Electric range under $1,400...

[JTJ123]

I am looking to buy an electric range in the $1,000 to $1,400 price range. I cook fairly frequently, and would love a huge, stainless Viking range, but it's not in the cards as we recently bought our first house. Unfortunately, a gas range is also not in the cards, as we were quoted over $1,000 to have a gas line run.


The range must be:
-Stainless
-Self-cleaning
-Convection
-30"

I want something durable, that will last for years. I am leaning toward Frigidaire's Gallery line, because I like the cook of it and liked what I saw in the store.

Does anyone here have a Frigidaire Gallery electric range, or a similarly priced/featured one? Likes/gripes?
Thanks!

 

[Dillbert]

pay the $1000 for the gas line.
buy a $300 gas stove.

a $300 gas stove is a better cooking implement than a $1300 electric 'thing'

I'm serious.....

 

[Saphellae]

Agreed........ I would NEVER go back to an electric range unless absolutely forced to.

You seriously can't beat it. I would spend the money to get a gas line and buy the stove you can afford after that. There are so many affordable gas stoves on the market.


But, if you still want an electric, I would just walk into a store and compare. It's difficult to compare your stove with just a picture.. you want to be able to see if it's a good height, how it looks, how it works compared to others, etc.

Why do you want stainless? I dislike stainless because they show EVERYTHING.. fingerprints... BLEH! Constant wiping.. streaks... in a restaurant OK, but I wouldn't put one in my kitchen. Sure, they look nice when they are impeccable.. I find white is best... you can see all the grime right away and get it off. And it still looks good, brightens up a kitchen.


And.. I really dislike electric. Been cooking on gas for almost a year now. I would DIE if I went back. Yes... DIE! If I had to wait more than 5 minutes for my pot to boil I would DIE.

 

[JTJ123]

But why, specifically? I have always had gas, but the house that we bought a year ago came with a very old electric coil range. I've been using it for a year, and while there are plenty of things I hate about it, most of which would be issues with the $300 gas model (it's a cheapie, lightweight model that tips when I pick up my Le Creusets; the coils are all tilted; the controls are manual rather than digital; it's white and stained), the use of electric heat in itself is not really that big of a deal.

I understand that, "gas or bust" is the rote response of people who consider themselves choosy about food/cooking, but I need some good reasons. As I said, I have always had gas and felt the same way that you do until I realized that a gas line was going to cost me as much as a stove. I would have said that I would never buy an electric range the same way I would never live in a house with vinyl siding, use a fake Christmas tree or listen to modern country music... you get the point...

However, I've read consumer reviews, Good Housekeeping tests, etc. that say that the modern, ceramic-topped electric stoves are really decent - nearly as responsive as gas, the ovens are better, etc. I do cook a lot, but I am not Julia Child. How is gas v. electric actually going to affect me? Keep in mind that if I got the $300 gas stove you suggest, I would be missing convection, self-cleaning, good quality construction and lots of other features...

 

[Saphellae]

I had a ceramic top stove just before the current gas one - it was a good stove, but one of the main things I disliked about it is that the burner stays hot for a while (as with most electrics). I like turning off the stove and having it off - if I want to leave my pan there for a few minutes I can without having it cook much more.

And for all that we know - your electric could be cheaper than gas where you are. That is also a factor. How much are you saving in the long run? It's just another thing to think about is all.

$1000 is insane - you must not have a gas line coming to your house? It cost us about $300 (labor was the biggest part, getting someone certified) to fit a kitchen gas line from our basement. We already had a gas furnace.

I completely understand where you're coming from - about buying a new home and not being able to afford much at the moment. We just bought our house last December, first time homebuyers etc. It took us a few months to get on our feet after all of the initial set up fees, notary, etc.. but we can afford our mortgage and are living well inside our means - so it didn't take long for us to get where we wanted to be. It does take time though, and persistance.

There are good gas stoves that are cheaper with the features you're looking for. My oven is self cleaning and is good construction - Kenmore. It was about 600 dollars CDN on sale... products in the US usually run a couple hundred less than CDN products, if I'm not mistaken... though I could be! Haven't been down there in a while (even though I live right on the border.. need my passport now.. )

It all boils down to what you want and what you think you can afford. Do you need to buy a stove immediately? IE your stove right now is out of commission? It really is a personal choice with many factors to take into consideration.

If you decide to buy electric, I would highly recommend ceramic top. They are easy to clean, the majority of ovens now are self cleaning as well, and they can get pretty hot. It is easy to damage the tops though so watch out if you have stainless steel pans and cast iron.. avoid 'shaking' the pans on the ceramic.. shake off the stove if you need to.... But yes, ceramic tops have been getting MUCH better as of late and I would buy one if I did not have gas.

 

[GrillingFool]

Two BIG advantages to gas:
1. Instant heat, and instant off.
2. If the power goes off, you are still cooking.

Everywhere I have lived, gas has been cheaper than electric in the long run.

Also, if you are looking at a new stove that is "stained" and "tilts", then you
should go to a different store and check their offerings. Sounds like the place
you looked was offering a used or damaged appliance.

 

[The kitchen sink]

Electric stoves are just not consistant. But if you're heart is set on an Electric, go with the ceramic top as suggested before. Not only are the coil stoves uglier than sin itself, but then you have to worry about it getting messy underneath the burner in the crud catcher.
If your stove tips, chunk a few flat cinderblock caps in the bottom, problem solved. Also make sure the stove is level wether its electric or gas.

 

[Andy M.]

IF you buy a new stove, gas or electric, it is required by law that it comes with an anti-tipping device. It's simply a metal piece that screws into th wall behind the stove. When you slide the stove into place, it slips into a slot in the back of the stove and keeps it from tipping.

 

[CharlieD]

$1000, seems like way too much to run a gas line. Did you shop around?

 

[bakechef]

A recent review by consumer reports shows that electric coil stoves often outperform consumer grade gas ranges.

Where gas really shines is on commercial or high end pro style ranges with high BTU's, not on consumer grade ranges.

I bought a Samsung stainless convection range from Lowe's in June for $998, for our new house, all that I can say is that I love this range, especially the oven, it does a fantastic job at baking. It has a proofing function, a keep warm function and a convect roast that turns out the most beautiful roast chicken, looks like a picture out of a cookbook.

The ceramic top took a bit of getting used to, but it has proved very responsive, no longer do I need to move pans off the burner if things start cooking too fast like I did with my old rental coil stove (it was a decent stove, but used and abused).

I did lots of research before buying this range, and it seems that Frigidaire is one of the less reliable brands, I so I steered clear when I needed to replace the stove and fridge.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Have you considered an induction cooktop? They can be had for a reasonable proce and give all of the advantages of gas, plus. Then you can purchase an oven seperately. You get the instant on/off, and instant teperature control of gas, with no gas pollutant by-products in your home, plus the added safety inherent in the product. Even if left on at full power, if there is no pan on the sotve top, it stays cold. Give it a look.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Robo410]

I way prefer gas. That being said, I have cooked on electric for years, both coil and ceramic. If I had to go electric, I would go with a ceramic top and a convection oven. My sis has such a stove from Frigidaire and it cooks very well. Also look into GE top end and various induction tops like Electrolux.

Does your area have propane?, a good alternative to natural gas.

I must disagree that a $300 gas range is better than an fancy electric. It is not. Cheap ranges are cheap ranges regardless of the fuel.

 

[RPCookin]

A recent review by consumer reports shows that electric coil stoves often outperform consumer grade gas ranges.

Where gas really shines is on commercial or high end pro style ranges with high BTU's, not on consumer grade ranges.

I bought a Samsung stainless convection range from Lowe's in June for $998, for our new house, all that I can say is that I love this range, especially the oven, it does a fantastic job at baking. It has a proofing function, a keep warm function and a convect roast that turns out the most beautiful roast chicken, looks like a picture out of a cookbook.

The ceramic top took a bit of getting used to, but it has proved very responsive, no longer do I need to move pans off the burner if things start cooking too fast like I did with my old rental coil stove (it was a decent stove, but used and abused).

I did lots of research before buying this range, and it seems that Frigidaire is one of the less reliable brands, I so I steered clear when I needed to replace the stove and fridge.

I agree... we just got a Samsung last July after the control panel fried on our 6 year old Frigidaire glasstop. The Samsung heats faster than the Frigidaire, and has more features, including both steam and full self-cleaning options for the oven. The Convection oven is great, and it includes a dough proofing setting.

One thing you can do with the ceramic top... when cooking anything, as it gets close to done you can turn the power off and let the residual heat finish the job for the last 3 or 4 minutes. This actually works quite well, and with some sauces it is even a bit of insurance against burning as the sauce thickens or reaches its final reduction stage.