Kitchen stove ~~~ nothing to do with apnea

[ephraimh]

we need a new stove -- GE, flat-top, self-cleaning ~~~> does anyone have any suggestions about models & so on to avoid? thx

[ChicagoGranny]

Some of the standard size ovens these days are not wide enough to fit two cookie sheets side by side. Check the width and make sure it fits your intended use. Of course it also has to fit in the space you have in the kitchen.

[xenablue]

I have a GE Profile - white, ceramic cooktop, all electric. I was primarily looking for a range where all the controls are in the front. It never makes sense to me that you have reach over steaming or spitting food to adjust the controls.

My kitchen is set up for gas and electric so I wasn't too picky, although prefer a gas oven, but as long as it was white and the controls were in the front I was open to anything.

The Profile was a floor model, going very cheap - it was white and had the controls in the front. I wouldn't change a thing about this range, although don't allow your spouse to rest their knee on the cooktop when rehanging a blind on the window behind the stove..... the tops are almost $400 to replace!

Cheers,
xena

[midnight_skulker]

We recently replaced a 29 year old 27" GE slide-in electric range with a 30" Maytag, self-cleaning, double-oven, freestanding elecric range..

Had to cut out the cabinet so the new stove would fit. From our shopping it appears that 30" is now the "standard" size.
Also, freestanding stoves are much cheaper than slide-in or drop-in stoves with the same features.

We bought a black model with a ceramic top. We wanted the controls at the back of the stove so that little hands cannot reach. Also, the back stop was extra cost with the slide-in/drop-in stoves but is included with freestanding models. Cookie sheets come in different sizes. Haven't tried two of ours side-by-side in the same oven, but we do have two ovens.

We bought the regular oven model rather than the convection oven, because we have a countertop toaster oven with the convection feature that we never use.

[BlackSpinner]

we need a new stove -- GE, flat-top, self-cleaning ~~~> does anyone have any suggestions about models & so on to avoid? thx

Sit down and list the current uses of the stove. If all the oven is used for is frozen pizzas and a yearly turkey then consider the size it will take up. Consider that that turkey will cook faster and taste better done in a $50 Hamilton Beach turkey roaster. Then think of your use of the stove top and where you want the knobs to be - NOT at the rear of the stove where you have to reach through a grease fire to turn off the burner! Front knobs have kid safety features too without endangering the cook.
Glass flat tops show every finger print and so does stainless steel.

[chunkyfrog]

They love to put those knobs on the backsplash--for "safety", they say;
but front controls are available on the drop in models--for double the bucks.
Short people like them up front--and they make us pay for it!
I invested in a roaster oven, instead of the once a year second oven.
The roaster is portable, too.

[johnthomasmacdonald]

we never use the oven so when i redid the kitchen ( we have a REALLY small kitchen in a cabin here that was our summer cottage when i was a kid - more like a trailer home ) I skipped an oven and just got the two top burners which i mounted on the countertop next to the sink ( you can get 4 or 5 burners but again, I never use more than two burners at a time) - electric, the previous oven was a 220 so we had the line. I then just got a countertop oven which is way more than we need ( but then I'm a vegan so i'm never cooking a turkey or anything like that but i did have to make sure i could fit a pizza in there )

[chunkyfrog]

We bought a drop-in with 4 burners. Hubby built a corner, insulated cabinet for it--custom height.
(I said I was short) --he's so handy!

[BlackSpinner]

They love to put those knobs on the backsplash--for "safety", they say;
but front controls are available on the drop in models--for double the bucks.
Short people like them up front--and they make us pay for it!
I invested in a roaster oven, instead of the once a year second oven.
The roaster is portable, too.

Those roaster ovens are great and much easier to clean too. Just shove them in the basement when not in use. They make super cheese cake too. I lived a two burner hot plate and a roaster oven for over a year and fed 6-8 people dinner too.
On my current stove I never use the two back burners, they work but ...

When I went hunting for a stove once and insisted on front knobs the salesman said that people who had had stove fires always insisted on front knobs - and yes I had to pay $100 extra.

[Janknitz]

We just had to buy a new stove rather emergently after 20 years--the week before Thanksgiving. I LOVE my new stove!

Suggestions:
Make the basic decisions--gas, electric, ceramic top? Self-cleaning oven? Warming drawer? 4 or 5 burners? Once you know that, you know what you are looking for. (We chose 5 burner gas, self-cleaning oven--important because of my asthma I can't use oven cleaners--and a warming drawer). Beware there's a self-cleaning technology called "aqua something or other". Consumer Reports says that it requires you to pour in water which steams the oven and does a lousy job on everything but the very bottom floor of the oven.

We went to Sears because they have a lot of moderately priced brands and options. Don't hesitate to ask about sales. Our salesperson told us about a "Friends and Family" sale that was coming up--these are held quarterly on a Sunday evening. That meant that in addition to the usual sale prices (and our model went down about $80 on the regular sale price) you get an ADDITIONAL 10% off. Plus, because we "allowed" her to email an invitation to the Friends and Family sale, we got an additional $50 off coupon. This added up to a tidy little savings for us. (And, while we were there, we decided to replace our 20 year old fridge too, because it was only a matter of time).

BTW, almost all the stoves we saw had the knobs on the front. Our kids are older so I'm not concerned. And the burners have so many BTU's that they really flame high when you light them--I would NOT want to be reaching over the burner to the back of the stove to do this!

[chunkyfrog]

As a rule, front knobs are a lot easier to get on a gas range than on electric.

[BlackSpinner]

BTW, almost all the stoves we saw had the knobs on the front. Our kids are older so I'm not concerned. And the burners have so many BTU's that they really flame high when you light them--I would NOT want to be reaching over the burner to the back of the stove to do this!

All gas stoves I have seen have them on the front or down the side. Only electric stoves make you reach through steam and fire to reach the knobs.

[chunkyfrog]

A boy we knew had a huge keloid inside his elbow joint--limited motion a lot.
He got burned reaching for something up on the counter beyond the electric element.
(couldn't see it was on, and his sleeve ignited) Makes me cringe to remember.

[hobbs]

This, but with the 2-1/2" high back instead of the 8" shown.

[BlackSpinner]

(couldn't see it was on,

This is a problem with a lot of glass top stoves - even with the warning lights and messages.

I spent several years cooking for large groups, trying to reach around big pots full of steaming soups and stews to adjust the temperature.