So my range is struggling. I have really enjoyed it. It is pretty old 1940s or 50s and has two ovens. One large one and one small one. For the last year or so I have had to babysit the temperature gauge for the large oven because it is literally out of control. 250 degrees becomes 550 and if I turn the dial to warm it could then drop only to 300 then to jump again. Yes, it's having HOT FLASHES! Now, I did mention there is another oven. A smaller one. You can fit a 9x13 pan in it or something smaller, but no regular sized baking sheets or a roasting pan. This little oven was working fine, so I was just going to scale down my cooking to smaller containers. Sunday dinner was a JOKE! It too seems to be having hot flashes. There are three solutions to this problem. 1) Replace the thermostats in BOTH ovens, 2) Get a new range or 3) Not bake anything tasty or wonderful for the next 9 months (YIKES, that's all the time we have left here!). I really don't consider the last one an option. I love to cook and bake way too much!
Initally replacing one thermostat wasn't going to be that big of a deal. Just order the part and install it. However, now that I need one for each oven the cost is climbing and really quite close to the cost of a new 30" range.
SOOOOO, I want some advice. Self-cleaning or not? I usually clean my oven when my mother-in-law comes to visit. So it's once or twice a year. Is it really worth the extra cost? How often do you use yours if you have a self-cleaning one? Also, would anyone steer me away from a ceramic top? I would choose gas if I had the option but I don't. My kitchen is small enough that the added counter space from the ceramic top would be welcomed, in addition you can see from the above picture I am used to having a bit of cooking space on my current range.
HELP!
6 comments:
I haven't ever purchased an oven (they've always come along with the house) so I am not familiar with pricing and all, but I will tell you what I know based on what I've had. If you get a ceramic top, which I do love for the "counter space" - you've seen my kitchen - but I would not choose a white ceramic top - it shows EVERY little spill. I liked the black one I had in UT. And we have a self-cleaning oven, which I do like, but I don't know the price difference. If you are leaving it when you move, I would probably not spend more for it. Does that help?
I have never been through menopause
can't help you (Just Kidding)
Our ceramic top is black..so yes it hides stuff well and I do like the extra counter space. To be honest, I don't know if there is a self-cleaning feature or not, but we have used Easy-off oven cleaner in the past. Good luck!!
I am not embarrassed to say (maybe I should be) but, I cleaned my oven for the first time when we sold our house. Almost 4 years of never using that self cleaning mechanism thingamagiggy. I say pocket the $. I dig our ceramic top. (I concur on the gas, that is the only thing I miss about our tiny apartment in Los Angeles, my gas stove, food just tasted better.)
Oh, Andrea I feel your pain! My lady, let's call her G.E., has also gotta be at least 60 years old. I'm scared of her, quite frankly. Jenn had some good quick advice for me on replacing it and finding good deals - something about Home Depot. You'll have to ask her. I'd say wouldn't you get the "value" back when you sell the house and can say "new range/oven"? Or maybe you could take it with you? I'd also go for the ceramic top because then you can say "sayonara" to cleaning those ghastly little silver plate thingies - right?
When we updated our kitchen, we purchased a ceramic top Whirlpool stove/range. I was really happy with it. However, I thought it was going to make having a clean stove top so much easier because you wouldn't have to clean the liners, but in reality, anytime anything spilled onto a hot burner, it would often take a razor blade to completely clean it off. In hindsight, I would still have bought the same thing, but don't be fooled, it can still be a pain to clean (ours was black), but it was definetly worth it to get the extra counterspace. Good Luck!
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