Summer cooking often revolves around barbecues, garden gatherings and meals designed for sharing. While the outdoor grill may handle the burgers, skewers or steaks, much of the menu still comes together in the kitchen. 

This is where a range cooker can be particularly useful. Multiple oven cavities allow foods to cook at different temperatures, while specialist features such as fry tops, bridgeable induction zones and pizza settings can make preparing a varied summer menu much easier. 

From crisp barbecue sides and homemade breads to fruity desserts, here are some ways to make better use of your range cooker throughout the summer...

Roast Barbecue Sides in Separate Ovens

Roasted new potatoes, Mediterranean vegetables and baked side dishes are easy to prepare indoors while the barbecue is heating outside. However, these foods do not always require the same cooking temperature or timing.

The Rangemaster Estel Deluxe is well suited to this type of menu because its large multifunction oven offers eight cooking functions. These include the DUO setting, which combines fan-assisted cooking with base heat to direct additional heat towards the bottom of the cavity, helping to produce crisp pastry, well-browned roast potatoes and firmer pizza bases. 

Depending on the chosen configuration, the cooker can also include either a bread-proving drawer or a dedicated slow-cook cavity. The proving drawer provides a controlled environment for preparing bread dough, while the slow cook oven can be used for pulled pork, barbecue beans or meat that needs to cook gently over several hours. 

A separate flexi-grill provides four grilling heights, making it easier to position food closer to or farther away from the element. Halloumi, vegetable skewers and garlic bread can therefore be grilled without occupying the main oven. 

Bring Grilling Indoors

A sudden summer downpour does not necessarily mean abandoning the barbecue menu. A built-in griddle surface can recreate many outdoor cooking techniques from inside the kitchen. 

The ILVE Majestic 120 Fry Top + Induction has a semi-integrated fry top that can be used for anything from meat and seafood to vegetables and pancakes. Unlike an individual griddle pan, its broad cooking surface provides enough room to prepare several portions at once. 

Prawns, courgette ribbons and halloumi can be cooked directly on the fry top, while sauces and side dishes are prepared on the cooker's four gas burners and two induction zones. The induction areas are particularly useful for tasks that require quick temperature changes, such as bringing a pan of corn to the boil or gently reducing a dressing. 

ILVE's E3 oven controls allow the cooking temperature to be adjusted from 30°C to 300°C. Lower settings can be useful for proving dough or gently drying meringues, while the upper end of the range can help create crispy pizza bases. A rotisserie also provides another option for summer entertaining, allowing chicken or joints of meat to turn slowly as they cook. 

Bake Bread while Cooking the Rest of the Meal

Fresh focaccia, flatbreads and crusty loaves work particularly well alongside salads, antipasti and barbecue dishes. When preparing a larger meal, separate ovens allow bread to bake without disrupting the temperature needed for other food. 

The Lacanche Cluny Classic 100 has two 51-litre convection ovens, both of which include grills. One cavity can therefore be used for bread while the other handles roasted vegetables, a savoury tart or a tray of potatoes. 

Image Credit: Frank Tack

Because both ovens are convection, heated air is circulated around the cavity. This promotes more even baking, which is helpful when preparing focaccia, bread rolls or trays of pastry.

Above the ovens is a five-zone induction hob. Its controllable heat is useful for preparing toppings such as caramelised onions, warming olive oil with herbs or simmering a tomato sauce without an exposed flame adding further heat to the kitchen.

Prepare Tarts, Crispy Sides and Grilled Food Together

A summer lunch might include a vegetable tart, crisp potatoes, grilled fish and warm bread. Preparing all of these at once becomes easier when the cooker has several dedicated cavities. 

The Bertazzoni Professional 100 XG Induction uses a triple-cavity layout with a multifunction main oven, a secondary oven and a separate grill. 

The main oven has 11 cooking functions, including fan cooking, grilling and fast preheat. Fast preheat is useful when the oven is needed at short notice, while fan cooking distributes heat around the cavity for evenly baked tarts, traybakes and roasted vegetables.

The all new air-fry tray can be used with the relevant oven setting to circulate hot air around food. It is useful for crisping potato wedges, onion rings or cauliflower bites with less oil than traditional frying. 

The second oven has six static cooking functions and includes a rotisserie kit. This makes it possible to roast chicken in one cavity while baking a tart in another, leaving the dedicated grill available for some toasted ciabatta or fish fillets. The five-zone induction hob adds further space for sauces, pasta and vegetables.

Use a Dedicated Pizza Function

Homemade pizza is ideal for informal summer evenings, particularly when each person can choose their own toppings. Oven temperature and heat distribution are important, as the base needs to cook before the toppings become overdone. 

The DeLonghi Bassano 90 Twin Induction has a dedicated pizza function capable of reaching 300°C. The higher temperature helps the dough rise quickly and encourages a crispier base, particularly when used with a preheated pizza stone or metal tray.

Its 74-litre main oven offers 12 cooking functions, including fan, conventional, grill, leavening and Easy Steam. The 40°C leavening setting provides a warm environment for proving pizza or focaccia dough, while fast preheating reduces the time required to bring the cavity up to temperature. 

The five zone induction hob on top includes a bridging zone, allowing two areas to work together beneath larger cookware. This can be useful for a long griddle pan, fish pan or large roasting dish.

Bake Summer Desserts at the Right Temperature

Many seasonal desserts benefit from carefully directed heat. A fruit tart needs a crisp base, while a pavlova requires low, controlled heat and a crumble needs even browning across the top. 

The La Cornue CornuFé 110 has two separate electric convection ovens, one of which offers seven cooking modes. These include base heat only, a browning element and defrost. 

Base heat can be used towards the end of baking to help crisp the underside of a pastry case without adding too much colour to the top. The browning element is useful for finishing a crumble, while convection cooking promotes even heat distribution around cakes and traybakes. 

The two-oven format also allows sweet and savoury dishes to be separated. A berry tart could bake in one cavity while the second continues to cook the main meal, reducing the need to change temperature or wait for an oven to become available. 

Make Better Use of Every Cooking Area

The advantage of a range cooker is not simply its size. It is the ability to use separate cooking zones for different jobs.

During summer, this can make it easier to prepare a varied menu without relying entirely on the barbecue. Sides can roast indoors, dough can prove at a controlled temperature, desserts can bake separately and food can be kept moving even when the weather changes. 

From garden gatherings to relaxed family dinners, choosing the right functions can help a range cooker become one of the most useful parts of a summer kitchen.

Explore these models and more at Rangecookers.co.uk, with a wide selection of oven configurations, fuel types, sizes and finishes available - along with free standard delivery to mainland UK.