230 V or 400 V oven – which one should you choose?

When you buy a professional oven, you will quickly encounter models for both 230 V and 400 V. However, voltage should usually not be the first thing you base your oven choice on.

Instead, start by finding out how big an oven you need and what it should be capable of. Afterward, you can investigate whether the kitchen's electrical installation is suitable for the oven. You can almost always have extra amps added; it is just a question of price.

When does a 230 V oven make sense?

230 V is especially common on smaller professional convection ovens and bake-off ovens. They can be a fine choice for smaller production volumes where there is no need for a large or very powerful oven.

Some choose 230 V out of necessity because 400 V is not available at the address. Others choose it simply because a smaller oven meets their needs.

The crucial factor, therefore, is not whether 400 V is "better." The crucial factor is whether the oven has the capacity and power the kitchen needs.

What is the advantage of 400 V?

When the oven's capacity and power requirements increase, 400 V usually becomes necessary.

A more powerful oven can, among other things, have more power available for heating and for recovering temperature when a cold, fully loaded oven is started.

It is therefore especially with larger professional ovens that one typically encounters 400 V.

However, that does not mean that a 400 V oven automatically cooks better than a 230 V oven. A smaller 230 V oven can be exactly right if the capacity matches the production needs.

Choose capacity first

When we help a customer choose an oven, we usually do not start with the question: "Do you have 230 V or 400 V?"

We first look at the production:

• What will the oven be used for?
• How much needs to be produced?
• How many GN pans or baking trays does the oven need to hold?
• How much capacity is needed during the busiest periods?

Once the necessary oven size is determined, we look at the power requirements.

If the right oven requires 400 V, the next question becomes whether the necessary power supply can be established.

"We have 400 V" is not always enough

One of the most common misconceptions is that all 400 V ovens can be connected as long as there is already a power socket in the kitchen.

It is not that simple.

Professional ovens are available with very different power consumption levels. Therefore, one must know both the voltage and the amperage for which the oven and the installation are rated.

In professional kitchens, we typically encounter installations and ovens around 16 A, 32 A, and 63 A, but the specific oven's data sheet must always be the starting point.

Therefore, an existing red CEE outlet does not in itself tell you whether the installation can handle the oven you want.

Don't know how many amps you have?

That is completely normal.

Many customers know they have 400 V in the kitchen, but not how much power is actually available on the relevant installation.

An electrician can examine this. If necessary, we can also help get the installation checked before the oven is ordered. Call 42613995 and book a technician.

It is better to get it clarified early than to discover on delivery day that the installation does not match the oven.

What about plugs and cables?

With us, the oven is prepared with a cable and plug that match the agreed-upon installation and the specific oven.

The customer's task is therefore primarily to ensure that the fixed electrical installation is ready as agreed.

If a fixed electrical installation needs to be established or changed, it must be performed by an authorized electrician.

Two ovens also require planning

If two ovens are to be stacked on top of each other, the power supply for both ovens must be considered from the start.

We usually install a separate plug for each oven. Therefore, the installation must be planned based on the power requirements of both models – not just the total size of the oven column.

Is 230 V or 400 V best?

Neither is inherently best.

If you only need a smaller oven for, for example, bake-off or simple cooking, a 230 V model may be sufficient. UNOX, for example, has smaller professional convection ovens at 230 V with a power of around 3 kW.

If you need larger capacity and more power, you will typically end up with a 400 V oven.

Therefore, our rule of thumb is:

First, find the oven that fits the production. Then check whether the kitchen's electrical installation can provide the power the oven requires.

If you are in doubt about size and capacity, you can also read our guide to what size commercial oven you should choose. You can see our selection of commercial ovens here.