Fabulous Yellow Retro

[mixfinder]

$150.00 or best offer!!!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/hsh/1786161477.html

 

[circlew]

That range looks SUPER nice. I'm thinking it may be a '58 - 60 model, possibly a little later.

 

[mixfinder]

Closer Inspection

If you look closely you can see the knob for the Sensi-Temp burner is replaced with a Home Depot Generic. Hopefully the system is still original.

 

[pulltostart]

This is a 1961 GE. I have this same range in white.

Lawrence

 

[gowest84]

Question

If the stove is 40" wide, why didn't they a) spread the burners out a bit, b) add another burner, or c) add a griddle or a grill to it?

Isn't one of the points to a bigger stove is to be able to do more? Or was this for people who had limited counter space to begin with?

I just wondered because it seems to be space that might be better used. I guess since I'm not familiar with decorating style from that era is why I'm a bit curious.

 

[gansky1]

I've heard explained here that many of the 40" ranges were sold to homemakers who were replacing an older range that often was a stand-alone unit - wood, coal, etc. fuel that was now being converted to gas or electric. Far more cooking and baking was done in the average home as prepared and pre-cooked foods weren't as available and eating out was more of a "treat" for most families so double ovens, large cooking and working surfaces were not only nice to have but mandatory for many cooks. Being more stand-alone installations in older homes, there wasn't typically a lot of counter space around the range so the extra space on one side or the other of the burners was a huge plus to the cook.

GE did make a beautiful range!

 

[circlew]

GoWest84, some variations of this style GE 40" range did have the burners at opposite sides, but they seem few and far between. I think I've seen some TOL models with griddles, but those seem more common on Hotpoint for some reason.

The large open space also was commonly used to set a coffee maker or other small appliance on, as the range had an outlet or two to plug them in - with timer in many cases. The surface was also heat resistant, unlike countertops made of Formica or linoleum, so was a good place to set heat producing items.

 

[mixfinder]

Split Burners

Some GE 40 inch push button ranges with a single oven had split burners. The rear burners had limited pot space because the chrome light on the backsplash.

 

[pulltostart]

For whatever the reason and/or logic, the models with the burners clustered on the left side were the premium models. The baseline models were the ones that had the burners split right and left. With the clustered setup, the controls were to the right, the burners were to the left so there were reduced opportunities to get burned, etc.

 

[sensi-temp]

Quite a few of the mid to lower models had the grouped surface units, I much prefer the grouped, grew up with a spread gas stove, now have a GE 4O", I love the extra space for S&P, spoon rest, seasonings & extra work space. I don't like 30" models at all, seem tiny to me.