Taxonomy of cookers: Types of cookers that we fix

By heat source

Gas cookers use an open flame fuelled by natural gas or LPG. They give immediate, visible heat control and are the professional cook’s default. Subtypes include sealed burners, open burners, and wok burners with very high BTU output.

Electric cookers use resistive coil elements or radiant rings beneath a ceramic glass surface. Heat is less immediate than gas but very even, especially for baking.

Induction cookers use an electromagnetic field to heat the pan directly rather than a surface. They are the fastest, safest, and most energy-efficient option, but require ferrous (magnetic) cookware.

Solid fuel cookers — wood, coal, biomass, or peat — include traditional wood-burning stoves, AGA-style range cookers, and open-fire setups. They provide continuous ambient heat and are common in off-grid or rural settings.

Microwave / radiation cookers use microwave radiation to excite water molecules inside food. Often combined with convection or grill elements in modern “combination” units.

By size

By place of use

Home kitchen

The most varied category. Includes freestanding ranges (hob and oven in one unit), built-in hobs (set into a countertop with a separate built-under or eye-level oven), and countertop appliances. Key types: gas range, electric range, dual-fuel range, induction range, AGA-style range cooker, combination microwave oven, air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, multi-cooker (Instant Pot style), halogen oven, sous vide immersion circulator, steam oven.

Professional / commercial kitchen

Prioritises throughput, durability, and power. Key types: heavy-duty gas range (6–10 burners), wok range (ultra-high BTU), combi-steam oven (convection + steam in one), conveyor oven (continuous belt, common in pizzerias), deck oven (stone or steel decks for bread and pizza), rotisserie oven, blast chiller/speed oven, tilting braising pan, bain-marie, salamander grill.

Outdoor, garden, and camping

Portability and fuel type define this category. Key types: camping gas stove (single or double burner, canister or bottle gas), charcoal BBQ grill, gas BBQ grill, wood pellet grill, flat-top griddle/plancha, kamado (ceramic egg grill), offset smoker, rocket stove, open-fire cooking trivet/crane.

Off-grid and field

Designed for minimal infrastructure. Key types: solar cooker (parabolic reflector or box type), rocket stove (burns small sticks very efficiently), wood-gasifier stove (forced draft), biogas cooker (uses methane from organic waste), alcohol stove (ultralight backpacking), fire pit with grate.

Institutional and industrial

Large-scale batch cooking for hospitals, schools, military, and food production. Key types: floor-mounted combi oven, rack oven (holds multiple trays), steam-jacketed kettle (for soups and sauces in volume), tilting skillet, continuous conveyor fryer, tunnel oven (for mass bread baking).

By cooking method

• Dry heat (radiant/convection): Conventional oven, fan/convection oven, halogen oven, air fryer, tandoor
• Moist heat (steam/liquid): Pressure cooker, rice cooker, steam oven, slow cooker
• Direct contact heat: Griddle, plancha, contact grill, flat-top range
• Submerged / liquid medium: Deep fryer, sous vide bath
• Radiant / infrared: Salamander grill, infrared gas grill, broiler
• Combination: Combi-steam oven, multi-cooker, dual-fuel range

By fuel / energy type