Electric Range Suggestions

[RamThatStroker]

Looking to buy an electric range to replace my mother's 25+ yr old range. Don't really know too much about them and was wondering if ya'll had any suggestions. Probably looking to buy a smooth top and was wondering if thats a good idea or should I just stick with the coils



Any help would be appreciated

Thanks,

Joe

 

[AggieJustin]

How are the new smooth tops? My mom has one that is almost as old as I am and it's always been slow to respond when changing the controls (forever to heat up, and it will hold heat forever after turning it down).



Going to be looking at getting her a new one, so I'll keep an eye on this thread.



JM

 

[JApol]

My mom had one that is probably about 5 years old. That thing is nice. Eerything is electronic. No knobs. It heats up quick.

 

[Digger-Bear]

We are restoring a 1901 foursquare and just got through doing the kitchen. We ended up buying a dual fuel but looked hard at electrics. I liked the Whirlpools and would have bought one before we found the one we settled on. They got good reviews, were well made and I like their design. Stoves come in different widths, make sure you buy one that will fit – standard ones are 36 inches, we had to fill a 40 in space so our options were automatically limited.



First advice: buy whatever the cook wants. You know the drill – if mamas not happy….

Glass/flat top are fussy, in opinion, as to what cleaners they will take, if you are forgetful you can crud up your top pretty quickly (like my sister-in-law did), They are also prone to scratching and require pots in good shape. If your favorite pot has a slight warp in it base, it will rock on the stove. However, they are easier to keep clean and look pretty cool.



The better stoves will have windows in the oven doors – if you bake/roast a lot a large window is a good thing. Really most major brand name stoves today are pretty decent, we kept cruising Sears/Lowes/Home Depot until we found one with our needs on clearance and got a good deal. Do ask her what configuration of knobs she wants. Some cooks hate having controls in the back of the stove, some love it. Some want a timer and fancy lights, some don’t care. Do try to match the color of her other appliances.



Again, a lot of it is personal taste – Keep mama happy!

 

[JPope]

We have installed a Maytag smooth top electric in our new place. Coming from Jennair gas (propane and natural) in the two previous homes it is different.

some examples noted so far:

- Still trying to find the best way to keep the smooth top clean. Suggestions? I will pass on to wife :-laf

- Uses electronic controls to do everything. Somewhat different than previous experience with controls. Don't know how this would translate to elderly person used to analog/mechanical type dials, etc? Typical electronic, has delete feature, etc. All controls on back panel, and have smooth feature for ease of cleaning. Again for elderly reaching over top may be a problem?

- Does stay warm for quite a while. There is even a indicator light that stays on as long as the top is above a predetermined temperature to help remind you of the temperature, cause it may be hot without the orange coil visable.

- Coils under the stove top cycle to conserve energy, cycles dependant upon selected temperature.

-Interesting way (to me at least) to set oven temperature, again all controls on back panel of stove. You use an arrow to cycle up to the temperature you desire in predetermined intervals, and then when you use time bake it automatically keeps @ 170* to keep the food warm.

- Oven timer works the same way, arrows to cycle up to the time desired for buzzer (hours, minutes) or to time set for timed bake, etc.

 

[Carlsummers]

We installed a Maytag glass top last January. I do all the cooking and I like the stove. I would MUCH prefer a Viking gas, but my wife didn't want me to spend that kind of money. The top elements heat up instantaneously... the oven takes forever to come up to temp.

 

[tugboatphil]

We just got a Whirlpool glass top at Lowes. It heats much more quickly than our old coil top, so am still trying to find the right number to get my over easy eggs just right. I use regular glass cleaner and it works well. One thing that the appliance guy pointed out to me was that the model we ended up getting has both big burners in the front. I like this as the big pots are usually heavier, and while not a problem for me, it makes the wife's job easier (if I let her in MY kitchen... . don't tell her I said that!)



I did notice an odd smell when we first started using it. We were still cutting drywall and sanding things. It occurred to me that the dust settling on the glass was burning. So I wipe it with a damp cloth before I turn the dial now.



As to the ones that have a 5th burner. The same guy at Lowes told me that he had gotten that thinking how great it would be to have the extra burner... but he never used it. It wasn't worth the extra price in his mind.



No problems with the glass yet. Like it a lot.