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cakelly1226

GE Cafe and KA Appliance Review

cakelly1226
11 years ago

I wish I found this board before I started my kitchen reno but I thought I would share my experiences with these appliances now that we are 8 months in. I feel very fortunate that we ended up with a great suite despite a number of warnings about GE. Since I couldn't find one review on the GE Cafe double ovens, I was really flying blind on those. But it all worked out great. I thought by posting I could give others perspective on appliances I don't see reviewed on here too often.

GE Cafe Cooktop- Nice config on the burners and I love the middle burner with the quick boil feature. It can boil a large pot of water in just a few minutes. The cast iron griddle works great as well. The simmer burner is fine enough for my needs but I don't simmer sauces and such so I really can't comment.

GE Double Electric Ovens- I have only owned gas ranges so I never had experience with a electric oven before. I LOVE THEM. I am not a huge baker so can't comment too much on that but the cookies I have made turn out fine with no uneven spots that brown quicker than others. It makes the most divine baked potatoes you will ever have on the convection setting and roasts are done so quickly. We almost burned the turkey at Thanksgiving since we forgot to use the included probe and it was done over an hour quicker than we bargained for. Over all I am really pleased. I really do need to do a cleaning cycle before the warranty is up since I hear that may cause an issue.

Kitchen Aid French Door/Bottom Freezer(sorry I can't remember the model). Love this fridge- The only issue is the french doors. Not really a fan. Wish I had more clearance so I could do only one door. I actually broke the drawer on the inside when I was holding open one door and the other door banged into the open drawer as I was putting the platter inside. They do have great customer service as someone was out to fix it in just a couple of days at no charge since it was still under warranty. I am MUCH more careful now. If it only had one door, I think then I find this fridge to be perfection! The freezer is HUGE. It holds so much stuff and with the tiers, you never lose anything. My favorite part is the filtered water on the side of the fridge. It takes up NO space and works great. The bottom cheese and meat drawer can hold a whole platter of food. Great use of space in this appliance.

GE Profile 36 inch over the range micro- Naturally I found gardenweb AFTER I configured my whole kitchen and purchased appliances. Many of us in Southern Cali, have over the range micros and I think its because year round, all we have to do is crack a door in addition to the vent fan. I am pretty impressed with all the vent fan does do with only 400 RPMS. But I think I would have gone with a higher level hood had I known better and not just trusted my contractor to know what was best.

GE Profile beverage fridge- works fine, keeps beverages plenty cold(despite reports to the contrary) and was very affordable.

GE Cafe Dishwasher- again, I didn't expect much but we got such a huge employee discount and a multiple appliance discount, that we could not turn it down. But this is a great dishwasher. The only complaint is the drying factor- plastics do come out a bit more wet than I would expect. But this is very minor. I did have an issue with glasses breaking in the beginning but found the temp on the heated dry was set too high. All fixed now.

Overall, I think I got very lucky in terms of my appliances.
I was scared away a few times from GE from a few sources but I was too cheap to walk away from the family discount that I got. I am glad I did since for a family home cook, these appliances so far fit the bill. I will update you with any issues down the road.

Comments (5)

  • SparklingWater
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for such a detailed review CKGM. It helps those of us wondering about GE. I've heard others rave about their wall ovens for baking. Have you done the in oven thermometer test to verify entered temperature? Is long to pre-heat? Do the ovens distribute the heat evenly? How about the oven convection fan, are they noisy? Are the double ovens 120 v or 240?

    Looking forward to your updates.

  • cakelly1226
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Sparking- I am no expert but will try to answer your questions. I haven't done the oven temp test but find it to be very consistent and even. Pre-heat time seems a bit long to me but the convenction cooks everything so much faster than my old gas oven that it makes up for that extra time. It is definitely very even heat. I make chicken wings in the oven using both racks very frequently and both racks brown up nicely and evenly. Cookies have been consistent too without having to move around pans from front to back halfway like i used to do with my old oven. I really don't understand this noise factor that I hear about when in convection mode. I honestly don't hear anything other than a very slight hum when the fans go on. Any noise would cover it up, it's that slight. I really love that both ovens have a very smooth rolling rack. Awesome for basting turkey!
    I hope that helps!

  • cakelly1226
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Sparking- I am no expert but will try to answer your questions. I haven't done the oven temp test but find it to be very consistent and even. Pre-heat time seems a bit long to me but the convenction cooks everything so much faster than my old gas oven that it makes up for that extra time. It is definitely very even heat. I make chicken wings in the oven using both racks very frequently and both racks brown up nicely and evenly. Cookies have been consistent too without having to move around pans from front to back halfway like i used to do with my old oven. I really don't understand this noise factor that I hear about when in convection mode. I honestly don't hear anything other than a very slight hum when the fans go on. Any noise would cover it up, it's that slight. I really love that both ovens have a very smooth rolling rack. Awesome for basting turkey!
    I hope that helps!

  • mike_73
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good to hear good things about GE. I have had some bad experances with lower lever Ge brand stuff that I might not look at Ge later if I could buy higher end cafe models I do have a builders grade Ge dishwasher in a rental that seems to be working out well

    About convection fans I don't understand the complaints they are loud My frigidaire gallery gas range has it and the house has to be very quiet to hear the whirl of the fan. My KA mixer or the range hood or even running the water tap can over power it

  • SparklingWater
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks to both of you. After reading the "are all convection fans loud" thread, I realized I'm talking instead about the fan which runs while the oven is on and/or after it's finished to cool the electronic mother board. Some brands are noted for being loud to the point of annoyance (not going to name brands I don't own).

    Just nice to see someone happy with their appliances which make up so much of our kitchen work tools and design.

    Happy Holidays.