Lurker Coming Out Of The Closet And Totally Off Topic

Lounge By micabean Updated 25 Sep 2009 , 12:19pm by MalibuBakinBarbie

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micabean Posted 19 Sep 2009 , 8:44pm
post #1 of 16

First let me say that I have nothing but awe for most of you ladies. I am a total newbie ( have decorated just one cake so far) and I have found a wealth of information here. I can't wait to try again. But, my question has to do with stoves. Old Besty is one her last legs and I am about to purchase a new one. I looking at a glass top convection. My question is would you prefer a glass top or burners. I've read pros and cons for both but I figured you ladies might be in a better position to give an honest answer. Any thoughts ??

15 replies
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kjt Posted 19 Sep 2009 , 9:55pm
post #2 of 16

Hi micabean,
I'm partial to cooking with gas, so I won't be of help, but just want to say welcome to our little family! icon_smile.gif

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SugarFrosted Posted 19 Sep 2009 , 10:01pm
post #3 of 16

Welcome to Cake Central! You will love it here!

If I were to buy a new stove, I'd probably want a glass-top range, with a regular oven, not convection.

With my current stove, I use a half-sheet pan to cover the burners, and most of the time I use it for extra counter space.

I HAVE a convection oven in my kitchen as well as a regular oven, and I hate the convection. In my personal opinion and my personal experience, convection ovens are not the best method for baking cakes. Others here may have different opinions.

But please do a lot of research before you buy anything. Ask a friend if you can borrow his/her convection oven to try it out.

Good Luck! thumbs_up.gif

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Jen80 Posted 19 Sep 2009 , 11:50pm
post #4 of 16

I miss my glass top stove with electric fan-forced oven!! icon_cry.gif

Does that help? icon_lol.gif

The glass tops these days heat up so fast and cool down fast too.
They're so much easier to clean and you can use them for extra bench space.

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micabean Posted 20 Sep 2009 , 12:06am
post #5 of 16

Thanks for the help I have to make up my mind soon

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OregonCakeLady Posted 20 Sep 2009 , 10:58pm
post #6 of 16

I wish I could have gas but our neighborhood doesn't get it. We would have to get our own gas tank. No thank you. I have a electric glass top with no convection. I baked a cake with my standard recipe in my mothers convection oven though and it turned out sooooo much better than it does in my normal oven. I would go with the glass top and convection. Just DON"T clean the glass top with bleach! It will ruin the integrity of the glass and it will scratch really easy. Use Soft scrub (with no bleach) to clean it. i do once a day and it looks new every time! I love it. I use it as extra counter space and if you don't have a smooth counter you can use it to roll out fondant!

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-K8memphis Posted 20 Sep 2009 , 11:58pm
post #7 of 16

I wanted the glass top but my husband wanted the burners--I hate cleaning the stove top--those things are so heavy and awkward, so he cleans it. icon_biggrin.gif

If I had it to do over I'd get the smooth glass top.

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Price Posted 21 Sep 2009 , 12:05am
post #8 of 16

I have the glass top and love it for ease of cleaning. My glass top is white. I have had it for 7 years and it looks like new. Sorry, I don't know about convection.

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funcakes Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 1:55am
post #9 of 16

All glass tops are not the same. My daughter has a white top on an inexpensive range. It does not heat evenly and is a bear to clean. Dark marks are always left after using and are difficult to remove.
Mine is a black cook top. I LOVE it. I can set the area to simmer and the pot will never get hotter that a simmer, it will never come to a full boil. I can set one area to "melt" and put chocolate on a plate or even paper plate and it will melt. Easy to clean and always looks great.

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sadsmile Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 4:02pm
post #10 of 16

I HATE my glass top. Sure it's a breeze to clean but it under cooks and skortches! I love to cook and I hate this stove. I would love to have gas or even my electric burner back instead of this. Rice is a nighmare. The low temps are not constant so it doesn't cook but rather keeps it warm with bursts of heat. Crepes don't happen. One will cook perfectly and the next one will get blasted with a burst of heat and burn. Eggs brown when the burst of heat comes on. It doesn't cook The vent for the oven is weird and comes out under the knobs on one side. It's like a hot jet of air-ouchie. Have I said enough terrible things about it? Can I have my messy looking electric and the great food it cooked back?!?

If you use anything other than a sponge or rag to clean you will wear down the glass surface and make it harder to clean in the future. Even those none abrasive cleaning pads are still too abrasive and can scratch the surface so if you do get one be careful. The Glass top cleaner is great stuff.

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MalibuBakinBarbie Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 4:09pm
post #11 of 16

I have Jenn-Air electric ceramic top, that can interchange with the standard electric coils. Two sections slide out and I can mix and match. (Not sure, maybe all of them work that way?) I like it because my HUGE stock pot doesn't sit flat on the ceramic top, so I need the electric coil for the added height so the pot sits level. The vent/fan runs straight back between the burners.

For cakes, I LOVE that I have an electric oven. I'm in the process of moving to an apartment with a gas stove/oven, though, and I kind of dread trying to figure out how to get my cakes to come out right. (... Been using electric for 10+ years!... )

My dream stove would be a Viking, and I'd want gas range with electric oven. (Don't even know if Viking makes that, but it's my wish!)

Good luck with your decision! icon_smile.gif

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Kiddiekakes Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 4:10pm
post #12 of 16

Well.I have to agree with Sadsmile...I bought my glass top double convection oven almost 2 years ago.So far I have replaced the convection fan,single element ring of three sizes burnt out which will cost $600.00 for a new top to fix and I have had to replace the heat element once.I love the convection bake but I do agree about the burners and the burst of heat.It takes almost 8 minutes for my oven to heat up on convection..maybe 5 on regular heat.I have scrubbed and scrubbed and it still looks like condensation marks under the top that won't go away.Once this oven dies..It is no more glass top for me....It cost me $1900.00 dollars and is a Kenmore which is supposed to be one of the top brands. I will go either to a more expensive brand like Bosch or Jenn Air.

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grandmom Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 5:26pm
post #13 of 16

I have a top of the line GE glass cooktop. Yep, it's easy to clean and looks really nice. There is an amazing array of beeping buttons and the burners are configurable and all that. But I and my DH, who is an excellent cook, both despise the cursed thing. Give us both gas burners any day, for instant and infinite heat control. Oonce that glass is hot, it's hot. And there are only so many numbers between 0 and 10.

Never used a convection oven, so no opinion there.

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funcakes Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 9:13pm
post #14 of 16

SugarLover3-I am not sure if Viking makes the gas top and electric oven, but I know that Wolf does. Two of my friends have the Wolf gas cooktop and double electric oven and it is to die for! I can not get gas where I live so I have the Wolf electric cooktop and electric oven and I really love my electric cooktop, I always missed the gas until I got this one.

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peg818 Posted 23 Sep 2009 , 11:27pm
post #15 of 16

I have a love hate relationship with my glass cook top. I have learned to cook on it, but i'm always panicking when i'm working with sugar. I have gotten some scratches over the years but nothing major that i couldn't live with. I absolutely love my convection oven bakes great nice and even and i bake on all racks, so it cuts my baking time down alot. The only draw back to the convection is the room the fan takes up in the back.

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MalibuBakinBarbie Posted 25 Sep 2009 , 12:19pm
post #16 of 16

Thanks, funcakes! I kind of thought I'd be out of luck with Viking! I have indeed heard WONDERFUL things about Wolf. If I ever get back to owning another home, I will definitely consider one of them. icon_smile.gif

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