Freestanding double oven causing family rift.

Our oven is on life support and we will be visiting Abt soon. I would like to get a double oven model and my husband says that the tiny oven is not worth the near double price of a single oven. You could buy two freestanding single ovens for the price of the double oven. He does have a point but I like to have the option of the two ovens. We have a countertop oven that works well and he says that we could take that out for holidays for the extra cooking requirements. We both cook. Does anyone have any experience with these ovens? Is the top oven really a glorified EZBake Oven? I have read the pros/cons of the double oven models ( i.e.really low bottom oven for lifting heavy roasts/turkeys) and wondered if anyone has a double oven and would help us make a decision.

Not sure what you mean here. I have a Thermador double oven, and both are the same capacity: 4.7 cu ft. I use the top more than the bottom because I'd rather not bend over. The features are identical on both. Many doubles are the same size or close, though many have a second oven that's quite a bit smaller (as small as 1/2 the capacity).

JeffB wrote:Not sure what you mean here. I have a Thermador double oven, and both are the same capacity: 4.7 cu ft. I use the top more than the bottom because I'd rather not bend over. The features are identical on both. Many doubles are the same size or close, though many have a second oven that's quite a bit smaller (as small as 1/2 the capacity).

I believe they're referring to dual-oven, 30" wide ranges which typically have a "pizza" oven (roughly half-height) and a standard size oven.

We have a GE double, the top with a probulator and convection, that we've been very happy with. I don't remember what the price was, but I can't imagine it's double the single-oven price. It does take up a large amount of space, though -- are you trying to fit undercounter?

Now, if you're looking for a gas double, I wish you luck. The only ones we saw were very high end, and we could nearly buy a freestanding high-end range for the price of the oven.

Elfin - could you post a link to the model you are considering?

I am a luddite when it comes to pasting and linking . It is not a built in wall oven rather a freestanding oven with range on top. The model we are looking at is a Whirlpool Double oven gas range-WGG555S0BS. It is just under $1100 and is in stainless. It is not a convection (not only am I computer illiterate but I am over 55 years old and all my recipes and cooking is non-convection. Other double oven models start at a few hundred bucks more and go higher to about $1900. Any input would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Ah, well you're getting off easy: The double wall ovens all start at a lot more than that.
I like the looks of that Whirlpool: You're getting a big bottom oven, and a small top one. If it's tall enough for a turkey on the bottom I'd go for it, but it's partly our cooking style: We never ever used the bottom broiler in our old range, preferring to grill just outside the back door. You still get a broiler in the top oven, so no loss there.

I don't think we could go back to a single oven -- in fact when we're in full-on party mode, a third one or a warming drawer would be nice.

My dream would be for a double wall oven and a separate range but that would require a kitchen gut job (so well needed) which would be $$$$$.

Elfin wrote:My dream would be for a double wall oven and a separate range but that would require a kitchen gut job (so well needed) which would be $$$$$.

I got lucky: I got laid off after 20 years with a huge severance package, and got a job almost immediately, so a good chunk of that went into a brand new kitchen.

My Mom has an older electric version similar to this in white
http://www.whirlpool.com/-[WGE555S0BS]-1021763/WGE555S0BS/.
She likes it a lot and uses the small upper oven for reheating side dishes while the big lower oven does main dish cooking duty.

We have a 15 year old (or so) 30" Maytag gas double oven that I've been very happy with. It's got the smaller "pizza oven" up top and a regular oven below. The top oven is the broiler, and also has a "keep warm" setting that works well. For me the pluses and minuses are these:

Pluses:
- It is indispensable for holidays. You can cook rolls, stuffing balls, casseroles, and other things up top while cooking larger items below.
- We use the "keep warm" feature more than I expected. We use it at least a few times a week. It's nice to have a 200 something degree holding oven anytime you're cooking. Even if the top oven is off, as long as the bottom one is on the top works well as warming tray.
- Most Saturday mornings we do bacon and biscuits in the bottom oven and crispy potatoes (screaming hot) in the top one.
- The top one comes up to temp more quickly since it's smaller.
- I frequently put a cast iron skillet in the top, turn it to 550, and then throw some vegetables in the skillet to char them. After a couple minutes I switch to broil, throw some cheese, nuts, or cured meats on the veg for a couple minutes and just shut it off and leave it (this does require an oven fan that vents outside). Meanwhile, I have other food cooking/baking normally below.

Cons:
- Very small oven for broil. If you want to broil something tall it is difficult. But isn't that what weed burners were invented for?
- That's the only negative I can think of.

Like I said, I really love having it. The craziest thing is that I also have more grills than any sane person should have, but I still take advantage of the double oven all the time. Tonight I got a cast iron pan screaming hot on the top oven, and made carmelized brussel sprouts in it. I did a baked potato gratin in the bottom one, and then roasted some pork on the grill. Having more tools is always a good thing, and a double oven definitely gives you more tools.

Thanks to everyone for their input. We ended up with a single oven. Hubby is 6'6 tall and that lower oven was just too low for him to use comfortably. The downside of the double oven is no storage drawer-not for the storage capacity but for us the added height. The smaller oven on top was just too small for daily cooking for a family of 4. We figured that on holidays we can put back our table top oven to meet the extra baking needs. I can always cook my pies early that morning or the night before. So we ended up with the GE 750 stainless series with 5 burners and griddle. It looks way better than our 30 plus year old stove, but alas it it not a Wolf.

A couple of other options........I have an above range microwave that can also be a regular oven. I use it during holidays.

Also back in the day, people would put a "kitchen" or at least an old stove, frig and freezer in the basement just for this purpose. Both my mom and grandma had this. My mom had an actual combo kitchen/laundry room with cabinets and counters, my grandma had just a free standing stove, refrigerator and freezer in her basement.

I'm too late but a double oven is very handy. Our entire family likes to cook and we often have pot luck dinners. It really helps.

My mil has a large toaster oven and a single oven. The toaster helps. Maybe give it a shot.

toria wrote:A couple of other options........I have an above range microwave that can also be a regular oven. I use it during holidays.

Also back in the day, people would put a "kitchen" or at least an old stove, frig and freezer in the basement just for this purpose. Both my mom and grandma had this. My mom had an actual combo kitchen/laundry room with cabinets and counters, my grandma had just a free standing stove, refrigerator and freezer in her basement.

In our laundry room, we have a 1930's gas stove with four-burners, an oven, a broiler and storage. It is caste-iron with enamel, which means it is heavy. In the great blizzard of 1967, this stove rescued the prior owner and some of our neighbors when there was no electricity. Until I installed a gas cooktop some years ago, we had an all-electric kitchen.

While a tight fit, this stove roasted a large turkey when I had an oven broken over the holidays a few years ago.

If we ever build a new garage, my plan has been to move this stove out there. I would preserve food out there.

Regards,

toria wrote:Also back in the day, people would put a "kitchen" or at least an old stove, frig and freezer in the basement just for this purpose. Both my mom and grandma had this. My mom had an actual combo kitchen/laundry room with cabinets and counters, my grandma had just a free standing stove, refrigerator and freezer in her basement.

I was just telling Donna that I wished we had room for a second kitchen in the house. She looked at me as though I was crazy, and then pointed out that we currently have 4 propane burners, 2 smokers, and a wide assortment of grills in the backyard (most of which are used regularly). If you get creative there are a number of different ways to set up extra cooking spaces.