Recommendation On High-End Electric Ranges - Essay Example

Recommendation on high-end electric ranges Introduction The three ranges reviewed are of standard size for most built-in kitchen applications, feature four element burners, and are self-cleaning, with smooth tops and a single oven. Ranges are listed with their average retail price and include the Frigidaire PLES389D (FR) listed at $1350, the Maytag MES5870A (MA) at $1325 and the KitchenAid KERA807P (KA) at $1350, providing the Maytag with the lowest overall average retail price. Oven Capacity in cubic feet for all three ranges are 3.6 (FR), 4.0 (MA) and 3.9 (KA), showing the Maytag model to have the greatest capacity of the three. Both the Maytag and the KitchenAid models feature Sabbath Mode while the Frigidaire does not. (Sabbath Mode is a built-in safety feature that automatically shuts off the oven after 12 hours or so.) This is a sensible feature, but it has proven to be problematic for those of the Jewish faith wishing to keep kosher on the Sabbath and on specific holidays because theyre forbidden to turn ovens (or any electrical appliances) on during that time; however, it is permissible to use electrical appliances that are already on. Hence, the need is greater for a Sabbath mode that keeps an oven on at a specified temperature for as long as its required, rather than turning the oven off after a certain lapse of time. With this type of feature, the cook could prepare a meal prior to the Sabbath or holiday and then leave it in the always-warm oven until it is ready to be eaten. Neither oven provides this type of flexibility. (McFedries, 2005). The Maytag and Frigidaire share the additional features of storage drawers, glass ceramic cooktops, oven lights and oven door windows that are not listed as options within the KitchenAid model. Customer Opinions: Maytag: One shopper complained that the glass top of the Maytag shows dust when the sunlight hits it the right way, even when cleaned often “...and if you didnt use paper towel to wipe the cleaner off well, you will also see a film or streak marks” (Craftgun40, 2004), while another customer elaborated greatly on the merits of the product: “… just recently purchased this range and Im thrilled with it. The smooth top gets an A+ in my opinion. Its easy to clean and no cleaning of those horrible coils. The oven is very big and has self cleaning. It was well worth the money and Id buy another one in a minute. I looked at several brands and finally decided on this one and I havent regretted it. They also have a double oven model but the 2nd oven was too small and flat for the extra 400 - 500 dollars. I especially like the fact that as an electric range the burners get hot so fast that I am sometimes not prepared. I didnt realize that it is almost an instant on. My husband who hates to wait for boiling water was thrilled with this feature. He cant get over it. The old stove seemed to take forever to boil but this new model is GREAT!!!!!. Dont hesitate to purchase this one. Its the best range Ive ever had and would certainly recommend it to anyone. It also has a large drawer in the bottom to store things which is very handy” (Phyllisc, 2000). Frigidaire: Frigidaire customers also mentioned some difficulty with cleaning. According to one user of the product, specific types of cookware left stains on the flat surface of this model that proved difficult to remove. However, the customer also mentioned she found her better cookware products that featured flat, unwarped bottoms did not create these stains. An iron frying pan was also mentioned as working well on the cooktop. Cleaning the cook top was also mentioned as being somewhat of a problem. The buyer said she used a cleaner designed especially for ceramic stovetops but still ended up using a razor blade to scrape off the residue after using a poorly made pot. Again, the solution was provided. “Now right after cooking when the top has cooled I squirt the white cleaner on and rub it in hard it takes off most of the spots and sometimes I have to treat certain areas again where something has boiled over. Overall, when the top is cleaned and buffed it is beautiful” (Disartain, 2004). The only con this customer reported regarding the stainless steel exterior was that fingerprints show up well, making it necessary to clean it every day. Another customer said she loved her range, but was forced to spend $300 on service within the first 2 years of ownership. “My right front burner would not shut off even when the switch was in the off position. Apparently these stoves have computers located in them. The repair man said he has never seen anything like it before. Instead of a simple switch it was a bit of a spending fix and a two week wait for the part” (Branshew, 2004). However, customers discussing the self-cleaning feature of the oven say this feature can be set to clean for one through three hours depending on the degree of cleaning desired. As a safety feature, the oven locks automatically when the cleaning mode is engaged, but interrupting the self-cleaning process is as easy as the touch of a button. When the oven is sufficiently cooled, the locking feature disengages. Other safety features include a very secure oven door, the ability to program a childproof lock to keep smaller family members from accidentally activate heat and a five-position light in clear view to inform users of which burners are still hot, dimming when they are turned off and only off when the top is safe to touch. Reporting on the specific cooking features that the Frigidaire offers, one customer mentioned a specific bridge element seven inches wide that connects the radiant elements of the front and rear burners on the left side. “The bridge element that connects with the radiant elements allows me to use an oblong pan or round oval roast pan on top of the stove with ease. It also lets me use a long griddle for cooking for a crowd” (Disartain, 2004). This person also praised a large dual six or nine inch radiant element on the right front burner that allows her to adjust the radiant coils appropriately to best suit the size pot she’s using at any given time. A warming area feature between the back burners is “great for warming butter, chocolate, or keeping a pot of rice warm” (Disartain, 2004). Additional features mentioned repeatedly by consumers discussing the range’s ease of use are the large oven window and interior light that can be turned on to see how food preparation is progressing without the need to release interior heat. The three heavy-duty interior steel racks are adjustable and a fan in the back allows convection cooking. A warming drawer located underneath the oven proper also features a rack and separate warming controls. Touch pad oven controls include separate warming controls for the top warming pad, each burner, timer settings, convection oven, regular oven, preheat mode and the vari-broiler which can be set from 400-550 degrees. “One thing I like is my kitchen doesn’t get as hot when using the oven as it did with the old oven I had” (Disartain, 2004). KitchenAid: No negative reports were found on the KitchenAid model range. The stovetop includes several adjustable elements that reportedly heat quickly and convection features. “The interface for the oven seems frightening at first, but we have found it to be very user-friendly. That it has many preset modes makes many things easier. There is a bread proof mode that heats the oven to 100 F and helps ones bread dough to rise. … The sounds on the timer and panel are pleasant and gentle” (Mamamull, 2005). In addition, the timer and other sounds can be set to a silence mode if desired. “The initial cleaning of the range made me wonder how difficult it would be to maintain, but once we got the oil or whatever they cover it with off, and used the product samples they gave us, well it isnt difficult at all. I have let pasta boil over … The mess cleaned up just fine” (Mamamull, 2005). Like other ranges, customers report typical window-cleaning complaints of cleaning the glass tops well enough to avoid streaks and the necessity of daily cleaning of the stainless steel exterior. To avoid difficulties with heating, this range also recommends using flat-bottomed, non-warped cookware. As a safety feature, the range also features an insulated oven door that traps heat within and keeps heat from escaping to the rest of the kitchen. “My dog loves to sit in front of the oven when we are convecting since warm air is vented out of the bottom front of the oven. She knows every cozy place to hang out -- now my new range is a favorite cozy place” (Mamamull, 2005) Manufacturer descriptions Frigidaire: The Frigidaire model is described as a professional series convection range with 500 easy-to-use electronic controls featuring a keypad entry. The cooktop offers a 6 inch to 9 inch expandable round burner providing efficiency of use and large pot heating capability, a 7 inch bridge element that connects the front and back heating units of one side of the stove to allow for oblong pan heating, a 6 inch heating element and a warm and serve zone located between the back two burners. The oven has a 4.2 cubic foot interior capacity that uses 3,400 watts in bake mode or 2,750 watts in broil mode. The oven features three heavy-duty adjustable oven racks, automatic convection conversion utilizing the EvenCook Element convection system, a dual radiant baking system, a convection roasting rack and integrated warmer drawer with independent controls. It uses a six-pass broiler element for even cooking and Vari-Broil temperature control for settings between 400 – 550 degrees. A Hidden Bake element porcelain broiler pan is normally included with the purchase of the range. For ease of use, the oven also features a large, clear glass window in the oven door with automatic oven light that turns on when the door is opened or via a manual switch on the control panel. Sabbath Mode protects the consumer with an automatic shut-off after 12 hours of use. The electric self-cleaning feature has an auto-latch safety lock whenever the mode is engaged that remains in place until the oven is sufficiently cooled. Two settings of Speed Clean or Maxx Clean allow users to specify the amount of cleaning desired. (“GLES389E”, 2002). Maytag: The Maytag brushed chrome 30 in. slide-in electric range with convection features a ceramic-glass surface with radiant elements above a self-cleaning convection oven utilizing the Maytag Advance Cooking System with dual bake and broil elements. According to the manufacturer, the Advanced Cooking System means balanced temperature for better baking. The convection mode is also provided for better baking and roasting - even when using three racks - which reduces roasting time up to 30% and baking temperatures by 25 degrees. For oven cooking, the range offers TempSense heat control which eliminates the problem of hot spots and the need to turn pans while cooking, dual-control bake/broil elements that cycle on and off for even heat distribution, three heavy-duty chrome oven racks with five-position flexibility including the Create-A-Space half-rack (a full rack that divides in two to create more usable cooking space), a six-pass recessed broil element for even broiling and more usable oven space and an automatic self-cleaning feature. The range has a smooth glass cook top, Insta-Heat radiant elements that provide visual heat responses in approximately 3 seconds, a 700/2,200-watt dual choice heating element allowing cooks to conserve energy when using small pots or heat evenly when using larger pots, an 8 inch 2,200 watt radiant element and two 6 inch, 1,200 watt coil elements. (“Maytage”, 1999). KitchenAid: The Architect Series convection electric range includes KitchenAid’s “exclusive CleanBake element and a balanced two-element/burner baking and roasting system, giving the consumer balanced heat distribution for professional results” (“KitchenAid”, 1999). The company describes their product best with the following: The CleanBake Hidden Element provides more evenly balanced heat distribution by warming both the bottom and the sides of the oven cavity, resulting in better baking performance. Because it is hidden from view by the porcelain oven cavity, the bake element is protected from spills and drips that fall to the bottom of the oven. The True Convection cooking system with a Third Hidden Element (T.H.E.) utilizes both a rear element and a rear fan to circulate preheated air around the oven cavity for faster and more even cooking results than conventional cooking (“KitchenAid”, 1999). The convect conversion system promises professional, even cooking results every time the feature is used by automatically making a precise conversion from cooking time and temperature data entered by the user. Two adjustable broiler settings are available for maximum efficiency based on the size of meal being prepared. “The Sabbath mode feature makes it possible to use the range on the Sabbath and other religious holidays without having to turn it on. Tones, lights and error messages are over-ridden, and a set temperature can be maintained for extended periods of time” (“KitchenAid”, 1999). Conclusion: The three ranges reviewed are all of similar price and features. KitchenAid is the only one that is not of brushed chrome construction and is judged by owners to be easier to keep clean because of that. The KitchedAid is also taller in the back and would blend in better with most countertop backing. With three color choices for exterior surfaces, the KitchenAid further helps customize this range with the rest of the kitchen appliances better than the others. Unless the ‘metal look’ is what you are searching for, KitchenAid would be the choice. Appearance is the main factor separating these ranges and the KitchenAid would readily fit the décor of more kitchens than the Maytag or Frigidaire. If you like the “brushed chrome look”, Maytag seems to be the best choice. It has been given five star ratings in every category by all who replied. Frigidaire didn’t fair as well with consistently lower marks for durability. All three ranges have similar specific safety precautions for range glass tops that differ from the safety precautions learned with more conventional topped ranges. To protect the glass top from cuts or scrapes on the glass, you cannot “slide” pots or pans around, instead picking them up and then replacing them where you want them. It is important to always use the proper pan size for the cooking area being used. To determine proper pan size, compare the size of the pan to the size of the cooking area and try to match the pan as closely as possible to the size of the burner. With the quick and high heat available with these types of cooktops, cooks must never operate the cooking areas without having a pan on them or allow a pan or pot to boil dry. Pans that have an uneven bottom or are warped or "grooved" do not work as well as smooth bottom pans, and will tend to cook slower and in a uneven manner. Never cook on a broken range top, if your top is cracked or broken contact your service department immediately. Like any stove, always keep utensil handles turned inwards towards the stove instead of outwards where they can be bumped. Cleaning products for glass ware that may contain ammonia can damage your range top. Soiled cloth or sponges can leave a film on the range top that can cause discoloration when the cooking areas are used. Chemicals like oven cleaners, chlorine bleaches and rust removers can also cause damage to the range top and should not be used. Abrasive cleaning pads, or powders can also cause scratches on the range top. Do not leave food or utensils in the oven during self cleaning cycle. Product images Maytag MES5870A Frigidaire PLES389D Source: Maytag, 1999 Source: GLES389E, 2002 KitchenAid KERA807P Source: KitchenAid, 1999 References “GLES389E – Frigidaire 30” Slide-in Electric Range”. (2002). Frigidaire Cooking. Retrieved December 1, 2005 from http://www.frigidaire.com/products/cooking/ranges/slide-in_electric/prod_GLES389E.asp Branshew. “Serious Gourmet Bang for Your Buck!” (August 23, 2004). Shopping Compare Home & Garden. Message posted to http://www3.shopping.com/xPR-Frigidaire_Frigidaire_Pro_Line_30_Electric_Slide_In_RanPLES389AC~RD-152924098180 Craftgun40. “Maytag smooth top is one great range”. (October 20, 2005). Shopping Compare Home & Garden. Message posted to http://www3.shopping.com/xPR-Maytag_MES5870AAB_MES5870AAW_MES5870AAC_MES5870AAQ~RD-840524 Disartain. “A Dream to Cook on at Last; Frigidaire Slide-In Electric Range PLES389D”. (March 7, 2004). Shopping Compare Home & Garden. Message posted to http://www3.shopping.com/xPR-Frigidaire_Frigidaire_Pro_Line_30_Electric_Slide_In_RanPLES389AC~RD-132449144452 “KitchenAid 30” 4 Elements”. (1999). US Appliance. Retrieved on December 1, 2005 from http://www.us-appliance.com/keki304elwad.html Mamamull. “We bought the SS model and love it”. (January 25, 2005). Epinions. Message posted to http://www3.shopping.com/xPR-KERA807P~RD-171129671300 “Maytag Electric Slide-In Range”. (1999). US Appliance. Retrieved on December 1, 2005 from http://store.yahoo.com/usappliance/mesmayelslid.html McFedries, Paul. “Sabbath Mode Definition”. (October 5, 2005). Wordspy and Logophilia Limited. Retrieved on December 1, 2005 from http://www.wordspy.com/words/Sabbathmode.asp Phyllisc. “Best Yet”. (February 2, 2000). Shopping Compare Home & Garden. Message posted to http://www.shopping.com/xPR-Maytag_MES5870AAB_MES5870AAW_MES5870AAC_MES5870AAQ~RD-852225 Read More