Hi Ladies,
Our stove died last week and we have to replace it.
Any recommendations? Any brands you love or hate?
I am a HUGE cook and DH wants me to have a commerical one. I am not real fond of this idea as I think they are sort of ugly many times. I am sure there are some commerical units that are beautiful... but for all I have seen - not so much.
I know I want 5 burners and stainless... other than that - I am clueless.
Recommendations?
Re: New stove shopping recommendations?
I think you should find a place with a large appliance showroom to see as many models as possible. I shopped for mine a few years ago so what was true then might not be true now. But back then, the GE ones, when you opened the oven door, it felt flimsy, like it was going to fall off. So that was a no brainer skip that brand. So that's an example of needing to get out there and really play with units to see what you like or don't like.
Then there is the issue of where the controls are located. For me, I hate it when they are in the back because I have to reach over hot pots and risk burns to do that. On the flip side, when they are in the back, kids have a harder time reaching it.
So then we go to the issue of child locks. Some have functional child locks where if you push a combination of buttons, it will lock out the ability to turn the oven and stove on if the unit is left unattended. That's what we got with ours because our controls are in front.
You also have to look into whether or not you want convection in your oven. Ours came with it and I found that I never use it and it takes up space, which makes it harder to fit a pizza stone in there.
Now is a good time to shop. You can find floor models being clearanced out. That is how we got an $1800 model for $600. It's still running strong 6 years later. It's a Kitchenaid.
The last issue is getting people to work on it if something does go wrong. Commercial brands like Viking and Wolf, I read reviews on epinions.com about how people had a hard time getting parts or locating service people. So I ended up with something more "common" so that if something went wrong, we wouldn't be left weeks on end without functioning appliance. It's just another issue to weigh.
Again, look at features and function, widdle your list down to 3-5 models that you like and then look online for reviews (amazon and epinion are great sites).
Good luck!
Do you have SPACE for a commercial stove? The opening I have for a stove is just big enough for a regular stove. I have a Frigidaire 4 burner with a long 5th burner in the center (great for making gravy or using my big cast iron pot) and I love that I can move things around because the whole top is at the same level. I also have a warming drawer which has been great for rising bread (when I remember about it) It also has a convection oven. I like that there are burners which have super heating functions...and one that has a super low simmer
Looks like this...Frigidaire
Our stove/oven is very similar, except that ours is a double oven. The bottom drawer is a second oven that is perfect for anything on a cookie sheet or 13x9 pan or casserole dish (clearly you won't fit a turkey in there!). The ONLY problem we've had with it is the heat from the oven or something has destroyed the finish on the front knobs.
If you don't want the knobs directly over the oven vent/door, mine is more like this one where the control console is at an angle. It's easier to see and the heat does not impact the knobs.
One more thing... if budget was not an issue for us, I'd go with something that has a cool factor. Check out the retro looking stoves from these retailers:
https://elmirastoveworks.com/
https://bigchillfridge.com/site/stoves