Need a New Stove/Oven - Suggestions Please

[Evergreen State Sue]

My oven seems to be going out.  I preheat to a certain temp, put my dish in, set the timer, then several minutes later I'll look and the timer is blinking and the oven is turned off.  It's frustrating because I don't know exactly when it turned off to know how much longer to cook my dish.  Anyway . . . we've had good threads on dishwashers and washers & dryers.  I'd love your opinion on an electric stove/oven.  I don't know anything about convection ovens and I'm afraid I'd have learn how to cook all over again to adjust recipes. 

 

Any suggestions?  Thanks!

[Evergreen State Sue]

Isn't it almost dinnertime or somebody just finished dinner?  Surely you can tell me how much you love your stove/oven or how much you hate it! 

 

For example, the oven I need to replace is an Amana at least 10 years old.  The broiler unit is not very wide and goes front to back - really hard to broil something.  I never thought to look at it when I picked the oven out.  Also, I have to hold the timer button down to set the timer and it takes forever to get to 10 minutes before it starts tripping the numbers faster.  It would have been must faster to key in the time.  I do like my smooth glass top though. 

[AmandaVT]

We've been happy with our GE - replaced it about 5 years ago. It's a gas stove though I'm sure their electric are just as good! 

 

Very similar to this one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-31-in-Free-Standing-Gas-Range-in-Black-JGBS60DEKBB/206943060

 

I love to cook, but didn't see the need to pay for all sorts of fancy bells and whistles. I just want it to cook things. :-) So far it's doing a great job with it!

[Truscifi]

I have a Samsung smooth top range/convection oven. I didn't find the adjustment to convection to be difficult. It does tend to cook food faster, so I always check the food about 10-15 minutes earlier than the recipe calls for. It might be a bigger difference for very large roasts. The main thing I love is the built-in temperature probe that beeps when the meat hits the desired temp. My family likes most meats rare and I always used to overcook them. Not anymore!

[enchantedhome]

We have a GE Cafe range and it's fantastic! No problems in the 3 years we've had it, it warms up quickly, and it's pretty to look at:) It's a gas/electric combo.

[KungFuPanda]

I got one of those electric stoves that have two ovens. It has a full-sized and half-sized oven and I use the small one most of the time. I use them both together more than I ever thought I would. I've never figured out the convection thing, so I just never choose "convect bake." I'm not much of a baker, so I just don't know what I'm missing.

 

The drawback is that I had to get used to cooking on a glass-topped stove. I think it's ruining some of my pots. Mine's a maytag.

Edited September 2, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[Evergreen State Sue]

For some reason it didn't like when I "Liked" the responses above.  Thank you so much for giving my your reviews of your ovens. 

[ktgrok]

I have a fairly cheap oven, not even sure what brand, but I LOVE the convection feature. I only use it when I want to, you don't always use it. It does greatly speed up certain things, like roasting veggies, or cooking bacon in the oven. I do not use it and it isn't recommended to use it when baking pies/cakes/cookies/etc. 

[KungFuPanda]

I have a fairly cheap oven, not even sure what brand, but I LOVE the convection feature. I only use it when I want to, you don't always use it. It does greatly speed up certain things, like roasting veggies, or cooking bacon in the oven. I do not use it and it isn't recommended to use it when baking pies/cakes/cookies/etc.

Wait. WHAT? Those are useful applications! I thought the convection feature was for the pastry chefs out there so I ignored it.

[ktgrok]

Wait. WHAT? Those are useful applications! I thought the convection feature was for the pastry chefs out there so I ignored it.

LOL! No! Not good for pastry, is my understanding. I use it for other stuff all the time. Expect to EITHER reduce temperature by 25 degrees (what my stove tells me to do and I'm sure the better way) OR about 10-15 minutes (what I often do). 

[gardenmom5]

dh's dream oven is a 60" thermadore . . . since that wasn't in our budget,

 

I bought a dual fuel GE.  when I purchased it, both front burners had high btus.  it also has a warming drawer, but I don't use it as much as I thought I would.  I think the cafe is similar, but not sure.  the oven is larger than most standard 30" ranges.  has three racks and convection.   I have the grates that go across the stop - which is very nice, and I'd never do a gas cooktop that didn't.

 

one advantage is we can cook on the stove when the power is out. we've had a few times over the years we've lost power for a week.  (in the MIDDLE of the city)

 

eta: I love the control of gas for a cooktop.

Edited September 2, 2016 by gardenmom5

[Guest]

We specifically looked for and got a gas range without an electronic panel and are very happy we did. Most of the failure is in that durned panel and the cost to replace it is early the cost of a new range/stove/oven.

 

We got the range at half price because the new models had square, not round, handles. :::eyeroll:::

 

Annnnd our microwave went out last week. Electronic panel failure. New panel: $285. New microwave: $280. Sheesh.

[Martha in GA]

Okay, I'll play. Something I DON'T like about my GE Profile is that the large back burner doesn't leave enough room for large pots -- my pots have scraped the paint off the back of the stove where the control panels are located. That is something I will definitely look at when it is time to replace what we have.

[Happy]

We replaced our wall oven a couple of years ago with a GE wall oven.

 

LOVE it! It just works like we want it to...and we cook a LOT.

 

We got ours at Lowe's and installed it ourselves.

[Baseball mom]

 the large back burner doesn't leave enough room for large pots -- my pots have scraped the paint off the back of the stove where the control panels are located.

 

So that is what caused the paint to scrape off the back of my stove.  I hadn't even thought about that!  

[Scarlett]

I got one of those electric stoves that have two ovens. It has a full-sized and half-sized oven and I use the small one most of the time. I use them both together more than I ever thought I would. I've never figured out the convection thing, so I just never choose "convect bake." I'm not much of a baker, so I just don't know what I'm missing.

 

The drawback is that I had to get used to cooking on a glass-topped stove. I think it's ruining some of my pots. Mine's a maytag.

I had this in the last house I lived in and I loved it. I also love the smooth top....just had one break after using them for 15 years. 3 in 3 different houses. But I know why mine current one broke....so I am not soured on smoothtops at all.

 

I have been making do without a stove top all summer. It is starting to,get old.

[KungFuPanda]

I had this in the last house I lived in and I loved it. I also love the smooth top....just had one break after using them for 15 years. 3 in 3 different houses. But I know why mine current one broke....so I am not soured on smoothtops at all.

 

I have been making do without a stove top all summer. It is starting to,get old.

I actually LOVE the smooth top because it gives me more counter space when I'm not cooking. However, a few of my pots are starting to separate at the bottom and I don't know if it's because of the way the stove heats or if that's just what happens when pots get 20+ years old. I also need to get a flat-bottomed canner :-/

[Scarlett]

I actually LOVE the smooth top because it gives me more counter space when I'm not cooking. However, a few of my pots are starting to separate at the bottom and I don't know if it's because of the way the stove heats or if that's just what happens when pots get 20+ years old. I also need to get a flat-bottomed canner :-/

I don't think your smooth top is causing that. It would,be more likely that certain pans would,ruin your smoothtops...but I have not had that problem either.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't think your smooth top is causing that. It would,be more likely that certain pans would,ruin your smoothtops...but I have not had that problem either.

I guess they've had a good run. We've had them about 22 years. I use cast iron on my glass top almost daily and it's holding up nicely. I never wanna go back to removing grates and drip pans and cleaning hills and valleys.

[Scarlett]

I guess they've had a good run. We've had them about 22 years. I use cast iron on my glass top almost daily and it's holding up nicely. I never wanna go back to removing grates and drip pans and cleaning hills and valleys.

Yes 22 years is a good run. I have a set of stainless I have had for 30 years. I love that set.

[Carol in Cal.]

The only time I ever bought a stove was an antique at a garage sale that was an improvement over the antique I already had.  I installed it myself, the first time I ever did any plumbing of natural gas.  I tested it thoroughly for leaks.  Then I left the house and went for a walk for an hour, and when I came back I sniffed the air very carefully before going inside, LOL.

 

Anyway, what I love in a stove:

 

I now have a wall oven, up at our cabin, and it's amazing how much more likely I am to use an oven I can look straight into and not have to bend over to take very hot things out. 

 

The cabin also has a Jennair, and it's remarkable how good the fan is.  It pulls smells right down off the cooktop and they are GONE. I have never experienced that before, and now would look for that in stove. OTOH, it does nothing to control smells from the oven; but generally oven smells are good ones.

 

It also has a warming oven that is quite wide but not very deep--shaped like a drawer, and just below the counter.  I don't use it super often, but when I do it's extremely helpful.  One great thing is that it's under the island just next to the range, so I can take stuff off the stove, put it onto a platter, and drop it in the drawer.  Out of sight, out of mind, not in my way, and it stays warm.  I keep thinking I will use it cold as well, to get prepared cool to room temperature food out of the way of other prep, but keep forgetting to try that.

 

I wish I had two ovens-big and small--plus a warming oven.  There are lot of times when that would be handy.  I like being able to have roast beast going in the big oven and side dishes or rolls in the smaller one.  Baking is finicky in terms of drafts and humidity, and so I avoid doing it when I have a roast to cook also.  Plus my grandmother legendarily would make two legs of lamb for Big Family Parties, one in each oven; and that's always been kind of a gold standard for me, capacity wise.