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36" gas or dual fuel range... best value?

10 years ago

I renovated my primary residence in 2007 and put in a 36" stainless steel range with one oven. At the time, I was running short of funds - so settled on a fratelli onofri (I think it's now called verona) range to save money - instead of the thermador I had picked out. I've been regretting that choice ever since. Although we love the 5 burners, the variety of output (simmer to very large BTU) - the oven is such a pain - it takes 30-40 minutes to preheat sometimes - and once it's preheated, the temperature fluctuates a great deal. I hate using it - and will almost always use the toaster oven. However, since we have five kids in the house - the toaster oven is a challenge too.

So, I'm at the point where I'd like to replace it. Any suggestions on where to buy a new range, best pricing, which model has the best value?

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Comments (7)

User
10 years ago
You've discovered the Achilles heel of all 36" ovens. The large cavity takes a long time to heat up. Switch to a 30" with a single oven and maybe do a side burner in induction, or do a 48" with the two ovens. Yeah, you'll have to rearrange the base cabs maybe, but it'll be worth it to have something that performs better for your expectations.
lovetorenovate
Original Author
10 years ago
i know what you mean! that is inherent to large ovens... but seems as though this model is worse than most. Consumer reports seems to think the KitchenAid is better than average. How long should it take to preheat? I can understand 10 minutes (that's double the time of my last 30" range) - but 20-30 is extreme!

we won't be able to change the countertops or vent hood at this point - but it might be possible to put in a 36" cooktop (maybe induction) and then an oven below - I've seen that configuration in some ikea kitchens.
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Bunny
10 years ago
Wow, this is very enlightening to me, that 36" ovens take so long to heat. My old gas Kenmore 30" hits 350 in about 5 minutes. Isn't the volume of a 36" just 20% more than a 30"?
User
10 years ago
Most modern ovens have a lot of insulation and a lot of thermal mass to heat up. To get all that heated requires at least 20 minutes on most any oven. Sure, you can get the "air" to 350ÃÂ° in 10 minutes, but put in something cold, and that drops it way down. You have to wait until the whole mass of the oven heats up if you want to avoid that temperature drop. That means 20-30 minutes. It's a lot more important for baking than roasting, but it can really screw your timing up for that as well if you don't wait for the full preheat.
lovetorenovate
Original Author
10 years ago
Now I'm contemplating just adding a 27" wall oven. I have a cabinet that would accommodate one without much trouble. Since I like the gas burners, maybe that's my most affordable choice and gives me two ovens. What do you all think?
nycbluedevil
10 years ago
Sounds like the most sensible solution. Also, doesthe temperature of your current range oven continue to fluctuate for a long time after it initially hits the temperature. Oven temperature takes a bit of time to stabilize even after preheat is over.
fouramblues
10 years ago
That's the setup I have, and it works really well for me. I use the 27" wall oven for almost everything. The big oven comes into play when I need two ovens, or when I'm cooking something that would require the vent overhead. (OK, I'm still trying to remember to do smoky/greasy stuff in the big oven. Sometimes I forget, and it's not pretty.)

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