We’re in the market for a new electric slide-in range for DW. She wants black, with the glass top. Any comments on brands to avoid or choose?
“When asked if you can do something, tell’em “Why certainly I can”, then get busy and find a way to do it.” T. Roosevelt
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Have you posted in Cook's Talk?
they will offer opions about cooking appliances.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-cookstalk/messages?msg=29897.1
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
Edited 9/13/2006 8:59 am ET by bobl
Yep, posted there also.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I am not familiar with a 'slide-in' range - but - I have a stand alone glass cooktop with 2 small and 2 large burners. Mine is a GE. Love it. Easy to clean and it heats fast. 2 problems, however. Mine has finger sensitive controls. They look neat - but when they go bad lots of $$$ to replace. Also try to buy one with burners that only heat up if a pot/pan are on them. My kids tend to just leave everything on when done cooking.
Mike
Black shows spots more than a variegated color. Different models have different watts to the burners and different heat-up speeds. Had one that was so slow to heat we thought it was broken. After explanation, it was a low-watt burner that was good for simmering. Not better or worse than others...just know what you're getting.
Burners that accommodate multiple-sized pans are nice.
We've had a glass-top GE range, with convection oven, for about 3 years now, and are quite happy with it. I'll admit I was a little leery of GE at first (used to watch the factory workers toss the beer cans out of their cars as they drove into Appliance Park in the morning), but the wife wanted it, and it's worked out.
(But ours isn't black -- more of a medium grey IIRC)
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
All about the same, really. The white glass is not much better than the black glass, after it gets worn a bit (just a different sort of wear).
Now, in use, I've only one gripe with the glass tops--it's a real pain to use a burner-spanning griddle except on the induction units (which only work with ferrous pots & pans--a different problem). But, that may just be me, biased from using NG in my own house (and way too much experience on a commercial flat grill).
With some of the Kenmore sliders, get the installation destructions first--several of the slide-in units need specialized notches & countertop cut outs. Nice to know tif you need a bit of counter top 1-2" deep at the back; or bare (no tile, 'f'rinstance) ply 1/2" wide, 20" deep, exactly 29" wide; or the like, in advance. KM also had a "drop in" range, that needed an apron piece to not-quite the height ot the toe kick/bottom rail, too.
If you select for convection for the oven, it's worth fussing a bit in the comparisions to find one that lets you select yes/no for convection (if you are that serious a baker or cook, that it <g>).
Our GE has the left-side burners arranged with an extra element between the two, for griddles. (Unfortunately, we've never found a flat-bottomed griddle that fits the space well.)
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Unfortunately, we've never found a flat-bottomed griddle that fits the space well.
Yeah, that's the rub of it. The cookware makers wind up trying to find the 'average' between al lthe burner types, and so, some are better than others.
It's a tad annoying to have to crank up the heat to get the griddle warm to only have hot spots on it. And, you're not supposed to need heat diffusers if you have the glass top . . .
And, dang it, a griddle is just handy sometimes. Pancakes by 3's (or 6-8 'silver dollar'); bacon, eggs, and the hashbrowns--all at once.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Well, we actually did find a griddle that fit pretty well (and wasn't outrageously priced), but by then the kids had moved out and now we rarely need more than a skillet.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
a griddle is just handy sometimes
That's why for one of our anniversaries I bought my husband a big plug in griddle. It doesn't get used for every grill cheese, but when it's a big breakfast in the making we plug that sucker in.
DW saw one at Lowes that she likes, and they have a rebate on the installation cost. This one has the bridge element on the left, and three small elements across the back ... one is labelled "warmer" which I guess is just for low heat. And it has a warming element in the bottom drawer.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
a big plug in griddle
Ah yes, one of those things I really want, but have no outlet for (very under-electrified house).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
We have a black smooth top (ceramic with coils under) and I wouldn't buy another one. It looks great out of the box and it cooks just as expected. It is a beast to keep clean.It if were a simple matter of wiping it off, it wouldn't be bad. Unfortunately, everything leaves a spot, even water. If something boils over, it seems like it carbonizes before the surface cools enough to clean it up. It takes a great deal of scrubbing.I wouldn't mind trying an induction cooktop, but a ceramic one is off the list of potential replacements.
wouldn't mind trying an induction cooktop
They are nice. Once you get all ferrous cookware, that is <g>.
The top stays cool, too--excepting for just under whatever pot or pan was there, and that's only from conduction.
The one my aunt had, did have a peccadillo--the controls were all first-generation touch sliders. You had to be careful where you put your hands & fingers, lest you dial in max heat or turn off a burner by accident. Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
This hasn't been our experience, but I guess we're not that sloppy.My parents had a black glass-top unit that was badly crusted from several years of use. I was able to get it about 95% clean with razor scraper and ceramic polish. And I have to imagine that's pretty much worst case. If you can manage to keep the reflectors reasonably clean on a regular electric unit, you shouldn't have any trouble with a glass-top unit.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Sloppy and lazy?! Far from it.I don't know any real cooks who haven't had an occasional pot boil over.
And I imagine your parents were pleased and proud of you for cleaning up their mess. Did you tell them they were sloppy and lazy too?Edited 9/14/2006 10:49 am ET by RSmoutEdited 9/14/2006 10:49 am ET by RSmout
Edited 9/14/2006 11:44 am ET by RSmout
My parents were, at the time, 90 and 87. And they were sloppy cookers. Stuff boiled over and burned all the time.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I have a black glass cook top also. And I agree.... they are a pain to get / keep clean.
Everything spots or smears. The only thing that works is the special "cooktop cleaner" but that's a pain to use also .....
I dream of a good old fashioned GAS stove some day sigh....
Maybe the problem is the black color. Ours is a greyish, slightly mottled color, though I couldn't describe it exactly. Small water spots won't show.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Yes, it's the color. A shiny black surface will show dust, dirt and spots. Variegated surfaces are much better at hiding that.
Interesting thread.I keep thinking that whenever I replace my stove I want one that a large gridle will work on, AGAIN.Nothing is new.When I was a kid we had the oginal stove that my folks had when they where married in 38. The refigerator was "newer". I think by only a year or two. But the orignal refigerator was a separate compressor that was mounted in the basesment.Any each day when I came home I had to check the refigerator and tighten the set screw on the drive coupleing between the motor and compressor.In 56 we moved and got a new refigerator and stove.The stove was a 48" GE and had two ovens.But one burner was a TRUE TEMPATURE control. The other 3 where 5 or 7 stage push buttons.There was a capulary (sp?) tube that was mounted to a spring loaded button in the center of the burner and connected to the control slider.There was also a switch so that it could be a small or a large burner.It has came with an aluminum griddle with a plug on the end. When you placed it over the automatic burner and the one behind it and pluged it in it made 2nd burner a slave to the consistant temp burner.Worked great. But the controlls only lasted a 2-3 years. I After about 10 years they gave up on the tempature control and replaced it with a variable power control much like stoves have today.
Interesting thread
Has been fun, hasn't it? (Thanks, Ed <g>)
Slickest griddle instal was on a propane range out in the sticks. They had found a discarded lodge-style cast iron flat griddle some place. This spanned across the back two burners. Over that was a fairly standard non-stick (yeah, yeah, I know all about nonstick=evil) double burner griddle.
Nice combo, really. The griddle was 'there,' but i nthe back, mostly out of the way. It was up a bit, so it was a little easier to reach to. The CI insured a nice, even heat, too (without all the PITA of maintaining CI seasoning in the face of a gazzilion food types).
In my 'perfect' kitchen, I'd have three two-burner "hobs" in a row for a cooktop. Two electric, two gas, and a griddle in the middle. But, in all fairness, that 'perfect' kitchen would have two wall ovens, one would be a 24"er just for broiling (simpler than the hassles of installing a reataurant salamander--and, even filthy rich, I'd be too cheap for a 1500W broiler <g> . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I don't think there are any of the home convection ranges that don't give you the option of regular baking.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I bought my DW a Maytag for the new kitchen and only complaint she has is with the glass cooktop...whenever she has to stir what's cooking, she has to chase the pot/pan around the cooktop<g>
seriously though...it seems the glass top is too smooth and doesn't have much grip to keep the pan in place.
she said she'd never buy a glass top again...
Haven't had that problem either.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
IIRC...but don't hold me to it...isn't a specific pot/pan required for use with a ceramic top? Teflon?? or something coated on the outside? That definately would contribute to the problem. I believe she said there was something in the manual about it.
Likewise about what was said with keeping the top clean...you NEED to stay on top of keeping it clean or the spillage is a bear to remove. Even water spots take some extra effort to remove. But if someones too lazy to clean up everything after cooking, they deserve to have that crusted petrified mess
No, for a standard ceramic top you just need a pot with a reasonably flat bottom. Doesn't need any special coating, doesn't need to be any particular metal.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
you sure? I'll have to check...I swear something specific was required. Maybe just with Maytag models
I swear something specific was required
You are likely thinking of the induction cooktops--which were the first to have a flush top of glass or ceramic.
Rather than a flame or electric resistance heating a coil, induction cooktops create a magnetic field. That field can be manipulated electronically to heat ferrous cookware "from the inside out."
The limitation, though, is that the cookware has to be ferrous. That tends to eliminate AL & most SS cookware, and much of the copper-clad. And no glassware, obviously.
Enameled steel, and cast iron, work just fine, though.
Induction heating has kind of "gone away" as it did not come cleanly down on one side or the other of the "simmer v. boil" debate (electric lets you simmer very low; gas will boil in a heartbeat). The needing a newer batch of cookware (and the seasoning needed for CI) makes for a big hurdle for folks dropping that sort of cash.
The "flush-topped" cooktops now either have a medium-traditional element, or a halogen heating coil--no cookware limitations.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
There is another form of glass top, but if it's used any more at all, it's only on high-end stuff: An infrared cooktop. It has a glass top that's transparent to IR and an extremely powerful IR lamp under each "burner". The glass stays cooler than with the standard resistance unit (less trouble with burned-on food), and it can work with any pot (though obviously ones with shiny bottoms are less desirable).
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Oh, I guess the "halogen" unit you mentioned is the IR unit I was discussing.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Oh, I guess the "halogen" unit you mentioned is the IR unit I was discussing.
Yeah, I was mentally spinning trying to remember the IR units, when I remembered what you just remembered.
Seems like all the big manufacturers offered some sort of halogen unit--don't know how many they sold at the MSRPs I remember.
The glass with the IR units would get warmer than induction, but less than resistance heating.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
You might be right...I just went through the whole manual and nothings mentioned about specific cookware other than what is best/worse for heat transfer and what could damage the top.
My DW also remembers something about specific pans required and thought...guess we both have CRS syndrome<g>... it may have been the sales dude that sold us the Maytag that told us. At that time, we looked at several different models and maybe it was required for another brand or one of those induction models you mention.
This much I know...she did go out and buy all new pots & pans for this thing. I just looked at a few of them and all have some type of copper/bronze?? looking coating on the bottom. I'll have to pick her brain some more when she gets home, now I'm really curious! Something else just rang a bell...flat botttoms...maybe that's why she had to buy them?
btw...thanx for the detailed explanation
And the ceramic top is really a lot easier to keep clean than a standard electric unit. You can wipe off spills with a damp rag immediately -- don't have to wait for it to cool and then take everything apart. Particularly, sugary spills need to be wiped up immediately, before they carbonize.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
And the ceramic top is really a lot easier to keep clean than a standard electric unit"
no doubt there...the burners and tins were always a PITA, she doesn't miss those.