Cooktop and separate oven popularity

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In many homes built in the 50s/60s, even the smaller ranch homes would tend to have a single wall oven and separate cooktop. Often mobile homes from the 60s and 70s did too.

But these days I don’t see many of the average new homes having wall ovens anymore, unless you get into large custom size homes. The new home next door built in 2016 has double wall ovens but it’s one of the few I’ve seen. Most just seem to have 30” freestanding ranges instead, with at most the double oven type that has the small oven on top and larger one below, but even that is uncommon.

I wonder if the lack of wall ovens is just due to cost? And in many of these older homes (and mobile homes) the counter top and cabinets have been cut out to replace the cooktop with a freestanding range, and the wall oven either left in place, replaced with a microwave oven, or the hole reconfigured with cabinet doors or just open storage.
 
 

 

I think this 1941 house was remodeled in the 1970's. They removed a wall between the kitchen and the family room, and put in a separate electric "Corning" cooktop on its own counter, and then behind it built a sort of panel with a GE electric oven. The oven still works just fine. I had to replace the cooktop and upgraded it to gas, which I much prefer for cooking. 

 

They also added a master bed bath to the rear of the house. So it's still a two bedroom. I use the family room off the kitchen as my "office".

 
 
My aunt and uncles house (a ranch that my uncle had built in the 1970s) had the separate wall ovens and cooktop too.

The wall ovens were Thermador that vented to the outside, and had that specked porcelain inside that reminded me of the one Julia Child had in her cooking show in the 90s. The cooktop I believe was Frigidaire but had that white Corning style glass. Your reply reminded me of that. Above the cooktop was a Trade Winds hood with a stainless steel backsplash having fold down wire shelves. The hood had two infra red adjustable temp heat lamps.

On either side of the sink was a KitchenAid dishwasher and trash compactor. My aunt remodeled the kitchen but not sure what she put in. I think the hood is still there though.
 
The home we lived in in ‘62 , the year my Dad passed away was built in ‘56 and had a Westinghouse AEK, the cooktop was SS, the Wall oven was a brushed copper finish, I’ve never seen one like it again.  My aunt had the same ‘56 Westinghouse Wall oven, but hers was SS.  Our Westinghouse DW had the same brushed copper finish.  The Westinghouse fridge was copper-tone enamel and had a center drawer between the top fridge and bottom freezer, another rare model, I believe it was either a ‘60 or ‘61 model.  The produce went in the center drawer.  The front of the drawer was a machined SS finish. The countertops were a boomerang pattern Formica. It was a lovely kitchen.  I thought it was very modern and the last word in kitchens.

 

Eddie
 
The 60 built ranch house I grew up in had built in oven and stove, but most homes in our development did not have B/I's. B/Is were the trend back then.

These days, people don't cook as much as they used to which logic would lead one to ask- why bother with such things rather than people spending $5000 on industrial grade stoves and the like. It's weird.
 
 

 

These days it's not so much what one needs to cook, as it seems to be what one could cook if one had the time and ingredients.

 

My own cooking has decreased considerably, partly because I'm retired and partly because since I'm less active I don't need to consume as many calories as before.

 

The advent of microwaves has probably greatly reduced the need for traditional cooking equipment as well.
 
When I'm doing a kitchen design I often spec. separates. Especially if it's a smallish kitchen sine it creates a cleaner visual line. Not having the stoves back panel cutting up the flow helps make the kitchen feel larger.

 

In other designs having the oven located in a bake center works well also, especially if it's raised. Some of this can be accomplished with a slide in range, but I feel a cooktop gives a cleaner look.
 
I can't stand free-standing ranges. Looks like a clothes dryer. I like the integrated look of separate cooktop and wall oven.
 
IMHO couple of things influenced kitchen designs by 1950's and 1960's onward leading to preference for separate cooktops and ovens.

First and foremost for many housewives having ovens at eye or about level minimized amount of stooping and bending required to get things in and out. In great name of efficacy this was a bonus IMHO. Cooktops at or near counter level meant prep and cooking spaces were about same level.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/brief-history-of-1950s-1960s-kitchens-247463

Look at Sam's kitchen on Bewitched. Her "Flair range/oven (by Frigidaire-General Motors) follows pretty much what one has said above. Oven is about eye level which makes not just using the thing easier but checking progress of whatever was inside easier. Sam had counter space on either side of pull out electric cooktop plus if needed could push her kitchen table (which was to her back when facing Flair range) into service.

Ranges come in pretty much standard widths, depths and heights. Whereas someone designing a kitchen has more leeway with stand alone oven and cooktops.



Think also as mentioned in this NYT piece cooktops of all sorts blend into overall kitchen design far easier than a stove or range. Face it regardless of best efforts that big bit of porcelain, stainless steel, cast iron or whatever stove or range is made from will likely dominate kitchen if for nothing else due to size. Only fridges then to be larger.. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/a-cooktop-is-better-than-a-range/

With today's smooth top electric or induction cooktops it's quite easy to have not only the thing where you want it/it's needed, but also blends in seamlessly with rest of kitchen.

IMHO this is becoming more so as more and more in both private homes and multi-family housing kitchens are moving towards open format plan.
 
Ergonomics

The seperate oven has become even an entry kitchen feature over here, mostly due to ergonomics.

The new thing is actually raised DWs.

My mum's new kitchen will be delivered next week and she opted for both seperate "wall" oven AND a raised DW.

She also opted for ceiling high wall cabinets so she never has to bother cleaning the tops of them anymore.
Another style that has become more and more prevalent over here.
 
Interesting that the OP observes a move away from separate cooktop and oven to single unit ranges. The exact opposite is happening here in Australia.

Single ranges are disappearing, many brands either don't have one or have only a very limited "range" of "ranges." (We are more likely to calle them "stoves" here, though the marketing BS artists are now calling them "freestanding ovens" which is a confusing term that I hate.)

 

We now seem to have an odd situation with the majority of stoves being sold here are either fairly low-spec basic units sold mainly to replace worn out old stoves (like for like replacement) and at the other end of the scale, giant multi-oven ranges designed more to impress visitors than for cooking. There isn't much in between.

 

When my 1980's Australian Modern Maid gas stove finally got tired and rusty inside, I reluctantly decided to replace it. It was a great stove for cooking and had full features such as automatic oven timer; drawer under the oven; digital clock; twin lights in the oven for more even illumination.  There was ONE model from ONE brand available to replace it with the basics I needed  - gas everything and 600mm wide were the limitations. My only choice was white or stainless. I lost all the features I listed above. Two decades ago I would have a multitude of choices from three or four brands.

 

Kitchen design in Australia is moving very quickly to electric underbench or wall ovens, and induction cooktops.
 
Separate cooktops and ovens have been in fashion here in continental Western Europe for quite a while. It started with more expensive kitchens, but nowadays. The change to induction cooktops did speed that up. I think there are hardly any built in range with integrated induction cooktop. It's just easier to buy a cooktop and an oven, even when the oven is placed under the cooktop. If you have more space, you can have an oven at eye level.
 
There are 21 houses on this section of my street, and I've been in the kitchens of 14 of them. Of those, 6 have (or had when I was there) built in wall ovens and cooktops. 4 of those are GE, one a Frigidaire, and 1 Jen-air. A couple other houses have GE Mark 27 ranges.
 
I remember as a kid in 1985 moving from a 1200 sq foot 1950's house with no food disposer, no dishwasher, and a small range into a 2000 sq foot 1970's home with dual ovens, a cooktop, Kitchenaid KDS-20 dishwasher and matching Kitchenaid disposer. It was a night and day difference and felt so futuristic. Also going from 1 bathroom to 3, central HVAC, and cathedral acoustic coated ceilings. Today, the home, kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms would be considered on the small side but the front/rear yards would probably be on the larger side.

 

In all honesty though, even though we ate homecooked meals 95% of the time, the lower oven rarely got used except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and a few times we entertained.
 
free standing stoves are so OLD.

 

One can do so much more with individual appliances.  It's better for the appliance manufacturers too because they can easily ship out the separate pieces.  

 

----

 

The free standing stove is a remnant of when people cooked over a wood/coal burning behemoth.  Think about that.

 

They had to have a big metal box that was connected to the outside via a big metal flue to vent out smoke.  So that was mode for many decades.

 

Then electric and gas came along.  But people were still in the mind set that to have a cooking appliance it had to be a big metal box.  So they took the big metal box and put the rather small electric units on top and in the oven.  Similar with gas.  No flue necessary.  But people are still attached to this idea that you have to have a big metal box in your kitchen in order to cook and a microwave isn't big enough.   lol.

 

Let it go already.  Remember these shaped like an old wood burning thing from like 300 years ago but with electric units on top and in the oven.  (rolling eyes)

 

 

bradfordwhite-2023072307382504951_1.jpg
 
Here we go again with the needless making things complicated. (sigh)

 

If you did that you'd have to use a surface that wouldn't fade, scratch, discolor, or absorb heat energies and you'd have to prep the underside for the heating element....yadda, yadda, yadda......

It's the equivalent of putting a panel on the front of your dishwasher or frigerator to make it blend in or partially disappear with the cabinets.  whatever

 

Why are you ashamed of your appliances that you feel the need to hide them?
 
Countless kitchen remodeling books I own, I've owned, I'd owned and seen in libraries, and even some ads, movies and television programs, show these modern kitchens ranging (no pun intended) from the late-'50's to today, and debating whether it's mainly east cost, west coast, or any land-licked in between sort of thing, in every fashionable color, or resigned tomstainless steel, chrome or plain white--have been in homes and school home-ec rooms (though never took) which have also had--and even want my next home to have!

-- Dave
 
Like that invisible cooktop

That would look neat in a small kitchen and give you much needed counter space.

Would have gone for that when this kitchen was remodelled 6 years ago, I was not aware of such a hob I do have induction which is brilliant.
 
Reply #10

I was noticing very recently that the trend I'd seen 20 yr ago toward raised dishwashers in American kitchens seems to have waned. I, at 6 feet three inches, personally would prefer not needing to bend or squat to pack the dishwasher or to retrieve items from the bottom rack; and so, was truly hoping the trend would become mainstream, trickling down from custom designer kitchens to those in average suburban spec built houses. One wonders whether that presents the same problem with aesthetics that a free standing cook stove with high back panel does - a congruous run of countertop is suddenly garishly broken by a machine and its associated cabinetry jutting upward.

I have had a preference for all built-in with separate cooktops and ovens since childhood visiting in my Grandfather's all Frigidaire kitchen in his ultra modern split level constructed in 1962. I have attached a pic snapped in 1965. The spin tube dishwasher is barely visible but the cathedral ceiling is not.

--Chris

seedub-2023072404223507935_1.jpg
 
Raised dishwashers

Haven't really taken off because it means giving up counter space.

If one has a large enough kitchen and otherwise that doesn't matter then have at it.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/raised-dishwashers-are-more-accessible-in-the-kitchen-253786

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/q-have-you-ever-had-a-raised-dishwasher-31416641

There are builders who are putting in raised dishwashers as part of new homes or developments.

https://www.commodore-pennsylvania.com/Elevated-Dishwasher

https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/tag/dishwashers/

Nolte of Germany is big on raised dishwashers. However they are catering to a certain segment of market.

 
Taking up counter space

Raised DWs take up as much counter space as a raised oven, per se.

And depending on what you have on your counter, it doesn't even matter anyway.

I'll share pictures later this week when all is said and done, but over here, bean-to-cup coffee makes have become a staple. So are toasters, kettles, etc.
So you have stuff that is on the counter 24/7 anyway.

My mum wanted a different kitchen layout compared to my grandma in the same room, so she had to give up a lot of counter space anyway, yet decided to go with both a wall oven design and a raised DW.
The slightly raised DW top (40cm, 16" thereabouts) has 2 outlets for her coffee maker and toaster/kettle.

In return, she added a kind of built in bench where she will add a table.

That leaves her with 1 "working space" plus the table.
Have to admit she isn't much of a cook/baker anyway, so peoples need definitely matter in that regard.

Have seen side by side raised DW and oven, or a compact oven above DW.
Lot of planing there depends on height of main user of the space.
My mum is 5 3, I am 5 11, so I could comfortably use an oven that would be located way to high for her.

However, Bosch/Siemens had taken the concept of "wall oven" to an entirely new meaning.

https://appliancist.com/cooking/builtin_ovens/siemens-liftmatic-oven.html

Almost fully featured oven with automatic, programmable lift function.
Pyrolytic self cleaning, you could do food right on the glass-ceramic oven floor, the usual industry-standard convection (though definitely not best in class back then).
Only thing missing was a meat thermometer built in.
 
Getting a 27 or 30" wide 84" tall oven cabinet and simply putting in a shelf so a microwave or other type oven can go above the raised dishwasher is the easiest solution. You still have storage below and above. The increased width allows one room to add sound insulation in the back and sides as well.

I actually built a cabinet in my teens for a raised dw. I just used plywood and it was about 50" tall with a shelf at about 14" off the floor.

bradfordwhite-2023072410113105684_1.jpg

bradfordwhite-2023072410113105684_2.jpg
 

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