across the heat. If you cook for a large family, more than four rings may be useful, and if you have young children it may be worth considering paying a little extra for a hob guard or in the case of gas, choosing an automatic re-ignition or cut off device should the flame blow out.

Few summer pleasures are as much fun as a cookout. The smell of grilling food is mouth-watering, everything tastes great and it's hard not to have a good time - that is, unless you're the harried host running back and forth between the grill and the kitchen for the chicken and steak, forks and knives, beer and wine, and ketchup and mustard. And when everybody's done, all the leftovers must be lugged back inside.