Cervaise:
This is what my mother has in her kitchen: a gas range (with gas for both top and oven) and a separate wall oven, electric, with a microwave above it (though not a combo unit; two wall spaces with two separate appliances; saves replacement cost if one or the other conks out). I love cooking at my mother’s place. I use the electric oven for conventional baking and roasting, or for when I need to give something a blast of high heat, and I use the gas oven for keeping things warm, and low-temperature cooking (the gas “broiler” is crap, and the oven box doesn’t build and retain heat the way the electric box does). Best of both worlds.
I’m only a renter. But I think your setup sounds ideal. Many dishes are “started” on the stove & finished in the oven–with low heat. Moving a hot pot or skillet from the cooktop to a wall oven sounds like an accident waiting to happen. (Remembering my dear departed kitties–always under foot!)
But the wall oven would be great for the situations you describe.
Then, there’s serious fantasizing: Antique Gas Stoves - Antique Vintage Stoves
AskNott
February 16, 2007, 6:48pm
23
If your range works well, and you like it, keep it.
I encourage you to keep the microwave separate, not as part of a combo. The microwave will die before any other part. Nukes are generally cheaper to replace than fix, but if yours is built-in, you won’t have that option.
ouryL
February 16, 2007, 8:12pm
24
Balthisar:
I’m rebuilding my kitchen. The current kitchen sucks and I hate it, so it’s a no-brainer and I’m lucky enough to have cash-in-hand (and grease-in-elbow) right now to do it.
Now I’m not so vain that I’m replacing the kitchen because it looks awful (even though it does) but it’s twofold – it doesn’t let me work efficiently, and the clincher: resale value.
So when we bought the place almost 3-years ago, we did some improvements to make it tolerable, which in retrospect were a waste. One of those improvements was replacing the original 1984 contractor-model freestanding range with a totally-awesome-dude slide in model, and it was muy expensivo (well, not a Viking, but to me it wasn’t cheap).
Now, though, I’m considering the virtues of a separate cook top and separate, dual wall-oven with microwave. Talking pure money today, the simple, cheap option is to keep my range. But (and vanity checking in here): it seems like upscale home kitchens always have a nice cook top and separate wall oven. Aside from weighing the little bit of vanity that I have against my inherent cheapness, I’ve reached an impasse, which is a nice segue into the heart of my question finally:
[ol]I tend to think that the built-in look is kind of higher-class. Will this thing at least pay for its depreciated value in home values in say, 5 to 10 years (it’ll still be “like new” then). When my wife complains I won’t buy here a bedroom set but yet I’ll put on a new roof a few years early (having the money in hand), I always point out that if it’s something that’ll help the house value then it’s not a waste.[/li][/ol]
So please help me reach a decision! I’m really at an impasse here – spend the dough and call it an investment, or pocket the savings for 5% apy in my Interest Advantage account???
An in the wall oven is my dream oven-no more stooping. This leaves one with a counter top stove with a single solid surface cooktop.
