There's nothing like hosting for the holidays that makes you increasingly aware of everything you're missing in your home and your kitchen. Prepping for cooking a Christmas dinner is no mean feat, and just writing down all of the timings will likely have you dreaming of a double oven.
And while it's too late to magic one in for the festive feast, it might have you thinking of some kitchen ideas and tweaks to make in the new year. However, squeezing all of the essential kitchen appliances and kitchen storage ideas into one room is already tough, so you might be weighing up whether an additional oven will be worth it.
To help you get to the bottom of this conundrum, I've enlisted the sage advice of a kitchen design expert. Whether you choose to indulge in a double oven set-up or find alternatives to make cooking for large parties easier, this will aid your decision.
Do you need a double oven?
A double oven feels like a luxury, and that's because it is. When you're planning a kitchen layout, it's often difficult to balance your large appliances with enough kitchen storage, as well as working in space for sociable seating. So a double oven might not be top of the agenda, unless you're blessed with an expansive space.
'A double oven is helpful at Christmas, but it is not essential. A second cavity gives you space for the turkey and trimmings to cook independently, which is why many households feel it takes the pressure off. It means you can keep one oven on a steady low heat for warming plates or keeping dishes hot, while using the other for roasting or baking,' explains Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport.
Aside from cooking for large events, a double oven can be useful for avid bakers, as you can use one oven for baking while keeping the other free for everyday cooking.
If you're a keen host who often finds themselves cooking multiple meals concurrently or has to cater for a lot of dietary requirements, it's safe to say a double oven might be the kitchen hero. But for most of us, the space might be better utilised for more storage.
'What people really need is enough capacity and flexibility to cook at different temperatures without slowing the meal down,' Richard adds. It's not the double oven itself which is the game-changer, but the ease it brings to cooking, which can be found through other means.
Alternatives to double ovens
'You can achieve the same ease with a well-planned single oven if you use its full functionality,' Richard explains. 'Modern full-size ovens have larger capacities than many people expect, and features such as telescopic shelves, steam-assist modes and rapid pre-heat make it easier to manage multiple dishes. Slow cookers, air fryers, combi-microwaves or a warming drawer can all take on parts of the workload too, freeing up the main oven for the dishes that really need it.'
Instead of jumping straight to adding an extra oven, think about how you can achieve the same ease through a smaller, more affordable (and less permanent) switch. A large dual-zone air fryer is perfect for cooking everyday meals and catering to different dietary requirements, and can be stashed away when you need extra worktop space back.
'A hostess trolley can also be a quiet hero at Christmas. Once dishes are cooked, the pressure often comes from keeping everything warm while you finish the final elements or carve the turkey. A trolley gives you a controlled, low-heat space to hold vegetables, sauces or extra trays without drying them out,' Richard adds.
My family have used a hostess trolley for big events for years, and it takes the pressure off finishing all of the components of a roast at the same time - truly, a Christmas miracle.
The two zones on this airfryer make it so easy to cook separate meals.
This Smeg countertop oven looks adorable and much more similar to an actual oven. Plus, it has 9 functions in 1.
If you're looking at replacing your oven, then opting for a model with dual zones will give you the benefits of a double oven without taking up as much space.
A double oven will be a kitchen lifesaver if you have the room, but don't worry if you don't - there are so many alternatives to make cooking run smoothly, you might just have to give up a little bit of worktop space.
