OT-Help choosing new stove

Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.
Donna in NWOntario

In article , oldhag
writes
Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.

I love gas - I currently have an electric stove and I hate it. I like
being able to see whether the burners are on or off. I like being able
to turn a burner off and the heat stops instantly (especially when a pan
of milk is boiling over). I like being able to take the burner apart and
scrub it in the sink (especially when a pan of milk has boiled over).

I once had a double oven. That was fabulous. If I was only cooking a
single dish, I could save fuel by using the small oven. If I was cooking
a couple of things I could cook them in the big oven. I could cook heaps
and heaps of things by using both ovens, or best of all, I could cook 2
things at 2 different temperatures, both at the same time.

I hate stove designs that mean you have to reach over the burners to get
the controls. You're going to set fire to your clothes that way, or at
least dunk your sleeve in the soup. And how will you turn off the heat
when your chip-pan is on fire? I even once had a stove of this design
that the knobs had come loose - when you turned the heat up, the knob
would fall off and drop in a pan of hot fat. Deep-fried stove knob
anyone?

So my dream stove would be gas, it would have a double oven. It would
have knobs on the front that don't fall off. The ignition button would
work. It would have a timer, and glass doors on the oven. It would be
self-cleaning. And if I was tired, it would make dinner all by itself.
--
Mel Rimmer

Good question!

I think you'll get as many answers as if you asked which
sewing machine we prefer though. I have a gas stove top that
I really like, but my oven is electric, which I prefer. My
SIL loves her gas oven, but I have friends who absolutly
hate theirs. My MIL just got a convection oven and loves it;
she bakes a lot and no longer has hot spots on her pies, etc
(but then she used to have the bare-bones electric model, so
her new top-of-the-line oven is like going from a GEO to a
Ferrari)

I do know that if I were to get another stove top I'd pick
one with decent controls. Sounds lame, but the four controls
are along the side, which drives me nuts because I can't
tell at a glance which button is for which burner--I'd
prefer a square pattern like the burners. Also, my stove has
only one large burner, two small, and a "simmer" burner--I
absolutely hate that stupid simmer burner! I'd rather have
two large burners, plus the burners are right behind each
other making it hard to place large pans on adjacent
burners--I'd get them off-set.

The cooktop also has a glass surround, which is a pain in
the a** to clean (no, I didn't pick the stupid thing out;
came with the house; can't wait till I can replace it!)

Anyway, enough of my stove woes.. have fun picking out a new
one. I'm a little bit jealous....

Just my .02 cents.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon


"oldhag" wrote in message
. ..
Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety
stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the
stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas,
Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc.
DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have
been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where
you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you
like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2
cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip
cookies.
Donna in NWOntario

Do stoves have knobs anymore? Both of mine have an electric
panel (and they are gas) One of mine doesn't have a towel bar
on the oven door. Such a little thing is really irritating. Go for
dark burner grates if you get gas. The light ones are nearly
impossible to keep looking clean. I think most stoves are
self cleaning these days. There have been a lot of improvements.
Taria

Mel Rimmer wrote:

In article , oldhag
writes
Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.

I love gas - I currently have an electric stove and I hate it. I like
being able to see whether the burners are on or off. I like being able
to turn a burner off and the heat stops instantly (especially when a pan
of milk is boiling over). I like being able to take the burner apart and
scrub it in the sink (especially when a pan of milk has boiled over).

I once had a double oven. That was fabulous. If I was only cooking a
single dish, I could save fuel by using the small oven. If I was cooking
a couple of things I could cook them in the big oven. I could cook heaps
and heaps of things by using both ovens, or best of all, I could cook 2
things at 2 different temperatures, both at the same time.

I hate stove designs that mean you have to reach over the burners to get
the controls. You're going to set fire to your clothes that way, or at
least dunk your sleeve in the soup. And how will you turn off the heat
when your chip-pan is on fire? I even once had a stove of this design
that the knobs had come loose - when you turned the heat up, the knob
would fall off and drop in a pan of hot fat. Deep-fried stove knob
anyone?

So my dream stove would be gas, it would have a double oven. It would
have knobs on the front that don't fall off. The ignition button would
work. It would have a timer, and glass doors on the oven. It would be
self-cleaning. And if I was tired, it would make dinner all by itself.
--
Mel Rimmer

oldhag wrote:

Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.
Donna in NWOntario

I had my kitchen re-fitted a year ago (as you all know!), and went for a
gas hob and an electric fan oven. I just went for the single oven, as
the last one was a double and I used it twice in 18 years! The single
oven was a bit bigger, which I find more use. I like the electronic
programmable timer clock, so I can load the oven and go out and have
dinner cooked perfectly when I get back, or cook a batch of Christmas
cakes or Black Buns over night in cheaper electrons (AND when I don't
need the oven to cook the dinner!)

A lot depend on your family and cooking style.
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

oldhag wrote:
Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.
Donna in NWOntario


Last year I finally got my kitchen redone (by me). I saved
enough to get my stove, limited by the fact that I could
only get electric, I decided on a GE smooth top. It has
five burners. One is just a warmer and a self cleaning
oven. I'm thrilled with my choice. One warning - don't
drop anything heavy on the cooktop. It will cost you $500
to replace the cracked top!

--
Bonnie
NJ

If you can afford it and have the space go for a 900mm wide oven/cooktop. I
used to put up with a 600mm one and believe me the extra space is heaven! I
also have a gas cooktop and electric oven. That way if the power goes out I
can still cook - and if the gas goes blahooey, I can still cook. I love the
conttrolability of gas for cooktop cooking but I love the stability and
evenness of electric for baking. JMHO! Have fun. Oh, and I believe you
can get self-cleaning ovens these days.

--
Sharon From Melbourne Australia (Queen of Down Under)
http://www.geocities.com/shazrules/index.html
Member of the Houston 2004 Party Animals
"oldhag" wrote in message
. ..
Afternoon M'Ladies
For the past 22 years I have been enduring an persnickety stove that has
finally bit the dust. Hooray! Now I am shopping for the stove that I
want. The choices are starting to make my head swim. Gas, Electric,
smooth top, coil elements, convection, warming tray etc. DH and I have
narrowed it down to several hundreds but since I have been used do a
bare bones model, I have nothing to compare. This is where you guys come
in. I know you all have opinions . Tell me what you like or dislike,
what you can live without etc. Feel free to add your 2 cents. I need to
make a decision soon as I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.
Donna in NWOntario

"Sharon Harper" wrote in message
...
I
also have a gas cooktop and electric oven. That way if the power goes out
I
can still cook - and if the gas goes blahooey, I can still cook.

But if cooking when the power goes out is important to you, check on how the
gas is ignited. Many gas stoves in the US have electronic ignition that
doesn't work without electricity.

(And I can cook without power OR natural gas. Gosh, I love my propane grill!
*smirk*)
--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
longarm machine quilting, Queen of Fabric Tramps
http://www.kayneyquilting.com ,
remove the obvious to reply

Another thing to avoid if possible: both large burners at the back (especially
if a hood is above, ready to bop yer beak if you lean forward too much). Mine
musta been designed by a bachelor who used it to stack beer-cans on :-/
-- Jean S

The burners on the gas stove top can be light by hand
but the oven is no good without electric to ignite.
I love my grill too Kathy. I have a whole chicken and
a pork loin on the rotisserie right now. They come out
so good!
Taria

Kathy Applebaum wrote:

"Sharon Harper" wrote in message
...
I
also have a gas cooktop and electric oven. That way if the power goes out
I
can still cook - and if the gas goes blahooey, I can still cook.

But if cooking when the power goes out is important to you, check on how the
gas is ignited. Many gas stoves in the US have electronic ignition that
doesn't work without electricity.

(And I can cook without power OR natural gas. Gosh, I love my propane grill!
*smirk*)
--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
longarm machine quilting, Queen of Fabric Tramps
http://www.kayneyquilting.com ,
remove the obvious to reply