I found the range ovens to be, usually, smaller than a 30" wall oven, and SO LOW! As I get older, I want to be able to see and put things in and out at a better height. Also, a big consideration in our kitchen is that my kids love to work in the kitchen and, often, one person is baking while someone else is cooking, so it'll be nice not to be in each other's way. I think it'll be nicer, too, to have pots and pans so handy under the rangetop...and to keep baking pans and supplies close to the oven area...They won't be fighting for the same space to be convenient.

We had to make the same decision and went with double ovens and a rangetop (36"). I agree with rhome410. Having the ovens higher is great.

I love my double wall ovens, it really is convenient to have an oven at eye level.

Do not mean to hijack this thread, but I love this discussion -- because I am only recently turning into a baker, have a range oven, and have formed some ideas.

I guess at least one oven being separate from the range is good, because they can be used by two or more cooks simultaneously.

However, I have seen ovens being mounted high up in new kitchens, and often wonder, if getting things out of the ovens is actually harder. I guess, when you are lifting heavy trays from bottom up, you kinda know how heavy they are, whereas for an oven located higher, isn't there a bigger risk to drop it because when you slide it outside, you suddently feel the weight? This becomes a ergonomics issue.

Secondly, a question I have pondered often: in the kitchens where people go for double ovens, is it worthwhile to have one regular-sized oven and another smaller one (like a tabletop one)? This might make sense to someone who bakes in small quantities -- but also uses big oven space often during entertaining.

Any thoughts?

homersgarden ,

I too, grappled with the same decision. I had a 42" range,
with 2 ovens & didn't want to go down to a smaller range. I bought a 48" Five Star, 6 burner, dual fuel, convection, 2 ovens--1 gas w/broiler & 1 electric, self clean, grill/griddle. It was considerably less than a Wolf, etc & also less than what it would cost to buy the cabinets for the ovens & range top plus the 3 appliances. The unexpected plus was the way we use the griddle almost everyday, for all meals. Also, my DH has taken a liking to the griddle.
The lowness of the oven does not bother me as I have no mobility issues. When I get too old to use the ovens it will not matter as I should be a bit shorter by then!

I am going back to a range after having double wall ovens for 11 years. I found that I only used the second oven two or three times a year, and I sacrificed a lot of counter space to have it. I'm not much of a baker, and if I were, I'd probably feel different about it. I'm tall, so you'd think it would be much better for me to have a higher oven, but I really don't see a huge advantage. So, I'm getting a range with a smaller second oven.

Another advantage of a range is that you can have a vent hood over it which will vent the exhaust from the ovens.

I'm glad we ended up with a 48" range. I like having a small oven and large oven. We seem to use the small oven about 90% of the time. The large oven comes in handy when needed. I like the idea of heating a smaller space for the majority of our oven use. My 87-year-old mother seems to use the "low" range ovens just fine. I think lifting a lasagna up to a higher oven would be a problem for her (especially since she broke her shoulder a few years ago and her range of motion has suffered because of it.)

I'm all for convenience and would never get a low mw because I find them hard to see into and the controls hard to see. Neither of these problems are an issue with the range since the controls are at counter height and the racks slide out (and the viewing angle is better even without the racks pulled out--at least for the bottom rack.)

We maximized our window space and sacrificed wall area in the process. I prefer using the limited space for tall cabinets for pantry items where hunting for things at eye level can be helpful.

As weismann has pointed out, I have found the hood to be a good thing over the oven, especially when the kitchen gets over heated. I'm pretty sure the vent helps pull out the hot air from the oven vents.

And visually, I really like a range. We have an older house and the black range seems to fit with the style better. I guess it would be considered the focal point.

Good luck with your decision. You really can't go wrong (since both configurations seem to have many fans.)

Thanks for the opinions. I was leaning to the big stove with everything, but then I realized something after the discussion on seeing into wall ovens. I am short and several times at my friend's house (who is 6') that I have had a hard time seeing into the oven OR getting things out because of my height. I do beleive for me low ovens would be best...also I never thought about the benefit of having a smaller oven and a larger oven!

I have a related question. I've also been thinking that I would like a large freestanding range, instead of the wall oven/countertop combination I have now. It would sit between cabinets, and lately I've been wondering about cleaning that area between the cabinets and the range--including the floor. How much of an issue is that?

sail-away: Generally you don't clean the area between the cabinets and the range. A slide-in range will cover up the gap - with a free-standing range you can put strips in there or have the counters cut very close to the range. But basically if crumbs occasionally fall down there, who cares!

I was cooking at my mom's house and had to put the shrimp scampi from the oven to the broiler below and what a pain! It was difficult to maneuver. I could see it being helpful with baking a lot or a multi-cook kitchen, but I think I like the idea of keeping the cooking area in one zone.

Oh man, I knew I should not have read this thread! I just put in a new wall oven & seperate cooktop...& now I am 2nd guessing it! LOL.

I do love having my drawers under my cooktop though, so I will let it slide. ;-)

One advantage to having the oven on the floor is sitting there in front of it on a cold night watching the cookies rise (found childhood memory flashback there)...sigh, I guess my kids will have to get a step stool out.

So bottom line is there is no real right answer. It all depends on what you enjoy/utilize the most.

JoAnn

I agree with zelmar about the look of your home. Our new house is rustic and I felt a range fit that look much better than cooktop and wall ovens. I went for the 48 inch Blue Star in a bright red, which truly fits the look of our kitchen. Another factor is the many posts I read about using the smaller oven most of the time, which I felt would heat the kitchen less and use less energy. With just DH and I, having a smaller oven available was a factor. Finally, being able to vent the oven steam and heat out of the kitchen via the range hood made this decision easier.

Teresa

All great comments and thoughts from everyone. We have found double oven/cooktop vs. range works best for how we use our kitchen. We entertain a lot and both of us are in the kitchen cooking/cleaning/prepping/etc. Having the cooktop separated from the oven means we are able to maneuver around the kitchen and island more efficiently and without getting into each other way.

With a large range, we ended up dancing around each other more (think oven doors opening while some is using cooktop). It's really all about your kitchen layout and cooking preferences.