Are these wall ovens, or ovens which are part of ranges? I have a Maytag range which I bought over a year ago. I absolutely love it. It's a slide-in range with a ceramic cooktop. Both cooking and baking (which I enjoy immensely) are a pleasure. The oven is much better insulated than my former ones, something I've really appreciated this summer. I have a home business and use my cell phone continuously throughout the day. Not even once has my Maytag oven turned on unless I (or someone else) turned it on ourselves. It would have been more informative if the author of the article had posted the model number of his Maytag oven.

CEFreeman, I think you're my NEW best friend!! Omg, I love reese and since my new oven went in, it's cookie-dough from the bag as I *try* in vain to get it on that cookie sheet and into the oven. Oh so many fails ;) But like Legallin, I actually love the smell of french fries in the deep frier and such. But I grew up with my mom doing that all the time. I guess those range hoods always pulled the "stench" out enough for me, and I maybe it's a little cultural?? What we grew up with, so it smells like home? Or maybe these folks aren't rotating their oil enough?? I always filter mine before storage (if I'm reusing), refrigerate and replace often. We also only leave the oil out long enough to cool and then place it in glass jars. I like to think all of that helps... Certainly no grease stains on my parents' ceiling after 25 years in the house and my mom fries daily at least. Or the type of oil?? We've always been a canola oil family, so maybe it's lower odor?? ...wonder what deepfried cookie dough would taste like?? ;) ...especially if it was wrapped around a reese peanut butter cup... ;)

Oh Scott, how frustrating your job sounds! It seems so many people have the attitude you've mentioned, and it seems to be getting worse. My husband and I don't even like being around mainstream society anymore. CCinTX, I will try to paint a picture with words about my old kitchen. I am going strictly by memory as my old pictures are still all packed away, and will be until we finish building our house. (One of these days I will learn how to put pictures and drawings on GardenWeb). It was aproxinately 16 feet by 16 feet (bare walls before adding cabinetry, etc.). It was basically a U-shape, but the left side of the "U" was a peninsula with base cabinets, and it was "pass through" style with uppers suspended between the kitchen wall and a stub wall near the entry to the kitchen. the peninsula was 8 feet long. We had an open floor plan, and though the pass through had been intended to be between the kitchen and a planned formal dining area, we opted to put our living room furniture in there. It had a window wall of about 10 or 12 feet of casement windows, with the same view of the countryside as the kitchen. So...basically a U-shape with the peninsula on the left, (which had stools up to it for additional seating from the living troom side), the stove, dishwasher, and sink on the center wall, and the refrigerator, pantry cabinet, and a built-in matching desk with (cookbook) bookcase above it on the other leg of the "U". I had room for a second refrigerator at the end of the desk. Fortunately it looked fine there. There was a six foot bank of connected casement windows over the sink, and we had a wonderful view of the countryside from it as well. The table fit in the center with plenty of room to walk around it, but when I mopped the floor I would have liked a little more room. The back wall of the main kitchen area was an additionl 6 ft. deep by the length of the kitchen laundry center. It contained the washer, dryer, utility sink, and hot water tank. I could fit laundry products on a shelf above the W&D, and (barely) fit a couple of laundry baskets. It worked but again, I would have liked a little more room in there, mostly in depth. The kitchen was not closed off from the rest of the house, and I had views out windows and sliding glass doors from front to back. Because of the peninsula the kitchen didn't just run randomly into the living area either. It had it's own identity. My cabinets were custom made by a local wood worker. It wasn't a fancy kitchen, but the materials used in it were beautiful and of high quality. I canned and froze hundreds of jars of food, and made millions of meals in there. When I had a party, we all ate in there. There was noise, much laughter, and some tears in there. There was life in that kitchen. My husband recently remarked that I never complained about that kitchen. If I were still in that house today, and could tweak things, I would have expanded the dimensions of the kitchen to 18 or 19 feet square (bare walls before cabinetry), and the laundry center would become a large food pantry. What I am planning in my new house will be very similar, but perhaps not exact. My sketches are very rough yet. I am allowing at least 19 foot by 19 foot area for the kitchen. One of my ideas is to have the U shape as in my old kitchen, with no uppers over the peninsula, to help separate the kitchen from the great room a bit, but still be open to it. I could extend the counter depth so that seating from the great room would be more comfortable, and it would have base cabinets. (We are not island or peninsula diners, but it comes in handy for grandkids). So the peninsula will be the left leg of the "U". The center leg of this "U" will have my stove, sink and dishwasher (8 feet of double hung windows over sink area, looking out at my woods). The right side of the U will have my refrigerator and a hutch for dishes. This will be followed by 8 ft. sliding glass doors, french style. I am hoping our table will line up well with the glass doors without blocking the side that opens. I may have to tweak the dimensions of the kitchen a bit if I decide to put a small work island with base cabinets in there as well. I could have the island and no peninsula, or the peninsula and no island. Maybe I can have both.....not sure yet. I may do the peninsula and then buy a Boos block island on casters so I can move it to a wall if it bugs me. Regardless, our table will be IN the kitchen, and near the large sliding glass doors. I am still working out the details of walk in pantry and laundry area, but they will be behind my whole kitchen work area and table. What I LOVED about having the peninsula near my stove was the 8 feet of counter it gave me to the left of my stove, going around the bend to the stove. I also had counter to the right side of the stove, and the sink was close by. Then there was more counter to the right of the sink, going around the bend to the refrigerator. All I had to do if I needed more work space was turn around to my kitchen table. I like having lots of counter adjoing a stove because it makes things not only convenient, but safer. I want an evolved "unfitted" look to the cabinetry. Like a few generations of family had lived there. Maybe some natural wood mixed with some milk painted pieces. Hutches rather than the standard lower and upper cabinets. Some glass fronts. I can't reach beyond the first shelf of an upper so why have many, or any at all. I am also planning on base drawyers and pull outs so I don't have to dig in the confines of cabinets while on my knees, and then haul a cast iron dutch oven up from there. In contrast, the house we sold 14 months ago had a kitchen arrangement a kitchen designer and architect cooked up. Gorgeous to look at. Helped sell the house. I HATED it. The refrigerator and stove were on one wall. Across from the stove and fridge, and several feet away, was my other cabinetry, and the sink in a shaped connected peninsula overlooking the great room. The kitchen was large, and everything was spread out. What exactly did I hate the most? I hated the marathons back and forth ACROSS the kitchen from stove to sink, refrigerator to sink, dishes to cabinet, and dishes to and from the table. People sat on the couch and watched me work. No one was in the kitchen with me. I felt like I was in the living room doing dishes. It was like a beautiful, cold, maiden. No soul. Like so many kitchens in the magazines these days. We started eating out more and more. The house we are building now has a soul to it already, and it's just the shell so far. We're still "drying" it in. We expect to have it finished by May and I can't wait. I have one other comment to make. The only thing kitchen magazines are good for is if you want to replicate having someone build a certain style hutch or cabinet, or you like a certain detail or window. I can pick all the kitchens apart now and 99% of the kitchens in magazines are totally disfunctional. Basically, reherse in your mind every little nuance you have for the way you like to cook. I slid my kitchen table back and forth in this mobile home to see what clearances I like between the table and counters, etc. I now know that if I have an island, I want 48 inches between it and a counter, and no more, and no less. I went through motions of how much room I like to have to lift a kettle of pasta and which direction I wanted to swing to the sink. Some people like to go left to right. Some like the opposite. See what you naturally gravitate to. How you like to unload a dishwasher and where you would like to put the dishes away, in a perfect world. It's a lot of work, and I will be so happy when it's done! Sandy

Huge is right! How big is your pot? 9 cups of chicken stock plus all the food. I think you'd be better off doubling the recipe and making it twice than trying to make it work out with more. Remember the geometry of your pot will have some effect. Generally, with doubling one is wary of salt and strong seasonings. Also, you might need less stock for double. As to the roux, I don't generally measure, so can't really answer, but one makes a small roux for a small pot and a large roux for a large pot. I think your best bet would be to make the quadruple, especially if you're taking it to a good dark brown. That isn't something you want to do again in a rush. If you think it's too much, you can set some aside and see how it goes. Either add in later, if it needs it, or keep it in the fridge for a few days.