I am in a rental home right now during our remodel. The rental has a Jennair gas cooktop with a grill. It is truly a mediocre item that in no way justified its price, whatever they charged.

thank you for responding to my query. I work at someones home that has an older jenn air electric cook top with grill. Its pretty aweful but the new jenn air looks so great and I keep hoping that they made some improvements to go along with their higher price point. Not looking that way. I have truly become crazy over this appliance decision. I guess my question should have been what do I buy instead?

Keep in mind the Jennair of today is quite a bit different than just a few years past; now that they are under Whirlpool ownership. Jennair products are completely new and greatly improved compared to previous models formerly from Maytag.

thank you for responding to my query. I work at someones home that has an older jenn air electric cook top with grill. Its pretty aweful but the new jenn air looks so great and I keep hoping that they made some improvements to go along with their higher price point. Not looking that way. I have truly become crazy over this appliance decision. I guess my question should have been what do I buy instead?

They have them on display at our local Maytag store where you are supposed to be able to "try before you buy". I just ordered a new JennAir Cooktop, wall oven & speed/micro oven. I have really old JennAir ovens & cooktop that have served me well over the years. I think they had quite a few bad years in between, but I'm willing to give them a try. The size is right, as is the look, and if they perform as promised I will not be disappointed. I cannot wait to try the speed oven. I was told that Whirlpool has placed them above Kitchen Aid as their top of line now; and put allot of money into testing of the new appliances. Time will tell, I guess. Good luck!

Sometimes your appliances $ stretch farther if you can accept less than ideal for 1 appliances and put the money in items that must meet your criteria.

For example, break up the cooktop and oven. Then they decide where the money should go. If you are not much of a baker, you can get a mid grade oven and a higher grade cooktop. This may be cheaper than getting a higher end range.

Also, do you want infrared broiler in the gas range? Is this a must for you? I have an electric oven and gas oven with infrared broiler. I must say that I find that electric range broiler cannot compete with the infrared broiler performance.... You have to decide what functions you want.....

Personally, I have not been impressed with Kitchenaid/JenAir products at the price point that they charge. I would probably get a really good cooktop,ie Bluestar, Wolf etc and get a lower grade oven, ie Frigidaire/Kenmore.

wow you guys are really trying to help me come in off the ledge! This is great. kaismom thank you for your well thought out response. However I need a slide in range. At one of my jobs I cook on a Wolf 4burner/grill cook top. Its heaven. I would love one. But the 30" range is $4400. Can't swing it. Not with needing the Fridge and D/W too. I am replacing 16 year old GE profile range and fridge and kitchen aide D/W. Interesting question if I want a infrared broiler. Do I? Usually do my searing on stove top in cast iron. But I do bake alot. And I will alot more once I get a functioning oven. I do not think I can limp out a thanksivng dinner on the one I have now.

cook4real,
I have been thinking about your post. You know how Wolf cooks and why you like it! I don't think you would like how Jennair cooks...

My partner has been cooking on his Wolf cooktop for many decades. The electronic ignitor no longer works. He uses a handy-dandy lighter to light his cooktop. Even so, it out performs most other modern cooktops out there.

I have had my Viking pro style range for many years and I would not give it up for anything. I am thinking of replacing it with Blustar when it dies so I can have 22K BTU burners. (upgrade from 15k burner) However, it is such a simple machine, i don't think it will die! The gas ignitors in my oven stopped working a while back. I replaced them for $50 with DH (no technician involved...) If we called in the tech, it would have cost a few hundred $ for the labor. We are pretty handy.

I used to cook with GE range that has 12.5K max burner. I think Viking even at 15K is an upgrade from the GE. Viking for me simmers better and there is a better flame control than the GE range I had. The grates are better positioned. I like having all 4 burners at high eat output. I love the infrared broiler.

All-gas ranges, can however, be not as even when it comes to baking. I also think the life expectancy of dual fuel ranges are shorter because of the computer modules and such. So there are trade offs...

I think you should buy apppliances in piece meal. You don't have to have all new appliances at once. For example, you can put in a very cheap/used DW/frig from Craigslist for now. Then when you have funds available, you replace the DW/frig. My brother has had very good luck finding bargains on Craiglist. (I tend to not do that since my budget is pretty generous) If you are handy, ie know how to install DW, then used DWs from someone getting rid of working DW to remodel, can be a good deal. It also saves money when you don't have to pay $100 or so to install a DW.

For a cook, it's the range that matters, IMHO...

I think a good range can be a once in a life time purchase. I have all gas Viking that has been going strong for 10 years. All gas pro style ranges are very simple machines. There are no electrical things to break. Dual fuel/self clean etc are different beasts all together. I have had ranges with electrical/computer panels. It's the computer panels that tend to die. If I was in the market now, i would look at Bluestar. That is about as close to restaurant grade range as you can get. I think they run about 4k.

You also need a good hood. don't forget to budget for that. Good luck.

kaismom,
thank you so much for your thoughts. I agree with everything you have said. I know this. I do not want dual fuel, self cleaning or any computer pamels. I want a range that will work. I guess I was hoping that I would be able to hear from someone who could backup the Jenn air. This range has all the things I just said I did not want but the price is right and it looks good. I have a couple of other problems that I feel prevents me from getting a truly pro range. I do not have a vented hood. So I would have to get a ventless one that I do not think can handle the higher btu ranges. This house is 45 years old so you would think there was a vent originally but I would have to start punching holes all over the place. DH was laid off 6 months ago (after 43 yrs same co) so I have been trying to update this kitchen in case we have to put the house up for sale. And enjoy it in the meantime. Currently the applicances are white. and old. range works sometimes. Looks like DW is quitting as well. I need to put in all SS and soon. But besides all that you think bluestar over wolf? interesting. Do you know anything about the NXR? Not as pretty as the bluestar or wolf or capital. Again thank you for your time and thoughts.

Is there any way that you can have a vented hood installed? The down draft exhaust is not as effective as an overhead. I have been wrestling with the same issue. Put a deposit on a Jenn air pro-style dual fuel and am having second and third thoughts.

IKEA has some good looking hoods for a good price, not sure if they'd be powerful enough.

Any body have experience with bertazzoni? Not a down draft, but a low back and looks like great quality.

elainey,
I honestly do not know what would be involved with putting in a vented hood. I keep wondering where the original vent went??? A couple of years ago the house was resided did they cover the vent? hmm. When I moved in 16 years ago I put in an over the range micro that had that stupid vent that does nothing. Maybe it did more than I thought. So used to commercial ansel hoods that make your hair stand on end. You know I do not think the Jenn air I am looking at is dual fuel. I hope not. JGS8860BDP. I have such angst over buying this range. Its ridiculous Do you have a vented hood now? Is the hood your concern or the range itself? does the jenn air have a downdraft on the model you are lookin at? What else are you considering. I think the bertazzoni has a small oven.

If you are having THAT much angst over buying this range, then I would take that as a red flag that you are not sure it's the 'right' one. I'd mentally put this model to the side while you continue to research and come to a decision that feels more 'right' to you. You are used to things with a lot of power, and that's going to be tough to come close to on a budget--but I don't think it's impossible. I just redid our kitchen, and like you, was replacing dying appliances. My personal strategy (looking back) was to research my brains out, narrow the decision down to a few models that I knew I'd be happy with, and then lay in wait for a sale, deal, or rebate that bumped them into affordability. :-) I purchased everything over a 6 month period, got what I wanted, and came in *exactly* on budget. My best find was a Miele Inspira II for half price--new, under warranty, and flawless. You can find deals if you can be patient and keep your eyes open to all the different vendors online/local/on Craigslist/Ebay/etc. Something might come up on a Wolf that makes it affordable for you, you never know. If you know what you want, you can buy with confidence quickly when the opportunity presents itself.

Blue Star: I'd search these forums carefully and do some reading before going there.

I'm sorry about your husband's job loss--that's a hard blow to take. Good luck to you.

Cj

It seems one of the things you need to do is decide what your main goal is. If you are trying to get your kitchen slightly updated for resale purposes only, you should select appliances that would be common to homes in your neighborhood. If you are buying more for your use your discretion. As a previous poster mentioned you may want to buy appliances one at a time as your budget allows. If you have to replace a slide in range that may be a larger impediment to a pro style range which are typically free standing units (at least in my research). If you can use a free standing unit some of the lower priced pro style ranges may work. NXR is a brand made in China that supposedly uses the same burners that Wolf uses. Check the search feature.

I checked the JennAir model number on Consumer Reports. It seems to be a design from the Maytag era. They rated the range in the low 60's with the best ranges being like 73 (I think a GE Cafe) and the worst being a 49 (KitchenAid). The reviews were mixed with complaints on electronic boards failing. One thing that I found somewhat confusing is the links to the installation instructions on JennAir's web site did not detail on what appears to be the down draft feature.

I am in such a rush this morning but I wanted to dash off a quick response and got the whole thing typed and bam - gone. argh. anyway
CJ - After reading your post last night I immed jumped over to craigslist and ebay. I live in rockland cty ny which is not far from NYC. I checked NYC, hudson vally and new jersey sites. whew that took awhile. Nothing so far but I will keep checking. And thank you for your kind words and thoughtfulness.

drrust- It amazes me how nice people are. Thankyou for looking into this for me. I was not aware or it slipped my mind that the NXR uses wolf burners. that is interesting. I looked at the NXR at RENO Appl. It was a contender but the stainless on it looked kind of, I don't know, off maybe? Its interesting to me that when all the bells and whistles are taken out of an appliance the price goes up. I think it would be the other way around. Anyway,
CR rated the GE cafe the highest? huh. I did look at the Capital 30" GCR304. They wanted 2800 which was not too bad but I think I thought the oven was too small. And I do not believe that the Jenn air I looked at had a downdraft at all. I am going to try and investigate this vent thing. If I can get my husband in the crawl space over the kitchen! I really have learned alot talking to everyone. thank you all. gotta run. hope this makes sense!

Your welcome. I've been looking at ranges for a couple months now and when someone describes a model I want to check out the features myself. In terms of the downdraft features I'm not sure if the model you selected has it but the central grate sure makes it look like it does.

I was able to see a Capital 48" Precision model, the build quality looked very good. Not sure about the oven size, that is your preference. I personally have not seen an NXR but there are some recent threads on lower priced professional style ranges that had some owners chiming in.

I've found selecting a range a very confusing experience, which reviews do you believe. How much is a particular feature worth. I've the added complication in that we are trying to keep white appliances which limits several professional style range manufacturers. Right now we are leaning toward a Frigidaire two oven gas model with the smaller oven on top. My second choice is a GE profile dual fuel which has a second oven drawer. However, cost no object I likely would get a Capital Culinarian 30". That would also require some sort of ventilation improvement over my over the range microwave.

Hi Drrust. Have you looked at the Bluestar and Bertazzoni? Very pro looking and comes in colors. This IS confusing as all heck. I spoke to a repairman today (came to where I was working) and he just reccomends GE. The simpler the better. And he would not reccomentd the GE cafe. I have a white GE profile range and fridge. They are 16 years old. The oven has never been calibrated correctly so baking has always been iffy. The fridge has been great and still is. Just trying to update the kitchens look. I painted and glazed the cabinets, put in butcher block counter tops and don't even get me started on what I did to my back splashes! (love them all) so the appliances are next and I think the SS would look great. I have not seen the Culinarian but it must be gorgeous! it should be for the price. Did I not read that it could add up to like $5200?

Your right on the Culinarian's price. That is with the self cleaning oven. It would be another $400 to get a color added. The manual clean is closer to $4K which would put it in the same price range as Wolf, Viking and others. I have looked at the Blue Star and Bertazzoni's. For the Berta's the added $500 for color moves it too close to the Blue Star and the Open burner Viking. Plus I really don't like the look of their grates, there seems to be too much space between the tines. But the build looks really high quality. Our situation is complicated in that we've had to replace some old appliances that were failing, but we aren't ready to remodel the whole kitchen and probably won't for at least 5 years. When we do remodel we may put in a 36" instead of 30". Also the whole vent situation adds another cost, at least we have the ducting to the outside. Who knows I may convince my wife yet that a pro style range has too many added capabilities. All of the GE ranges I've looked seemed to be of high quality in terms of fit and finish. We were at a summer rental that had a two oven stove with the small oven on top and that really seemed to be a good arrangement in that for single sheets you did not have to heat a large oven. The GE two oven units (gas or dual fuel) only come with an oven drawer on the bottom and it is my understanding that they take a very long time to preheat. There is also a Kitchenaid/Maytag unit that has a similar arrangement to the Frigidaire but both high power burners are at the front of the range. I want at least one high power burner in the back for boiling water and stuff as I have two young kids and want to put pots as far from their reach as possible.

You are most welcome. Yes, it DOES take time to keep on top of Craigslist and the like, but it can pay off--I keep an eye out for clearance sales and such as well at local dealers--my DW came from the sale room of a local appliance store, a return due to the purchaser not having the right setup for it when it was delivered. I hope that you can find everything you are looking for.

Happy shopping!
Cj

drrust- For me I need the hotter buners up front. Slow cooking items need to go in the back of the range so you aren't reaching over them to saute something up quickly. Soups, tomato sauce, chili, etc. These take hours and you do not want to tie up your front burner especially with young children around. You are always standing there when you are using high heat. So on that you should not add more pressure on your self.

cj47- there was a flyer in the mail this week from a local appliance store having a three day closeout sale. I was not going to go due to the fact that they usually only have GE and Electrolux on the floor but maybe they have other brands now. I will go and check them out. Thank you for the pep talk.

cook4real, Thanks for responding. The model I am looking at is JDS9865BDP. It was made under the Maytag era in '07. Just got off the phone with a friend who has this range with the downdraft and has had a lot of problems with it. The oven had trouble getting to the right temp., like off by 100 degrees! Now her downdraft isn't working at all. I think I'm going to abandon this model. I know there aren't many choices with a downdraft. Have you gotten an estimate on installing a duct for a hood? Maybe it won't be that expensive. I have another friend who has a fridgidaire professional gas range and she is very happy with it. Bought it from Lowe's and opened a charge to get 10% off. It's not a true professional range if that's what you want. Good Luck!

cook4real, I missed a 30" Wolf for 1,200 on Craig's list, there because of a remodel. So there are good deals. I'm still undecided between the Fridgidaire Professional and the Bertazzoni, and am planning to look at AJ Madison since I read that they are a good source for reviews (NOT Purchase). If I were you, I'd ask a heating/air company to give you an estimate on installing a vent hood.

Just chiming in because I saw the mention of no outside venting. Our house is 60 yrs old, and we had no outside venting either -- the vent hood was a recirculating one. This must have been common because one of our neighbors has the same setup (and they have gas, we don't). We had to buy a new range a few weeks ago when the old one died*, and we replaced the vent hood at the same time. We decided to go ahead and have holes punched to vent it outside since the hood I bought could go either way (p.s. this is all very low end compared to what you are talking about [grin]). It was not that big a deal. It's a small ranch house with a straight shot from the kitchen ceiling through the attic, and our roof is new, so that made it simpler.

*Speaking of simple and long-lasting: the range that we replaced was a Kenmore electric coil and it worked reasonably well (for us) until an oven element burned out -- the date on the back of it was 1970...

elainycabany- Hi again. I went a little crazy and just went ahead and ordered appliances. I started another thread and posted what I ordered. I was so confused about what to get that I got sucked in.
I recieved my appliances yesterday.
I went with the Capital - GC304 range.
KA dishwasher KUD50.
GE Cafe fridge.
One day in and these are my observasions.
Range looks amazing. However I purchased a $5 oven thermometer and think the oven is 25 degrees off. Need to go buy another therm and check that out.
Fridge is smaller than what I had (but there are only two of us home now) so that needs to get used to. And for some reason we are having some trouble leveling it. And why do I see the little feet in front? Need to go see it in showroom to see what I am doing wrong.
DW- haven't used it yet.
So I am concerned that I made ok choices. I just could not deal any more. I could not even remember everyones advise.Guess I'm getting old.
HOW DID YOU MISS THE WOLF FOR 1200. OH HOW DISAPPOINTING!

Northcarolina- YES I NEED A HOOD! and your words are encouraging. I am going to get some prices. The kitchen shares a wall with a bedroom (Hi-Ranch ugh) so where would the duct go?

"The kitchen shares a wall with a bedroom (Hi-Ranch ugh) so where would the duct go?"

Our hood is mounted under a cabinet that extends all the way to the ceiling, so the duct goes right up through the middle of the cabinet. We lost some of our (limited) storage space but I think it's worth it.

I ought to mention that one reason our installation seemed simple was because we had a handyman/contractor do the whole job himself. An electrician who was out here earlier had told us it would take HVAC plus a roofer plus an electrician to do the job right -- just so you know. But we knew and trusted the work of the handyman (he had just done a gut renovation of our bathroom) so we had him do it instead of coordinating 3 different people.

Your new appliances sound yummy. :) I hope you love them!

Yes, your appliances sound grand, I think you'll be happy with your choices. My contractor said that for my ductwork, which will be on an inside wall near the peak of the roof, the duct will go up through the cabinet, ceiling and roof (it could possibly take a turn and go out the gable end wall). It isn't a big deal to run the duct, the electrical or cut a hole in the roof, but northcarolina is right, having a contractor or GOOD handyman that can do all three saves a lot in time and money in the end. Perhaps the store where you purchase your hood/appliances can recommend someone? Start asking around for recommendations from friends or others in the trades you have used before and were happy with. Good luck!

Sometimes the obvious is not where I am looking. Of course the duct would go up thru the cabinet! Duh me. Not an issue I can't reach it anyway. But I did see the electrician, roofer and HVAC having to be called. I work in one home that uses a very good handyman. Great talent. I do not know if he would do this but maybe. I will ask him. I am most nervous about the roof. And the cost of course.
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I do love them. They are new! How can you not? The capital range is a dream. Still have not had time to bake anything yet (roast and broiled) as I am on a diet and do not want any sweets around for a couple of weeks. And baking to me will be the real test of the oven. I'll let you know.
Elainy any decisions on YOUR appliances yet? Are you doing a whole kitchen redo?