After the cabinets, I think the oven, hob and hood are the next most important purchase for any kitchen…But, I might be wrong. As I recently learn, some places priority in refrigerator and microwave. Hahahaa… So, it really depends on your lifestyle. For me, I love to cook and bake. So, these 3 items are pretty important to me.
First thing you need to decide is what are your requirements for each of the items? Some might have higher need for the hob while others the oven or hood. So, it really depends on everyone’s individual needs. (e.g. if you have an open kitchen concept, then, you definitely need a really good hood. But, if you are planning to roast turkey, then, you will definitely need an oven which can fit the turkey in!!!)
I have dream of having a free standing oven / cooker since…. forever. I love how these standalone looks and also the capacity I get on the oven. As for the hob, I didn’t have much requirement except that it should have at least 3kW flame and a triple ring burner (Chinese cooking needs fire power! Hahaa..). The hood should have minimum suction of 1000m3/h. I didn’t need a super big suction hood as my kitchen is fully enclosed with window for ventilation.
The first free standing that I was so in love with are from SMEG. These are really beautifully made and it feels really solid. Unfortunately, the prices for one of these are crazy. I was quite keen to stick to my budget for the oven, hob and hood. After browsing around, I came across K’s blog (http://the-malaysia-project.blogspot.com/search/label/Oven). Her post on oven really helped to provide me with the stepping stone I needed with my freestanding cooker hunt. Hub was also glad that I got over my fixation on getting a SMEG. Hohoho…
After months of searching, I finally made my decision to grab the Delonghi freestanding oven cooker and hood during the HomeDec fair. The package price for the freestanding oven cooker, hood (inc. installation), delivery and a free 32cm frying pan was right below my budget too! Yay!!! (Got the picture from the Australian Delonghi website. You can check out the range they have there. The Malaysian model number is slightly different.)
A very important thing to check is the power source required by your appliances. Most of the heavy duty appliances like built-in ovens need higher electric capacity. No point getting your appliances in and then realized that you don’t have the right source! Save yourself the nightmare of hacking, re-wiring and patching. (It will be even more messy if your kitchen is TILED !!!)
Ta-Da, Chulet’s kitchen is finally done. 🙂 It’s exactly like the 3D sketch which I posted previously, except that I remove the top cabinet above the fridge. (Why?! because I have BIG plans for my fridge in future. Muahahaha !!!)
I love my freestanding oven so much. And, my kitchen island counter too…. (sighing in bliss…. )
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hi chulet i was wondering where did u buy the wooden stools for your island? was looking high n low for that. thanks in advance!
Hi Yumyum,
Thanks for liking those stools. I hunt for it high and low too. hahaha.
It’s actually in a small shop in PJ area… Are you staying around PJ?
Chulet, which small shop in pj? Thanks
Hi Wsoon,
I bought it from a shop call Warehouse by Vivencia. It’s nearby Fatty Crab… But, I’m not sure if they still have it as we got it almost 2++ years ago..
Have fun hunting. 🙂
thank you very much!
Hi
May I know where do you get your stand alone delonghi cooker?
Liz
Hi Liz,
I got it during the HomeDec expo from a company call Ferraz. They are located opposite the Kelana Jaya LRT station.
The deal was including installation but unfortunately when they deliver, my kitchen was still under reno. So, my contractor did the installation instead.
I’ve used this cooker very intensively for almost 2 years now (including the oven – baking, roasting and etc), so far, it is still functioning (cross my fingers).
But, I notice a loud motor background humming noise when I turn on my cooker now (just these 4-5 months), even when I’ve not turn the gas / oven on. Not sure what exactly is the problem (maybe something worn out).
Have fun shopping! 🙂
Hi Chulet, may I know your island height and length?
Hi Mitoyo,
I can’t really recall the exact dimensions…
but i think the length should be about 5ft x width 3ft.
As for the island height, it was built slightly higher than the other counters (i think maybe about 980mm?? … I think my kitchen counter was about 900mm?)
Normally your kitchen contractor should be able to advice you on this. It really depends on the height of the person using the kitchen as well. Good luck and have fun renovating
Hi Chuletz,
Just saw a De’longhi standalone cooker last week. Now I’m deciding whether to get it or buying the individual ones ( stove, over & microwave ). I love cooking and baking. So before deciding, i wish to get some opinions from someone who’s already using it.
Since it’s already been two years, what do u think of it now? Is it durable?
Hope to hear from u soon! 🙂
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for dropping by my blog. 🙂
Hm.. i think it’s really a personal choice. The good thing about getting separate gadgets would be you have the choice to upgrade any one of it individually later.
I always love standalone. hehe.. so, I am a bit biased towards them. I also like that the standalone oven is usually much bigger compare to those individual ones. I can roast a whole turkey and a lamb leg in the same oven !!! The con is because it’s so big, it seems like a waste of electricity when I’m only baking a small cake. ;p
But, I think standalone can only represents the stove n oven. Microwave .. . i’m not sure. Unless the newer models comes combine with it.
I’m not sure if i mention this previously… but, recently i’ve notice a humming noise whenever I turn on my standalone. It’s not really loud… but i’m not sure if anything it wrong with it. Everything still works just fine. Usually, if I only need to use the stove, I’ll turn it on to allow for the ignition of the gas. Once ignite, I turn off the standalone. That is the only biggest complaint I have for this standalone so far.
Have fun shopping. 🙂 And would be great to hear from you on your decision.
Hi there,
I m also in love with a standalone cooker, and came across Delongi and Flem. Since using it it close to 3 yrs now, what’s yr take on the quality of Delongi cooker. The one I saw was made in Italy. Specifically, my questions r:
1) Does the oven take a long time to heat up? Why abt electricity consumption?
2) I read some reviews that even with 2 panel glazed doors, the oven can get quite hot. This is especially inconvenient when u need to use the stove to cook at the same time. Is that an issue for u?
3) do d switches for the stove get hot when the oven is in use?
4) how is the sales after service for Delongi? Is it easy to get it fixed, find replacement parts?
Thanks for ur time 🙂
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for dropping by my blog. 🙂
Yes – i love my freestanding cooker alot. I think all the Delonghi freestanding says made in italy. But, I would take it with a pinch of salt. ;p SOME of the items like the heater system or etc might be made in Italy.. but the rest is probably from china. hahaha. I’m a cynical person. Anyway, to get back to your questions
1) Hmmm… Never really consider this part. Usually, I pre-heat the oven in advance before using it. So, if I’m baking a cake, I’ll start up the oven first and then start doing the weighting, mixing and whisking. So, it has never really been an issue to me. Usually by the time I finish doing all that, the oven is pretty hot. IF you really want to heat it up fast, I guess you can crank up the heat and use the fan option before turning it down when you are using it. Electricity consumption should be ok i think. I don’t have the exact idea since I use my oven pretty much often and never really study the effect on the bills (since hubby never rave about it. ;p, i guess it should not be too over the roof)
2) yeah. the oven does get very hot especially if you use it for a long time. I never had the problem using the oven and the stove to cook at the same time. In fact, I do that most of the time. I’ll probably be roasting the vege and lamb in the oven while using the stove to make pasta sauce and boil pasta. The longest I have tried using both at the same time was during last last Christmas… I think I was using it for at least 5 hours non stop. And, the knobs did get REALLY really hot.
3) The knobs gets a little hot if you are using the oven. but, not so hot till I can’t touch it with my bare hand.
4) After sales service… never used it get so far. 😉 So, I can’t comment on that. (at least you know it can last at least 3 years with no problem. And I’m a heavy Oven/Cooker user. LOL)
BTW, if budget is not a problem. You should check out SMEG! Another brand I really like is Ariston.
Have fun shopping…