If you’ve ever wondered whether a bespoke oven and hob is worth the eye-watering spend, you’re not alone. For most of us, the kitchen is where ambition meets burnt edges and cold middles. But what if the oven did some of the thinking for you?
Chef Andrew Wong has just acquired his dream set-up with the help of Poggenpohl, but was it worth the dough? We get the low-down and his tips for seeking out the perfect hob and oven.
Is a bespoke oven worth the splurge?
FOODISM So, you’ve got quite a special oven set-up – what makes it stand out?
ANDREW WONG My new kitchen is bespoke built by German specialists Poggenpohl and the stove is a fully custom designed range, built with everyday cooking in mind but engineered to a really high spec. The whole layout is super ergonomic, very open-plan, and the extraction is incredible – there’s no overhead hood. Instead, it draws from the sides of the stove, so you don’t get hit in the face with steam or end up smelling like garlic and ginger for hours. The hob itself is a combination of induction and gas on the same range, which is amazing. You get the precision of induction for things like simmering or steaming, and then the high heat of gas if you’re using a wok. It’s really flexible. The induction is also smart – you can move the pan around, and it’ll adjust the temperature based on where it is.
F What made you go bespoke?
AW We were building the kitchen from scratch, so it made sense to create something that really worked for how our family lives. I wanted the kitchen to be the hub of the house – practical, but also a nice, convivial space to spend time in.
F What features do you love most?
AW First off, the range is massive. You can fit eight or nine pans on it easily. The wok section is brilliant – you can use a round-bottom wok or a flat pan and it works just as well. And we’ve got two oven units: one of them doubles as a microwave, and there’s also a warming drawer underneath. Honestly, that drawer is a lifesaver – you can keep everything hot at 60°C, so a roast dinner all comes together at the right time, without juggling five timers.
Andrew Wong's custom-designed oven
Drawers in Andrew Wong's custom-designed kitchen
F What do most people underestimate when buying an oven?
AW Definitely the size. People assume all ovens are basically the same, but they really aren’t. In a domestic kitchen, you’re not working with restaurant-level power, so you want something that heats up fast and is big enough to actually be useful. Our oven can preheat in two or three minutes.
F Are there any functions which set your oven apart from the bog-standard variety?
AW Quite a few! There’s a rotisserie function that turns automatically and works with a temperature probe, so the oven tells you when the meat is done. It’s self-cleaning – you just run a cycle and wipe away the ash with a damp cloth.
F What’s your golden rule for designing a dream kitchen?
AW The golden rule is to try to work out how much space you need. People often go overboard on appliances and forget about prep space. Try working in your existing kitchen and think: where do I wish I had more room? Would an extra worktop help? Is your oven too small? No chef I know is 100% happy with a kitchen they built six months later – but the more you test your needs in advance, the closer you’ll get.
F And the million-pound question: how much did it all cost?
AW I don’t know the exact figure for the oven, but the whole kitchen came to around £250,000. It’s the kind of thing that adds up fast and the next thing you know you’ve spent a quarter of a million pounds!
