So, the countdown is on. We will be getting possession of our new home in about a month and a half!
I didn’t say it was a short countdown.
Still, I was talking to a friend the other day about our new home when she asked, “So… what plans have you made? Have you done any shopping?”
And I stopped. I hadn’t bought a thing.
It shocked me.
I’d perused magazines. I pinned thing to boards. But I hadn’t actually gone out to a bricks-and-mortar store and looked at materials or appliances that we wanted to put in our space.
So this past weekend, Mr. Suburble, the girls and I headed out to some showrooms. And what is so lovely about going to an appliance or flooring store with my husband is that when the over-eager salesman walks up to us, Mr. Suburble says, “Talk to her.”
That’s right. Talk to me. I’m going to be the one researching this to DEATH.
I’m not going to make this easy.
And here is where I start my research: with you guys. I’ve heard the spiel from the salesman. I saw his favourite appliances, and then I wandered away from him to see what MY favourites would be. And I just wasn’t sure. I need to hear some ideas from those who have been there.
The first thing I’d like to talk about? Gas stoves.
I’ve always had an electric stove. Coil-top, smooth-top: that’s what I know. I’ve never even owned a convection oven.
Gas stoves are a whole ‘nother ball game. Duel-fuel or no? Double-oven or single? Which brands can be trusted to make a solid appliance?
I’d love to share some ovens that caught my eye; then I want to hear from you. What do you love about your gas range? What do you hate?
And without further adieu, the nominations for my gas stove:
1.
This oven caught our eye. It’s a duel-fuel double-oven… but it’s still a slide-in range.
I love this idea, but I also worry about the mechanics of it. Is it awkward to get things into the lower – larger – oven? Do both ovens really cook at separate temperatures?
But the idea of a double oven sings to my dinner-prepping heart.
2.
Source
Or do I want a typical single-oven range with a storage drawer? Is it better to stay simple?
3.
But there are also aesthetics. Is it necessary for me to have the huge honking control panel at the back of this stove? It’s not an electric stove… the knobs are at the front. Why have a huge back panel if it’s not housing knobs?
The devil’s advocate just showed up: is that back panel not there to also catch splashes and spills from bubbling pots?
4. And then… a girl can dream:
If wishes were ovens, I’d get a Wolf range.
But they aren’t. So my oven will not be a member of the canine family.
And so I turn to you, my fabulous readership of oven-owners. What do you love about your stove? What do you hate?!? (That’s an equally, if not more, important thing)
Be honest. Tell me. If I’m going to buy a stove, I want it to be for keeps. And that means I need to hear the good, the bad, and the burned bottoms of cookies.
Hit me with it, guys!
17 comments
Alyson M
I grew up with an electric stove but have had gas stoves ever since and will never go back to electric. I just love them. If I were you, I’d choose #1! That one looks amazing.
Tara
It does look pretty fantastic, doesn’t it? I love the idea of the double ovens… but I wonder if there are any drawbacks to not having the warming/broiler drawer?
It was the one that hubby and I were drawn to immediately.
Alyson M
I don’t know. Hadn’t thought of that. Although, I never really use the broiler! haha
Alishia Smith
We bought a home last May and for the first time we now have a gas stove. I love my cook top, everything heats quickly! My biggest pet peeve is my broiler is in the bottom! I hate it!!! It means things don’t cook from the top, they cook from the bottom, so things don’t brown in the oven and the broiler itself is a drawer… DON’T get one like that. Cant prop it open to keep an eye on broiling foods.
My other pet peeve with my gas oven is that things burn on the bottom a lot, i have a feeling it is because of the broiler on the bottom. We have found ways around with air pans and silpat liners but it was trial and error for awhile.
I personally would go with #1! 2 ovens is my dream! Plus it looks gorgeous!
Tara
Oohhhh….. Okay, it looks like I have to learn about broilers. I didn’t even think about it being in a drawer and not being in the actual stove itself.
I will most definitely look out for that. I can see it being so annoying to have to pull out a drawer (and to have things broil from the bottom). How do you brown cheese/garlic bread?
C.K. @ 50 Days of No Grey
When we renovated our home 2 years ago, we installed gas and were lucky enough to find a Viking range on sale! I love my stove and love cooking with gas. #2 looks like a great option.
Tara
Luck-y! I’m jealous! I love those top-of-the-line ranges, but I don’t know if I could ever swing it in our budget. What about your Viking do you love? Maybe I could find some of those options in a lower-priced model.
Jenn t
I love my gas. I haven’t used a double oven but would love to have one, if you do a lot of baking at separate temperatures. Pay attention, that “storage drawer” most likely is a broiler NOT a storage drawer, so unless you want scorched items, DON’T store them there. Depending on if any new little ones will be joining your family, I would choose the buttons on the back option. My 18 month old loves to push and pull on everything. I’ve taken the stove knobs off, and my oven controls are digital and on the back. One more note..(we chose to not go this route because of this, but have not experienced it myself) “self cleaning ovens” lock the oven door and turn on to 500f for an hour. And you can’t stop,it once it’s been started. Now if that wouldn’t be so bad in the middle of winter, in a cooler climate, but….. Anyways congrats on the new home, and good luck with choosing! Hope my opinions help 🙂
Tara
Thank you for all of your great advice, Jenn! I can’t believe that I didn’t know that the bottom drawer was a broiler. How ignorant I am of gas stoves… I would have probably destroyed all of my frying pans. 😛
Our kidlets are old enough to leave the knobs alone… but I have a feeling that the control panel at the back does a good job of catching the splatter from sauces and frying. Probably easier to clean than grout lines in a backsplash.
I am wary of self-cleaning cycles, only because I’ve heard some bad things about teflon-lined walls. I had a white oven in my last house, and the self-cleaning cycle created a long burn mark across my control panel (as the vent was just beneath it). No matter what I did, I couldn’t clean it off. I was definitely disillusioned with the fabulous “self-cleaning oven” by that point. 😉
Thanks again for your great comment!
ChiWei
We have a Kenmore 36″ 5 burner gas stove. I love the power, the space, the wideness. I hate that it’s a glass top. DO NOT ever ever buy a glass top. It’s just too annoying to clean and polish.
Tara
Here is where I show my ignorance yet AGAIN! I didn’t know that gas stoves had glass tops!
I had a ceramic cooktop on my last electric stove. It was a bit of a beast to clean – I had to use a razor blade and that crazy special cream cleaner every time I tackled it.
Jules B.
Number 1 all the way!!! Good luck!!! I hope you do a reveal post!!!
Tara
Oh, I will, Jules! I’m terrible in that I research things until Mr. Suburble can’t stand it, but once we’ve got a decision, I will definitely let you know!
I can’t wait to get into this house so I can take pictures and chat about it on the blog!
Jules B.
Nothing wrong with research!!! It’s best to make the best decision the first time!!! I cannot wait for your future posts!!!
Sarah
I just did stove shopping last fall, although I chose electric (my littlest would have had all the burners “adjusted” while I was trying to cook with controls in front). Anyways… my advice is to pay attention to the burner size and BTUs they put out, especially if you want things to heat quickly (canner or frequent pasta water boiling), but also be sure you have some that cook low so you can simmer without getting a ring of burn food on the bottom of your pot if you forget to stir (or maybe I just need better pots!). Hope this helps- I know it can be overwhelming and I also tend to research so long the model I decide on has been discontinued 🙂
Adrianne
I had a double oven in our last home. I laughed at the thought of baking twice as much (as zero). And you know what? I FREAKING LOVED IT. I miss it. It was also my first electric range. Now we have a crappy oven with a gas range. There are pros and cons… On the electric range, it took longer for the burners to cool down (if I had to turn down something about to boil over, for example). But on the gas, the flame seems to heat the whole pan more… like, including the handles to my lovely metal-handled pots and pans. Really you will get used to whatever you have. But really really consider the double oven, I’m absolutely getting another double when we replace ours!!
Kevin
If you can I would recommend getting a range cooker, there’s plenty of range cooker buying guides out there for you to look through and get some ideas. From the ones I’ve had experience with I would suggest the Bertazzoni AD905MFEXE, they’re great cookers (and won’t set you back nearly as much as a wolf!)
Out of the 3 that you listed though I would choose number 1, personally I think having the double oven is much more beneficial than having one large oven cavity.