New Range: Maytag MET8885XS

[frigilux]

My nephew and his wife are going through a rough financial patch, and their old, non self-cleaning range has given up the ghost. I am going to gift them my like-new, 9 year old TOL Frigidaire convection range.

Here's the range--a Maytag--I've settled on as a replacement, after also considering a GE. Consumer Reports ranks it excellent at cooktop speed and evenness in baking, both very important points for me. I also wanted another "true" convection range. I'll make good use of the small upper oven.

Anyway, does anyone have one of these? If so, what's your take on it? Pros, cons, and any other pertinent info would be appreciated. I'd like to have some real-world reviews before I place an order with my local mom-and-pop Maytag dealer.

 

[maytagbear]

I looked at the gas equivalent,

but I went with my Whirlpool 361 instead. I would have liked the upper oven, but on the gas models, the cooktop was too cramped. I also would have missed the storage drawer. A friend from another forum, has the electric version, and loves the upper oven for toasting artisan bagels and Wolferman's English Muffins.

However, for what it's worth, it looks like a good range, Eugene. And bless you for passing on your current electric. I am sure your nephew and niece-in-law are grateful!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[frigilux]

Thanks for the info, Lawrence. When my nephew and his wife were at my house a few months ago, she commented on the range, so I know they're going to love it. My nephew is making the 2-hour drive with a friend's truck to pick it up on Thursday.

I'm guessing the Maytag range I'm considering is made by Whirlpool, right?

 

[nmassman44]

You would guess right..its made by Whirlpool...I looked at the Maytag gas version of this at Home Depot and it was on clearance for $900...oh the temptation! I would love to have another oven and granted I dont need 2 ovens at the same time most of the time but to have it available when I do need it would be a blessing..

 

[frigilux]

I do a lot of cooking, as having people in for dinner is the basis of my social life. Having two ranges (one gas, one electric) is awesome! I don't often need more than four or five burners, but I use both ovens all the time.

I'm looking forward to the small, upper oven on the Maytag pictured above. There are many times when I'm only baking a sheet of biscuits/dinner rolls, or a casserole, or a cake, and the small oven would be perfect for those applications.

Lawrence: You mentioned that you'd miss having a storage drawer on the range. Both my Frigidaire ranges have warming drawers, so I'm not used to having storage down there, anyway.[this post was last edited: 6/22/2011-06:45]

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I really miss the ranges that had the upper-conventional oven mounted over the cooking surface...

One of the last ones I have seen was a GE back in the 1990's when my mom needed a new range to replace her over/under stove (which had a microwave as the upper-oven) & surely the extra conventional is always there when you need it, occasional as it may be...

My uncle bought my aunt a single-oven version of that Maytag, which my aunt disliked & when the store refused to take it back, she ended up selling it for a round $50 and even had to deliver it in her truck to the person who bought it... She was happier w/ a plain white one...

Still a nice range & nice both ovens clean themselves, too...

-- Dave

 

[combo52]

DOUBLE OVEN MT RANGE

Yes WP is now the parent owner of this design, but this range was conceived under MTs ownership and it was out of Magic Chef plant. The electric ranges have been much better than the all gas version of this design in terms of repair problems. However I hate to say this as a big supporter of WP but I would get the GE electric range  over a re-badged MC design. I do like the WP built SC gas ranges better than all the others on the market as they are the only Co. to use the direct spark ignition for the oven and broiler. direct spark is not only faster, more reliable and uses only 10 watts when burning instead of 400 watts. 

 

[coldspot66]

As a service person, I've always felt GE is tops in cooking; both gas and electric. Though I don't think GE manufactures their own ranges anymore. That being said, I do LOVE the direct spark ignition on the WP/Kitchenaid gas ovens. Much more responsive, though another computer board to deal with. Snap Snap..burner lit and starting to cook!!!!!

 

[runematic]

I love my Gemini.  It's an earlier model than what is pictured, but basically the same thing.  I find I use the upper oven 90% of the time.   It heats up quickly and I can fit  in what I need most of the time.  The bottom oven tends to be for storing my pots & pans. 

 

[yogitunes]

Thanks for this thread......I am considering the same one, just in the all gas version, for my Mother.......

also considering Frigidaires regular oven, all stainless, with convection.......

hard to decide....so I am taking her this week to see in person of which one she likes best.....

 

[aldspinboy]

Eugene we started years ago selling double ovens...
how old is your nephew ?

The only thing that our company and head VP of Gerhards did not like about the ovens where that the lower oven is to low for people with bad backs our people who do not want to bend that low for instance takeing out a turkey.

And if kids are around and not looking and running around they can trip over the door because its to low.
Nice looking range for sure ...but I agree with John GE are a stronger product in the range catagory.

Darren k[this post was last edited: 6/22/2011-14:54]

 

[arbilab]

Knowing both sides of the gas/electric choice, lived with both in various rent houses over decades. What I found was that I couldn't use gas oven in summer, it fought with the central air and won. 'Course summers here are ~100F, central codes are for AVERAGE temperatures (Chamber of Commerce weather), so at extremes they can't really keep up anyway. Your conditions probably vary.

Simmer is easier on electric cooktop, all but the best gas wants to burn the center on the lowest setting that will stay lit. Manageable I suppose, I got by.

I cook for myself, sometimes 1 or 2 others tops, often use both microwaves and electric oven, sometimes could use another electric for rolls or onion rings. But this is only an 800SF apartment. Manageable I suppose. Like skip rolls when broiling steak, or micro rings back to temp after they've been in the oven and the steak's done.

 

[frigilux]

Thanks for all the input and comments, guys!

Martin: While the electric version of the Maytag range scored very near the top of the pack,the gas version of the 8885 scores at the bottom in Consumer Reports' tests. It is apparently very bad at broiling. I never broil, so that wouldn't figure into my decision. The Frigidaire gas ranges, on the other hand, score quite well. I like my Frigidaire gas convection range a lot. I think the electric oven bakes a little more evenly, but I've had other gas ovens with the same trait, so I don't think it's symptomatic of the Frigidaire brand. The evenness issue is especially apparent when I put two 12-well muffin tins side by side on a rack. The edges and bottoms tend to burn, whereas they don't in the electric oven.

Darren: I also noticed how low the main oven is on the Maytag range, but I don't have back or neck problems, so it should be fine. The nephew getting my Frigidaire range just turned 39. I was about 12 or 13 when he was born. His brother just turned 43. I'm getting old!!

Todd: The more I looked at the Gemini, the more I figured I'd be using the small upper oven quite a bit. Thanks for confirming that you do, too! I was also impressed with its scores for evenness of baking and cooktop speed (I boil a lot of huge pots of water for pasta).

Arbilab: I tend to favor my electric oven in the summer for the same reason. The gas range pours heat into the kitchen. That's a welcome trait in a Minnesota winter, of course. I've come to prefer the glass-top electric burners over gas for everything except stir-frying or pans that aren't perfectly flat on the bottom. The electric boils large pots of water much faster and is better at critical, long-term simmering. And again, the electric burners seem more efficient at transferring their heat to the pan rather than out into the room.

 

[mixfinder]

Maytag

I bought a new Maytag when I was in the condo, Peter has one in his house and my son and his wife put one in the new house they built.  I was sure the design of the upper oven would burn everything because its so close to the elements but that isn't the case.  The convection feature in the lower oven makes the oven a stellar performer.  In conventional mode I feel the Maytag was heavy on bottom browning and the tops were a bit pale.  I haven't met anyone who has it who was unhappy.  Having the GE right after the Maytag made me a real believer in the ease and grace of how the GE performed.  No matter what you buy I have yet to find a service system I was satified with.  Hopefully your connect with the local store will give you an in.

Let the pictures begin........................................

 

[frigilux]

Kelly, I'm so glad you weighed in on this one, as you've baked several lifetimes worth of breads, cakes and pastries.

I'd always thought I'd get a GE JB700DN (I think you have one), as it has consistently scored at or near the top of CR's ratings. It receives scores of excellent in cooktop speed and evenness of baking, which, as I've said, are probably the two most important points for me. No other GE range they've tested scores as high.

However, when theory became reality and I needed to look for a range, I decided I wanted true convection, which the GE JB700DN lacked. It has also been discontinued by GE, and the local dealer told me he would not be able to get one.

The lone Maytag that ranked excellent in both the above categories (as well as capacity, as did the JB700DN) was the Gemini double-oven 8885. And the more I looked at that small upper oven, the more I was attracted to it.

Anyway, that's what led me to abandon GE for Maytag. If I could get a GE JB700DN in stainless steel locally, it would probably still be on the short list. That doesn't appear to be an option.

I also like my Frigidaire/Maytag dealer better than the local GE dealer. I've done most of my business (6 laundry sets, 5 ranges, 4 dishwashers, 4 refrigerators purchased from him over the past 25 years) with the Maytag dealer, and his service gets five stars. Whenever I've called, he's always been to the house either the same day or within 24 hours. Service like that is worth its weight in gold, these days.

By contrast, the local GE dealer is a rather grumpy fellow who gives the impression of being 'put out' if you ask him to special order a particular model rather than buying something from the showroom floor. I had two gas ranges in my warehouse apartment (lived their for 13 years; have been in my house for 9) and I'd purchased a GE from him. After he tried hard to persuade me to buy something from the floor, he finally muttered under his breath and placed the order for the specific model I wanted. And it took forever to arrive.[this post was last edited: 6/23/2011-06:19]

 

[frigilux]

UPDATE: No new range for Frigilux. The parents of my nephew's wife bought them an inexpensive self-cleaning glasstop range from Home Depot, as they thought it was ridiculous for them to get a 9-year old range, and have to travel to pick it up.

I was kind of excited about getting a new range myself, but in the end have decided to pay off two credit cards and open up $100 a month in my personal finances.

Gosh...I must be an adult now, LOL!

Thanks to all of you who weighed in with information and opinions. It's wonderful to have so many knowledgeable people to go to for advice.

At any rate, the "twins" shall not be separated.
[this post was last edited: 6/28/2011-09:23]

 

[norgeway]

Gas vs Electric...

What would help the new gas ranges would be for ALL of them to go back To Harper Wyman Center Simmer burners! I have used both, I like the gas oven better, but not enough to use one here in the summer when it is near 100 with 80 or 90 percent humidity!

 

[yogitunes]

Well, I went with this Frigidaire....all stainless, convection air, and a 5th burner in the center, with a warming drawer......got it from Lowes, was 1499.00....walked by scratch and dent, found the same one, and unless I point it out, a tiny ding on the right side, which will set against the cabinet and not be seen.....so the price dropped to 899.00.....I also got the extended warranty....delivery is free, Tommorow!.....I have to hook it up, or pay 50.00 for them to do it....Mom is happy!

 

[frigilux]

Martin, I think you made a wise choice. I really like my Frigidaire convection oven, and the digital controls are intuitive and easy to use. Your mom is a lucky woman!