Raised oven

The raised oven is now an almost obvious solution in kitchen layouts, both classic and modern, at least in the pictures of different models shown in magazines as well as in showrooms.

One of the reasons that have made this a successful solution was the fact that it seems to be the most safe one in presence of very young children. The raised oven, in fact, does not expose them to the risk of accidental burns.
The risk is nowadays almost completely cleared, thanks to the new ovens with the so called cold glass device, due to the double or triple glazing.

It remains, in any case, the most practical solution because it avoids having to bend down for adjusting or removing the trays, and then it allows a better control during the stages of cooking. Cleaning operations are undoubtedly facilitated, too. This explains the reason for this success, to which I would also add the aesthetic factor.

Not always, though, you can repeat this solution at your own home, especially if the available space on the wall does not allow you to have a worktop which is large enough for an easy use. Do not forget, in fact, that this raised position of the oven necessarily involves the loss of space on the worktop itself.

Furthermore, it is well to keep into account the fact that this solution conditions in some way also the position of the hob, which is to place far from the side of the cabinet of at least 15 cm. Same goes for the sink, especially if it is built in a post-formed laminate worktop. In this case there would be too many surface discontinuities that would compromise optimal working of sealing materials in presence of liquids.

As concerns all these variables, absolutely not to be underestimated, there is to be considered, however, that the industry today makes more than one solution for oven cabinets available...

... just starting with the classic so-called high cabinet, which is connected with the upper line of the wall cabinets, high or low. It goes without saying that the column, also considering the height chosen for the baseboard, may reach 215 or 238 cm approx. In the case of high cabinet you will lose space on the worktop, but you'll gain extra room, since the upper part of the cabinet becomes a useful pantry, far more capacious than a wall unit, at equal height, as it is deeper (60 cm).

As concerns aesthetics, this solution attracts the presence of a cabinet of the same height, by arranging both cabinets side by side, or placing one at the beginning, the other at the end of layout. The twin cabinet could be either a pantry, or a built-in fridge. In this latter case, no fear to arrange the two cabinets side by side, thanks to the insulation of the fridge cabinet, and especially to the tangential cooling fan device of the new ovens, scheduled for the tall cabinet oven solutions.

There is then the low oven cabinet, which does not necessarily provides the aesthetic solution of the twin column. This choice precludes the convenience of having an extra pantry on the oven, but it could be a convenient height to place small appliances or the TV. Even in this case, however, this solution takes off space from worktop.

An alternative, in this sense, is the new low cabinet, produced by almost all companies, nowadays as a standard item. These are cabinets which provide a lower position of the oven, compared to the worktop, of a measure, to give an immediate idea, equal to one or two drawers. This allows to have the convenience of the raised oven, and at the same time it can take advantage of the shelf as a worktop during the preparation of food.

Like all intermediate solutions, it may seem a little more uncomfortable than the other two, but it is an excellent alternative in the case of absence of enough space on the worktop, without renouncing entirely to a raised oven, also considering the fact that the oven is not an appliance used very frequently if compared, for example, to a hob or a fridge.

arch. Raffaella Pierri