Unexpected kitchen remodel. Gas cooktop and electric wall ovens vs. free standing dual fuel range; gas burners/ electric ovens.

Unexpectedly, our kitchen is gutted. There was a secret leak under the dishwasher in our center island for years that caused our floors to buckle. Once they were removed, the damage extended under all our cabinets too, so we're starting from scratch with a spontaneous remodel. For 25 years I've had a Chambers 42 inch gas cooktop with 4 burners/griddle in the center and 2 26 inch electric wall ovens. I am now thinking of trying the free standing range with two ovens, one 30 inches. Wondering if I'll miss having the ovens at eye level. I love the looks of the chunky free standing ranges above the cooktops. But, I could make the oven openings larger to fit 2 30 inch wall ovens with the cooktop. Thanks for your thoughts and experience! Way back when there was a discussion about favorite kitchen features, I can't find it...

Posted by: Daphne
May 3, 2011

19864 views
22 Comments

22 Comments

AntoniaJames May 10, 2011

I don't have a warming drawer but would, if I had the space, get one. In my Lilliputian kitchen, it's just not an option. I like my plates and bowls (and serving dishes, when I'm using them) to be warm when I'm serving warm food, even when it's just Mr. T and me eating. I'd use the drawer for that almost daily, so it would be well worth the effort, expense and space, even if I only used it for keeping food warm once or twice a week, or month. ;o)

Daphne May 6, 2011

Thanks so much everyone! So appreciate your thoughtful ideas, experience and comments. To give you a brief update,we will get a wall oven/ovens again, along with a cooktop or range top or range. Now, I am visiting showrooms and trying to narrow the selection which is difficult. There are so many amazing cooktops/ rangetops/ranges/ovens available. I'm spinning with all the choices. Will keep you posted.

Bevi May 6, 2011

I wish I had wall ovens. I am happy with my 5 burner DCS and gas oven, but in the long run, wall ovens would have taken the wear and tear off my back.

innoabrd May 5, 2011

When I did my kitchen in London I did a big range with a single oven and a smaller wall oven. Not sure it's a brand you get in the US, but I used a Smeg 90cm (just under 36") dual fuel (http://www.appliance-world.co.uk/Smeg_SUK91MFX5_90cm+Dual+Fuel+Range+Cooker.html). I really like having a big oven like this. I find that with the ranges with two ovens, neither is really as big as I'd like. The wall oven is a must just because, well, how can anyone live without a second oven?!

EatArt May 4, 2011

re: warming drawer question -- I have one -- have yet to use it after a year and a half. Use it now to store baking dishes and pans. I'd probably skip it if I had it to do over.

EatArt May 4, 2011

I like having separate appliances -- more versatility and more options is one is broken. I like a gas rangetop. I have two main wall ovens, one gas and one electric. Electric bakes better. Gas broils better. Etc. If you want to supersplurge (I admit, I did), if you have the room, add a high-speed oven (mine is combined with microwave and has a convection function - Viking; roasts a whole chicken in 20 minutes!!), and a steam oven (admit -- I don't really use this as much as I thought I would -- but hope to start exploring it more).

ChefJune May 4, 2011

I LOVE my Jenn-Air dual-fuel range. That said, the older I get, the more I wish for wall ovens, so I don't have to bend over. The kitchen I have now couldn't accommodate those, anyway, but if you have the space, I would have them, even though my experience with both range ovens and wall ovens is that the range ovens heat more evenly and consistently.

The absolutely favorite thing in my kitchen, though, is my capacious Franke sink. I would spend that money that way all over again in a heartbeat! Make sure you have a really deep sink. So much easier for cleaning the big pots as well as big messes.

Sadassa_Ulna May 4, 2011

One thing to consider, is that with a separate cooktop/separate oven(s) you can replace one if necessary without having to replace the other, in the event there is a problem down the road. Every time I pull out my dutch oven I find myself wishing I had a mid-height wall oven. I'd be curious too about how often people use their warming drawers!

drbabs May 4, 2011

I'd keep the wall ovens, too. I didn't have the space to do that when we remodeled our kitchen, but I bake a lot and bending over can be a pain. (literally.) If you bake and have lots of sheet pans, cookie sheets, etc., get a cabinet that has vertical storage. It's awesome--no more digging through piles for the right pan. You can use it for cutting boards, too. And ditto on lots of drawers. And since you sometimes do group cooking, have two places with good counter space so that more than one person can be working without your bumping into each other. And Peter, I wish I had known about gardenweb (and the American range) when I did my remodel. Daphne, you're handling this all very well--it's stressful to do a new kitchen, but you're doing one as a surprise! Good luck!

phyllis May 3, 2011

I remodeled almost three years ago and went with the Wolf 36"" dual range. I love it. I have a standalone griddle that I use all the time. Make sure you get lots of drawers!!! Work on lighting, too.

healthierkitchen May 3, 2011

On the non-appliance side of things, we really like having deep drawers for storage. Rather than cabinet doors with pullouts on wheels and tracks, we have all our pots and pans, etc. in very deep drawers which can hold more weight than pull out shelves could. I don't know if this the standard now, but it's a great improvement!

Daphne May 3, 2011

Thanks for the apologies! I am a little overwhelmed mostly because we weren't planning on this... also, I've done a lot of cooking over the last 30 years but never a kitchen remodel, no idea if I'd use a warming drawer etc. etc... I do cook at home 5 days a week. It's mostly my husband and me these days with our friends over occasionally. But when our adult daughters come home we love to team up and entertain friends and our big extended family and what our old kitchen lacked is workspace. What I'm telling myself is to keep it simple, the basics. Thanks for any additional info. on whatever else you love or hate about your kitchen remodels!

boulangere May 3, 2011

Nope, American Range is the way to go if you can. It may look like the tortoise, but my money is always on it to win in the end.

Peter May 3, 2011

Boulangere, glad to meet another American Range lover. The way I see it, it's a more refined Bluestar. (At the risk of starting a very contentious thread... I looked at the Bluestar quite a bit but it just didn't seem all that... complete.)

boulangere May 3, 2011

And I must say, you appear to be handling this news remarkably well. But maybe we're conversing with you after you've had some time to digest the news, and perhaps have a Gin Rickey or two. Cheers!

boulangere May 3, 2011

I'm with Peter on the American range. Great product, parts are available and don't cost the earth, and I love the no bells and whistles part of it. A good, sturdy, functional piece of equipment that will last until your next leak.

Peter May 3, 2011

No worries, for some reason people call me Steve all the time. I must look like a "Steve".

The griddle doesn't come off. I just scrape it down with a diner-quality heavy-duty spatula and occasionally wipe it down with a damp sponge. It's turned 100% black (from it's original stainless steel) but that doesn't worry me. It doesn't smell bad and it gets so hot whenever we use it that certainly nothing bad is growing there. :-)

Oh, and apologies to your family. Once you discover The forums at GardenWeb you'll be in there for DAYS. Note that they have different forums for appliances and overall kitchen renovation.

Daphne May 3, 2011

I meant Peter! PS I'm looking up the forum right now!

Daphne May 3, 2011

Steve,Thanks so much for the heads up on the 24" griddle, the griddle we have now is our favorite part about the old chambers cooktop. I never even contemplated having a bigger one! How about cleaning it? I can detach my chambers griddle top and wash in the dish washer or in the sink now. Is it a problem washing yours right on the stove?

ALittleZaftig May 3, 2011

I finished a kitchen remodel about 18 months ago. One of the reasons I opted to switch from an oven/range combination to wall ovens and an 8-burner Blue Star was long-term thinking about what would be easy to use as time goes on. I'm very happy with the set up and don't miss bending over to hoist out a 20-pound turkey or a Dutch oven full of braising liquid. More burners at the front of the range make for easy lifting of multiple heavy pots there, too, and I can put a stove-top griddle or grill (or two) across burners when I want to use them. The burners are available on a daily basis when I don't. Eight seemed a bit like overkill to my husband, but I use seven or eight on a regular basis. I absolutely love the Blue Star.

Peter May 3, 2011

I just gut renovated my kitchen as well. I have a 48" American range with 6 burners, a griddle and 2 ovens (one big, one small). A few thoughts on it:

1. I couldn't pull off wall ovens but I wish I could have. If you have them now, I think you'll miss having your eye-level ovens.

2. I wish I went with 4 burners and a 24" griddle as we use the griddle all the time for everything from steaks to eggs to lamb chops to asparagus to pancakes to has browns... it's just too small.

3. I love the American range. Tons of heat but no bells and whistles (that will break.)

Best of luck and keep asking questions! Also, check out the Appliance forums over at GardenWeb. They're a godsend:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/

Greenstuff May 3, 2011

My brother has a Wolf dual fuel range with 2 ovens, 6 burners, and a griddle. Of everything he bought for his new kitchen, it is at the top of his list of things he did right. I don't think he's missed the eye-level oven at all. It's a pleasure to cook with him, and one my friends has decided to get the same range.

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