Jennair Appliances, Good or Bad ?

[lokringbob]

I'm trying to talk a friend out of using Jennair appliances in their kitchen remodel.
I never hear anything good from people who have had them.
One reason they want them is the price. They can do the whole kitchen for $2000. Stainless steel Cook top, wall oven, microwave, and dishwasher.
Any information or advice on Jennair?

 

[mixfinder]

Better Choices

Maytags in a prom dress without the best of reviews.  They offer Oil Bronzed finish which no one else does.  My sister bought them for fear they wouldn't be available when they built their new house.  A cool $4,800.00.  Friends have them in a beach house and another friend has the cooktop only and they all have multiple issues with switches not holding up in the cook top.  It will depend a lot on how much your friends actually cook.  For a casual warmer upper they may suffice.

 

[rp2813]

OK, this may or may not be useful information because it's dated.

 

We did a full-on kitchen remodel in 1990 and went with a Jenn-Air dual fuel slide-in range.  I liked the way the oven performed, but the gas cooktop was wimpy, flimsy (the grates), and a nightmare to keep clean.  The gas grill was a complete joke.  We regretted our decision.  Most people we spoke to (after the fact) who owned Jenn-Air felt the same way.

 

It's been a long time, and I presume Jenn-Air is just rebadged Whirlpool stuff now.  Whether or not that's an improvement, I don't know.

 

 

[frigilux]

I went to Consumer Reports online and checked the ratings of JennAir kitchen appliances. Most scored around the middle of the pack (dishwasher, gas and electric ranges, separate cooktops, various formats of refrigeration).
So I'd say there's not much to worry about as far as performance. It's possible the Whirlpool connection has actually improved JennAir appliances.

What struck me were the prices, which were quite high for what you get.[this post was last edited: 7/1/2011-06:12]

 

[kimball455]

Like my Jenn-Air

A few years ago when I remodeled the kitchen I got a 'pro style' Jenn-Air slide in dual fuel range. Wanted it because of the grill option. I like to grill all years and while I have done so, I don't really like to be outside when it is raining in December or snowing in February to grill the burgers. I was concerned about the electric oven. In the past I was not happy with the broil element on electric stoves. This Jenn-Air has an 8 pass element meaning that the coils are close to each other making for a better heat distrubiton from the element. End result is the range works great, grilling works great, grill, grates, etc. all go in the dishwasher for cleaning. Electric oven is both conventional and true convection and works great. Using the temp probe turns out consistent roasted meats. In general, very happy with the Jenn-Air.

Harry

 

[dogboy44]

I'm with Harry

We have a 5 burner Jenn Air gas cook top with one BIG btu burner in the center, you know the one, and LOVE IT. We cook big all week, put the large grates along with the hob tops in th DW every few days. Could not be happier.

Also have a Jenn Air electric convection wall oven. Turns out food like a magazine cover. Love it, and the probe option is all that and more. Use it constantly. Run the clean cycle with the racks in, and sing a chorus of "happiest girl in the whole USA" every time.

We have always has Bosch or Kitchen Aid DW so can't comment on that part.

 

[passatdoc]

I have friends who remodeled nine years ago and bought a Jenn Air white slide-in gas range. At that time, the choices in non-commercial, slide in gas convection ranges were pretty much limited to Dacor, KA, and JennAir. (GE and Frigidaire made gas convection free-standing ranges, but their gas slide-ins at the time did not offer convection). She <span style="text-decoration: underline;">HATES</span> it and always wishes she'd bought KA or other brand (her kitchen uses medium tone wood cabinets and white appliances, and she's happy with white color, but hates her JennAir). I've never noticed any culinary disasters at their house, but....

1. She says the cooktop (deeply recessed/sealed) and grates are very hard to keep clean.

2. The range has had two recalls and has required three repairs in nine years.

3. The oven door has never fit or closed securely, so that her baking times take LONGER in spite of having bought the convection model. This also means that she cannot effectively use the self-clean feature.

4. The range also had a dehydrate function (I assume it was low temp convection) which never worked properly.

All in all, she felt it was terrible value for a $2000 price tag. She had a gas line and 120V behind the range and was not willing to rip out the wall to install 240V, hence no electric or dual-fuel range. She preferred a gas cooktop to electric at that time, but now would like an induction cooktop, which needs 220V.

In contrast, I have a late 2001 Frigidaire gas convection range which works perfectly. Grates/cooktop easy to clean, big oven, and convection, cost $700 at that time. My only complaint is that grates don't go all the way across; they did offer a full grate model, but the design at the time looked cheesy, and it still only offered four burners, same power as mine. My burners are 12K, 2 x 9K, and 5K. By today's standards, a 12K "high output" burner is rather anemic, but in 2001, 12K was the definition of "high output" in a non-commercial range.

My model has been replaced by a five burner unit with grates that go all the way across the cooktop. One burner is very high output (16-18K BTU), one is high output (12-14 BTU), two are normal, one is 5K simmer. The porcelain grates are dishwasher-safe (per the Frigidaire manual) and easy to keep clean. Temperature stays constant. Oven warm-up is a little slow, but if you turn on the convection fan it speeds the process somewhat (example: for baking bread at 450 F, it can take 15-20 minutes to reach 450F from a cold start).


[this post was last edited: 7/2/2011-15:48]

 

[mattl]

My brother is on his second Jenn Aire range, they seem happy with it.  Their latest one, like the one before is a slide in unit, electric.  My brother uses the grill all the time.  they are not bakers, so the oven gets little use.  They have no complaints.

 

That said, I would opt for a different brand, or at least a mix.  If they are after the grill, buy the range, but I'd opt for just about any other brand for the other appliances.  JA is over priced for what you get.

 

[bajaespuma]

A pity. Here's where bad customer service ruins a compan

I purchased a JA dishwasher, wall oven, and cook-top when I redid my kitchen 8 years ago. The cook-top was a closeout remnant that I bought from Lowes for 300$ so I can't complain about the investment. It has surpassed my expectations in almost all ways. The biggest surprise was how effective the downdraft vent is although I did pay attention to advice given to install it in a corner which funneled the air into the well. All burners and attachments work well, especially the accessory canning burner and wok burner, both of which are no longer offered. The griddle and grill work very well but I have concocted a way to defeat the mandatory venting with the grill, which cools it down considerably.

 

The dishwasher was a circa 2000 Maytag; works OK but was replaced by another earlier Tag which works better. There was also a recall on this dishwasher because of a defective circuit that posed a fire hazard.

 

The oven. For the first 4 years this thing was wonderful. Had 2 convection speeds heated up quickly worked well, had a useful meat probe, good self-cleaning, good capacity, loved it. Only significant complaint is that it had a fancy and unnecessary curve to the front panel and door which is a pain in the ass as it catches all sorts of dirt because it sticks out so much. A real design flaw for something that is only decorative. 

3 years ago the digital display began to fade inexorably. Now, although the oven still works, I can't verify the temperature although I can set it and hear the beeps when I push each button and I can see the element turn red. I can't use any of the features, such as the meat probe because there are no visible numbers to see. Jenn Air's attitude when I contacted the company about this problem couldn't have been less helpful if they tried. I think WP had already bought Maytag by the time I called them, but I still don't know who really owns them. I told them then and I still mean it that I would never, NEVER buy another JennAir product again. Judging by the number of JA ovens I've seen on ebay and on Craigslist that have the same problem, this should have been a recall. I wouldn't buy the brand.

 

[combo52]

THOUGHT ON JENN-AIR ETC

Ken the dim display problem also affected allmost all Thermador ovens, you just need to replace the clock display. Manufactores selldom do not do recalls of things that are not dagerous same as with automobiles.

 

Jim I have never seen a gas cooktop that is easy to keep clean, yes some are a little better than others but all are hard to clean.

 

Jenn-Air appliances in general are good but many of them have been sourced from different manufactures and factories so peoples experiences are all over the place. Many JA appliances started to suffer under MTs ownership as they started sourcing the ranges from thier Magic Chef div. Thier refrigerators were just Admiral junk and thier limited attempt at laundry appliances were just Norge junk. In general thier best stuff was thier electric downdraft cook-tops. In general thier appliances have improved under WPs ownership, but the current wall ovens are questionable to me.