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ekb9u

Any feedback on these ranges if you have them in your kitchen?

ekb9u
9 years ago

I've been reading this forum for years in anticipation of a new kitchen. The information on here is incredibly helpful. Finally the time has come and I have to make decisions - thus my first post. Decisions are not my strong suit.

Please save me from myself and tell me which of these ranges you would buy or if you would definitely avoid any of them. It seems like there are negative reviews for every range.

Looking for an all-gas range with convection oven and pro styling. My budget maxes out at $3,000. Reliability is important to me - I've had JennAir and Kenmore gas ranges in the past...never needed a service call. I cook multiple meals a day, but am not a professional chef by any means. I have a young child, so the safety features I read in a review of the GE Cafe (locking out the control panel and the knobs) were appealing, but maybe these are standard features among ranges with the front control panel? I don't care about 4 versus 5 burners. I'm not convinced that the fridge and stove need to come from the same line, but they will be very close to each other in the kitchen, so that it is a consideration. If these are all junk, I would probably give up the pro styling...

So I've narrowed it down to:

Frigidaire Professional 36'' Freestanding Gas Range
FPGF3685LS - $2499 MSRP

KitchenAid 30-Inch 4-Burner Gas Slide-In Range, Pro Line
KGSS907XSP - $2349 MSRP

BOSCH 30" Gas Slide-in Range Benchmark� Series
HGIP054UC - $2699 MSRP

GE Cafe Series 30" Free-Standing Range with Baking Drawer
CGS985SETSS - $3099 MSRP

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.

Comments (30)

  • Marc Johnson
    9 years ago

    Not sure if this is pro-enough, but my husband (who is majorly into cooking) has been in love with this one for the last few months:

    http://www.lg.com/us/ranges-ovens/lg-LDG3036ST-gas-range

    We have the model right below it - non-convection - mainly because he hated the idea of an oval burner on the top and has a smaller convection oven for what he wants to do (Breville).

    Our model scored 5th on CR's ratings list, behind the KA 505 and Jenn Air 8890. We went with it because we wanted double oven, 5 burners, good ratings, and everything else in the kitchen was LG (of course being $1000 less than everything else counted too).

    So far, it's been great. SUPER easy to clean (guest made a royal mess of a lasagna on day 2 - easy self clean and it came out no problem). The only down side is the little melody it plays when the oven is pre-heated ... love that the light in the oven blinks, hate the song.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I have the GE Cafe Series CGS990SETSS. The repairman is coming for the second time this week....let me repeat that the second time this week. My range is 6 months old.

    I debated over dual fuel or all gas. I went with all gas. You could not run fast enough to give me another one. The hot spots are so awful, I can only cook on convection. I'm told not all foods do well with convection baking, but I feel like I have no choice. I am so unhappy with the performance of this range that I'm seriously considering eating my losses (no pun intended!) and buying something else.

    I have absolutely no problems with the cooktop part of the range. It performs very well and I like it. But the ovens are truly awful.

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago

    I have the dual fuel GE Cafe C2S980SEMSS and have been pleased so far. Love the griddle and variety of BTUs on the cooktop. I haven't noticed any issues with the oven yet, but am doing cookies for the first time tomorrow. Are you considering the dual fuel?

  • ekb9u
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    marcojohnson - I love the price point on the LG and they seem well rated. I had my heart set on not having the rear control panel though.

    bbstx - you don't seem to be alone with the GE Cafe issues. I really appreciate your feedback. it's a shame that such a good looking range can't perform better. Any idea what you might replace it with if you cut your losses?

    bbtrix - I was planning to go with all gas to save some money...and I have all gas now and haven't had any baking issues (in a much less expensive Kenmore). How did your cookies turn out?

  • kompy
    9 years ago

    I believe the models that you are looking at are a PRO "LOOK" not a true pro range. What are the BTU's? Have you looked at Fivestar? They are gorgeous.

    I love, love, love my Fivestar Range....and so do all of my clients. My neighbor got one and he is a 'chef foodie type of guy' and loves it too. I have not seen any hot spots on mine....I have a 48" one.

    It's a little over $3K for the 30" all gas with sealed burners....but the open burners are less. Many chefs think the open burners get better air circulation for the flame...and I've been told the open burners are actually easier to clean.

    The ones with open burners are $2699 and free shipping....see link below.

    And here's the link to the more expensive one $3300 with the sealed burners.

    Prices include shipping.

    Kompy

    Ps. You might want to see if you have a local dealer....they can usually match the prices and offer you a white glove delivery.
    I'm also including a photo of my kitchen when it was still under construction....that's the best pic I have. Guess I need to take some new ones. Good luck.

    http://www.appliancesconnection.com/fivestar-ttn2817bw-i83460.html?ref=froogle&gclid=CJbn_8aZ_cACFWELMgodrygACg

    Here is a link that might be useful: 30

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I am hoping bbtrix will let us know how her cookies turn out. If I have to cut my losses, I was thinking of buying the GE Cafe dual fuel. It will slip right in to the slot I have now and I like the look. Plus, I've been very happy with the cooking surface. It is easy to clean and the power seems to be adequate. The "simmer" feature is very very gentle. I melted chocolate without a double boiler and it didn't scorch.

    I would also like to know what bbtrix thinks of the baking drawer. Someone on here referred to it once as a warming drawer with aspirations. HA!

    The only other thing I might consider is an induction range, but I have no idea what brand, what style or anything.

    In the house before this one, I remodeled the kitchen and put in a Viking dual fuel. I loved it! I would have preferred a digital setting for the oven, but that is about all. With the GE repairman spending so much time at my house, we've had time to chat. He said they get lots of service calls on Vikings. I think I had 1 in the 4 -5 years I owned it. And it was so minor I can't remember now what is was. Regardless of my good experience, I think I probably won't go back to Viking. I may have gotten the good one.

  • smalloldhouse
    9 years ago

    Hmm, I have the same all gas GE Café as @bbstx (it's the one with the smaller oven on top, right? or am I confusing the model numbers) and I love it - it's been installed for about a year, survived the kitchen remodel in June, and works wonderfully. I've never once had an issue. I do mainly use the lower oven on convection for no particularly good reason other than the fact that I didn't have convection before this. I got mine via Sears Outlet for significantly less than the listed price.

  • kompy
    9 years ago

    Here was one review on the Fivestar: "Is it so hard to find a range that has the right balance between looks, power, and price and we were overjoyed to find this Fivestar model on sale here. It's just the right size for our kitchen and can handle all the soups, roasts and stir-frys I throw at it. Highly recommended."

    And a few youtube videos:
    This one will make you hungry with Rick Bayless PBS chef.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyj4rsIjmSM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t5nE2VPPKQ

  • kathy_ny
    9 years ago

    I have the natural gas GE Cafe with the baking drawer. Have had it for a couple of years now with zero issues. The baking drawer gets used only a few times a year - works well but does seem to take quite a while to get to temperature. All things seem to bake evenly both with the convection and regular settings. No complaints.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cafe with baking drawer

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I posted these pix on another thread, but I think they may be appropriate here too. I preheated each oven (on two different days) to 350 for a minimum of 30 minutes. Then I covered a rack with slices of bread. The rack was placed in the middle of the oven.

    This is the underside of the bread in the small upper oven after one minute. One of the repair visits this week was to adjust temp, so this is actually greater than the 350 it was set out. However, I did the same test while the repairman was here after the adjustment and got the same results

    This is the top side of the same slices of bread after one minute

    This is the lower oven
    Top side of bread after 15 minutes

    Underside of bread after 15 minutes

  • Swentastic Swenson
    9 years ago

    We did a lot of research on the GE Cafe and ended up going with the regular GE slide in range. I read a lot of complaints of the fan being too noisy?

    We ended up going with the Profile slide-in range - got it at Sears for a pretty good deal. I really like the roller rack and the 20kBTU burner does a hell of a job. It does have locking controls, and I didn't realize when I bought it but it's also got a touchpad (instead of pushable buttons) so I'm really glad for the locking feature. I know it's not the pro-styling you were looking for but I think it looks sharp anyway.

    Here is a link that might be useful: GE Profile Slide-In

  • ekb9u
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Swentastic - I agree with you. GE Profile does look sharp. Did you go with it over the Cafe because it had better performance reviews or based on price? Seems pretty similar in price, but maybe your deal made it much less.

    bbstx - that's wild to see your bread test photos. definitely gives me pause about the Cafe. I know there are always lemons in any brand, but there sure do seem to be a lot of similar complaints to yours...although obviously some on this thread are loving theirs.

    kathy_ny - you mention that the baking drawer takes a while to get to temperature. I was envisioning that a bonus of the baking drawer was that I could use it as my primary oven since I mostly bake muffins or casseroles. I figured it would get to temperature more quickly being a smaller cavity and use less gas. Am I thinking of that wrong?

    kompy - I appreciate the info on the five star. I will definitely look into that - the price is right for sure! But mostly I appreciate seeing the pic of your gorgeous cabinets. What a dream.

    Thanks everyone. Amazing to be able to get this kind of valuable feedback.

  • juliekcmo
    9 years ago

    We have a Samsung all gas range, about a year old. Very nice performance. It has 5 burners. Largest is 18,000 BTU. Bigger than my Thermadore in our previous house.

    Gas oven and gas broiler. Priced well (about what LG was, around 1500-1800 if I recall.) Have been very satisfied with the cooktop and the oven. (it has been under temp, so we set it higher than the required and it's fine. Just had to find the fudge factor to use)

    "warming drawer" is worthless as it doesn't get hot enough. Not like the real warming drawer we had at our other house. But all in all, a very good performing range.

  • kathy_ny
    9 years ago

    ekb9u - If I recall correctly the baking drawer on this range is electric not gas. I checked in the manual and it says the preheat time for the baking drawer at 350 degrees is 20 minutes and 450 degrees is 30 minutes. I would have thought as it was smaller it would take less time too :) There is not a lot of height in the baking drawer as there is a rack on the bottom that the items will rest on...manual says the max height of foods for the baking drawer is 4 inches.

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago

    Kompy - your Fivestar is a beaut!

    bbstx - yikes! Yours really has a problem. What did the repairman say about the toast? I'm making cookies tomorrow. I'll be sure to report back. I've not used the 2nd oven yet, but I'll try something in it tomorrow also. Maybe a tray of cookies. They should be a good test of even cooking. Mine has the small oven on the bottom.

    Ekb9u - I too wanted the extra small oneness for casseroles and deserts, especially at holidays. Hopefully it works well for the cookie test tomorrow.

    Here's mine.

  • vdinli
    9 years ago

    I have the Ge Profile double oven freestanding range. So very different from the models you are considering. But, I thought I will chime in here with one issue that I had not considered with the pro-look ranges. The grates sit much higher than a regular range which is part of the 'look'. That means the same food takes much longer to cook on the new range-each burner needs to be at its max to get them really going. Such a waste of gas. I guess the true pro-ranges have the BTUs for the height to not make a difference. I haven't had an issue with the ovens that bbstx is having but then I haven't tried toasting bread. So, I would keep the grates height in mind when you look at the pro-look vs the pro-ranges.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    bbtrix, just how tall are you? LOLOL

    The local repairman was very nice but said he didn't really know how to fix my problem. He called GE technical assistance, or something like that. It is a specialized assistance line for repair professionals only - or that is how I understand it.

    The first time he called, the GE tech told him that ovens were meant to "dry and burn," so technically it was doing its job. I then called the GE Consumer Advocate who said I needed to have the repairman come again and call GE technical assistance again.

    Today when he called GE technical assistance, he said the guy was incredulous when he explained the "toast test." GE tech just told him to tell me to use a pan in the future.

    My repairman was quite put out with the "attitude" he was getting and with the lack of attempts to find a solution.

    The GE Consumer Advocate is supposed to call me back on Monday to see how today's service call went.

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago

    bbstx - pretty tall! DH walked in as I was taking the pic, standing on the stool in the near dark! He and the dog think I'm pretty odd and definitely TKO. Good luck Monday.

  • Swentastic Swenson
    9 years ago

    ekb9u - we went with the Profile for a combination of the two - it was a teeny bit cheaper than the Cafe plus I wasn't crazy about the reviews and really I like the fact that all our appliances match (the differences were subtle but definitely there). Sears does price matching for 14 days after a purchase so we went back with Home Depot's price and they gave us a refund. I'm not sure exactly how much it was I'd have to dig up the receipts - I do know it was the most expensive part of the suite haha but I don't care the range was the important part for me. Also Sears has a pretty good rewards program so we were able to get some "cash" back so DH can go buy new wrenches or something. I must say we really love them so far! Good luck on your decision!

    {{!gwi}}

    EDIT: FWIW I also wanted to mention that I know you said that 5th burner isn't a big deal for you, but I do have to say we LOVE using the griddle/grill feature. I haven't done it on this one yet but we had the 5th burner on our old freestanding range too and its great for using in the winter if you don't want to fire up your gas grill outside (we're in WI and grilling in winter is hard!) I use it for pancakes or searing peppers. It's also really nice for making gravy in the bottom of big oval roasting pans.

    This post was edited by Swentastic on Fri, Sep 26, 14 at 11:56

  • DIY2Much2Do
    9 years ago

    We have the KitchenAid. It's nothing special and I wouldn't recommend it. I'm frequently frustrated by the cooktop layout and performance. It's difficult to keep a good simmer. Two of the four burners are very low BTU, and I think the grates are too high up from the burners. The special power burner is either high or low... I have to move pans to a different burner to get a medium temperature. The gas convection oven works well and I'm pleased with that.

    We are considering the Bosch Benchmark or the similar Bosch model below that (8000) to replace it. One concern I have it that our KitchenAid oven goes to 500 degrees, while the Bosch tops out at only 450. I make a lot of pizzas and want the highest temp I can get.

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago

    Cookies turned out great! They cooked evenly in both ovens. I baked several trays in the main oven on convection and a tray in the small oven. If I had more cookie trays I could have finished in one batch! It took about 20 minutes for the small oven to pre-heat. Next time I do pizza I'll try the small oven too. It says 450 is the max.

    Loaded-up pretzel cookies.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    Thanks, bbtrix, for the cookie report. Now I'm really sad I didn't get the dual fuel.

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago

    bbstx - is yours still under warranty? How old is it? Your situation is just not right and GE should remedy it.

  • smalloldhouse
    9 years ago

    @bbstx, yours really sounds like a lemon. I didn't do a cookie test, but I did cook 2 pizzas last night and curious about your "toast test" I put one in each oven. I turned both ovens on simultaneously and put the pizzas in when the bottom oven signaled that the preheat was done. My kids were madly hungry, so no photos unfortunately, but there was no obvious difference in the pizzas between the two ovens. The pie cooked in the top oven was mostly even although the cheese seemed a bit bubblier on the part that was furthest back in the oven. But the crust was perfectly even all around, top and bottom.

    I tend to use the convection (more than I thought I would) but at least with my range, the smaller top oven is totally functional and doesn't show any signs of the dramatic unevenness you're experiencing. What you're experiencing should not be acceptable to any homeowner - or any manufacturer.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I don't want to hijack this thread, but my range is 6 months old, and still under warranty. The GE Consumer Advocate said if I had the repairman out again and couldn't get the oven fixed, he would "have more options to help me." I have no idea what that means. I guess I'll find out Monday when he calls me.

    This morning, I had a pre-game brunch. I used the lower oven only and on convection mode only. I set the upper oven to 200 and when it was warm, I turned it off and used it simply to keep cooked dishes warm. I spent a lot of time fiddling with turning casseroles around and changing positions in order to cook them evenly.

    soh, the last time I cooked a pizza in the small upper oven, the edges were burning but the middle was uncooked.

  • ekb9u
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the great info.

    vinudev_liny - that's really valuable to know about the height of the grates. Definitely seems wasteful to me.

    DIY2Much2Do - I was pretty much ready to rule out the KitchenAid range as I've never heard anything good about it, so I think your review helps to seal the deal.

    juliekcmo mentions her Samsung. Anyone look into the new Samsung Chef collection?

    I think I am leaning towards the Bosch 800 series. Looks just like the Benchmark, but has a few less features and can be had in dual fuel for the low $2,000s. Does anyone know how Bosch ranges are rated on reliability compared to GE?

  • Marc Johnson
    9 years ago

    Howdy all ... coming back to this to update on the LG range I recommended...

    Two things I'm not entirely thrilled with...

    1. The knobs have a tendancy to "melt" on the bottom - the heat coming from the top oven distorts the bottoms of the knobs. Something LG is very aware of and will send out a replacement set without question, but still ... will have to replace them every 3-6 months? Ugh.

    2. The oven doors - there is an open vent along the top edge. Within the first month something spilled and it's a not an easy thing to disassemble the door to get in there to clean any "in-between" mishaps. I think our old Maytag double-oven had a similar issue, but because the windows were more opaque, it wasn't an eyesore that required immediate disassembly & cleaning.

    What I'm more than a little peeved about ... not LG's fault ... my husband was DEAD SET against an induction top. No way, no how, had to be gas, period.

    He's not exactly the cleanest cook - lots of grease spatters (but the results are SOOO worth it!)... now he's constantly griping about how difficult it is to clean. "Maybe I should have looked at induction, I mean, all of the pots & pans we have are compatible..."

    DOH!!!!

  • MistressJoy
    8 years ago

    Marc, it's good to read your review, as it seems you and your husband are very enthusiastic cooks. Costco has the LG 3036 range (currently with a $200 rebate) and I have been eyeing it carefully. I will take a very close look at the front of the oven to see how the heat might rise and "melt" the knobs. Not cool. Does LG recommend a particular method to clean the top of the range or have you found the perfect non-destructive substance that does the job? Obviously cleaning up right after a spill or splatter will help rather than letting it burn in, but is there anything about the surface that makes it difficult to clean?

    Even thought you have the model 3035 and this has the convection (which I want), have you found oven performance to be even and consistent? Any other gripes that have surfaced?



  • Marc Johnson
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    One more update ... we're now at about month 16.

    1. Hubby complains that the top oven doesn't evenly cook and he's afraid to use it because of the melted knobs from before. The "newer" versions of this range have knobs that are angled up a bit and they appear to be metal vs. plastic. The bottom oven gets a good grade for even cooking.

    2. The top - cleaning seems to be OK, we use a vinegar cleaner and it does the job.

    3. Speaking of the top - and this REALLY frosts my **** - there are 5 RUST SPOTS on the grates. Three are on the top surface, but two are in corners - places where a pan NEVER has touched. WHAT THE *****!!!!! Not even 1.5 years and the grates are rusting ??? !!!

    4. I'm still peeved about how easy it was for a spill to get into the front oven door between the outer and inner windows -- and how NOT easy it is to take it apart to clean. Bad design.

    I'm really not happy with this range. It will likely be replaced before it's 3rd birthday and I cannot say I'd ever buy another LG range based on this experience.

    Now ... let me tell you about the high pitched whine we just started to get from the LG dishwasher (grrrrrrr.......)

  • MistressJoy
    8 years ago

    Wow, what a shame! I just looked up rust on cast iron grates and you might want to check this out: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/140590-rust-prevention-for-burner-grates/

    There are a couple of "fixes" for the crappy plastic knobs here: http://www.fixya.com/support/t7308662-knobs_lg

    The uneven cooking for the top oven should be "fixable" depending on the exact cause. Could be just an adjustment.

    I will be checking the 3036 carefully to see if they still have plastic knobs and posts, as well as the design flaw you mention that allows stuff to get in between the windows. There seems to be a lot of complaints about LG customer service being terrible. I am also going to see if Costco offers any warranties on products you purchase from them, especially if the manufacturer is unreliable.

    There have been some reports of the blue interior flaking off, especially with the self-cleaning feature. Have you used the self-cleaning feature at least several times?

    That whine coming from the dishwasher must be driving you crazy! Hopefully it's a simple part repair and you have good and reliable LG specialists in your area.