ISO: ISO: Opinions on Ovens

In Search Of:
R

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I'm interested in what people think of their built in double wall ovens after several years of use. What are the problems?

We're cutting our losses on the worst oven manufacturer in the universe (brought to you by the Whirlpool Corporation who have made the Kitchen Aid oven one of the most problematic and repair-prone ovens in the industry) and are replacing it.

I'm leaning towards a totally stripped down GE model with no bells and no whistles (which means minimal electronic circuitry to blow and start the repair cycle nightmare all over again).

Thoughts?

 
We have a dacor; been very happy with it. I am not a baker; so I can't comment on

cooking times, temps,etc for baking purposes. BUT, for our use, cooking, roasting, etc it has worked very well! Top is convection.
Good luck! Sounds like your current oven is a lemon!! (SOO frustrating!)

Regards,
Barb

 
Incidentally, the May Consumer Reports gives the most and least reliable brands. You're right about

KitchenAid, it's down on the list, but not as far as it is with gas ranges. The least repaired brands are Kenmore, Maytag, Frigidaire and GE, Whirlpool and GE Monogram, which I guess they consider it's own brand. Dacor, Jenn-Air and Thermador are at the bottom with the most repairs. Thermador really bad, 26% had subscribers who answered the survey had repairs on the Thermador ovens between 2002 and 2006.

 
I bought top of the line GEs - 30 years ago. They were the best available then &

I had a client bring them from the US for me. I guess it's really an 'it' since they are one unit. Electric.

Bells and whistles included thermal probe in top oven with buzzer when temp was met. Rotisserie in top oven. Never had a problem with either of these.

After all this time, everything works perfectly and I've never callbrated either oven. The temps are still bang on.

With the exception...The clock has the flipping numbers. And I think that after all these years of being clogged by various fumes from the oven, the numbers have stuck. This happened only 2 months ago. This makes it difficult for cleaning the ovens so I now do it when I'm around and paying attention. I could get someone to take it apart and clean it, I guess. And we miss the clock, having habitually sought its info for 30 years.

The only regret that I had, and only a couple of times, is that they are 24". Can't get the new roasters into they as they are short by about 1/2". Even still, that would leave no room for air circulation.

They have been well-used over 30 years, other than in the winters, since I was not here much of the time. But I am amazed at their longevity.

Just recently, I bought a T-Fal countertop oven. I bought it because I missed the little toaster oven that I had in the Caribbean. It got a lot of use as it was often too hot to turn on an indoor oven. What I ended up with here, though, is much more than I wanted. It was just too good a deal to pass up.

It has a fan that circulates the air, (I guess that's really all convection is) will hold an 11" pizza. Has a warming 'oven' in the top, a clock, and so on. I had told myself that if this were available 30 years ago, I would not have bothered with double ovens. I use it almost daily.

I used to do very elaborate meals in the past, plus lots of entertaining; it seems to be the way of the aged, that 'less' is okay now. So I would not bother with 2 ovens.

I had mentioned this awhile back, that an appliance repair man told me that when Whirlpool bought KA, they decided to maintain the quality of the KA dishwasher, the original. (Mine also at 30 years, is still going strong) But that all other makes and types of appliances are just junk. He said that even the Sub Zero and Wolf have enormous problems and that I should try to hold on to my current old guys as long as I can, as they just don't make anything like this anymore.

Well, that was long-winded, but I have given these ovens some good accalades recently.

http://www.t-fal.ca/tefal/products/product/index.asp?univers%5Fid=200&dept%5Fid=260&sku=L00064&mscssid=DFQJBNDP9VDE9G0X6TW36MCGKKCT2S03

 
I have double GE's. The only thing that took getting used to was the cool down fan. The ovens

are very accurate and easy to keep clean. Only had them a couple of years but they still look brand new, and I bake ALOT!

 
Marg, Cyn,

thanks for the GE updates. That's what I'm really leaning towards based on what I've heard from other users like yourselves, Consumer Reports, and all my other GE appliances being trouble free all the time. I was going to get the GE ovens in the first place, since all of my other kitchen appliances (dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, cooktop, etc.) are GE Profile, and I let the salesman talk me into the super-duper KA. I'm sure they were pushing KA ovens with big commissions that month. Silly me.

I hated the KA ovens with the first use. Pulling the turkey roaster out of the oven, I accidentally spilled some juices out of the pan and they went down through the bottom of the top oven floor and FLOWED BETWEEN THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE GLASS OF THE BOTTOM OVEN DOOR. I was flabbergasted! Of course, no way to clean the damn thing and from day one the bottom oven door was a mess. How could a company design such a thing and expect to keep the goodwill of their customers? In talking with other KA oven owners on the net, ALL of them experienced this same event while their ovens were in use and have the same stained from the inside oven doors that I do.

Thanks everyone for all the input. I appreciate it very much.

 
Richard, we are ordering the GE Monogram double ovens....

So, I can't give you a report, but what I can suggest is for you to visit the Garden Web and check out the appliance forum. It is an AMAZING wealth of information. You can search for existing threads on your topic or pose a new question. Maybe that will help you some. The posters there seem just as nice as our group here at FK!

 
Well, by the way, I slipped in to an appliance repair shop recently, & talked with a fellow

who was amazed that I didn't know that the door could easily be taken off and opened up to clean the glass.

Silly me, also. Why didn't I know that. He also thought that it was simple enough for me to do. Simple me.

The windows in mine did eventually, many years of age, get a bit fuzzy in the corners and although I'd like to see it sparkling clean, it sure doesn't impede the view to the inside, nor from the inside out, I imagine.

 
I have a kitchenaid double oven and a Viking range,

I love the kitchen Aid, it's 4 years old and I haven't had any problems with it. I don't like the oven in the Viking dual fuel.(Gas range, electric oven) Three weeks ago I self cleaned the Viking and half way through the cycle the middle piece of glass in the door shattered. I had paid extra when the Oven was installed to have the "special Viking installation", (also 4 years ago) but They said it was no longer under warrenty. I use the Viking as my Overflow oven, mostly for holidays, it's not used much.
I asked the repairman his recommendation, what he would buy. He said he has the most technical problems with Dacor, the Vikings have a huge fluctuation in the temperature (set for 350, could be anywhere from 300 to 400). He likes Wolf the best. Sorry this is soooooo long.

 
& in case you just have to know, my GE frig is still going. A light bulb burned out last week tho,

for the first time. Probably no warranty for that. H can't seem to figur out out to take the frig apart to replace the lightbulb. (must be a Newfie)

I had bought another GE frig just a couple of years ago, for the other place. It was real junk. It was not that top-of-the-line model though so I hope that makes a difference.

It's probably the production era of these items that keeps them running.

 
Re: ISO: Opinions on Ovens

Gardenweb.com has an great active forum on appliances as well as another on kitchens in general. Look under the "home" forums. I just remodeled my kitchen and learned a tremendous amount on these forums. Many of the appliance lines have been bought by whirlpool now and are just not the same.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top