Electric Kitchen Ranges

[ecotourist]

There hasn't been a discussion of kitchen ranges for about a year. Our 2007 smooth top range has just been recalled (apparently they sometimes turn on by themself) and it's failing in lots of ways so maybe it's time for a new stove.

We've been researching induction ranges and they're terrific in theory.



But their actual performance doesn't sound nearly as good. The actual "heated" areas (the magnets) for medium priced stoves seem to be quite small which would make the stove-top not so good for serious home cooking.

Here's one comment from the internet: "I just bought an LG LSIL6334F. Claimed element sizes are 11/8/6/6 inches, they're actually 6/4.5/4.5/3.5 inches, according to a browning test (thin layer of flour in a pan, see where it turns brown). That's pretty terrible and definitely affects my cooking."

So why not just splash out and buy a "Pro Style" range? For what it's worth, Consumer Reports comments that the best Pro Style Ranges are not better than the best consumer grade ranges.

And in Consumer Reports, the reviews for conventional smooth top ranges are pretty terrible which seems to be primarily due to reliability problems. All of the reviewed models score between "1/5" and at best "3/5" for customer satisfaction.

Has anyone bought a kitchen range recently and had good results?

 

[tbm5690]

About 2 years ago we bought this, no complaints. Cooks well and bakes well, wife loves having 2 oven compartments.

appliance/GE-30-Free-Standing-Electric-Double-Oven-Convection-Range-JBS86SPSS

 

[Rand]

I've been happy with my induction range.. much better than glass top electric, and less than 1/4 the heat in kitchen as the gas range.

It does take good pans. Cast iron works fine but you cant put it on high or its uneven. (high is hot like you don't know until you have an induction stove)

It boils water in a big pot 2x faster than 15k btu gas burner.

 

[benjy]

KISS keep it simple stupid!!! todays appliances with TOO many unnecessary gizmos should be passed up!! i have a sears kenmore -GE smooth top about 50 YEARS without issues!! harder to find simples appliances are cheaper + more reliable

 

[bullwinkle]

Gas all the way! If I didn't have natural available, I would use propane. Never been an electric range fan!

 

[ecotourist]

I've been happy with my induction range.. much better than glass top electric, and less than 1/4 the heat in kitchen as the gas range.

It does take good pans. Cast iron works fine but you cant put it on high or its uneven. (high is hot like you don't know until you have an induction stove)

It boils water in a big pot 2x faster than 15k btu gas burner.

What brand of range? How long have you had it? Have you noticed any unevenness in frying/browning? The videos show centrally located browning which means there is much less heat at the edges.

We have good pots (some cast iron but mostly stainless steel with thick and magnetic bases). Our paella pan has a 10" diameter base which isn't going to work with a 6" "heated area". Our usual frying pan has a 7" diameter base which might work.

Friends have a Bosch induction range and like it a lot though the cooling fan moans terribly when the oven and cook-top are both in use. It would be better if the fan stayed at one speed but it varies all the time which makes for a most unpleasant moaning sound. They've had it checked and they're told "they're all like that."

 

[oil pan 4]

Gas all the way. If you want indication to put less heat in the kitchen during the summer get a stand alone 120v stand alone cook top. They can be had for $60 to $100 last time I checked.

 

[BornSlippy]

We have a LG LSIL6334F since beginning of March this year. So far so good. Use a mix of SS cookware, cast iron and some non stick pans.

If the base of the pan is too thin, it will not retain and distribute the heat evenly. I have no issues browning four hamburgers at a time in a non-stick or cast iron pan .

The largest burner will boil 10L of water in just a few minutes. It's quite insane. Put a pan on high/boost with some oil and have zero time before the oil will start to smoke.

There are fans that kick on almost immediately when in use. You can hear them but they are not loud by any means.

So far we really enjoy cooking on a full induction range. We have had 120V induction hobs and for the last number of years, I put a cutting board over top of our coil top range and had two induction hobs sitting on top of the range and used it that way.

 

[Rand]

I think gas can be better if you use a WOK or certain other ways of cooking, but the wife burned everything with the gas range.. and it made my small kitchen extremely hot even with the 480cfm Hood on high.

The induction stove is very easy to clean but it does take abit of adjusting to.
I like it much better than the smooth top I had before the used gas range we tried for a year.
Lowes
Item #3746166 | Model #GCRI3058AF

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

There hasn't been a discussion of kitchen ranges for about a year. Our 2007 smooth top range has just been recalled (apparently they sometimes turn on by themself) and it's failing in lots of ways so maybe it's time for a new stove.

We've been researching induction ranges and they're terrific in theory.



But their actual performance doesn't sound nearly as good. The actual "heated" areas (the magnets) for medium priced stoves seem to be quite small which would make the stove-top not so good for serious home cooking.

Here's one comment from the internet: "I just bought an LG LSIL6334F. Claimed element sizes are 11/8/6/6 inches, they're actually 6/4.5/4.5/3.5 inches, according to a browning test (thin layer of flour in a pan, see where it turns brown). That's pretty terrible and definitely affects my cooking."

So why not just splash out and buy a "Pro Style" range? For what it's worth, Consumer Reports comments that the best Pro Style Ranges are not better than the best consumer grade ranges.

And in Consumer Reports, the reviews for conventional smooth top ranges are pretty terrible which seems to be primarily due to reliability problems. All of the reviewed models score between "1/5" and at best "3/5" for customer satisfaction.

Has anyone bought a kitchen range recently and had good results?

Funny review. Induction is fine. I have a neighbor which uses an induction hot plate and they have no complaints

IMO the best gas range is one which has an open burner or a double-stack burner. Sealed burners have a problem where the center of the cooking vessel doesn't get as much heat. It's very annoying with my own gas range. Thermador uses a sealed burner but it has a "Star" design in order to get heat to the middle of the pan. People like sealed burners because they're easy to clean.

I always wanted a BlueStar open burner range. They even have an induction range with dials!!! I hate buttons.

 

[LDB]

We have a 1970's coiled wire electric. It is no longer level. I'd like a smooth top replacement but don't know a thing about them and not interested enough, yet, to research. Good luck with your search.

 

[ecotourist]

KISS keep it simple stupid!!! todays appliances with TOO many unnecessary gizmos should be passed up!! i have a sears kenmore -GE smooth top about 50 YEARS without issues!! harder to find simples appliances are cheaper + more reliable

Our 1993 Kitchen Aid coil top range was simple and pretty reliable too. I think I changed one of the oven elements - which was an easy job.

But in Canada nowadays the kitchen range typically stays with the house when you move. So we now have a 2007 failing and recalled Frigidaire smooth top range. Parts of various LEDs have failed though everything still works. I don't plan to spend any money on it.

 

[ecotourist]

Gas all the way. If you want indication to put less heat in the kitchen during the summer get a stand alone 120v stand alone cook top. They can be had for $60 to $100 last time I checked.

In the video she says that cheap portable induction cook-tops aren't very good. Not a big surprise. A good one burner induction portable is +/- $1200.

 

[ecotourist]

I'm not really interested in a gas range. I don't like the idea of any open combustion in a living space. We don't have access to natural gas and I don't want to install a propane tank.

We do have a propane barbecue that we use several times a week. It works very well and but sure heats up the immediate area. It has a small tank that I have filled at Costco.

 

[ecotourist]

The induction stove is very easy to clean but it does take abit of adjusting to.
I like it much better than the smooth top I had before the used gas range we tried for a year.
Lowes
Item #3746166 | Model #GCRI3058AF

Your Frigidaire Gallery GCRI13058AF looks a lot like our current smooth top range. It's not particularly expensive and is quite highly rated by Consumer Reports. Predicted Reliability and Owner Satisfaction are both top drawer.

 

[BornSlippy]

In the video she says that cheap portable induction cook-tops aren't very good. Not a big surprise. A good one burner induction portable is +/- $1200.

Everyone has their own experiences.

I am of the opinion that that lady is full of it. I watched that video before we bought the LG.

Also, I have used el cheapo Costco Salton 120V induction hobs, and the best of the bunch I have tried, an IKEA one. Most are rated at 1800W but usually top out at a couple hundred W less. Of course they don't compare to a 4000W+ induction burner on a range. For what they are they do a great job.

 

[BornSlippy]

Your Frigidaire Gallery GCRI13058AF looks a lot like our current smooth top range. It's not particularly expensive and is quite highly rated by Consumer Reports. Predicted Reliability and Owner Satisfaction are both top drawer.

That one has been discontinued recently. We were looking for that particular range because I prefer the controls on the back. We couldn't find one in stock, you may have better luck.

 

[Kira]

Going through range selection right now.

 

[Rand]

The induction was abit of a splurge buy.

My house came with a new GE builder grade smooth top.. nothing was wrong with it.
I purchased a 15year old nice gas range for $100 since we have natural gas and I like cooking on it.

1# wife has never cooked on gas. She needs numbers(lol) burns alot less with the induction stove.. although heat varies moderately depending on pan used.
I have a couple non-sticks with the "induction ready" bottom and they heat much different than the triple ply stainless pans... you have to turn them up higher.
2# Gas range in my tiny kitchen. (main floor is 800sqft) made it incredibly hot. You had to run A/C or open the upstairs window and put a fan in to get a cross breeze.
Gas oven also puts 3-4x the waste heat vs electric.

So if it was up to me I'd have ripped out the over the range microwave and put in a 1000$ hood that actually moves a ton of air.. and bought a new gas range.

But the compromise was the induction stove. Its efficient, boils water faster than you can imagine..
and has a few quirks (noises etc) that you adjust to pretty easy.
Stovetop stays cool (relatively) so nothing burns onto it.

I havent watched any videos but if you blast the induction stove at high I wouldnt doubt it would brown in a ring.. high is VERY hot because all the heat is right in the pan very little losses compared to gas, or either type of conventional electric.

IMO, You never use high except for boiling water.

Cast iron cooking you need to do at medium-high as a max and let it warm up before using.. or it can be uneven.
Although I tend to put the cast iron on the grill and keep the mess out there... I've been known to make some thin chops in a screaming hot pan.

 

[ecotourist]

We have a LG LSIL6334F since beginning of March this year. So far so good. Use a mix of SS cookware, cast iron and some non stick pans.

If the base of the pan is too thin, it will not retain and distribute the heat evenly. I have no issues browning four hamburgers at a time in a non-stick or cast iron pan .

The largest burner will boil 10L of water in just a few minutes. It's quite insane. Put a pan on high/boost with some oil and have zero time before the oil will start to smoke.

There are fans that kick on almost immediately when in use. You can hear them but they are not loud by any means.

So far we really enjoy cooking on a full induction range. We have had 120V induction hobs and for the last number of years, I put a cutting board over top of our coil top range and had two induction hobs sitting on top of the range and used it that way.

The LG LSIL6336FE (which should be similar) is quite highly rated. Seems you made a good choice.

Being able to brown 4 hamburgers at a time sounds very positive.

Maybe we should just bite the bullet and buy an induction range.