Your ideal 30" freestanding electric stove/range

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qualin

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Hello everyone.

I'm eventually getting to the point, but it won't be for a few months yet, of replacing my old Roper Builders-special stove. It's a 30" electric stove which is free standing.

The reason why I'd like to replace it is because the oven doesn't have a self cleaning feature and I really hate using Easy Off.

Going to gas isn't an option because there isn't any venting for it.

So, I'm interested to know what all your thoughts are?

- Coil Top vs Flat (Induction) Top?

I've been told that replacing a flat top is very expensive and usually justifies buying an entirely new stove because the part costs almost as much as one. Versus say a Coil Top, where if a burner fails, it can be easily replaced.

Also, we rarely cook with cast iron pans/pots, but it's my understanding that you can't use them with a flat top because it scratches the heck out of the glass.

- Features

Not really big on features, but I have noticed the more upmarket ones give you better quality along with features. While I'm not big on having a "Chicken Nuggets" feature, having convection cooking would be nice but isn't mandatory. I'm indifferent on mechanical vs electronic controls, but it seems to me that the cost cutting cheap stoves are the ones which have mechanical controls these days.

It must have a self cleaning cycle though, a steam cleaning feature would be nice but isn't necessary.

Even heating for the boiler is a must.

- Brands?

It seems to me that the high end versions of whatever is out there have stainless steel cabinets. I'm not interested in Stainless Steel. What I'm more interested in is heavily constructed, heavily built, built to last. My friends are fairly happy with their Samsung Stove. Any recommendations?

I have thought about buying something professional, but professionals don't cook using electricity, so I'm relegated to buying something of domestic quality.

My father bought a top of the line Inglis stove back in the early 80's and it lasted us well into the late 1990's. It was used very heavily for anything you can imagine. I can only remember it burning out one oven element and one top coil top element in the entire time we owned it.

Any thoughts?
 
My perfect one would be a hi-lo (like GE Americana) double oven range; both self-cleaning ovens and both have convection feature; coil cook top (because induction doesn't exist such that my Revereware pans would work with induction, maybe a 2nd generation type of induction lol).  No electronics that culd fail, old-fashioned mechanical.  And still a nice storage drrawwer under main oven.  Also might as well have a rotisserie in the lower oven and the option to plug in a griddle too. 
 
I cooked on electrics from 1996 until March 2011.......

and I hated electric cooking. Still do. Electric baking is all right, but I do not like an electric cook top at all. Not one bit.

However, if I had to go back to electric, and could choose, I would choose a coil top instead of a smooth top. To me, smooth top electrics are so sloooooooooooow. Painfully slow. Also, to me, a smooth top is about as hard to clean as a coil top.

MOST ranges still come in white/black/bisque as well as stainless or stainless look.

The December 2011 Consumer Reports has a range report. They liked the GE JBP355M{SS} coil range quite well. I would look at it, and I would look at their Hotpoint line. In their reader reported frequency of repair rankings, GE, Hotpoint, and Whirlpool are the most reliable electric ranges.

I would suggest poking around at whirlpool.com and geappliances.com, and also at hotpoint.com.

I also suggest buying from a local independent ("mom and pop") dealer, if there are any in your area. When I got my Whirlpool gas range and Whirlpool bottom freezer refrigerator earlier this year, I went with an independent, saved several hundred dollars over a big chain, and got delivery and set-up included. (that is, no extra charge!) And a discount for cash, as well.

Just my experience and opinion.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
For me I cant say that there is a modern stove that offers all that I like to have,

but in my experience I was stay far away from Frigidaire, we have one and it is not that great.

I know a few people who own Bosch ranges and love them, if I were buying new I think I would choose one of them, they look well constructed and looks much better than most offerings, granted these are nearly $1500. If you want to spend less I would reccomend a GE from my experiences they are a reliable good performing range
 
One Question . . .

I am confused as to the comment that gas isn't an option due to a lack of venting. I have seen older built in wall ovens that require a special 4" vent from the back of the cabinet to the house exterior due to the cleaning cycle, but never a freestanding range. Most ranges have a small vent grille at the back of the cooktop to deal with the cleaning cycle heat and therefore don't need a dedicated vent - all you need is a gas line and you're set. If you prefer electric then you should buy one, but don't let the lack of a vent line scare you away from gas.
 
A friend of mine has a Whirlpool smooth top and both he and I are impressed.  We get together for cooking/baking marathons periodically and really put the applinace through its paces.  Baked items come out of the oven perfect every time, and the burners are fabulous.  They heat up fast, bringing a big pot of water for pasta to a rapid boil faster than any open coil burner I've ever used, and respond instantly when turning down to a simmer.

 

As for venting gas ranges.....I would never use a gas range without an exhaust hood or at least an open window nearby.   Oxygen depletion and carbon monoxide poisoning are no laughing matter.
 
I'm still alive and have been using a gas cooktop for decades without an open window and the vent hood is used only when needed, so I challenge that comment.  In a small room , maybe- but in an average kitchen space I see no issues with gas.

 

i feel I have the perfect setup.  I have a Siemens 30" gas cooktop coupled with an Electrolux electric oven.  Love the full grates on the gas cooktop, the diamond shaped burner lay out and the up front controls.  The oven does great things with what ever is cooked in it, looking forward to using the Perfect Turkey option during the holidays, it really is a perfect turkey.

 

If I was buying a new 30 stove I'd opt for dual fuel.  I've seen some very nice electrolux units that achieve in one unit what I have done in two.  I'd also seriously consider an induction cooktop, if I had no option for gas...
 
If you live in a cold climate,  at least gas burners are good to have, you can light them with a match in an ice storm and save your pipes.  I always feel sorry for folks with all electric  and  generator  with  an anemic electric heater plugged in.  To be honest  i have a second hand GE gas range self cleaning downstairs as a secondary oven. The kicker is it's a much better stove than the Maytag we paid full dollar  for in the actual kitchen.  GE does/ or did make very good cooking appliances gas or electric.  I would agree with MattL the folks had a gas stove for years without incident, and their house was custom built in 1968, it was a "very tight" house.  alr
 
Last weekend I stayed with a friend who has an all gas range. When he started cooking while I was in the kitchen, things were still OK. But when he lighted that gas oven, I had to get out of the kitchen. My lungs couldn't stand that oven. I have asthma and for that reason I prefer electric. No combustions to deal with.

Ideal would be an induction cooktop and a real convection electric oven.
 
Ideal would be an induction cooktop and a real convection el

You're so right Louis!
I used an induction hob a few times and the results are just as good as gas, with the same responsiveness, if not faster and the power, especially in boost mode is insuperable! Plus the heating in the kitchen is negligible!

Second plus is the ease of cleaning is something you can't compare with any other kind of cooking system.

As far as the oven goes, I'd surely get a true convection oven too, with 3 heating elements: top, concealed bottom and circular around the fan. Self cleaning of course is a plus!
Static (top+bottom only) ovens are slower and when using more than one cooking layer, yield very poor baking.
 
Modern Gas Ranges

Most modern gas ranges now have an electric gas valve which will disable the range in the event of a power failure. No more cooking in a black out. :(

Malcolm
 
Had an Induction top for a year now..!

I have to speak as I find and being a gas convert to Induction just is a no brainer ...! Its quicker, more fuel efficient, so easy to clean, and believe it or not some of the best pans to use on it are some of the oldest cast iron skillets given to me by my Mother who had them for about 40 years they work a treat and have not scratched it at all. Ok I admit if the electric goes then I am stuffed but as I have no gas in the kitchen then if it happens the take away gets my trade...:)

Austin
 
DaveAMKrayoGuy's favorite Electrics:

Where 'n' when any electrics DO fascinate me, it's none-other-than a Frigidaire, complete w/ the Heat Minder automatic temperature burner & the Speed Heat "fast acting" unit, in addition to the standard Infinite Heat elements--COIL, mind you!

No GLASS TOP for me! (Yes, they are HAUNTINGLY slow--such as my late-mom's, which I'm forced to use when I cook & eat at her house, along w/ her decades-old, antiquated utensils, dishes, silverware & cookware--and despite the range coming with this PASTE, for cleaning it, it is disgustingly impossible to keep it clean, though it's equally hard for me to routinely disassemble the top of my GAS range to make IT look good,too)

What fascinates me is the settings for the actual surface & oven settings behind the plexiglass backguard controlled via actual knob & the model names such as "SUPER", "CUSTOM IMPERIAL", "DELUXE", etc. proudly displayed! (As well as the "F"/GM logo, which along w/ their washers & dryers being very 'car-like', General Motors must have also been proud of its electric range!

General Electric, as ordinary as it may be, given that it's the most popular major cooking appliance to a fault, is also a decent range, at least back when it had PUSHBUTTON controls...

Of which my youthful impression back when I was drawing 'em, found me making as many buttons for the surface units, as there would be settings on the knobs of other ranges & even making a vast number of them for the OVEN settings, bake/broil (and Self Cleaning, Timed Bake, if equipped) and temperature selector, both! Don't think such a feature did exist...!

A free-standing double oven design, as in upper & lower, too, would also be favored, especially in a GE! Although I do love 'FORTIES' (40", double-side x side ovens AND a '40 OUNCE'! LOL...) and the Firgidaire there would be my fav'! But the more-preferred single oven lower is fine, & simple, too...

I wish there would be more WESTINGHOUSE electrics in circulation from the 1960's & 1970's as I have long since seen Frigi's & GE's; those were also real neat ranges, as well...

What gets me is how one family who had a GE push-button cooktop, double-oven w/ self cleaning in both ovens & a matching range hood over the C/T, all in coppertone (probably from the '70's) went right from that and a coppertone Roper dishwasher, to a 1990's free-standing Tappan/Montgomery Ward free-standing gas double oven range (Self-Cleaning Lower, Manual Clean Upper & in almond) & no dishwasher, when they remodeled their kitchen (and at least because they separated their Milk & Meat added TWO sinks & even had "milk" & "meat" engraved in the respective tiles)...!

I guess built-ins were just getting too high-endy for 'em...

The coppertone "Custom Crafted" Hotpoint refrigerator (from the '60's) w/ a bottom freezer that was likely part of that earlier set had been used as a 2nd fridge in the basement, wheereas an almond Whirlpool top freezer fridge had been their main 'cold storage', before being replaced by a GE-made top-freezer almond Kenmore...

-- Dave
 
I have a Kitchenaid

I have a kitchenaid electric range. It has the following features:

3 multi zone burners, 1 single zone burner
True convection oven with a temperature probe
Warming drawer underneath

Mine is white - white glass, white front. I don't like stainless steel.

I believe that older glass top ranges WERE slow to heat up but I DON'T find this one slow to heat up - and I do quite a bit of canning on it. According to KitchenaidWhirlpool, the burners should be able to take up to 50 pounds EACH so I can use my canner on them.

Of course, I do the following when canning:
Put the canner on the stove top
Fill with water in place
use canner
Let cool on stove top
then either pick it up or bail the water out.

The top *is* glass and they DO caution against breaking it.

Some folks on Gardenweb found that Kitchenaid Architect II (or whatever they are) ovens fry themselves using self cleaning. I haven't had this happen myself even if it is an architect II range. I believe the only things that fried themselves were wall ovens, however, so the ranges may have different venting. I also believe in giving the range air, though, so don't have a cabinet on one side of it so that may help too.

Pros about the range: I like the white. I find the elements quite powerful and responsive, but of course, glass does have thermal inertia I find it isn't as much as a coil top. I've not yet had a burner go out and I've had the range for > 4 years. (Indeed I got it on sale at Best Buy for less than half of the current MSRP. YMMV.)
On reading a Lancet study years ago about how folks with any type of breathing problems shouldn't have gas flames in the house, I switched to electric cooking and never looked back. I find that gas takes WAY longer to come to heat.

Getting the top clean involves using the paste for it and a little scrubby you can buy for it, occasionally also a razor blade. It isn't a big deal and takes no more time than dealing with any other stove top.

The warming drawer is handy mostly for hot plates. I like heated tableware for serving hot food.

The convection settings work very well.

It has a hidden lower element which is nice.

The temperature probe is nice.

The cons: Induction would be nice but then I couldn't use Corningware pots on the top so I'm not sure that this is a con. The thermostat in the oven is not as accurate as in my Miele oven but I'm not sure it is less accurate than any other range. I don't like it though. Other than that I can't think of any.

 

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