Stove Shopping — What I Learned

Yesterday, I went stove shopping. Many hours and several stores later, I learned:

• Very few manufacturers make 24″ gas stoves.
• Those who do make bare-bones models.
• You have your choice of white, white, white or white.

Today, I went shopping again and learned:

• When it comes to a 24″ gas range, you can buy bare-bones (see above) OR professional grade. There is nothing, repeat NOTHING in between.
• One line has so many colour options their paint chips look like a Pantone colour book.
• Even professional grade gas ovens do not come self-cleaning.
• This isn’t a big deal since the moist heat means you can clean spills easily.
• This will soon become a big deal if you are not prone to wiping up spills. (Faithful readers will know that I am not inclined to wipe up spills.)
• For safety reasons, gas stoves require a vented hood, not a circulating fan.
• The fact I have cooked on a gas stove with a circulating hood fan for 15 years means Someone Very Important likes me — a lot.
• That and we have a really, really drafty house.
• Pro stoves don’t have timers.
• I’m willing to compromise on the timer issue.

It seems rotisseries went out with Avocado, Chocolate Brown and Harvest Gold appliances. As Cheryl suggested, I can buy a $30 stovetop griddle in lieu of a grill feature. But the question remains, is a pro stove worth four crappy ones? I’m not good at math. Does anyone know the square root of value?

Photos © butkaj. Published under a Creative Commons License.