Which range?

I'm deciding between Kenmore Pro 30" Dual Fuel #7952 and GE Cafe Pro 30" Dual Fuel #C2S985SETSS. Each has different features I like. Anyone have experience with either?

http://www.sears.com/kenmore-pro-30inch-dual-fuel-range/p-02279523000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
http://www.sears.com/ge-cafe-8482-series-5.4-cu-ft-freestanding-dual/p-02239293000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

I'm happy with my GE.

[Robin Garr]

I'm deciding between Kenmore Pro 30" Dual Fuel #7952 and GE Cafe Pro 30" Dual Fuel #C2S985SETSS. Each has different features I like. Anyone have experience with either?

I thought I posted here earlier today, but don't see my reply. I really need to learn how to use this forum.

Anyway, what I said, more or less, was that we had a GE Monogram gas range, and it was a bad waste of money, a lackluster instrument that didn't bake evenly, with a "low" burner that wasn't low and a "power" burner that wasn't very powerful. It struck us as a fairly expensive show oven intended for suburban houses inhabited by people who ate out a lot and consumed Lean Cuisine at home.

This town houses one of GE's major appliance plants, and we want to be loyal. But Jack Welch took the company straight to hell because insane profits.

I thought I posted here earlier today, but don't see my reply. I really need to learn how to use this forum.

Larry's original post was in F&F - that's where you replied. I suggested he re-post it here.

[Robin Garr]

I thought I posted here earlier today, but don't see my reply. I really need to learn how to use this forum.

Larry's original post was in F&F - that's where you replied. I suggested he re-post it here.

Ahhhhhhh! I still need to figure out how to use this forum.

[Jenise]

LAAARRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

[Jenise]

Hugs and kisses to you, old friend!!!

I have not used either stove. I presume you looked into who is making Kenmores nowadays? I don't know the answer to that personally, and things change rapidly enough that whatever I did know is out of date. The Kenmore/non-GE looks a bit like the Jenn-Air that Bill Spohn wishes he could have (can't because his wife can't lift the heavy grates with her bad wrist).

I'm really surprised by the price, though. I was in an appliance store today looking for an out of season deal on a barbecue (fruitlessly, I might add) and happened to kill some time staring at stoves. A Wolf, which is pretty much top of the line these days, could be had for just change over $4000, which, relatively speaking, isn't that far away from the list price on this one. Have you found a good scratch and dent deal? Will you have to buy one for high altitudes?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I'm thinking a getting rid of my Dacor.

Electrolux makes the Kenmore Pro, list price $4200, but I found a deal. I'm looking at centrifugal exhaust fans, too. I'm near 6,000 ft; I think high altitude adjustments are needed nearer to 10,000 feet.

Researching and comparing these two brands is making my head hurt. I found that Consumer Reports rates the Kenmore higher than GE, though.

The GE doesn't have true convection, regardless of two salesmen arguing the opposite to me. I called GE to settle the question. I also asked GE how high does the oven go. "Inside or outside?" Eventually, GE understood and came back with "475 degrees."

"You can't be serious," I said. After more checking, the answer came back that the oven would actually go to 550 degrees.

[David M. Bueker]

I sure hope 550. If you can't get to 500 you can't make pizza and that's a deal breaker.

And welcome back Larry!

[Robin Garr]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Let me add my "welcome back!" to my prior straight answer, Larry. It's good to see you again, and now that you've followed the breadcrumb trail back here, i hope you'll hang around.

[Jenise]

I sure hope 550. If you can't get to 500 you can't make pizza and that's a deal breaker.

And welcome back Larry!

Hey, I prefer to bake pizza at 450. Just sayin'!

I sure hope 550. If you can't get to 500 you can't make pizza and that's a deal breaker.

And welcome back Larry!

Hey, I prefer to bake pizza at 450. Just sayin'!

If I could do it at 900F, I'd do it.

[Jenise]

Well, it depends. I've had and loved pizzas from those monster ovens typical of European pizza-a-la-emporter trucks and new pizza chains popping up all over the U.S. of late. I get why that works.

But in a typical household oven? I just cheffed a pizza night for a local club here in our neighborhood clubhouse. Three ovens, a relatively new GE wall oven (excellent) and a POS Lady Kenmore range that needed to be replaced the day they installed it. I had about 20 rectangular quarter-sheet pan, not round, pies to cook. Though the controls indicated they would go to 500 or 550, I baked at 450. 450 got me pizzas crisp at the edges and all the way to center in 25 minutes. Set as high as those ovens will go, I can get pizzas in about 18 minutes but the edges will turn seriously black before the pizza's fully cooked in the middle. So I bake lower, longer--perfect pizza. I realize it's situational, but my note back to David: yes you can make great pizza at under 500 degrees.

Well, it depends. I've had and loved pizzas from those monster ovens typical of European pizza-a-la-emporter trucks and new pizza chains popping up all over the U.S. of late. I get why that works.

But in a typical household oven? I just cheffed a pizza night for a local club here in our neighborhood clubhouse. Three ovens, a relatively new GE wall oven (excellent) and a POS Lady Kenmore range that needed to be replaced the day they installed it. I had about 20 rectangular quarter-sheet pan, not round, pies to cook. Though the controls indicated they would go to 500 or 550, I baked at 450. 450 got me pizzas crisp at the edges and all the way to center in 25 minutes. Set as high as those ovens will go, I can get pizzas in about 18 minutes but the edges will turn seriously black before the pizza's fully cooked in the middle. So I bake lower, longer--perfect pizza. I realize it's situational, but my note back to David: yes you can make great pizza at under 500 degrees.

I generally turn up my oven to 555F, put a shelf with a baking stone near the top of the oven and have pizza in about 5 minutes. Maybe someday I'll have a wood-fired oven.

[Jenise]

I generally turn up my oven to 555F, put a shelf with a baking stone near the top of the oven and have pizza in about 5 minutes. Maybe someday I'll have a wood-fired oven.

Get one! There are even outdoor/mobile models available these days. You'd probably get a ton of use out of it in a dry climate like Albuquerque.

Me? Wouldn't be safe. I'd eat far too much pizza.

I generally turn up my oven to 555F, put a shelf with a baking stone near the top of the oven and have pizza in about 5 minutes. Maybe someday I'll have a wood-fired oven.

Get one! There are even outdoor/mobile models available these days. You'd probably get a ton of use out of it in a dry climate like Albuquerque.

Me? Wouldn't be safe. I'd eat far too much pizza.

They're definitely not cheap, though. More than likely, I'd build one instead for pizza and bread.

True about the carbs.

[Jenise]

How has everything else been with you, Larry? How's Edith?

How has everything else been with you, Larry? How's Edith?

We're both still vertical and both retired and okay, although I've had a few health issues in the past several years (the latest one last Spring in which I lost half my blood convinced me that Edith is really a vampire). After some days in the hospital, some stop leak and iron supplements fixed me up.

I've got a multi-award-winning book out: Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot (see Amazon) and have given a number of talks on it in several states. I just passed the ten-year mark for a piano gig at a French restaurant every Friday. I participated last month in my 50th college reunion in Pa., gave a talk, did some fossil hunting while there (which caused some TSA consternation on my return flight), shot some interesting guns with a gun collector old classmate, and also did some genealogical research there. And I'm way too busy running SouthWest Writers, a nonprofit org here in Abq (FWIW, Edith is treasurer).

And I still miss my avatar, Shadow the Wondermutt.

[Jenise]

Yikes! I came within about 48 hours of checking out myself due to a raging wildfire of an infection earlier this year, so I can say with absolute empathy that I'm so sorry to hear about what you went through.

Congrats on the book! I'll go to Amazon and take a look. And congrats on the piano gig. I remember that Cynthia went to hear you play. Did you know she married Stuart Yaniger? They now live in the Chicago area.

I think of you every year when I roast chiles, which I still do. Since we last talked Hatch chiles have become quite the phenomena, they even get them in Vancouver. Quality is all over the place and I have to say I find myself seriously questioning if the town of Hatch can possibly grow all these. This year I had trouble finding Big Jims, and settled for a mile-medium grade chile with a highly suspicious name something like 'Arizona 2853'.

Yikes! I came within about 48 hours of checking out myself due to a raging wildfire of an infection earlier this year, so I can say with absolute empathy that I'm so sorry to hear about what you went through.

Congrats on the book! I'll go to Amazon and take a look. And congrats on the piano gig. I remember that Cynthia went to hear you play. Did you know she married Stuart Yaniger? They now live in the Chicago area.

I think of you every year when I roast chiles, which I still do. Since we last talked Hatch chiles have become quite the phenomena, they even get them in Vancouver. Quality is all over the place and I have to say I find myself seriously questioning if the town of Hatch can possibly grow all these. This year I had trouble finding Big Jims, and settled for a mile-medium grade chile with a highly suspicious name something like 'Arizona 2853'.

You can tell when a person gets old because the conversation is about who died or the latest maladies suffered.

When I finally got to the emergency room, I was ushered in right away when I said the magic words, "hypotension, tachycardia and syncope." The second night I had some doubts about my longevity after a nurse said something ominous (and I noticed a guy in a black shroud hanging around outside my door). I had four units of blood poured into me, which no doubt kept running out because of the many, many needle holes poked in me every few hours. At least after the ICU, I had a nice private room that rivaled some hotel rooms I've been in. I did tell the doctor that my problem was because Edith was a vampire, but I don't think he believed me. After release, I took so much iron, I started to rust and had a problem of sticking to refrigerators.

NM has labeling laws regarding Hatch chiles, but a lot of chiles are called "Hatch" whether or not they are, particularly out of state. Other regions, such as Chimayo, also have quality chiles. Big Jims are my fave, too, but the heat can really vary. Try a BLT with a strip of freshly roasted chile. Yum. And, of course, green chile on pizza.

I've been a Scovie Award judge for 20 years, one of a number of people who judge chile products for each year's Fiery Food Festival held in March. This year we had one product that sneaked up on us and shut down the judging table for several minutes. Emergency milk, sherbet and ice cream finally saved the day. It used to happen more frequently, but now there's a separate super-hot category, so judges theoretically aren't surprised like that.

You haven't lived until you've tried El Pinto salsa made with Scorpion chiles (1 million Scoville heat units) grown in NM. When it's made, they wear haz-mat suits, it's so hot. Unbelievable.

(and I noticed a guy in a black shroud hanging around outside my door)

IRS agent?

After release, I took so much iron, I started to rust and had a problem of sticking to refrigerators.

lol

Bravo, what a great attitude!

When it's made, they wear haz-mat suits, it's so hot. Unbelievable.

A friend of mine recently made something or other with ghost peppers. There are pictures of her on FaceBook with goggles, gloves, etc.

Honestly, there's got to be easier food to eat.

I've been a Scovie Award judge for 20 years, one of a number of people who judge chile products for each year's Fiery Food Festival held in March. This year we had one product that sneaked up on us and shut down the judging table for several minutes. Emergency milk, sherbet and ice cream finally saved the day. It used to happen more frequently, but now there's a separate super-hot category, so judges theoretically aren't surprised like that.

A local supermarket decided to celebrate their new hot sauce aisle by offering a "gauntlet" of chili horror.
One raffle ticket for each hot sauce tested.

The Police Department shut it down after two EMS calls.

Looks I'll go with the Kenmore; it got higher ratings from Consumer Reports, and the GE Cafe does not have true convection. Impossible to haggle prices with Sears even though they probably need the business.

Snowing like crazy now in Albuquerque. Muchas gracias, El Nino.

I've been a Scovie Award judge for 20 years, one of a number of people who judge chile products for each year's Fiery Food Festival held in March. This year we had one product that sneaked up on us and shut down the judging table for several minutes. Emergency milk, sherbet and ice cream finally saved the day. It used to happen more frequently, but now there's a separate super-hot category, so judges theoretically aren't surprised like that.

A local supermarket decided to celebrate their new hot sauce aisle by offering a "gauntlet" of chili horror.
One raffle ticket for each hot sauce tested.

The Police Department shut it down after two EMS calls.

Some years ago Dave's Insanity Sauce was always featured at the annual Fiery Foods show here in Albuquerque. Dave would have some bowls of his sauce and chips out to taste. (DIS was made with a capsaicin extract, so it was off the scales.
Once I gave a tip of a toothpick dipped in the sauce to a friend. His response: "I see God!!!") Anyway, a lady stopped by Dave's booth and scooped up a big blob of the sauce on a chip. I don't know what happened to her, but the next year Dave was banned from giving out samples of Insanity Sauce--the only sauce ever banned from the FF show.

The next year, I tried his Atomic Blast, which was a mix of two of his next-hottest sauces. I had to sign a waiver, got blasted, and received an award that's still hanging on my wall. FWIW, I didn't know that foreheads could rain onto a floor.