Stoves for my house

[63kenmore]

We have just moved to NC and are redoing a 1981 home. This house currently has the original GE appliances in off-white and a wall oven and original built in microwave in smoked glass which I don’t like. Our last several homes we have gone vintage in the kitchen. While we are re-doing the cabinets I want to do something different with the stove/ oven. I had thought about a Spacemaker double oven (over/under) style or maybe a Flair that sits down in the cupboard top (no metal base). Does anyone have any experience with cooking on the stoves with a hot oven in your face? I do a lot of baking, can the Flair handle a large cookie sheet? Can the GE Over/under stoves handle a large pot with that overhead oven? Are these the reasons why you don’t see these type of stoves anymore? I had thought about a nice vintage 40” stove, but the really good ones seem to get snapped up quickly on FBM. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help.

 

[thomasortega]

The reasons why you don't see those stoves anymore....

Well, you're about to see them back in approximately 3-4 years as I'm working on a project to "improve" a Flair design and"upcycle" the concept applying it to tiny apartment.

The internal project name is called "Flair", not so coincidentally, but for obvious reasons it won't reach The market called Flair. (But of course I want to play with the name and find something that reminds Flair.

In a similar 30-inch body, I'll toss everything a Flair had, plus a microwave oven, air fryer, dishwasher and a full size clothes washer and dryer.

The oven door will be insulated so no worries about "baking" you face, arms and breasts while cooking. The cooktop will be induction.

 

[turquoisedude]

I have a 62 Flair, the 30 inch cabinet model, that I use in my house in St-Liboire.  I very much enjoy using it, especially for baking and broiling - I'm also short enough that even though the surface units are lower than on a convential range or cooktop that I can still look down at them easily enough.  I also very much like the upfront controls which line up to my eye-level nicely. 

I do notice a bit of oven heat radiating from the glass door, but it is not excessive.  I've had ovens with metal doors and windows that got far hotter!  

I do have one very large cookie sheet that barely just fits into the oven but it does fit if placed carefully.  

And if you had a very wide canning or cooking pot, it may only fit on the front 8-inch surface unit of a Flair cooktop.  

 

 

[63kenmore]

Thanks Turquoisedude

This information really helps with my decision. I am going to look at a nice 30” Flair unit today. I remember my Grandmother had one of the double door units in the mid 1960’s and as a little girl I was always intrigued by it.

Thanks again!

 

[63kenmore]

Flair Countertop unit

As for the Frigidaire Flair countertop units. I have seen the Flair units that sits down into to the countertop without the cabinet which is what I would like to do. Can you remove the top from the cabinet base and use it as a counter unit safely? Is the stove easily removed from the cabinet for transporting home?

 

[turquoisedude]

You can most definitely remove a Flair range from it's metal base - the base was actually an option as the range could be set into a permanently installed counter.  It's not particularly easy to remove the range top from the base, but for transport, it would certainly make things easier (you'd need help to lift the range off the base once all the bolts were removed).  These ranges are top-heavy which makes them awkward to move.  Lord knows how I managed to help a fellow Frigidaire collector wrestle one of the double-oven units out of a kitchen into his truck years ago!  

 

[bradfordwhite]

#1

Thomas I hate to throw a lead weight into you boat of good intention....

the All-in-one concept may sound good for design purposes but ....
for practical reasons it doesn't usually work out.

When one part of the unit breaks or becomes outmoded that tends to impact the whole appliance. Think of the late 90s old-style TVs with the built-in VCR or DVD player. Or the 60s/70s console TV with stereo components all put together into one furniture based unit. One by one the pieces either break or become obsolete.

Also, you are stuck only being able to do one thing with the appliance at a time where as with components, each unit could be providing services.

 

[elginkid]

I vote for the GE Americana

Although the Flair is neat, you do compromise oven size, and the 30” models only give you a single oven. We recently installed a ‘63 GE Americana, and love it. You can still fit a pretty sizeable pot on the front Sensi-Temp burner and that thing is amazing. Having a conventional AND small oven is great. I had to make two pies and 3 loves of pumpkin bread quickly for a party, and I mixed everything up and put the three tins of Pumpkin Bread in the top oven, and the two pies in the lower and bam, everything came out perfectly. The small oven heats up remarkably quickly and we find that we use it more often, since it’s clear and eye level. But having the second oven is definitely handy, and the viewing window works well. Plus the rotisserie makes delicious meals too. Later ovens have different features, like glass in the lower doors, some are self cleaning, but picking your period gives you different options.

 

[firedome]

We have a friend who has used nothing but GE Americana ranges for at least 40 years in houses in several states, even taking one with him several times as well as finding "new" ones. He wouldn't dream of using anything else.

 

[63kenmore]

Found it!

Found a VERY nice 30” Flair Custom Deluxe. it looks like it had rarely, if ever, been used. Not a scuff on her anywhere and she will be the star of my new kitchen. I have a second stove for canning in my basement that I’m going to upgrade to a double oven 40”, so I really didn’t need more than 1 upstairs. Thank you all for your help and thanks Turquoise Dude for alleviating my concern about heat in the face.

 

[repairguy]

Congrats!

 

[combo52]

Found It, FD Flair Range

Hi Jackie, this range should be great for your use especially with a 40" canning range in the house.

 

The FD Flair you found had a very good baking oven that has a very accurate oven temperature.

 

The only real weak point of this model is the LF Speed Heat element, but use it and enjoy, if it fails it can easily be converted to  a regular 6" element.

 

John L.

 

[turquoisedude]

Congrats on the Custom Deluxe!

Wow - that looks to be in amazing condition!  I believe the Custom Deluxe model did not have the Heat-Minder 8-inch surface unit; it may not also have the troublesome Speed-Heat unit, but that is not a major issue to repair (it had been done on mine when I got it).  Happy cooking!  

 

[combo52]

Custom Deluxe Flair

Opps, you are correct Paul, I was thinking of your Flair.

 

Yes the Custom Deluxe is really the best one to have and use.

 

This is the same range we gave Bob Orear in NC years ago and he has used it as his daily driver ever since cooking up lots of great food on.

 

John L.