We are looking to replace our old gas range with a convection oven and
wanted to know if anyone had a strong opinion on brands...

There is a nice
Frigidaire PLGFZ390 and GLGF388
a GE JGB916 and
a Bosch HGS7152

I can't find any reviews on the Bosch. Does anyone lean greatly toward or
away from Frigidaire, GE or Bosch ranges and microwaves?


Since our old unit had a microwave built in (I TOLD you it was old), we
have to replace that, too. Since it goes over the oven, it should look the
same.

Bosch only makes one stainless steel microwave (HMV9305) so that would be
a given.

There is a Frigidaire PLMV169 and a GE JVM1870 and JVM207.

Is it worth the extra for the GE or the Bosch? They all seem like they
would do what I need.

Also, is a fifth (center) burner really useful? Seems like it would be
difficult to get five pots on at once.

Thanks so much for info to help me make this once-in-twenty-years decision!

Joy

On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:27:20 GMT, Joy wrote:

Also, is a fifth (center) burner really useful? Seems like it would be
difficult to get five pots on at once.

There's a world of difference in cooktop layouts. I can almost never get four
useful pots on at once. I haven't yet seen a 30-inch cooktop layout where a
center burner was useful.

My strongest recommendation would be to look very critically, and choose the
cooktop layout which best enables you to use your two largest, most
frequently-used pots simultaneously.

IMO, the best 30-inch solution thus far is the same GE/Sears layout that both
Dee and I just went for, with the triple-size main burner front right, small
burner rear extreme right, two medium burners with bridge element on the left
side, and a warmer in the rear center.

This gives the flexibility to use the front left burner with the bridge element
for your second large pot.

The biggest mistake I made in my recent kitchen renovation was not convincing my
wife that a 36-inch cooktop/stove was essential. Next time...

-- Larry

We've been very happy with our GE stove (all electric), which has a
smooth top and a regular + convection oven. We've had it for several
years now, and I know it's been supersceded a few times since by newer
models with more features. The convection feature has been very handy.

We were disappointed in the GE microwave + convection + range hood we
ordered at the same time. We went through three in quick succession
before giving up. They were not well made and either were DOA out of
the box or damaged in some way that made them useless or dangerous. We
ended up with a Sharp with the same features, which was much more
substantial and has worked well for us. The convection capability in
this unit works well also and is used frequently (more than the
microwave, actually). If an "inverter-powered" unit had been available
at the time, we would have gone for it, and probably used the microwave
more than we do right now. GE may have improved the manufacturing
quality of their microwave ovens since then, so it's still worth looking
at them, I would think. They're always tweaking things and have been
sensitive to correcting quality problems in the past.

If a fifth burner in the middle of the cooktop had been available at the
time, we probably would have gone for that as well. The more flexible,
the better, imo. I used to say something like, "Well, I've lived
without it for this long, so...", but once you have a new capability,
you'll find ways to use it that you'll soon become attached to.

Good luck,
Bob
===============================
In article ,
says...
We are looking to replace our old gas range with a convection oven and
wanted to know if anyone had a strong opinion on brands...

There is a nice
Frigidaire PLGFZ390 and GLGF388
a GE JGB916 and
a Bosch HGS7152

I can't find any reviews on the Bosch. Does anyone lean greatly toward or
away from Frigidaire, GE or Bosch ranges and microwaves?


Since our old unit had a microwave built in (I TOLD you it was old), we
have to replace that, too. Since it goes over the oven, it should look the
same.

Bosch only makes one stainless steel microwave (HMV9305) so that would be
a given.

There is a Frigidaire PLMV169 and a GE JVM1870 and JVM207.

Is it worth the extra for the GE or the Bosch? They all seem like they
would do what I need.

Also, is a fifth (center) burner really useful? Seems like it would be
difficult to get five pots on at once.

Thanks so much for info to help me make this once-in-twenty-years decision!

Joy