Thank you all so much for all the advice and reassurance(s)! I'm going to call both the BSH showroom tomorrow as well as Gaggenau. (Although my experience with Gaggenau has been less than satisfying: before I received the ovens I called them asking for the 30" double wall oven specs [for the cabinetmaker] and they sent me the specs for a Thermador double wall oven. When I called / e-mailed back, they were genuinely bemused: "what's the problem?" is a direct quote. Ahem.) You know, I haven't run the self-clean cycle because the interiors (neither) are dirty. (We're vegan, so no meat spattering or whatever.) Good thought. When the first repairman came (to clean the few pieces of styrofoam fluff from in between the two panes of glass) he checked everything to make sure no other shipment damage had occurred. There was a problem with the vents (on the bottom of the two ovens), but he replaced the gasket (I think it's called), tested it and said it was okay. But honestly, what do I know? I'm not an oven specialist .... Good question, homepro: I have not baked in the bottom oven because that's where we have the trays (not racks). I've pretty much solely used it for proofing (I bake our bread). I'm making pot pie tomorrow so I'll try baking that in the bottom oven. Of course, for me it's cookies which give the truest indicator of the uneven baking (in the top oven). Even with my moving the sheets midway through baking (from bottom to top rack, turning them around, etc.), I still find the cookies unevenly baked / colored. It's harder to tell (I mean it's harder for me to tell) with my other baked goods. I'm not sure where our (independent) oven thermometer is ... excellent suggestion! I do use the Gagg "info" feature (which tells me the oven temperature at present), but if the sensors are off, then so are all bets. I didn't think the altitude could be a factor but, you know, grasping for straws to explain why I'm having problems when everyone else has written how their Gaggs are baking nirvana. And mindstorm, you are v kind. I assumed you meant something with the ovens, but I have thin skin. (I know! I have no business in this medium.) I'm usually able to keep it in check when online (where it is way too easy to misconstrue others words), but I was at a weak moment when reading your penultimate post. Thank you for making the time to respond instead of rolling your eyes and saying "get over yourself!" I am really encouraged about tomorrow (Monday), calling and hopefully getting somewhere in ensuring an even bake. I know it sounds slightly churlish, but after spending so much money on these ovens (and I think they are v. expensive) it's ticked me off and disappointed me that the top oven bakes unevenly. I do still think it's ridiculous that they don't have the smooth-gliding racks and that for two ovens they only provide two racks, but I'll tell you I am still gaga for Gaggenau's side-opening feature! Thank you everyone for all the information and encouragement that I can have even baking! I appreciate it so much. I'll post back to let you know what I find out. Fingers crossed. Thank you.

Slinkey, OK I pulled it out with the manual - it does have an on/off switch. I've only used it twice. Both times I did seafood that I first dipped in egg, then seasoned corn meal, and then egg again. While not a true batter, it was pretty wet and there was no problem with it sticking to the basket. The manual has recipes for fritters and batter dipped chicken, so I guess it would be fine for batters. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the responses. Since I wrote my post, I have found a recommendation for a fryer. I subscibe to Cooks magazine and have all of the back issues except the charter edition..of course that is the one that tested the fryers! But, in a later issue it made reference to the winner. That was the DeLonghi Roto-Fryer D20. The charter issue was prior to 1993 so there is probably another DeLongi model that might work as well if not better. I have checked it out on epinions.com and the DeLonghi as been rated almost a 5 star by quite a few people. So....I guess I am going to try and find one online as cheap as possible. When I finally get one, I am going to try frying some canned biscuits just to see how they might work. Properly fried, biscuits really are heart stopping if they are not drenched in grease or uncooked in the middle. I think there is a fine line in the temperature of the oil, etc. I will let you know. In the meantime, if anyone comes across more info, please pass it on. Thanks! Oh, here's something funny. I called my next-door-neighbor to see if by chance they had deep fryer. They just threw 2 in the trash 3 days before....grrr..... Typical timing on my part!

Thank you deb, how often do you replace the coffee filters? I assume after each frying? I did wash the charcoal filter in the dishwasher, however it still stinks from the grease and it is about half the thickness now. So I will have to find a replacement for that.