Stove/Oven replacement questions

My stove and oven seem to need replacement. I think that they can be repaired, but they are getting on and the time between repairs is getting shorter - time to consider splashing out!

I have quite a few questions and would love any opinions. I'll list them:

- Are there any real lemons that I should avoid?

- I tried a convection oven a couple of decades ago and it was utterly useless. I see that they are still flogging them, so maybe the technology has improved. Is it worth bothering?

- I have a pretty standard (I think) 60cm x 60cm oven to replace. I'd like the cheapest, but best ( of course ), and most reliable oven/ grill combination. I'd like to be able to make pizza's and have good support for long, slow casseroling. Any makes or models stand out particularly?

- I'll probably go for a standard four ring stove top. However, I like the idea of induction hobs. I also like ceramic hobs. Has any manufacturer been sensible enough to produce a hybrid with a couple of conventional ceramic hob plates (for glass, aluminum etc.) and a couple of induction plates for cast iron and so forth? If so, who has done this?

- If I did decide to go for a full induction hob, what is the solution to pressure cooking? Pretty well all the pressure cookers that I've seen are made of aluminium. Are there any made from materials that work in induction plates?

Reply to
Peter Brooks
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My stove and oven seem to need replacement. I think that they can be repaired, but they are getting on and the time between repairs is getting shorter - time to consider splashing out!

I have quite a few questions and would love any opinions. I'll list them:

- Are there any real lemons that I should avoid?

- I tried a convection oven a couple of decades ago and it was utterly useless. I see that they are still flogging them, so maybe the technology has improved. Is it worth bothering?

- I have a pretty standard (I think) 60cm x 60cm oven to replace. I'd like the cheapest, but best ( of course ), and most reliable oven/ grill combination. I'd like to be able to make pizza's and have good support for long, slow casseroling. Any makes or models stand out particularly?

- I'll probably go for a standard four ring stove top. However, I like the idea of induction hobs. I also like ceramic hobs. Has any manufacturer been sensible enough to produce a hybrid with a couple of conventional ceramic hob plates (for glass, aluminum etc.) and a couple of induction plates for cast iron and so forth? If so, who has done this?

- If I did decide to go for a full induction hob, what is the solution to pressure cooking? Pretty well all the pressure cookers that I've seen are made of aluminium. Are there any made from materials that work in induction plates?

Reply to
Peter Brooks

Not that I am aware of but: my mother has an oven made by Stoves, my mother-in-law one made by De Dietrich and I have one made by Bosch:

Observations: I can remove both doors from the Bosch oven and, AFAIK, so can M-I-L. My mother cannot remove the doors from the Stoves unit - a pain when it comes to cleaning them. The De Dietrich has an 'at temperature' alarm which would be great if the clock etc worked - it has never worked and M-I-L has given up attempting to have it repaired - she has had two or three clock modules. The De Dietrich also has a self-clean function which caused the door glass to shatter on it's first use. The repairman advised her not to use the self clean function! We would have bought a NEFF oven had we not been given the Bosch unit. We found getting spare racks etc from Bosch reaaly easy. That's about it for ovens.

We have a NEFF 5 burner gas hob which we bough in preference to an induction hob because (a) I'm inclined to crash the pans about and feared that I would break the glass induction hob surface and (b) because it is the same model as a friend who is a professional chef uses. However, it has burners which only produce flame around the perimeter of the burner - OK on the small burners but not good on the biggest burners - no flame in the centre of big pots.

Mother was persauded to have a a gas hob, by NEFF IIRC, which did not have infinite gas control and, having cooked on electricity all her married life quickly replaced it with a conventional electric hob, by Whirlpool IIRC.

I also like ceramic hobs. Has any

NEFF used to have a range called 'Domino' which enabled you to mix and match - gas, electric, griddles, BBQ things - electrically heated rocks, WOK burners etc. M-I-L had a pair of twin electric units and a deep fat fryer. This was replaced with a De Dietrich haolgen hob. Nightmare thing with a touch control panel that regularly stops working 'cos it becomes too hot - on account of being close to the hob apparently!!!!

NEFF or De Dietrich make free satnding induction hobs - as seen in my chef friend's kitchen.

Given another go at it I would go down the Domino route (cash permitting!)

HTH

Richard

Reply to
Richard

Over 2 years ago, I reluctantly became a sceptical user of an induction cooker, having been an advocate of a combi of gas and electric hobs before.

Today, I am an enthusiastic supporter of induction cookers, and don't ever wish to revert to gas or old style electric hobs.

As long as the induction cooker has safety cut-off built, plus timer and wide ranged heat controls, making sure all one's cooking utensils are induction cooking friendly, is a minor inconvenience, and only an initial one at the start-up.

As for ovens, turbo fan ovens are a must for me and give more universal temperatures throughout the oven, and quicker cooking times into the bargain.. Do though, check that the oven is well insulated in order to save on heat loss .

Reply to
john

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the French brand "SEB" make stainless steel pressure cookers, as I have had one for a number of years, There are others too, that can be found through Google.

Reply to
john

Should have mentioned that in my reply. And also that my chef uses the NEFF hob at home not for work!

Richard

Reply to
Richard

Thank you - I'll investigate that.

I meant to ask another question. All the single ovens I've seen so far have top opening doors. The eye-level ovens have doors that open on the right. I'd like an oven with a door that has a hinge on the right and opens on the left - it fits the space better, there isn't a spring to go wrong and it works better for me as a left-hander. Has anybody seen any that do this?

Reply to
Peter Brooks

Richard wrote on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:59:30 +0100:

??>> - Are there any real lemons that I should avoid? ??>>

R> Not that I am aware of but: my mother has an oven made by R> Stoves, my mother-in-law one made by De Dietrich and I have R> one made by Bosch:

R> Mother was persauded to have a a gas hob, by NEFF IIRC, R> which did not have infinite gas control and, having cooked R> on electricity all her married life quickly replaced it with R> a conventional electric hob, by Whirlpool IIRC.

??>> - I'll probably go for a standard four ring stove top. ??>> However, I like the idea of induction hobs.

R> I also like ceramic hobs. Has any ??>> manufacturer been sensible enough to produce a hybrid with ??>> a couple of conventional ceramic hob plates (for glass, ??>> aluminum etc.) and a couple of induction plates for cast ??>> iron and so forth? If so, who has done this? ??>>

R> NEFF used to have a range called 'Domino' which enabled you R> to mix and match - gas, electric, griddles, BBQ things - R> electrically heated rocks, WOK burners etc. M-I-L had a pair R> of twin electric units and a deep fat fryer. This was R> replaced with a De Dietrich haolgen hob. Nightmare thing R> with a touch control panel that regularly stops working 'cos R> it becomes too hot - on account of being close to the hob R> apparently!!!!

Just to set me straight, is "hob" a generic term word for the cooking surfaces of a stove in UK speak? Does it also refer to these things when they are cook-tops separate from the oven(s)?

James Silverton Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Reply to
James Silverton

The Zanussi ZBF569SX has a reversible side opening door and I see that Baumatic also do one now as well. Side opening doors on this type of oven seem to be quite rare!

Cheers, Ben.

Reply to
Ben Willcox

In message , Richard writes

I've got the NEFF 2007 brochure - they still do the Domino range and other manufacturers have copied them - I like the idea but am concerned at all the extra edges that will need to be cleaned (not keen on spending time on cleaning in this house. :)

Reply to
Si

If it's a single door of the side opening type, there is a very high probability it has been designed to be reversible, requiring just a few minutes with a screwdriver to change. I haven't seen any side opening residential ovens here in the US, but all the top or bottom freezer type refrigerators I've seen have reversible doors as do most washers and dryers.

As for convection, I do find it to be useful, particularly for baking where the fan forced movement significantly reduces the hot spots typical in non convection ovens and reduces the number of pan rotations required to get even results. Every commercial standalone oven I've worked with has been convection.

Reply to
Pete C.

Yes!

Reply to
Ophelia

Thank you - it is a peculiar development. Top opening seems a design flaw to me, relying as it does, on springs lasting for ever and good seals. A side opening door doesn't have to fight gravity, so must be more reliable.

Reply to
Peter Brooks

Scholtes.

By 'convection' do you mean fan(assisted) or non-fanned? A lot of them you can turn the fan function on/off.

For LS Casseroling a slow-cooker will probably be better and more economical.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Eh? Isn't convection the one without the fan? Relying on convection to circulate the air rather than a fan...

cheers, clive

Reply to
Clive George

My pressure cooker is stainless steel. I had no trouble finding a new Presto stainless steel pc at Walmart when the time came to finally replace our old one.

I won't cook in Aluminum.

Reply to
Omelet

no, convection is the one with the fan.

Go figure.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

No, it's the one with the fan and the extra heating element around the fan, at least in the US.

Reply to
Pete C.

Ummm, ok. Is there a sensible reason for this, or is it just insanity?

(Over here we call them fan ovens)

cheers, clive

Reply to
Clive George

Clive wrote on Sun, 9 Sep 2007 18:31:41 +0100:

??>> As for convection, I do find it to be useful, particularly ??>> for baking where the fan forced movement significantly ??>> reduces the hot spots typical in non convection ovens and ??>> reduces the number of pan rotations required to get even ??>> results. Every commercial standalone oven I've worked with ??>> has been convection.

CG> Eh? Isn't convection the one without the fan? Relying on CG> convection to circulate the air rather than a fan...

Technically, I believe you are absolutely correct but advertising and commercial practice has led to the use of the term "convection" for "forced circulation".

James Silverton Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Reply to
James Silverton

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