What features of a new oven matter to you?

[american_mama]

Our electric oven is breaking and needs to be replaced with another electric, budget $1,000 or less. A separate cooktop and wall oven is not in the cards, and we're not converting to gas. I feel like I've used a lot of ovens in various rentals and homes, but I've never used a particularly new oven and, despite being an avid baker and cook, am not particularly demanding about what they do. What features matter to you, especially if you didn't have them before but now have and like them?

I think I'd like a smoothtop, mainly because things boil over on the stove fairly often, and my burner plates are constantly getting burnt black and replaced, and I'm tired of that. I don't think our pots and pons will work with induction heat and I'm not replacing them, so that's out. Also, looks matter to me, which is pretty individual. I like colored stoves (drool for Big Chill retro stoves) - don't know if they are available at my $1,000 or less price point.

Is it hard to adjust to a convection oven? When do you use a warming drawer? I'm assuming that it doesn't go up very high in temperature, so if it just holds food at 200 degrees or so, what the advantage over an oven set at 200? Are dual ovens an advantage if I rarely need to cook multiple things at the same time? If part of a dual oven (or a warming drawer) can go to 350 degree and heat up faster to bake cookies or brownies, that sounds good, but if it's just to hold stuff warm at 200 or so, I wouldn't use that much.

Also, does a dual oven eliminate the drawer under the stove to hold pots? I need that storage drawer. Also, we aren't a very neat family and DH is a very messy cook, so something that doesn't show fingerprints, smudges and is easy to clean is important.

What is a steam clean feature on some LGs?

Lastly, about color. Does white still got some love, and does offwhite get any love at all? We have white cabinets and an old-fashioned kitchen in an 1965 ranch. There is no kitchen island, no open floor plan. The current appliances are bisque/almond/offwhite, and all will need to be replaced within 5 years. I like the offwhite color fine and some appliances are still sold new in that, but do you think people assume a bisque appliance is automatically an old one? I don't like black and think stainless steel is ok, but it's not my favorite with white cupboards. Do white appliances look cheap or are they classic?

[KrisM]

I have a dual oven by Maytag and really like it. The top is smaller and preheats to 350 in about 4 minutes, which I like. I like being able to do a double batch of cookies in half the time, by using both. I have a smooth top electric and like it. The darker tops hide more stains if you don't clean them immediately. My stove is white, just the top is black. I do not have a storage drawer underneath though.

[123LuckyMom]

I don't have the answers to all of your questions, but I'll do my best!

Convection ovens use a fan to circulate the air so the heat is even throughout the whole oven. This enables you to bake on multiple racks at the same time as well as at lower temperatures and more quickly. Most convection ovens will do all the conversions for you. If you can get an oven that has the option to be convection or not, that's great! The convection oven is good to have.

The warming drawer would be instead of the storage drawer, and IMO, you don't need a warming drawer.

I would not do off-white appliances. I think they automatically look dated. If you're not going to do a color or stainless, I'd do all white.

[ellies mom]

I love my duel oven. I will never go back to a single oven. The smaller one heats up so fast. It also functions as a warming drawer which does come in handy.


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[twowhat?]

I love convection ovens and miss the one we put in our old house. It cooks much more evenly (yes, it takes some getting used to). But the other thing it turns out beautifully is roasts. YUM. Perfectly brown/caramelized/crispy goodness! And kale chips just don't work as well in our regular oven. When we have to replace ours, I will definitely get convection.

I prefer stainless for appliances, they'll go with anything no matter what you might do with your cabinets/counters in the future. But if cost is an issue, then I'd definitely do white in your shoes.

[essnce629]

If I was buying a new oven today I would definitely go with a dual oven since I'm always using my toaster oven and regular oven at the same time. Like I'll have salmon in the toaster oven and 2 trays of veggies roasting in the big oven.
And I'd want convection on both of the dual ovens (some only have convection on one of the two). Convection is great for keeping things crispy. I use it on my toaster oven all the time and wish I had it on my big oven.

I would not want an electric range, gas only for better temperature control.

Oh, and I'd want 5 burners instead of 4.

I don't need a storage drawer as I keep everything in the cabinet.

[KrisM]

Oh, I forgot - my top oven acts as a toaster, so I got rid of the toaster oven completely. I can toast 8 slices of bread at the same time now and it does a great job. I use it to heat pizza, French toast, and other leftovers.

[ncat]

Racks that pull out smoothly!

As of November, we have a new-to-us convection and really like it for most things. I made a beautifully browned pie for Thanksgiving.

[calebsmama03]

Can you even get a dual oven/range for under $1000?

I'll be the dissenter and say that I hate- no, despise with a burning passion that rivals the fires of hell- my smooth top range! If you're not a perfectionist it's probably fine. I'm not a type A perfectionist by any means but I do like things to look like I have cleaned them when I am done cleaning them. Smooth tops ranges never look clean once they've been used. I am crazy gentle with mine and it still has scratches. Things that boil over need a razor blade and a good buffing to get out, and even them there will be a mark. Truly, I thought I would LOOOOVE a smooth top and within about a month I was over it. If I was not converting to gas I could go with induction, but no idea what the cost of those is.

[MommyAllison]

We had a white smooth top with a black top, and it looked great with our white cabinets and charcoal countertops. One thing I loved about it was there was no exposed element. It was much easier to wipe out the bottom of the oven, and I have accidentally set a fabric potholder on fire when it touched the element, so for me it was safer by to have one.