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Not a purchase I've given much thought to (Moderated by Deepika, EleanorSews)
Posted on: 3/9/17 8:41 PM ET
The motherboard (?) on our 20yo Kitchenaid ceramic cooktop/oven has gone out, and our home warranty people are going to replace it. I don't yet know what they'll budget for, but I'm gnashing my teeth over this b/c I have not given a lot of thought to what I do/don't want/like in an oven. It's not like my washing machine! If it doesn't have anything to do with sewing, I haven't given it much thought--Oh, well, except: Can I put a dyepot on it? Our last one never got hot enough to boil a big ol' pot of anything.
We are not big cooks. We own our home and have no plans to move, so we can pick what works for us/what we can afford, not what the next folks will want.
We don't care for the look of stainless steel.
This is the first oven I've ever picked for myself, and it will probably be another 15+ years before I get another one, so I want to like it.
We (very irresponsibly) use our cooktop as a work/prep surface, b/c we don't have enough usable counter space. The idea of induction burners appeals to me for this reason, but I don't know much about them, and have never worked with them before. Or how much they cost (are they even in my budget, whatever that is?).
I have twice lived in homes with two ovens, and loved the convenience. In the last 17 years, I've gotten pretty creative/inventive about organizing the prep of multiple dishes at once, so I guess this isn't really a necessary feature, as much as I did enjoy having the convenience during holidays. (We do a lot of prep in our microwave, honestly.)
We are going to be empty-nesters soon, so I don't know how our lives will change, although I doubt I will miraculously develop an interest in cooking! But certain concerns (pets who might jump up and put their paws on a hot stovetop) are no longer an issue, and may not be again for some time.
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Doing the pricing exercise I suggested to Han Panda, I feel like a $2,500 oven is way more than I am interested in; $1200 sounds reasonable for this first-ever purchase (that I don't really want to make, sigh); DH found a scratch & dent GE model at Sears for $850/regular $1400--I'm almost ready to say, "Sold!" knowing absolutely nothing about it.
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So, dear PR friends, lend me your advice. How do I choose a new oven? Will the salesperson look at me strangely if I tell him I want to dye on it? (That would be a good reason to get black!) What features are worth the cost, what brands should we definitely stay away from?
Thank you!!
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We are not big cooks. We own our home and have no plans to move, so we can pick what works for us/what we can afford, not what the next folks will want.
We don't care for the look of stainless steel. This is the first oven I've ever picked for myself, and it will probably be another 15+ years before I get another one, so I want to like it.
We (very irresponsibly) use our cooktop as a work/prep surface, b/c we don't have enough usable counter space. The idea of induction burners appeals to me for this reason, but I don't know much about them, and have never worked with them before. Or how much they cost (are they even in my budget, whatever that is?).
I have twice lived in homes with two ovens, and loved the convenience. In the last 17 years, I've gotten pretty creative/inventive about organizing the prep of multiple dishes at once, so I guess this isn't really a necessary feature, as much as I did enjoy having the convenience during holidays. (We do a lot of prep in our microwave, honestly.)
We are going to be empty-nesters soon, so I don't know how our lives will change, although I doubt I will miraculously develop an interest in cooking! But certain concerns (pets who might jump up and put their paws on a hot stovetop) are no longer an issue, and may not be again for some time.
***
Doing the pricing exercise I suggested to Han Panda, I feel like a $2,500 oven is way more than I am interested in; $1200 sounds reasonable for this first-ever purchase (that I don't really want to make, sigh); DH found a scratch & dent GE model at Sears for $850/regular $1400--I'm almost ready to say, "Sold!" knowing absolutely nothing about it.

***
So, dear PR friends, lend me your advice. How do I choose a new oven? Will the salesperson look at me strangely if I tell him I want to dye on it? (That would be a good reason to get black!) What features are worth the cost, what brands should we definitely stay away from?
Thank you!!
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~Elizabeth in the prairie
More Plans than Sense
PR's Most Relentless Babbler 2024
More Plans than Sense
PR's Most Relentless Babbler 2024
Posted on: 3/9/17 9:06 PM ET
We just bought new appliances for our house. I let DH make the decision because he cooks, and he cares more than I do. I can't say that I am in love with what we have and we've only had the various components for 3 months but will just say to check how hot the oven gets. Many don't go above 500, so that can be limiting.
We have a portable induction cooktop and I absolutely love it. It heats so quickly, responds quickly, and doesn't hold heat once turned off so there's no need to worry about little fingers or paws on the counter. You have to use cookware that will conduct the heat (not aluminum) so that may mean new pans, but they're everywhere now. Generally, you have better control, which can be helpful depending on how you cook.
If you don't care about the finish or if the brands match, then my suggestion is to check Home Depot or Lowes and look at their floor samples. We've always saved a bundle that way. Costco is also into appliances now, and they have good customer service to back you up.
We have a portable induction cooktop and I absolutely love it. It heats so quickly, responds quickly, and doesn't hold heat once turned off so there's no need to worry about little fingers or paws on the counter. You have to use cookware that will conduct the heat (not aluminum) so that may mean new pans, but they're everywhere now. Generally, you have better control, which can be helpful depending on how you cook.
If you don't care about the finish or if the brands match, then my suggestion is to check Home Depot or Lowes and look at their floor samples. We've always saved a bundle that way. Costco is also into appliances now, and they have good customer service to back you up.
Posted on: 3/9/17 10:20 PM ET
In reply to stirwatersblue
Before my neighbors bought an induction cooktop, they bought a plug in induction burner to see if they liked it. They actually lent it to us while our kitchen was being remodeled, though we didn't use it much because only our cast iron pan worked with it. So if you can buy or borrow an induction single burner, that's a good way to see if you like it. My neighbors love their cooktop.
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Kim
Posted on: 3/9/17 10:38 PM ET
Most new ovens now are convection. I love ours; it cooks faster and retains moisture better. However, it has a fan that runs continuously while the oven is on, and for awhile after it's off, and this drives DH crazy.
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Mostly Babylock: Ellegante, Crescendo, Evolution, Ovation. Plus a Sailrite LSZ-1
Posted on: 3/9/17 10:43 PM ET
In reply to stirwatersblue
I've been cooking on an induction burner for about 3 years... the impetus was to play with the technology and also to put down a lower cooking surface for a wheelchair user... so a $70-80 induction hot plate on a tv tray table is what we're using. Kinda abandoned the very nice ceramic cook top on the Bosch range that I really only for big pans any more. (The little induction hot plate only takes pans up to about 10" in diameter.) But the induction burner heats very quickly, and gives off almost no radiant heat. The pan is hot after cooking, but the top of the burner I can put my hand on without more than "uncomfortably warm". We have a couple of
The Bosch oven is definitely the best one I've ever had for baking, despite being electric instead of gas. There's a lot of thermal mass and a lot of insulation, which gives very even baking without resorting to some of the make-do techniques I've done in the past, like loading the bottom of the oven with clay tiles. The cooktop isn't bad, it's just slower than the induction burner and a good pan, and it gets hot and stays hot. In fact, I badly burned my hands on the cooktop about 5 years ago. Had just taken a pan off and then turned and stepped on the dog, who was underfoot. To save the dog and me both, I put both hands flat on that hot (but turned off) cooktop surface. Not My Best Day Ever.
The other problem with the Bosch is that there are not many repair people willing to work on 'em. This one is about 13 years old and has never needed a repair, so I may be living with the current stove for a very long time...
If you'd like to try an induction hot plate, this is the one I currently have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMCAM2G/ Runs on standard 110/120V. It is much better than the first one we had because it has more settings, but it does not hold a simmer all that well on the temperature control setting. It's either a boil or a not-quite simmer. It mostly gets used with cast iron (though the bottom of the pan needs to be flat), but the induction-ready saucepans and frying pans are pretty easily available and easy to find -- I think our first official two stainless pans came from TJ Max. If one of those rubberized vinyl refrigerator magnets stick to the pans you've got, it's induction ready.
The Bosch oven is definitely the best one I've ever had for baking, despite being electric instead of gas. There's a lot of thermal mass and a lot of insulation, which gives very even baking without resorting to some of the make-do techniques I've done in the past, like loading the bottom of the oven with clay tiles. The cooktop isn't bad, it's just slower than the induction burner and a good pan, and it gets hot and stays hot. In fact, I badly burned my hands on the cooktop about 5 years ago. Had just taken a pan off and then turned and stepped on the dog, who was underfoot. To save the dog and me both, I put both hands flat on that hot (but turned off) cooktop surface. Not My Best Day Ever.

The other problem with the Bosch is that there are not many repair people willing to work on 'em. This one is about 13 years old and has never needed a repair, so I may be living with the current stove for a very long time...
If you'd like to try an induction hot plate, this is the one I currently have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMCAM2G/ Runs on standard 110/120V. It is much better than the first one we had because it has more settings, but it does not hold a simmer all that well on the temperature control setting. It's either a boil or a not-quite simmer. It mostly gets used with cast iron (though the bottom of the pan needs to be flat), but the induction-ready saucepans and frying pans are pretty easily available and easy to find -- I think our first official two stainless pans came from TJ Max. If one of those rubberized vinyl refrigerator magnets stick to the pans you've got, it's induction ready.
Posted on: 3/10/17 3:03 AM ET
In reply to stirwatersblue
Love my induction cook top. I have had it for over a year now love it it's like cooking with gas. Easy to keep clean and as we have limited bench space it helps there too.
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Wellington, NZ
Posted on: 3/10/17 8:13 AM ET
In reply to stirwatersblue
I love our induction cooktop. There are some past discussions on them here at PR.
Also the appliance forums at gardenweb.com,which is where I first discovered them and researched. Use the search function there, also. Induction is wonderful.
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Also the appliance forums at gardenweb.com,which is where I first discovered them and researched. Use the search function there, also. Induction is wonderful.
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iPad's auto-correct is my enema.
Posted on: 3/10/17 11:35 AM ET
We haven't heard yet from the warranty folks, but from poking around a bit, it looks like induction is well out of our price range/comfort zone. Ah, well. :)
We have noticed that a lot of stovetops have 5 burners, which I cannot imagine we would ever need. I typically use one--like, literally only ever. I'm accustomed to having four, of course, but when cooking for two people I can't imagine what I personally would ever need a fifth burner for.
Our current stovetop setup has one large/one small burner in the front and the back. Because we had so many dogs running around all these years, I got used to using the large burner in the back, but DH reminded me that a big dyepot will fit better in the front (b/c we have an above-range microwave that limits the size of things that will fit under it).
DH went to the neighbor's house last night to borrow his oven to make some muffins (for our elderly finicky dog), and two muffin pans would not fit in his oven in any configuration. That was an interesting insight. (A double oven would solve that. LOL)
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We have noticed that a lot of stovetops have 5 burners, which I cannot imagine we would ever need. I typically use one--like, literally only ever. I'm accustomed to having four, of course, but when cooking for two people I can't imagine what I personally would ever need a fifth burner for.
Our current stovetop setup has one large/one small burner in the front and the back. Because we had so many dogs running around all these years, I got used to using the large burner in the back, but DH reminded me that a big dyepot will fit better in the front (b/c we have an above-range microwave that limits the size of things that will fit under it).
DH went to the neighbor's house last night to borrow his oven to make some muffins (for our elderly finicky dog), and two muffin pans would not fit in his oven in any configuration. That was an interesting insight. (A double oven would solve that. LOL)
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~Elizabeth in the prairie
More Plans than Sense
PR's Most Relentless Babbler 2024
More Plans than Sense
PR's Most Relentless Babbler 2024
Posted on: 3/10/17 11:41 AM ET
In reply to stirwatersblue
I know it doesn't solve your stove/ oven problem, but have you thought about a microwave convection oven? It would give you the "double oven" capability. I have one and love it. My microwave convection oven is an above the range style also.
Posted on: 3/10/17 11:43 AM ET
We needed to replace or ancient stove in our lake house and DH picked it out as he's the cook in the house. We wound up with an LG which has a convection oven in it and a flat surface. I think it was around $500 delivered. And it's white which is my preferred color of appliances. And it is electric.
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So many projects, not enough time
At my house in VA:
Bernina Activa 220, Kaffe 475, B790
Singer 201-2, 221, BL Enlighten, BL Acclaim, BL Sashiko, BL Euphoria, Consew 75T, Tipton Boss
At my Lake House in PA:
"new" Bernina B570, Bernina 1010, Singer 503A, BL Evolution
http://sewingtechie.blogspot.com/
At my house in VA:
Bernina Activa 220, Kaffe 475, B790
Singer 201-2, 221, BL Enlighten, BL Acclaim, BL Sashiko, BL Euphoria, Consew 75T, Tipton Boss
At my Lake House in PA:
"new" Bernina B570, Bernina 1010, Singer 503A, BL Evolution
http://sewingtechie.blogspot.com/
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