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Jerry Bruette
06-01-2009, 9:20 PM
Present gas range took a dump, looking for a replacement. Anybody have any experience, good or bad, with the new ranges that have a gas oven with convection?

How do they do it? Just a fan in the oven or do they throw in an electric element?:confused:

Thought about a dual fuel model but if these work it would save me the hassle of running wires I don't have.

Jerry

Eric Larsen
06-01-2009, 9:51 PM
Anybody have any experience, good or bad, with the new ranges that have a gas oven with convection?

How do they do it? Just a fan in the oven or do they throw in an electric element?:confused:



Mine has a fan in the oven. GE Profile. It's OK, I guess. But I want a better stove. (And the only time I ever seem to use the convection feature is to crisp up poultry skin near the end of the roast).

I love to cook. I really, really, love to cook. I'll spend a week's salary on an obscure ingredient if it means a fantastic meal.

My next range/oven is going to be one of those super-sweet Wolf models with an infrared charbroiler in the middle for searing meats. Prepare for mega sticker shock. You could buy FOUR SawStops, new, from the dealer, for the same price.

I'll pay it. I don't care if I have to skip a vacation one year. We are what we eat. And life is too short to eat mediocre food.

http://www.wolfstoves.com/Wolf/48Home/48andHood.jpg

Joe Pelonio
06-01-2009, 9:56 PM
Don't by a Sears Kenmore, ours has been nothing but trouble. If you find a good one let us know. I'd like a Wolf but we have no room for it.

Eric Larsen
06-01-2009, 10:13 PM
Their smallest model is 30" if I recall correctly. And that's the one that costs the same as four SawStops. It only gets worse as they get bigger.

Jim Becker
06-01-2009, 10:31 PM
The DCS range I put in when I renovated the kitchen in 2003 is all gas and has convection in the oven. It works really well. No complaints.

That said, if I were doing it again, I'd opt for the dual fuel simply because the electric oven is better at keeping a very even temp--especially important for serious baking. But I would not give up my screaming 18,000 btu burners up top!

Eric Larsen
06-01-2009, 10:36 PM
The DCS range I put in when I renovated the kitchen in 2003 is all gas and has convection in the oven. It works really well. No complaints.

That said, if I were doing it again, I'd opt for the dual fuel simply because the electric oven is better at keeping a very even temp--especially important for serious baking. But I would not give up my screaming 18,000 btu burners up top!

Put a dedicated rack as far down as possible place a full layer of bricks on it -- two if you have the room. It helps considerably when baking. (And, any spills end up on a cheap brick.) (Edit -- one year everyone I know decided to give me a pizza stone for Christmas. I have six of them at the bottom of my oven. It does the same thing. OK, hyperbole. I know more than six people. But you get the idea.)

Al Willits
06-01-2009, 10:55 PM
Some do the convection with just a fan usually on the back wall of the oven (mostly gas), some add a heating element and a fan (mostly elect)

fwiw during the commercial work I've done over the years I seen some pretty serious chefs use gas, elect probably is a bit less susceptible to temp fluctuations in a home setting though.

Remember Sears/Kenmore does not make anything, they buy it from a manufactur with the Kenmore logo attached to it, also many servicers do not have axcess to Kenmore service manauls as Sears is very tight with them, they have their own service department and likes you to use them.

We do service on Wolf and they have their problems too.

fwiw we bought a mid range Whirlpool gas stove, maybe $650 or so, it does just fine, all about choice and what ya want to spend.

We did spend almost 2k on our Weber though, sometimes ya gotta go a little crazy...:D


Al

Tom Godley
06-02-2009, 8:16 AM
I have the same range as Jim -- Its the best of the DCS products I have - no problems.

I actually like a gas oven - but I do understand how many would prefer an electric. I went all gas so I could get the radiant broiler -- that I really use!

Just make sure to look at the venting requirements - some require larger fans. When you get into the DCS stye ranges with grills the venting approaches a wind tunnel!

Lee Mitchell
06-02-2009, 8:56 AM
A couple of years ago I bought a 36" Premier Pro gas range. Ordered through Lowes. At that time it was around $1100.

Since I couldn't afford one of those dream stoves, this one fit the bill. Six burner - various BTU, cast iron grates, large oven, baking sheet / griddle compartment, sealed burners, etc. (My version doesn't have convection.)

Since I frequently can veggies in the summer, I needed all the burners and space I could get. Also, applies when cooking for the holiday crowd. The rest of the time, a castiron griddle sits on the 2 center burners. (An aluminum griddle comes with the stove.) Perfect for grilling a quick sandwich or "frying" a couple of eggs for breakfast.

This replaced a 30" electric cooktop and built in wall oven. Kept the oven, so I have the option of using either one, depending on what/how much is being baked.

When the range came in, a couple of the grates were warped. Premier promply replaced them, without any hesitation.

IMHO, this one works well as a compromise if your budget doesn't allow a high end range.

Lee

Carlos Alden
06-02-2009, 9:19 AM
We have a Kitchen Aid. Gas cooktop, gas oven, convection feature. It's also got a high-speed burner on top, crucial for my Chinese cooking and famous 3-minute omelets. Another feature it has is the square-shaped grills on top that essentially form a large grill surface. It's easy to slide hot pots and pans around from front to back or side to side. I love to cook and make lots of noise and smoke while doing so. Cooking for me is like being at a circus - lots of things flying around, excitement, thunder and lightning, knives furiously chopping - then all of a sudden there's all this hot food ready to eat.

The only feature I don't like is that control surface in front is mounted on an angle, facing mostly upwards on a flat surface instead of facing outward. This reduces the cooktop area, and I had a problem using a very large skillet: the heat deflected outward and melted a rubberized seal (rubber? heat? gosh, who would have thought...) which allowed moisture to get into the electronics. Had to replace a control board, all for a $5 rubber seal.

But it is a decent faux Wolf ranger.
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/b3/b1/hmgdRangesKitchen_AidKitchenAid_SlideIn_Gas_Range-resized200.gif

From looking for a picture of my range, a Superba model, I see that it appears the newer models don't have the control surface at the same angle. Looks classy but it's not a good idea.

Carlos

Cliff Rohrabacher
06-02-2009, 10:48 AM
BAD = Kitchen Aid All their larger appliances are horrors.
If Lucas Electronics is the Prince of Darkness, Kitchen Aid is the Madre de la noche que nunca termina.


Bad: Viking range tops: hard to clean

Good = Thermadore electric ovens

Good = Wolf Range top (caveat Only the Dual Burner qualifies their Sealed burner does not)

Carlos Alden
06-03-2009, 11:11 AM
BAD = Kitchen Aid All their larger appliances are horrors.
If Lucas Electronics is the Prince of Darkness, Kitchen Aid is the Madre de la noche que nunca termina.


Bad: Viking range tops: hard to clean

Good = Thermadore electric ovens

Good = Wolf Range top (caveat Only the Dual Burner qualifies their Sealed burner does not)

Could be at this point that Kitchen Aid is not very good. Mine is several years old. Other than the seal and thus electronics needing replacement - bad design but my fault for not noting in the manual that it states NOT to use a larger frying pan on the big burner - it's been good to me. However, I WOULD love to have something like a Wolf. I've heard not-nice things about Viking's reliability.

Carlos

Ryan Stagg
06-03-2009, 1:20 PM
We have a 36" Wolf all-gas. It cost nowhere near four saw stops - maybe one top-end one. :)

It has a fan in the oven, and is not "true" convection - true convection requires the heat to be generated elsewhere and then blown into the cavity, avoiding any direct heat. I don't believe any residential gas ovens offer this. It does still generate the lower cooking times of true convection.

Gas ovens are underrated, IMHO. Very moist heat (natural gas releases water vapor when burned), so it's great for meats and bread. The infrared broiler is 10x better than any electric broiler element. Some more temp variation than electric, so it's something to consider if you do anything very temp sensitive like pastries. My wife likes to bake, so we have a separate electric wall oven for that. YMMV.

Dual fuel ranges are terribly overpriced, IMHO. If you can trim it right, a gas rangetop with an electric oven underneath would have better features and be much cheaper, if you insist on gas rangetop/elec oven.

I've heard the same things about Viking - terrible QC. It's a shame, because I'd love to support the US-made product. But after hearing not just one story about ranges coming in slightly wider than the spec sheet promised, in kitchens where cabinets are already set, I'm a little skeptical.

Cliff Rohrabacher
06-03-2009, 5:13 PM
Could be at this point that Kitchen Aid is not very good. Mine is several years old. Other than the seal and thus electronics needing replacement - bad design but my fault for not noting in the manual that it states NOT to use a larger frying pan on the big burner
Carlos

I'd not call that "your fault." I'd call it the fault of engineers who don't cook.

Some several years ago I needed to re-hab my appliances. I tosses the old stove and fridge. Went to the local appliance place and bought a Kitchen Aide Fridge and glass topped gas stove.

The inside vacuformed liner of the fridge split in several places inside, the drawers fell apart, the mounts came off the walls, the freezer was incapable of maintaining an even temperature you had to know where things were only going to be sort of cold or your were taking your life in your hands keeping food in it.

The stove top shattered, the Convection Fan fell off the shaft after stripping the shaft so it could not be remounted, the electronics would lock the oven shut like it was on self clean and you have to be a class thief to open it. The electronics would tell the stove to do things other than what you set it to.
The Glass pack type Broiler clogged up and absolutely refused to work - period.


I will never buy a kitchen aid appliance again.
I will only speak ill of that company - for ever.

Now, I have the Wolf s burner dual burner range top. A Thermadore double oven w. microwave and a Thermadore Fridge. The freezer will suspend biological acvtivity because all of it goes well below Zero I can set it to a digital numeral.

Eric DeSilva
06-03-2009, 6:11 PM
I just put a Wolf into a house that I'm in the process of having built. Given the outdoor grille is only a few steps away, I went with the 4 burners and a flat top arrangement. I love breakfast.

Eric DeSilva
06-03-2009, 6:15 PM
Ha! Had one of those Lucas bumper stickers on my old Land Rover ambulance.

Funny, but I always felt Kitchenaid (aside from their stand mixers) and Viking were for people who wanted their kitchens to look like they cooked, as opposed to Thermador, Wolf, and DCS, which were for people who actually cooked.

dennis thompson
06-03-2009, 6:17 PM
Don't buy a Viking, we have one it's awful & when you call Viking customer service they're awful too.
Dennis

Jerry Bruette
06-03-2009, 9:35 PM
Never heard of Wolf or DCS, I'll have to check for a dealer.
Thanks for all the good info.

Jerry

Jim Becker
06-04-2009, 10:39 PM
Just make sure to look at the venting requirements - some require larger fans. When you get into the DCS stye ranges with grills the venting approaches a wind tunnel!

Very true. "Our" 48" ranges specify a minimum 1200 CFM exhaust fan due to the grill, but it's actually necessary for a lot of sauté work, too.

Yea, the radiant broiler in the DCS gas oven is wonderful. I have not used it much, but really do like it.