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jannz77_gw

Double oven -- top gas... bottom electric ??

jannz77
11 years ago

I'm considering the American Range 30" double oven for our new house build.

I'd like the "French Door" option on top and the 'Chef' door option on bottom -- either both 'gas' or 'electric' or a combo.

I've only used an electric oven before and am wondering if there is an advantage to having the top oven be 'gas' -- which will be 'propane' in our case -- and the bottom one be 'electric'.

Not sure where I'll purchase from but here's a link to see what they look like:

http://www.americanstoves.com/ovens.php

Appreciate comments / suggestions / links ... and anyone that can share their experiences.

Comment (1)

  • wekick
    11 years ago

    Read the use and care guide if you can get a copy of it. Consider buying your ovens as components -the best gas and the best electric. If for some reason, one needs to be replaced, you can. They could also be placed side by side if you wanted to or some other configuration. You are also paying for exactly the features you want.

    Some of the differences in gas and electric heat may or may not be important to you, but there are advantages to each.

    Gas heat is often called "moist" heat because it releases water as a product of combustion but the ovens are ventilated more so that moisture and moisture from the food leaves the oven actually making the oven dryer. This is good when roasting because it is drying to the skin or fat and makes it crispy. Anecdotally, people on various baking forums report more difficulty keeping humidity in a gas oven when baking bread.

    Electric heat in ovens is often called "dry" heat but the oven actually holds moisture from the food more. It is more of a closed system. This is a good thing for baking cakes or something that rises. Convection can offset the moistness by its drying effects when you need it to be dryer.

    Look at the size of the broilers. The infrared broilers may be hotter but tend to be smaller.

    Compare some of the features of the electric oven to other ovens in the price class or even some that are cheaper. Features that make an electric ovens fall into the price category they do are

    -multiple modes
    These help you control where the heat comes from-top for roasting, bottom for baking, convection with these settings etc. Miele has all kinds of settings that require a learning curve but would seem to be useful. Wolf ovens have less settings but still have quite a few. Consider Gaganau. Electrolux also gets good reviews and has many useful modes. The down side is that the electronics can be prone to damage during self clean. The brands listed seem to get good reviews here. Avoid ovens with a lot of electronics that are new models and have not been proven.

    third element convection(also called European or true convection)
    This is an element around the convection fan that helps keep the temperature very even throughout the oven especially when it is full.
    If you don't have this additional element, there is just a fan, with on and off.

    Some electric ovens have a very narrow temperature swing, as little as 2 degrees either way. Most ovens have a 25 degree swing either way.

    self clean

    I'm not sure if the electric oven you are considering has these features or not.

    Some other things to consider are the racks, the lighting, temperature range of the thermostat(some might be 200 for the low end and some might be 80 degrees), the warranty and the reputation for service.