I Thought I'd Bake Some Bread Today

[Greg Who Cooks]

I enjoy kneading too, it's just a kind of simple mindless enjoyment of doing something useful with your hands.

Do they make consumer ovens with steam injection? (Or at least I presume what that might be called.) An oven that automatically adds moisture to get nice crusts on breads?

 

[bakechef]

I got the book from the library today, it looks like a great reference and a definite "must buy"

 

[Addie]

I enjoy kneading too, it's just a kind of simple mindless enjoyment of doing something useful with your hands.

Do they make consumer ovens with steam injection? (Or at least I presume what that might be called.) An oven that automatically adds moisture to get nice crusts on breads?

I don't know. When my girlfriend in California remodeled her kitchen she ordered a 36 inch custom made restaurant type cast iron stove. She said they had a list of options she could have installed. One of them was a steam injector. Now she always says "I don't do flour, or garden dirt." They explained what it was for and she and her husband started laughing so hard, that she was losing her breath. The salesman thought they were nuts until her husband explained. If they needed something that required flour and baking, they order it from their favorite bakery. She is a fabulous cook at long as it doesn't require a lot of flour for baking. A baker she is not. The stove ended up costing them over $4,000.00. A little to pricey for me. The stove was beautiful. Had six burners that all had memory. (A custom order.) Set it at a certain temperature, and it stayed there. When the temperature of the pot reached the temp she had it set for, it would turn itself down, it also did the same in reverse. A GREAT feature for putting on a pot that required a long simmer like pasta gravy or a stew. The front of the stove was brushed stainless steel over the CI base along with the knobs. (A custom order.) A stove to die for.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I am officially a "displaced person" and I'm house hunting at present. Some houses come with stoves, some without. If without I may need to make a very quick decision, so I'm just fishing for advice. This decision is likely to be the last major cooking choice I'll ever be able to make.

 

[Andy M.]

Will the stove be gas or electric? I'd get the highest output stove you want to afford. As far as brands, it depends on whether you want a 'professional' stove or a normal household appliance.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I would rather open a soup can and slice my throat on the sharp edge, than ever succumb to electric cooking.

Even when I was house hunting out of state I made it clear to my RE agent that all electric houses were off limits, off the table.

I don't know whether I'll end up with a house with an existing stove or whether I'll have to buy one. Some of the houses come with built in stove tops and built-ins, some are sold with stand alone stoves, some have vacant spots and "bring my own stove."

In all cases they are gas stoves or hook-up for same. If I have to "bring it" I'm thinking Viking, just because that's the name I've most often heard in high end home cooking gourmet stoves.

But one thing for sure, when the time comes I'm going to have to be prepared to move quickly. I've gone probably 3 weeks now with only microwave or take-out. I'm dying...

 

[Andy M.]

I understand. When we were having a kitchen remodel a few years ago, I went without a stove for weeks and missed it more than I expected to.

I've heard Viking has/had quality issues. I know we had thread(s) on this a few years ago. they may be relevant.

Also, high output stoves may require a larger volume gas service to your home and added insulation.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I'm not so sure I need high output. I've never had a "too little" heat problem before. Maybe I should start a topic, why get a gourmet stove?

Maybe I should just spend my money on an assortment of barbecues and smokers.

 

[bakechef]

I'm not so sure I need high output. I've never had a "too little" heat problem before. Maybe I should start a topic, why get a gourmet stove?

Maybe I should just spend my money on an assortment of barbecues and smokers.

If you must go with gas, maybe a "dual fuel" range might work for you, you get the gas top and an electric oven. I really prefer electric ovens on consumer grade equipment.

 

[Andy M.]

I heard what you said about electric stoves. I'm fascinated by induction stovetops. The speed and instant variability of gas with the power of electric. I'm not sure I'd get one over gas but it's intriguing.

 

[CharlieD]

I don't know. When my girlfriend in California remodeled her kitchen she ordered a 36 inch custom made restaurant type cast iron stove...

Addie, do you know what was the brand of the stove, or manufacturor? That would be a dream come thru to have stove like that. I had no idea you can have a custom made one.

 

[CharlieD]

If you must go with gas, maybe a "dual fuel" range might work for you, you get the gas top and an electric oven. I really prefer electric ovens on consumer grade equipment.

I am with you on this one. I wish I had both gas and electric service brought to the stove. As of now I have gas and would don’t have any other way. But I am saving few bucks so I can have electric double oven installed. Will take a small remodeling, cannot wait.

 

[bakechef]

Since baking is my passion, and I don't have deep pockets, I have all electric, because I wanted an electric convection oven. The electric cooktop is fine, I actually prefer it for some things like slow long simmering, tomato sauce doesn't catch on or scorch. A friend has a beautiful Thermador range that has simmer functions on the gas burners, turning them on and off for slow summers. He also has double electric wall ovens, I'm a bit envious of his kitchen!

 

[CWS4322]

Since baking is my passion, and I don't have deep pockets, I have all electric, because I wanted an electric convection oven. The electric cooktop is fine, I actually prefer it for some things like slow long simmering, tomato sauce doesn't catch on or scorch. A friend has a beautiful Thermador range that has simmer functions on the gas burners, turning them on and off for slow summers. He also has double electric wall ovens, I'm a bit envious of his kitchen!

Oh--so am I, and I don't even know him!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I wouldn't mind an electric oven but I can't stand to cook on any range other than gas.

 

[Addie]

I am officially a "displaced person" and I'm house hunting at present. Some houses come with stoves, some without. If without I may need to make a very quick decision, so I'm just fishing for advice. This decision is likely to be the last major cooking choice I'll ever be able to make.

We have a state wide law that requires every home or apartment to be sold or rented with a safe and working stove. Before this law was passed, there were so many house fires because people were trying to save money buying broken used stoves that they thought they could fix themselves. They also outlawed the sale of portable gasoline heaters. All heating elements have to be vented to a chimney.

We now have a plethora of immigrant landlords that think they can skirt the law. I give them credit because the first thing they want to do is own property. But they have to do it within our laws.

If you don't like the stove that comes with the apartment, you can replace with the your choice of leaving it behind when you move or store the landlords and reinstall it when you move out. But it has to be of equal or better value if you choose to leave yours behind.

When I lived in Everett, I had too burners where the gas pilots were not in working order. Both of them were plugged with baked on gunk. I had an energy audit done by the housing department, and they immediately had my gas shut off. Now you would think that since the pilots were blocked, there was no gas escaping. That didn't matter. They considered the stove defective and unfit to use. The landlord had 24 hours to remedy the situation and install two new burners or replace the stove if he couldn't find burners. The stove was considered old and they no longer made parts for it. I ended up with a new stove. Had he failed to remedy the problem, he was facing a very large fine for renting an apartment unfit for human occupation. He could then pay for me and my g'daughter to stay in a motel of MY choice until the problem was solved. I personally think it is a great law. Too many landlords would take advantage of our large immigrant population that had no idea.

We had one instance where the landlord was supposed to be providing heat. When he failed to do so by the date set by law, the immigrant family was cooking with an hibachi in the middle of a wooden floor. Fortunately, the building was located right next to the fire house. The landlord ended up serving time and paying a hefty fine.