Suggestions on buying a new gas range needed

[Mackay]

I saw one recently that had 5 burners.... a larger central burner.... right in the middle. I thought that would be great for my huge pressure canner!

Make sure the burners are sealed so nothing drips below.

I like convection ovens the best and I think you can get gas on top and electric down below. I don't know which way I will go, as I will be purchasing one next year. I am thinking that I may purchase all gas and use my little convection table top oven for some things.

I will miss the self clean oven though.

I am looking for that special stove/oven with NO bells and whistles. no clocks, no timers, no electronic key pads, no trash that will just break....I want one like my grandma had.

 

[Rebecka]

Oddly enough. We are replacing ours as well. So I have done a lot of research. Be careful with sealed burners, you can't always light them with a match when the power goes out. Which it does here frequently. The one I am eyeing does not have electric anything for just that reason. Not even a clock . However, that also makes it well within my budget. There are two choices for me , one is a tappan and the other is an Amana.

 

[freemotion]

This may be a silly question....but why not just hold a match in the stream of gas if the power is out and it is a "sealed burner" stove? I guess I don't understand the sealed burner bit....????

 

[MorelCabin]

Mine is sealed burner and it lights with a match...some don't, however. Before you buy ask to see the owners manual, it will tell you whether or not it can be manually lit.
My gas oven is self cleaning, so they do exist.

This is mine...the only drawback is the real hot pots! (high grates)

http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/pr...6&subCategoryId=77&productId=1431&view=1#tabs

 

[freemotion]

I had time to run into Home Depot while dh went into the cell phone store nearby. I knew it wasn't likely going to have much selection, but I just wanted to see some stoves and get a visual. The online pictures are all black stoves or tops and impossible to see what I am looking at.

Anyways, I narrowed things down a bit. Sheesh, I have expensive taste.

I MUST have cast iron grates and a cast iron griddle. The enamelled grates look so flimsy and will get chipped the first time I use them, I'm sure. The cheaper stoves had non-stick griddles, and I won't use teflon.

I MUST have the fifth burner!!! Ooo-la-la!

I can live without the simmer burner, right? Although it seems they all have them. Why not just turn the gas down really, really low? It seems like that would limit the use of one burner. Maybe?

The lady in charge of the appliance department claimed to know her stuff, then said she'd never heard of a simmer burner! I had to show her.....I asked about the higher grates and the handles getting hot, and of course, she was clueless. I had her call GE and the person she talked to "had never heard of such a thing!" Well.

So I could not get an answer on how the high grates would be described in an online description, so I don't know how to screen for that in my research. Any ideas?

 

[MorelCabin]

Any of them that have the full grates over the top are too high IMO...better to have individual ring covers. Ahhh, hot pots aren't the end of the world...you'll get used to it I am learning how to use mine much better now after 3 months.
The simmer burner is the only burner that will actually turn down low enough to actually simmer on mine...the rest are pretty high temp heat, even on low.

 

[LilacSpring]

I realize that the posts on this are almost 2 years old, but...

we are converting from electric range (stove) to gas. I have never had/nor used a gas range before. What should I look for? Has anyone
purchased one lately (most models from 2010 are not available anymore or are hard to find).

I know I want self cleaning. And knobs for control not a touch pad (they tend to wear out.. like my micowave touchpad did)

If anyone has recently purchased a new gas stove/range please give me some insight on what to look for, what to avoid..etc.

And I want to avoid one over $1,000.00, simple is best in my opinion

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[buckcreek]

I've cook with gas for the last 41 years, when I first cooked for a wilderness school/ outfitter. I like pilot lights on my stoves. On one ranch, the owner bought me a new cookstove. It had electronic ignition. One can't manually light the oven, during power outtages. During branding feeds, I'd have to run around to the other ranch ovens with pilots, to bake my meals. People complain about the heat it gives off in the summer, but it is well worth it, over all the mechanical issues of the electronic. Now, my place is off the grid, pilots are much better anyway. This place came with a separate built in oven, fancy thing, with self cleaner and b.s. I was trying to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, and the "wonderful" oven decided to lock the door, before I could even get the bird inside. It had done this numerous times before. This time was the last. I took out the stove top appliance, cupboards and hand trucked in my old gas cookstove/oven. My housemate at the time was a bit blown away. But, I got the bird cooked! So, I will never have any electronic additions to my good old basic stoves!

 

[~gd]

Thye top part of the stove can be lit with a match during power failures, but the ovens can't in electronic ignition gas stoves. Only pilot lit ovens will work in case of power failure.

Even some of the stove tops have a safety feature where a sensor on the burner must be heated by the piliot light or it shuts down [Think boilover or a wind gust while you have it turned down low. They can be lit but it takes a gas torch. You have to get that sensor heated up before the gas can flow but if it stays hot it will stay on. OH yes if that sensor goes bad it can drive you nuts unless You know about it. I remember the serviceman's smile when he looked at my stove the light was on but the burner wouldn't burn. He knew what was going on since he had the needed sensor in his pocket. He said the service call was written off as goodwill but charged me for the part.
Propane prices are partly location based like gasoline. The farther you are from the pipeline the more you have to pay. They are also seasonal. My dealer has a big tank farm that he fills up slowly when the weather is hot. He likes to sign people up for the budget plan where he estimates how much you will use for a season and charges a set monthly amount and recalculates in june. That way he is storing cheap propane in your tank thru summer and fall, Here it is winter again and I haven't seen the propane truck in months. It do make a difference my neighbor has a dinky 100 gallon tank and he is paying $1.37 more per gallon than I have so far. If we have a warm winter I might get a refund, if a cold winter my price per gallon will creep up closer to my neighbor's.

 

[Emerald]

I bought one of the dreaded "high grate" new ovens when the door to my old (like mega old old old stove oven door wouldn't close tight ) and I have a whirlpool(cuz my mom used to work for the company and we still get rebates) anyhoo it has 4 burners and the big oblong burner down the middle with a griddle or grate in the middle(I have both and love the griddle the grate only comes out for canning). I lucked into a big sale at one store(menards) but they had none in stock so we wandered to lowes and they matched the price and I got to take it home that day. I did pay a tad more due to me wanting the one with stainless steel.
As others have said it is electric spark but during power outage I can use a match or lighter to start the top.
I have a way around the oven part tho since it is computer chip run. the Inverter that I talked about in another thread recently does work the stove as there is not a huge draw on the power to start it.
I have lost power during baking before and being able to run an extension cord to the durango and just start and plug that stove/oven in sure does help. Saved grand daughters birthday cake! middle of hottest summer this year we lost power on the one day I had to bake a darn cake for my sweetie! But I did end up running the other cakes to my mothers as her little brother's birthday is only a couple weeks apart and they wanted a joint party this year. I love my mommy! she sure puts up with a lot..
I dont' have a big problem with hot handles.. not any more than my old stove.. but my pots and pans have the worst design and seem to channel heat thru them(old wolfgang puck stainless steel with curled open handles, hard to describe).
I found that lowering the heat just a bit will help.. But as an old hand in restaurant kitchens that have those huge stoves and sky high burners I am used to the hot I guess..
It did take some getting used to but I've had it about a year now and just can't believe that I waited for so long to get rid of the old stove that was old when my parents bought this house and that I learned to cook on. it even has a working light in the oven!!!