norgeway
Well-known member
Im seriously considering one and wanted everyones input., I think I would like having the oven at eye level, but the oven is kind of small, what do you all think.
Who cooks on a Flair, and your opinion of it..
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retromania
Well-known member
I think you would enjoy an oven at eye level. As much as I love the O'Keefe, I would really like to have a cook top and especially a wall oven. I will have to wait until I remodel the kitchen because I am going to take out a wall and move the washer an dryer out of the kitchen. My neighbor is in the process of doing that now and it is a big ole mess.
Can't speak to the size of the oven
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">But I can speak to having an oven at eye level. This is the first house I've owned with a separate cooktop and wall ovens. I am here 10 years now and I don't think I'd go back to a regular stove. At least not without kicking and screaming. Especially as I get older I really like having the food at eye level. It's easy to see what's going on and especially easy to get food in and out.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Mine is a double oven unit. I have become so spoiled by the upper eye level oven that I hardly use the bottom oven. I would just take along your largest pan and see if it fits. If it does I'd say go for it.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">But I can speak to having an oven at eye level. This is the first house I've owned with a separate cooktop and wall ovens. I am here 10 years now and I don't think I'd go back to a regular stove. At least not without kicking and screaming. Especially as I get older I really like having the food at eye level. It's easy to see what's going on and especially easy to get food in and out.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Mine is a double oven unit. I have become so spoiled by the upper eye level oven that I hardly use the bottom oven. I would just take along your largest pan and see if it fits. If it does I'd say go for it.</span>
Hans are you looking at a 30"(single oven) or 40" (dual oven) Flair?
xraytech
Well-known member
I had a 40" flair hooked up in my basement for a few years, it had it's perks, I loved having all the extra storage underneath since the ovens were above, the cooktop was nice. The ovens are not as deep as a standard oven, but I was able to cram a big Wearever roaster pan with an 18 lb turkey in the big oven and the small oven could accomodate a 9x13 pan or my 5 qt corning casserole.
I wasn't a huge fan of the panoramic glass oven doors, as mine had grease leaked in between the panes of glass, as well as the fact that since your oven is visible you'd need to keep the interior spotless, and if you are one to store pans in the oven it looks bad since you can easily see the entire oven.
I wasn't a huge fan of the panoramic glass oven doors, as mine had grease leaked in between the panes of glass, as well as the fact that since your oven is visible you'd need to keep the interior spotless, and if you are one to store pans in the oven it looks bad since you can easily see the entire oven.
I'll let ya know
in a few months. My Flair project is heading into the 1 year mark now. Just got gleaming oven liners to replace the singed ones the resulted from a Bojack repair !
We had an Americana with the eye level oven and I just hands down loved that range !! So did my 5'2" mom !
Thats why I love my Thermador wall ovens, I hate stooping for food !!!!!
I'm almost 50/50 way there to converting the cooktop into all Induction. Gonna try it with the original caveman burner system first but gathering all the parts to go Induction- HOLLA
in a few months. My Flair project is heading into the 1 year mark now. Just got gleaming oven liners to replace the singed ones the resulted from a Bojack repair !
We had an Americana with the eye level oven and I just hands down loved that range !! So did my 5'2" mom !
Thats why I love my Thermador wall ovens, I hate stooping for food !!!!!
I'm almost 50/50 way there to converting the cooktop into all Induction. Gonna try it with the original caveman burner system first but gathering all the parts to go Induction- HOLLA
I have cooked on one and you have to deal with heat coming through the oven doors into your face if you are using an oven and doing a stove top operation that requires you to stand in front of the stove, things like stirring a sauce or making gravy. Big pans can interfere with the oven doors and removing things from the ovens. These are not show stoppers, but are some things to consider. The Flair was well designed, better than many, and the glide up doors were safer and more convenient than the doors of other eye-level-oven ranges. Unfortunately, the chrome liners cannot be scoured so cleaning is always a "gentle cycle" operation. Also, the insulation around the ovens is not that great.
I've used the Tappan equivalent
at a friend's house, and I liked it a lot. I liked how Anya's had that loading space on the element tray. I really loved the smaller oven.......sort of like a toaster oven in size and efficiency, but not as flimsy. I really liked that the oven doors were side hinged......but I hope to use a Flair sometime down the road.
Ideally, it should be an excellent performer, much like any other GM Frigidare stove.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
at a friend's house, and I liked it a lot. I liked how Anya's had that loading space on the element tray. I really loved the smaller oven.......sort of like a toaster oven in size and efficiency, but not as flimsy. I really liked that the oven doors were side hinged......but I hope to use a Flair sometime down the road.
Ideally, it should be an excellent performer, much like any other GM Frigidare stove.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
firedome
Well-known member
we had the Roper equivalent...
when we bought our present house. Personally I think a double wall oven and cooktop is the ultimate combo for cooking convenience. We have a single wall oven and cooktop at camp, and our next house will have a double GE wall oven with P-7 and electric cooktop.
when we bought our present house. Personally I think a double wall oven and cooktop is the ultimate combo for cooking convenience. We have a single wall oven and cooktop at camp, and our next house will have a double GE wall oven with P-7 and electric cooktop.
I'm following this thread closely - my next kitchen may have a 'Flair' of its own... LOL
I learned to cook on a Frigidaire Super range - I don't remember any issues with the Radiantube surface units, but geez, my late mother seemed to burn everything she tried to cook on them.
One of our great Canadian cooks, the late Margo Oliver, used a Flair range (the 40-inch model) - I love to look at the pictures in her cookbooks where a pan or skillet on the Flair is shown as part of a recipe!
I learned to cook on a Frigidaire Super range - I don't remember any issues with the Radiantube surface units, but geez, my late mother seemed to burn everything she tried to cook on them.
One of our great Canadian cooks, the late Margo Oliver, used a Flair range (the 40-inch model) - I love to look at the pictures in her cookbooks where a pan or skillet on the Flair is shown as part of a recipe!
Hans, call over to Bob's and talk to him he has one, it's the smaller single door model. I can tell you first hand that he's churned out some delicious food from that thing.
Joe
Joe
dynaflow
Well-known member
Hans
I still say put in a double oven and a cooktop u know u r welcome to the oven we got in roanoke
I still say put in a double oven and a cooktop u know u r welcome to the oven we got in roanoke
My sister's friends' family had a Tappan Fabulous 400...
-- Dave
-- Dave
One More Thing! (and then something I just remembered)
Once you pull out that cooktop, getting into the base cabinet is more of a spelunking expedition than a simple bend and reach and the cooktop blocks light into the cabinet so you might want to put a light and door switch in there. If your knees are like mine, keep a thick kneeling pad and something to hang onto, besides the cooktop, nearby.
Also, as someone here reported, the switches that cut power to the surface units can go kerfluey and prevent the surface units from working. They are not fun to replace, either. I think it has to be done from below and there is one on each side, I seem to remember.
Once you pull out that cooktop, getting into the base cabinet is more of a spelunking expedition than a simple bend and reach and the cooktop blocks light into the cabinet so you might want to put a light and door switch in there. If your knees are like mine, keep a thick kneeling pad and something to hang onto, besides the cooktop, nearby.
Also, as someone here reported, the switches that cut power to the surface units can go kerfluey and prevent the surface units from working. They are not fun to replace, either. I think it has to be done from below and there is one on each side, I seem to remember.
I probably should clarify this, (no Julia, not the butter) and explain that the cooktop has kill switches that interrupt current to the surface units when the cooktop is retracted, at least in the 40" model. I'm not certain about the front two units on the 30" Flair. They might work even when the cooktop is not fully extended, but the back two would be subject to a safety kill switch. Anyway it is those switches that can go bad and make the whole cooktop dead when the units and switches are fine.
Tom, you are correct - on the 30-inch models there are two kill switches. I guess the idea was to permit just the front two burners to operate when the cooktop was only partially pulled out. I've been doing my homework... LOL
Happy Early Thursday Morning, my friend!
philr
Well-known member
The main issues I have with Flairs is the oven cleaning (the early ones with the chrome liners look great when they're clean but not so when they're not, and they are a pain to keep clean and shiny). If you like to keep your ovens clean, it might be rewarding to keep them clean, otherwise, it can be a pain!
As for the cooktop and surface units, I can't complain, the one I have at the back of my garage where is my tiny kitchen is a real space saver (and that's what I need!). I usually use the cooktop pulled on the first detent so just the two front burners are exposed and it's great. I also like to sit next to it as I can't stand up for a very long time and the lower height of the cooking surface is great for that! I never had a problem using the ovens and cooking surface at the same time but I agree with Tom that bending behind the cooking surface to access the storage cabinet can be complicated if it's fully retracted to expose the 4 burners. Not so bad if it's half-opened!
I think having the vent hood above it is essential, so you want the one that matches it.
As for repair/parts, the first generations are easier to get parts for as they sold in greater numbers and they are also a bit simpler. The 1965 and later models have more complicated oven controls (at least, the more desirable Custom Imperials do). They are often a pain to move and to fix when something goes wrong. I've been waiting for years to fix one of the drawer safety switches that has been bypassed in mine. I have the part but I don't have the space to move around it!
I think these are made for people who take great care of their appliances and enjoy showing them at least as much as using them!
The size of the ovens has not been a problem for me (I can't be considered as a serious cook or even an average one as I don't cook much and this range isn't at home but at the back of my garage in my "play" kitchen!) but I can tell that some large baking sheets just don't fit there.
However, if I remember well, Jon once told me that his Frigidaire radiant wall broiler doesn't fit in his Thermador ovens while it does fit in the larger oven of the 40" Flair (and of course it would fit in the even larger oven of the single oven model).
I have the optional rotisserie attachment in mine but I have to admit I never used it. I'm afraid of the mess it could make and I don't want to deal with the cleaning!
As for the cooktop and surface units, I can't complain, the one I have at the back of my garage where is my tiny kitchen is a real space saver (and that's what I need!). I usually use the cooktop pulled on the first detent so just the two front burners are exposed and it's great. I also like to sit next to it as I can't stand up for a very long time and the lower height of the cooking surface is great for that! I never had a problem using the ovens and cooking surface at the same time but I agree with Tom that bending behind the cooking surface to access the storage cabinet can be complicated if it's fully retracted to expose the 4 burners. Not so bad if it's half-opened!
I think having the vent hood above it is essential, so you want the one that matches it.
As for repair/parts, the first generations are easier to get parts for as they sold in greater numbers and they are also a bit simpler. The 1965 and later models have more complicated oven controls (at least, the more desirable Custom Imperials do). They are often a pain to move and to fix when something goes wrong. I've been waiting for years to fix one of the drawer safety switches that has been bypassed in mine. I have the part but I don't have the space to move around it!
I think these are made for people who take great care of their appliances and enjoy showing them at least as much as using them!
The size of the ovens has not been a problem for me (I can't be considered as a serious cook or even an average one as I don't cook much and this range isn't at home but at the back of my garage in my "play" kitchen!) but I can tell that some large baking sheets just don't fit there.
However, if I remember well, Jon once told me that his Frigidaire radiant wall broiler doesn't fit in his Thermador ovens while it does fit in the larger oven of the 40" Flair (and of course it would fit in the even larger oven of the single oven model).
I have the optional rotisserie attachment in mine but I have to admit I never used it. I'm afraid of the mess it could make and I don't want to deal with the cleaning!
That is true
Phil, the F radiant broiler pan will not fit in my Thermadors. You can't close the oven door! Go figure, the visual size of the Flair ovens is deceptive.
Phil, the F radiant broiler pan will not fit in my Thermadors. You can't close the oven door! Go figure, the visual size of the Flair ovens is deceptive.
