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lghamm

new oven preheat time

lghamm
13 years ago

My 20 year old range--very basic Magic Chef model--finally died and I bought a new GE (model JB690 from Lowe's) because it was a Consumer Reports best buy. I was very disappointed to discover that it takes 15 minutes for it to preheat to 400 degrees. My old range would get there in 6 minutes. This is a big deal with a houseful of teenagers who want their frozen pizzas done ASAP.:) I talked to the salesperson at Lowe's and they will take it back within 30 days, but she said that all new stoves with the hidden oven element were slower to preheat. Really? Does anyone know of an electric range I can buy new for $900 or less that will heat up quickly like my old one? Or will I have to try to find a used one with the old style oven element?

I appreciate your help!

Laura

Comments (17)

  • dodge59
    13 years ago

    Most likely, all of the newer ones will have similar preheat times comparable to your new GE. They all have amaller and less powerful heating elements in order to meet Energy Laws. Jenn-air is advertising a new one with almost "Instant Preheat" but that would be way out of your price range, and I think I recall seeing a post that said the preheat time claimed by Jenn-air , in fact didn't work as claimed.
    The best thing to do would be take an oven Thermometer with you to an appliance store, or several stores, and check them for preheat times---more than likely the cheaper
    (Non High end stuff) is gonna win the preheat race.
    Don't forget to check other aspects of the opeation of the oven, so ya don't just end up with one that preheats fast, but can't bake a decent cookie for the kids!!!!
    Good Luck!

    Gary

  • dadoes
    13 years ago

    Hidden elements do naturally take longer to heat being as the heat must pass into and through the bottom panel of the oven cavity. I've taken to using the multi-rack convection mode for everything except "sensitive" items on which I don't want to risk a failure. It heats faster what with the hot air blowing, but I still typically let it preheat for about 15 minutes.

    I'd figure on your old range's 6-minute preheat to 400°F that the thermostat may have initially clicked-off, but the temperature hadn't really stabilized at the target.

  • dodge59
    13 years ago

    I did some googling for "Fast Preheat Times Ovens"
    Course they all braggin how fast theirs are, Particularly Bosch and Fagor buttttt
    I read some reviews, and also staying within your price range, This one seemed to have a lotta positive reviews, One reviewer said was twice as fast to preheat as the more that twice the price Bosch He replaced this oven with.
    This Stove has Self cleaning oven (which generally preheats faster due to the better insulation of its oven cavity.
    The Only "Caveat" here, is the oven is gas and I don't know if you "Have to Have" (Desire) an electric oven----Anyway google "GFG461LVQ" (Leave out the " marks) to see this stove---I have seen it priced below $800 on several sites.

    Gary

  • weissman
    13 years ago

    One other thing to realize is that for many things like frozen pizza for the kids, you can put the food in when you turn on the oven and not wait for it to pre-heat. Only delicate baked goods and a few other things actually need a pre-heated oven. By the way, I'll bet your old range didn't really heat up to 400 in 6 minutes even if it beeped at you.

  • texaskitchentoo
    13 years ago

    Some convection ovens have a rapid pre-heat by adding in the convection element and fan. The E'lux I'm looking at does this but I don't know how much it helps. The regular bake element on this oven is only 1450 watts, less than my 7 year old builders special. this oven gets up to 400f in about 8 minutes. Of course it is not a hidden element.

  • lascatx
    13 years ago

    Wolf has changed the preheat on the bake cycle (doesn't appear to be on other cycles, but you can preheat and then change the cycle). My oven gets to 350 in less than 10 minutes. It is much faster than the previous model -- but also more expensive than the others you are talking about. I suspect the methodology will be copied though. May take a little time to appear in the lower models. They may try to make it a feature to entice yu tot he upper levels, like sound insulation i DWs, but someone is going to realize that families that don't bake a lot, can't justify or don't have the money for a Wolf or other pro level oven still want to feed their kids in a hurry and grab that market. At least you'd think so. Keep watching. ;-)

  • lghamm
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you to all of you for replying!
    Unfortunately, my home is not plumbed for a gas stove or I would definately have one.
    With the old oven, we could turn it on to 400 degrees, pop the pizza in without preheating, and it would be done in the 20 or so minutes that the directions state on the box. The new oven takes 35 minutes to cook the pizza without preheating. It's a nuisance but it's looking like I'll either have to get used to it, return this stove and buy a used one, or fork over the extra $$ and get one with the "Rapid Preheat" option. (I'm wondering why one would ever NOT use the "Rapid Preheat" option if it was available. Any thoughts?)
    Thanks again, Laura

  • weissman
    13 years ago

    Serious bakers not only need the oven preheated but need the temperature stabilized. Preheaing means that the air temperature around the thermostat is correct, but stabilized means that the entire oven is at the correct temperature. Typically it takes two or three cycles for ovens to stabilize properly. In my gas convection oven, I use the convection option to preheat even when I'm not planning to use convection for what I'm actually going to bake - things like souffles and popovers that need bottom heat.

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    "Serious bakers not only need the oven preheated but need the temperature stabilized. Preheaing means that the air temperature around the thermostat is correct, but stabilized means that the entire oven is at the correct temperature."

    Yup!

  • maks_2000
    13 years ago

    Are there any ranges with convection for under $1K? It sounds like convection helps with this dilemma. Good luck!

  • weissman
    13 years ago

    You'll have to search around at various websites to see if you can get a range with a convection oven in your price range. You might also consider a small countertop oven of some kind that will heat up frozen pizza faster. Frankly, making your kids wait an extra few minutes for their frozen pizza doesn't sound like a major problem to me - they need to learn patience :-)

  • lascatx
    13 years ago

    I know that Wolf uses convection to speed up the preheat and that also helps it stabalize faster. I haven't had a problem with hot spots or inconsistent temps as long as I wait for it to finish heating and don't put something in the second it beeps. In a different oven, I would try using convection for at least preheating and see if that helps with time and even heating.

    Weissman -- I probably would have thought so too, but there are times that feeding two very active, very hungry teen boys is a lot easier when you don't have to allow another 15 minutes for the oven to heat. Sometimes we don't have the luxury of an extra 15 minutes. Before this oven was changed out, we sometimes made food choices based on whether we had time for the oven to heat. For my baking, it wasn't a problem, but for feeding them it was. Not everyone keeps our kind of schedule, but it has made a difference for us.

  • fearlessem
    13 years ago

    Hi Laura --

    Another thing to consider might be a range that has dual ovens, one larger, and one smaller... I'd imagine the smaller shallow oven would preheat faster. I have a friend who has that type of range and she loves it for when she wants to bake just a quick tray of biscuits or a sheet of cookies... Something like this Whirlpool Gold... http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/GGE350LW.html

    Also, in reply to Maks_2000, I'm currently in the market for a new range, and want one with true convection (a heating element surrounding the fan, rather than just a fan)... There are units that have this for right around $1000... The one I'm seriously considering is the Frigidaire Gallery Premiere -- Model FGGF3076KW... But here's a link to an electric version that also has that true convection... http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/FGES3045K.html

    Emily

  • lghamm
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Just to follow up--I decided to pay the extra and get the double oven. I have several friends who have them and love them, but I didn't want to pay for it. Emily's comment was the the nudge I needed, I guess. My new range won't be delivered for another week, so I can't tell you how it's going. I'm confident it will be fine--neither oven has a hidden element.:)
    Thanks to all of you for your help!
    L

  • amcook
    13 years ago

    Are you baking the large frozen costco sized pizzas? I'll second weissman's suggestion. There are some toaster ovens will accept most of the market bought 12" frozen pizzas and they heat up much faster. Saves energy because of the smaller cavity to heat and you get it done faster so your teenagers don't start gnawing on each other.

  • weed30 St. Louis
    13 years ago

    lghamm - you will love your double oven range! I have a Maytag Gemini. I just ran a little test for you, and mine heated to 400 in 5 minutes.

    I cook almost everything in the upper oven - I'm a "cooktop cook" and when I do need to use the oven, I don't seem to make anything that requires the extra height of the large oven. I think I've only used the big oven half a dozen times over the past 4 years!

    The smaller oven on the Gemini is on the top, which I also think is better - easy to access with minimal bending.

  • SurferBobInHb
    12 years ago

    I have a question on whether an electric double oven has a faster pre-heat time for the upper oven than the bottom oven and if the pre-heat time is faster than a single oven. Is there any published data on this for any ovens?

    thanks