Please help me decide on 27' convection ovens and 30' gas cooktop

16 years ago

Every time I think I've made up my mind, I read something negative about what I'm about to buy.

1. 27" double wall ovens (one or both will be convection):

I saw the Kitchenaid and was very impressed with the interior space and it had a full extension bottom rack. However, I"ve read negative comments about problems with top element getting hot during baking, causing tops of cakes, etc., to burn or become over-dry. I am a big baker and don't want that problem! Also - heard there was an issue with fuses blowing while self-cleaning? Do any of you love your Kitchenaid ovens (my current oven is Kitchenaid and I have always liked it)? I also looked at Bosch, though Consumer Reports doesn't like it. Please give recs/comments re your personal experiences.

2. 30" gas cooktop. Was all set to order a Wolfe. Am now worrying that there won't be enough room to use a big pasta pot and large saute pan at the same time, since the burners are all close to each other. I have a 20-year-old gas cooktop now. The left burners are separated from the right burners by about 10", so I can use two big pans at the same time, except that all but one of the burners are too small. I've seen specs on GE Monogram (spacing of burners same as Wolfe). Do those of you who have 30" cooktops have a problem using two large pans? What do you recommend per your personal experience?

Needless to say, reliability is important. I also don't need a lot of bells and whistles I won't use, like the Miele oven's programmable cooking times. I am willing to spend the money if the item is really worth it, but also believe there are probably moderately priced appliances out there that perform just as well. P.S. I can't go to a large cooktop or wider oven because I don't want to alter my cabinets.

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Comments (4)

rgillman
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm ordering a GE Monagram 30" oven with the full extension shelves (all 3) and a 27" Advantium 120V, which I expect to use most of the time. I'm buying a Caldera cooktop - 30" with five burners. Beautifully designed.
mindstorm
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Funny I had some of the same constraints. I have a 30" Wolf cooktop and like it very much. I am now used to it, but 2 years ago when I did my kitchen, I went from a 30" range to the 30" cooktop, it did at the time feel a bit compacted to me because the range had the controls in the front vs. the top as on the cooktop. I am now used to it and while your "big" my not be my big, I don't have any problems using wide pans simultaneously on my cooktop. To make risotto for instance, I use two wide (9 -10") pans on two burners back to front and don't have any problems with the space. 10" is my widest pan however. Surface wise it hasn't felt tight to me. However, there are 2 cooks in the family and it felt a bit close to me in the beginning going from the 30" range to the 30" cooktop but now it is not an issue.

I do love the cooktop, though. Performance-wise it is very good. If the latter consideration is relevant to you, however, you may also want to take a look at the Viking designer series - the cooking surface spans the 30" width, controls in front. Do study its outputs though - for me, the high at 14KBTU may have been fine although I preferred the 15KBTU, but 2 years ago, the low was 1.2KBTU and that was too high for the things I do want to be able to make some times. At 675-700btu simmer settings for the viking now, that is a LOT better. The Wolf has 300 or 400btu lows and I find that I use them quite a bit so I would not have been happy with 1100btu for a low.

I have a Bosch oven and like it very much indeed. I have a 30" 700 series but since Bosch came out with new models this year, I don't claim to know anything about them. The 700series is a relatively basic oven even though it was their top offering 2 years ago - bake, convection bake, convect. roast, broil, convect. broil and warm, thaw, dehydrate or some modes like that. It is self-cleaning although I've only ever used it once. Goes down to 100degrees in "warm", 120degrees in "dehydrate", 170degs in the cooking modes. The direction of the heat source distinguishes the modes.

It does an excellent job with temperature control (+/- 7 or 9degrees per my experience except for when you open the door in which case the temp can drop sizeably depending on mode; Miele Wolf and Gaggenau are even more precise & hold temperatures to within 5-7degrees), very even whether in bake, broil or roast; I liked its size as it was a smaller oven. I LOVE its interface. I noticed Consumer Reports doesn't like it either but haven't been able to figure the reviews out. I will say that you do have to experiment a bit to get used to how to cook in it - either it is the convection or the Bosch itself but there are things I have had to consciously start to do to ensure good performance; I did have some corkers in the beginning before I cottoned on to that. Placing the rack too close to the front of the oven instead of in the center or towards the back will interrupt its' air circulation (in convection) and the net result can be a asymmetric cooking. Likewise sorting out how to load the racks for multi-rack cooking so that they are evenly spaced out else same story. That sort of stuff. Anyhow, I like my Bosch oven very much but claim no knowledge of even any of their new models.

I absolutely love the cooktop, but I think that the oven maybe what I play with even more than the cooktop.
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THANKS FOR ALL OF THE RESPONSES. THE " LEADING CONSUMER MAGAZINE" IS CONSUMER REPORTS. THEY RATE THE WHIRLPOOL GOLD THE HIGHEST IN BAKING, MUCH HIGHER THAN EITHER THE VIKING OR WOLF, BUT THE WEB IS FULL OF NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE WHIRLPOOL. SOME PEOPLE EVEN CHASTISED CONSUMER REPORTS FOR CONTINUING TO RATE THE WHIRLPOOL SO HIGH IN LIGHT OF ALL OF THE CONSISTENT NEGATIVE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS! MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS CONCERN ANNOYANCE WITH AN EXTREMELY LOUD CONVECTION FAN THAT RUNS FOR A LONG TIME AFTER THE OVEN HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. ONE REVIEWER SAID THAT THE FAN WAS SO LOUD THAT IT COULD BE HEARD IN THE FARTHEST REACHES OF HER HOUSE! I ATTEMPTED TO LISTEN TO THE WHIRLPOOL IN A COUPLE OF APPLIANCE STORES BUT THE SALESPEOPLE TOLD ME THAT IN ORDER TO HEAR THE FULL SOUND MADE BY AN OVEN IT HAS TO BE HOOKED UP TO A 220 LINE AND APPLIANCE STORES CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE 220 LINES FOR ALL OF THEIR DISPLAY OVENS. THUS, MOST OVENS IN APPLIANCE STORES HAVE ONLY ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO LIGHT UP THE DIALS AND OVEN LIGHT, SO IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO FULLY EXPERIENCE AN OVEN'S PERFORMANCE IN AN APPLIANCE SHOWROOM. OF MORE CONCERN TO ME, WERE THE MULTITUDE OF WHIRLPOOL REVIEWS THAT COMPLAINED ABOUT UNEVEN BAKING AND COMPLETE OVEN FAILURE AFTER THE FIRST USE OF THE CLEANING CYCLE. IN FACT, MOST MID PRICED OVENS HAVE PAGES OF CONSISTENT NEGATIVE REVIEWS ON LINE! UNFORTUNATELY, MANY CONSUMER MAGAZINES IN THE PAST ONLY RATED ITEMS IN THE MID MARKET PRICE RANGE, SO IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND INDEPENDENT REVIEWS OF GAGGENAU, BLUE STAR, MIELE, VIKING, WOLF, LA CORNUE, OR AGA KITCHEN APPLIANCES. INTERNET FORUMS LIKE THIS HAVE HELPED TO REMEDY THAT, BUT ONE SHOULD ALWAYS TRY TO FIND REVIEWS FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE AVID COOKS OR BAKERS. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE TO ME HOW MANY PEOPLE, WHO RARELY COOK, PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A RANGE JUST TO DECORATE THEIR KITCHEN WITH A PERCEIVED STATUS SYMBOL! IT DRIVES THOSE OF US WHO LOVE TO COOK CRAZY!
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dlspellman
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
After much debate and comparison, I went with the 30" GE induction because of burner placement and the 27" GE Convection wall oven stacked with a 27" GE Advantium 120 oven. I have an over the range Advantium now and love it!
It bakes beautifully (banana breads, muffins, rolls, etc.). So, I liked the flexibility of two ovens or an oven and a microwave, without having to have sacrifice space for three units. Thus, my decision to go with GE for ovens.
User
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have the Viking Designer cooktop mentioned by mindstorm - 30" stainless steel, 4 burners, continuous grates. The controls at the front of the ct reduce the front to back dimension a little but the burners are staggered and the full 30" width is occupied by grates so it doesn't feel cramped. I rarely use the high end btu burner except when I boil the big pasta pot and it works well. I like the simmer at the low end.

Please help me decide on 27' convection ovens and 30' gas cooktop

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rgillman

mindstorm

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