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July 13, 2009
Range Suggestions
We are thinking of renovating our kitchen and want suggestions on ranges. We cook many evenings and will spend a bit. Our only spec is it must be 30" as the kitchen is not that big. We have heard viking are good but break often and GE monogram are nice. Any tips out there?
Comments
Bosch convection is good and its understated style fits a small kitchen.
Posted by: DeLepp at July 13, 2009 2:26 PM
I love my GE Profile (now 10 years old) that cost about $1K then. I did not want convection (would not use it) just plain old gas with a self-cleaning oven and iron grid that covers the whole top. I hate to think of replacing it -- fewer tradional and much more expensive options.
Posted by: BH76 at July 13, 2009 3:27 PM
I think basically all of them are equally as good. It's just whether you want to get fancy or not.
I prefer a gas cooktop and an electric oven.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 13, 2009 3:35 PM
i highly recomend giving green demoltion in bethel a call.
http://www.greendemolitions.com/newappliances.html
they have a lot of high end appliances at 1/3 of retail- they get last years models donated.
we got a viking cooptop and kuperbush oven
the viking has been a little wanky- but seems to fix itself-
the oven is pretty fantastic - the oven lists for 3800 but the gave it to us for 800. - it was missing the handle (new- but had not handle-) but they called the company and got it for us.
they don't list the brands on their site but they will give you good info over the phone
we got an entire kitchen from them - including cherry cabinets- granite counter- sink- faucet- 18 inch dishwasher- and the viking cooktop for 1500- and then rented a truck to bring it to brooklyn.
Posted by: filmmer at July 13, 2009 3:42 PM
I don't have a specific reco, but agree on the gas/electric combo. And if you cook a lot, and especially if you get a gas cooktop with higher BTUs (like a Viking), you'll want a powerful range hood too... We have a Vent-A-Hood, which I would definitely recommend.
Posted by: tinarina at July 13, 2009 3:56 PM
We have a KitchenAid Architect Series II (30 inch). It is a great oven with one major caveat for me. The oven is both classic (direct) and convection. In classic broiler mode, the heat output is not as strong as my old OLD oven.
So no Peter Luger style steak for me.
Other than that, it is great. The stove top is great. And the mix analog and digital controls are awesome.
It does not compared to high-end ranges but for the price I think it is a great buy/
Posted by: crimsonson at July 13, 2009 4:03 PM
we've had a viking 30" for the past 5 years. never had a repair issue. a nice stove.
i have my eyes on the bluestar rnb 30" now. much higher btu's, and the oven fits professional baking trays. also, the viking burner shape puts all the flames at the edges of your pans. the bluestar is more like a professional stove with a blast right up the center.
i think the bluestar is about a grand cheaper then the equivalent viking or wolf (new, that is).
Posted by: benno at July 13, 2009 4:43 PM
I can vouch for the GE Monogram. Works like a dream. We got the double oven that also has the convection feature. Our favorite feature is the plug in thermostat. You stick it in the roast then into the plug in the oven and tell it what the internal temp of the roast should be. It'll automatically turn off when it's done. Perfect every time.
Very happy with it.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at July 13, 2009 5:15 PM
Agree w tina, a hood is even more important than the stove. Too many complaints w Viking for my taste. What do people have against convection? I have something against self-cleaning... too hot and causes premature wear to components. Lot's of choices in a 30" range. DTS is another.
Posted by: denton at July 13, 2009 5:51 PM
I love our Electrolux. I have to see the actual model number, but its way more elegant than the flashy Viking S.U.V. type ranges. It works like a dream too. If I remember, I'll give you the model number, but we bought it at PC Richards.
Posted by: iz at July 13, 2009 6:07 PM
I love our Electrolux. I have to see the actual model number, but its way more elegant than the flashy Viking S.U.V. type ranges. It works like a dream too. If I remember, I'll give you the model number, but we bought it at PC Richards.
Posted by: iz at July 13, 2009 6:07 PM
The hood I chose was "Best by Braun" with a separate extractor fan ("blower") on the roof (instead of internal, which I've found is loud and useless). The extractor fan is 1000 CFM. http://www.bestbybroan.com/display/router.asp?BestProductID=3698
There's other choices here:
http://www.bestbybroan.com/display/router.asp?BestCategoryID=100094
I'm going on about this because it actually took me way longer to choose a hood than a range, for some reason.
Posted by: iz at July 13, 2009 6:15 PM
We have a Jenn-Air dual fuel (gas burners on top + electric convention oven) slide-in stove. It's 10 years old, looks good, works great and has been 100% reliable.
Posted by: grand army at July 13, 2009 6:16 PM
I second the Jenn-Air dual fuel. The one I have is also a double-oven, with the upper portion being perfect for baking/broiling etc. The lower oven is larger, and is either electric or convection. Five gas burners. I've had it for two years, which is fairly new, but no complaints.
Posted by: BKRed at July 13, 2009 7:46 PM
I second the Jenn-Air dual fuel. The one I have is also a double-oven, with the upper portion being perfect for baking/broiling etc. The lower oven is larger, and is either electric or convection. Five gas burners. I've had it for two years, which is fairly new, but no complaints.
I went with a GE Profile hood because I wanted a low profile one and I selected the quietest one in that style.
Good luck!
Posted by: BKRed at July 13, 2009 7:47 PM
we love our wolf range and the red knobs. it's been a dream.
Posted by: witchdoctor at July 13, 2009 8:22 PM
I hate our GE Profile slide in. The burners are placed too close together to fit several pans at the same time. The broiler drives me crazy, and not in a good way!!
Posted by: dt at July 13, 2009 9:25 PM
I just moved here 3 weeks ago and took with me my 1 year old 30" dual fuel viking. It is the best range I have ever owned, and I cook professionally.
Posted by: newcomer at July 13, 2009 10:21 PM
We have a Bluestar that we live (36", though they make a nice 30"). I totally recommend them. That said, you may be better off doing research on the Gardenweb site -- those guys specialize in these types of discussions. http://ths.gardenweb.com/
Posted by: josh59x at July 13, 2009 10:37 PM
I love my Viking 36 inch dual fuel stove (and hood), as well as my 36 inch Viking built in fridge. People who see my kitchen also love how they look (i.e., very good for resale). I bought mine from a store in NJ that sells display models and got more than 50% off! Good luck...
Posted by: TigerNJ at July 14, 2009 6:36 AM
One more vote for the Bluestar RNB series. Can't beat a 22,000 BTU burner with even heat distribution. Add in a convection oven, a great broiler, and good looks and you've got a winner.
Posted by: elvis at July 14, 2009 10:40 AM
I'm getting a mid-range Bosch hob and oven fitted in the next week or so - will let you know how it goes. Very good value and excellent reputation so I've got my fingers crossed.
Beyond that, the Bosch dryer that I have is a real trooper.
Posted by: the chicken at July 14, 2009 10:47 AM
I love our Electrolux dual fuel.....take a look at Sears on Bedford Ave, they have a great selection
Posted by: PHfamily at July 14, 2009 11:31 AM
we have a bosch convection. i'm pretty disappointed with it.
the knobs are pretty crummy, 2 of them dont stay on the front anymore
and kind of pop off although i can't figure out why...theyre not broken or cracked.
We've only had this range for 2 or 3 years....the knob porblem happened in the the 2nd year.
As far as convection...i know people say it cooks fast but i've found that not to be the case. ours cooks evenly but not any faster. my 2 cents.
Posted by: CGmodern at July 15, 2009 9:03 AM
If you're considering a Viking, I'd look at the Wolf dual fuel instead. I think it's a much more reliable range. I do not recommend the Wolf all gas, which is less expensive than the dual fuel. Our house came with one and I don't think it is worth the money and lacks a lot of features I would want in a range that expensive. The Wolf All Gas has no sealed burners, no self cleaning oven, no ultra low simmer, all burners have the same BTUs AND no timer - a silly quibble but it annoys me on a daily basis. Even your basic GE apartment grade range has a timer!! I had a DCS in my last house - not a fan of that either. I really liked my Mongram range and I think it's great value for the money. If you decide against a pro-style range, I like the Electrolux my friends just installed in their kitchen.
Posted by: brooklyny at July 15, 2009 9:04 PM
We have some crappy rental stove with a self cleaning oven. Cooks just as well as any other stove. The self cleaning oven is very convenient.
Posted by: mopar at July 18, 2009 12:11 AM
I have had both the WOLF dual fuel (gas burner + electric oven) and VIKING professional (all gas). Both have serious fire power, but for small quality details I prefer the Wolf.
The WOLF dual fuel oven has useful controls to do stuff like turn off the pot roast at 5pm & or when the temperature probe hits 170F. The WOLF standard stovetop trivets are also better shape for sliding pots around (the flatter nicer trivets are an upgrade accessory with Viking), and the sealed gas burners are a winner for keeping crumbs and spills out. In addition to their signature red knobs, the cobalt blue oven interior makes everything that comes out of it look more delicious, in my opinion.
My best dishwasher ever was a Miele. Their sanitizing super-hot wash option for canning jars / baby bottles and ingenious top tray for cutlery are worth the extra expense for Miele alone, whereas my Viking DW doesn't seem to dry thoroughly and is not as quiet. However, in the gas cooktop department, the Miele don't seem to have enough BTU output unless you cook very lightly.
There are a lot of opinions on appliances on gardenweb's house forum, by the way.
Happy cooking
Posted by: vicki_vale at August 2, 2009 11:07 PM
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