Should you have a stove in your listing?

[Jenny]

Hi everyone!

Some of us love cooking while away travelling, making delicious foods with local produce, and some of us prefer to try local restaurants or bars.  It’s a highly individual choice!

Regardless of cooking ability, it can be important for some to have access to a stove when travelling, for hot drinks and for basic meals like breakfast eggs and bacon. On the other hand, depending on your property and the type of guests you usually receive, it might not be something you’ve considered including.  

I was curious to know what you all thought about having a stove in your listing. Do you believe it’s a key amenity? Or, from a guest perspective, do you prefer to stay at places which have a stove?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Jenny

[Huma0]

@Mark116 

Before I had weekly cleaners, cleaning the stove was the Bain of my life. I really don't know how they clean it so thoroughly in such a short time as it would take me ages. 

Now, I just give it a quick clean in between the cleaners visits, as needed. I learnt from them to forget about the expensive stove cleaning products and use washing up liquid/dish soap instead. It's the best thing for cutting through grease, as that's what it's designed for.

Still, if I have a guest or guests who are particularly messy when cooking, keeping the stove clean is still a major hassle. It drives me crazy when I have spent ages cleaning it and then someone comes home and straight away covers it in oil and sauce or whatever. I have had several guests who will start using it WHILE I am in the middle of cleaning it. Luckily most guests aren't like that. 

I have a range type stove/oven and damage wise, it's held up really well. One of the oven doors did get damaged, but that was by a previous cleaner, not a guest. I wonder why guests seem hell bent on destroying your stove...

[Ted307]

@Jenny 

We have a full size 50's style kitchen, it would not look right without a stove. We have a full size stove with an oven. Most people do not use the oven unless it is to reheat a pizza. I have a pizza pan in it so people do not just put their pizza on the rack, which is what I do sometimes! (That makes drips and burnt crust crumbs). We did have one guest who stayed at Thanksgivig and she cooked pies to take to her family's get together. I guess about half of our guests cook, even though I give them eggs, butter, muffins and juice.

Eating out all meals makes it too expensive to travel, and it is not very good for us, so when we travel we look for and book places with kitchen facilities. We have had pretty good guests, they leave their dishes in the drainer. Most are clean enough -- but I inspect the dishes while I put them away so that I do not get a bad review based on our guest's washing up skill!

Chris

[Fiona256]

I am providing self-catering accommodation, so a cooker is essential.

[Laura2592]

As a host my ideal ABB would have a kitchen of no kind whatsoever. Maybe I would relent and get a microwave. Maybe. IWhen I travel as a guest I don't cook. I don't vacation to prepare food, which is not something I enjoy. I want to explore the local cuisine and food offerings.

I realize that as an American I am in a very small minority. In my last listing we had a full kitchen with oven, cooktop, large sink, microwave, dishwasher and full size fridge. Our guests regularly asked about what kind of utensils/kitchen gadgets we supplied in addition to the basics, and I would respond honestly, that our space was perfect to prepare simple meals but that if very specialized items were needed, the guest should plan to bring their own.  When I got these types of inquiries I knew that clean up after the stay could be expected to take longer, especially when it came to surfaces and the inside of the oven. 

If I do Airbnb or another short term platform again, I will cut down on what I provide in the kitchen. I expect my kitchen will have an oven, as its standard in American homes. But if I had to build a new Airbnb I would supply a sink, small fridge, perhaps a microwave and a lot of take out and delivery menus.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Jenny 

I think the oven is may be considered a *basic* kitchen amenity for western homes, but not the case in Asia. Not many homes in Korea have an oven - even if we do have one, many times it's usually just a toaster oven or a convection oven microwave (2-in-1) combo. There are very few Korean dishes that require an oven and even for such recipes,  oven use is usually optional. 

On the other hand, in Korea, we would consider a rice cooker to be an absolute basic kitchen appliance. Most Koreans won't care about the presence of an oven, claiming to have a kitchen but not having a rice cooker would be the same as not having a fridge or a sink with running water. 

The definition of a "key amenity" would probably differ slightly depending on culture/country 🙂 

[Jenny]

That's a really good point, @Jessica-and-Henry0 🙂  I wonder if there's another discussion to start around what's considered a key amenity in different cultures!

[Huma0]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

I've hosted a lot of Asian guests, especially Chinese, and most of them do cook rice every day. I even had guests who were here for a very short stay who brought a full sized rice cooker with them!

I have a microwave rice cooker and it works really well, but most guests never use it. One of my current guests, who is Chinese and staying for several months as she's studying here, initially ignored my suggestion to use it, but since I suggested it again, saying, "Why don't you try the microwave rice cooker? It's really easy to use and easier to clean than pans as the rice doesn't stick?" she has used it every day since. It takes up far less room than a traditional plug in version.

I also had a Japanese guest who has stayed with me a couple of times. She had a mini microwave rice cooker that was perfect for cooking for one. She bought it at the equivalent of a dollar store. I meant to ask her if she could get one for me the second time she came, if it wasn't too much hassle, but forgot, but I will have a look on Amazon as I'm sure you can find them here. I mostly eat Asian food, so do cook rice very regularly too.

Anyway, my point is, for anyone who has a microwave and hosts a lot of Asian guests, I highly recommend it.

[Laurelle3]

@Jenny when we travelled overseas we always chose an Airbnb with a shared kitchen to save money by cooking our evening meal but we didn't use the oven, just the stove top for vegetables and fry our meat. In those days we were also given a light continental breakfast. 

Yes we do have a stove in our cottage and is advertised with a full kitchen. Even added a rice cooker last year after lending a family with mine, it has never been used since. 

We find most of our guests eat out unless they have children and the oven is only used to reheat pies and pizzas, so the oven is easy to clean.

[Ted307]

@Laurelle3 

I have been looking at those Instant Pot cookers, they are a combo of rice cooker, crock pot and pressure cooker. For me, though, I am not sure our guests could work it! We do not have very many out of state visitors, let alone someone who could not survive without a rice cooker. I would love to have some visitors from Taiwan again, we used to have exchange students when we lived in Seattle. They would come to our local college to learn English from us Natives!

Chris

[Huma0]

@Laurelle3 

I have found that, in general, short term guests who use the oven are cooking a supermarket pizza, or some other item that you just shove in the oven and don't have to prepare. So, that's usually people who don't like to cook, or can't be bothered to, while on holiday. I don't think it's a must though for very short stays, especially here in the UK where there is so much choice in terms of microwave meals (some are terrible but there are lots of quite decent ones).

Now I host only long term guests, the oven may be used for pre-made pizza, or for more complicated food and very occasionally making baked goods. A recent guest made a huge batch of cookies to take to a friend's party. I have had several guests who sign up to meal kit deliveries, such as Hellofresh or Gousto, because it's more convenient and I have great discount offers they can use, and that usually does require fairly frequent oven use.

[M199]

@Jenny 

A stove is a very key amenity. Guessing approximately, about 95% of our guests use the stove, fridge, microwave, kettle, coffee maker and toaster.  The 13ish aged daughter of my current family guests stated upon Meet and Greet "Wow, our last Airbnb didn't have a toaster"  LOL.

[Helen427]

@Jenny @M199 @Ted307 @Helen744 @Sandra957 
In New Zealand we tend to call them a Stove or an oven.

There's different terminology for them in different countries.

I personally have a stove with hot plates that also includes an oven.

There are various new appliances that are all in one and much smaller.

The smell of cooking must be addressed with where possible an Open Window.

The installation of Rangehoods over stove tops in existing premises where Asbestos has been known to be in, especially 1950s to Pre 1990's homes in New Zealand, as part of the Healthy Homes Projects, has caused a head-ache and health problems for those who live in close proximity.

Pre-existing ducting which has lain undisturbed for Donkey's years (a very long time) that is been used or moved to accommodate new Ventilation extractor fans which are very powerful cause disturbances to unknown substances including Asbestos, other Debris and Particulate Matters (PM) that in turn are dispersed into the air and give off poisonous toxins which in turn are inhaled by those passing by or in surrounding residences. 

We are passing this on as those considering installing such appliances need to be aware of the Public Health issues that may arise, in buildings of those eras and other occupants etc

[Ted307]

@Helen427 

The range hood fan is a great help to remove the cooking smells and also grease. You are right about the old duct work -- we needed to use all new, the old stuff was rusty and did not use fittings that we could get any more. It had been used for a wood stove, and reached the end of it's life ~50 years ago! The only thing we could re-use was the hole cut in the roof!

Chris

[Helen427]

Very important to factor into account Building Codes - at the time of building as to what is required under Laws and what is not, nor practicable or needed.

Sir Truby King  (Plunket ) in New Zealand introduced Open Air Windows a 100 or so years ago, and 1/5th of a room is required to have Natural Lighting and windows for sunshine and light.

This applies to all Residential, School and Commercial buildings from that era onwards. 

Some homes it was and still is legal to have Wood Stoves and the like.

They are great especially when there is Power outages in rural areas where Electricity Lines are more scant and from time to time damaged by Tornados, weather events or hit by vehicles.

@Jenny @Rejin0 @Ted307 @Helen744 @M199 @Huma1 @Paulo-Pascoal0 @Heath6 @Firez0 @The-Fireside0 @Kristoven0 @Eelco6 

[Ted307]

@Helen427 

It would have been legal to keep the wood stove in the kitchen. The chimney cleaner would not touch it, though! He wanted no part of it, in case he would be held liable here in the U.S.A.! Not to mention that our guests would not be able to work it! This old kitchen has great cross-ventilation with windows & doors on both North and South sides. The problem is that the guests will cook with everything closed when it is chilly in the mornings. The original inhabitants of this over 100-year old bunkhouse had an out house, and most likely ate at the larger house on the property, where we now live. This was probably a sleeping area only, with 3 rooms. In the 40's or 50's was probably when the kitchen was installed, from the look of the cabinets, counter, and sink. This was when the sewer was installed, according to our 78 year old neighbor and her 103 year old mom, who still live next door. She baby sat for the family of 5 who lived in this bunkhouse when she was a teen-ager. It was a different world, then!

Chris