Ilve's electric ovens come in four design families, so the first choice is often about looks. Nero models are finished in matt black or black glass. Roma keeps to satin stainless steel. Milano takes a more traditional line, in antique white, white, stainless steel, matt graphite, blue grey or burgundy red, with brass, chrome or antique brass trim. Panoramagic models pair black glass with stainless steel. All of them suit cooks who want an oven that is a design feature as well as a workhorse.

Width comes next. Standard 60 cm single ovens fit a regular housing and hold 65 to 69 litres gross. The 76 cm, 80 cm and 90 cm models hold 97 to 114 litres, which helps with large roasts or batch baking, as long as your kitchen has a wider housing to take them. Cleaning differs too. HYDRO models use hydrolytic cleaning, where water and heat loosen grime so you can wipe it away. PYRO models use pyrolytic cleaning, heating to a very high temperature to burn residue to ash. That is more thorough but takes longer and uses more energy. Other models rely on easy clean enamel. Most have a cooking probe, and many offer a dry or moist setting that controls humidity in the oven: dry for crisp roasting, moist to keep bread and meat tender. Some models also have telescopic shelves.

There are also two compact 60 cm types. The 37-litre pizza ovens reach 400°C for a pizzeria-style bake in a few minutes, and work as a normal fan oven once the deflectors are taken out. Ultracombi steam combi ovens, at 36 litres, add steam to fan and grill cooking. They take their water from a tank, so they need no plumbing, and they clean with steam.

To narrow it down, measure your housing width first. Then choose the design family that suits your kitchen, and decide whether hydrolytic or pyrolytic cleaning fits the way you cook. For the rest of the brand's appliances, browse All Ilve Products, or see Ilve refrigeration for its fridges.