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weimom

Oven/cooktop advice please

weimom
12 years ago

I am brand new to this forum so I sure hope I do this right. I am at the very beginning/planning stages of a kitchen remodel and need to make some decisions on appliances. I have not been in the market lately so need feedback on certain brands. I need new double ovens and a gas cooktop. The options I am considering are with Jenn Air, Electolux, Wolf, Dacor, and Thermidor. Any feedback is appreciated as I am needing to make that decision very soon. I cook and bake a lot so these decisions are important to me and I would like to be informed about function as well as reliability and servicing.

I have been reading this forum every day for a few weeks and have learned so much!

Many thanks.

Comments (8)

  • deeageaux
    12 years ago

    Gas cooktops as a group are very reliable.
    Very simple and mature technology;not exactly on the cutting edge like full surface induction.

    If looking at cooktops and not rangetops then Bluestar would be my number one choice with Thermador a distant second.

    Double ovens I would look at Gaggenau,then Wolf and finally Electrolux as a more budget friendly option.

    I would say Gaggenau and Wolf stand out in terms of reliablity and service. Gaggenau offers 5 year warranty on their ovens.

    Bluestar has been getting kudos the last year or so for service.

    Thermador and Jenn-Air had some problems with their ovens a few years ago and it is not quite clear if those problems have been solved.

  • weimom
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks so much for your response. I am leaning toward Wolf for cooktop and either Wolf or Electrolux ovens. I have had double Kitchenaid ovens and got burned with those with the clean cycle problem. I am nervous about spending so much $$ on something that may have that happen again.

  • rhome410
    12 years ago

    I have a Wolf rangetop (the 'open-burner' style they're not going to be making any more, apparently?) and a Wolf double oven. After a long and ridiculous saga with ovens, I am very happy with the Wolf... Both in how it performs and how the company stands behind their products. I cook and bake for our family of 10 every day... I need what I have to WORK, and work well.

    I'd been thinking maybe I was a little envious of those who chose BlueStar or were able to get the Capital Culinarian, but after reading of things like ignitors needing replacing right away or the major adjustments needed to get a good simmer, I'm really loving my Wolf rangetop, that worked and was adjusted perfectly right out of the crate.

  • dodge59
    12 years ago

    Well now, are we playing "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte", Rhome? (LOL)?

    Were the Wolf Ovens, "Perfect out of the Box"?

    Like you, I would always like to see things arrive that way, and all of mine did cept a fancy ceramic cooktop.

    At Least they are happy now, as are You and that's of course, what counts most!

    Gary

  • rhome410
    12 years ago

    I assume you're indicating I'm not coming clean, Gary, and I didn't mean to deceive. People are getting appliances they can't even use or use adequately, because parts don't work or engineering wasn't thorough.

    But I'll explain and include what you're alluding to: My oven worked great and looked great as soon as it went in the wall... No waiting, or fussing with adjustments or parts on my end before I could successfully use it, enjoying excellent baking and roasting performance several times a week for a year (Probably 3 or more years of use in a "normal" household.) After that year a problem with the porcelain appeared. I got fast and excellent response from Wolf after only an email and some photos. I had to endure only one service call to swap the oven for a brand new one, with brand new warranty to go with. I had full use of the original oven up until that moment, with no loss of performance, so lost no more than a morning of potential baking time. I sure can't really find complaint in that. But with BlueStar people were getting stoves with unworking ignitors, and now we know that the Culinarian needs major adjustments in order to simmer.

    Just to come fully clean, the rangetop came grates with rubber feet, which burned off over time, so they quickly sent a new set of grates --and underpans, also, "Just in case" the new grates didn't fit the holes of the old underpans. They did. Wolf doesn't make the rubber feet any more, so that shouldn't be a problem to any new buyers. The only other complaint I've had about the rangetop is my inability to clean the black, shiny underpans. We're not fastidious cleaners, I admit. None of that should be an issue for the sealed burners, which I think are over stainless? But I'm not sure.

    Anyway, I think I can still say, honestly, that my Wolf appliances have worked just great "Right out of the box."

  • rhome410
    12 years ago

    And I hope no one reads that in an angry or defensive tone, because it wasn't meant that way... I'm just 'splainin.'

    :-)

  • dodge59
    12 years ago

    Not taken that way.

    In all fairness, the CC owners have been able to use their ranges, alto it's true not in exactly the manner they anticipated "Straight out of the box", but "Me thinks" a lady with your cooking prowess, would have been able to cook about anything, even with the high simmers.

    Now why do I say that? I was watching Iron Chef's the other night, one cook, not once, but twice, messed up the
    risoto (as I recall) as the stove was too hot, but guess what, the 3rd time was a charm!!!! (and without stove adjustments).

    As we've seen posted before, again and again, it's what is using the appliances that matters the most, alto I certainly do believe that for most of us, an appliance that does exacly what we want is far easier to get better results.

    Gary

  • rhome410
    12 years ago

    Maybe you give me too much credit for my cooking prowess. High simmer for a rangetop of that supposed caliber and price would be extremely irritating to me. I want appliances to do as they promise. I don't expect never to stir a simmering pot, but full, rolling boils that experienced cooks can't make work is not acceptable. And if they wanted to do that the day they opened the range, they should've been able to. I was.

    I can agree with what you're saying, but you know I dealt with problematic performance. If the stove insists on being unexpectedly too hot, according to the setting, especially if inconsistent at all, the result is going to be burned. There wasn't much I could do 'as the chef' to prevent the bi-colored pizzas!