Planned kitchen (could really use your help)

[Aunt Marg]

Hoping a few here can provide me with a little guidance and direction on this.

When it comes to gas ranges and gas cook-tops, I'm at a crossroads of sorts, I definitely want gas in the kitchen this time around, but what to get, a gas cook-top, or a full gas range.

I absolutely love the idea of having two range ovens built into the cabinetry as shown in the first picture, yet having a full range appeals to me, too.

Does anyone have any input on this based on personal experience?

Pros/Cons?

 

[old medic]

We are currently in the same planning stages... defiantly will be gas, and already have a stove top..... got to love free stuff from the land fill
The wife is wanting a built in oven but may settle for a commercial style freestanding stove to sit outside on the rear porch kitchen.
We do alot of canning and outdoor cooking anyway. Living in a camper will do that for ya.. LOL
She says no to a microwave, we just dont use it that much. We have a toaster over that gets a regular workout...
Just wondering... do you cook enough to need 2 ovens?

 

[Aunt Marg]

We are currently in the same planning stages... defiantly will be gas, and already have a stove top..... got to love free stuff from the land fill
The wife is wanting a built in oven but may settle for a commercial style freestanding stove to sit outside on the rear porch kitchen.
We do alot of canning and outdoor cooking anyway. Living in a camper will do that for ya.. LOL
She says no to a microwave, we just dont use it that much. We have a toaster over that gets a regular workout...
Just wondering... do you cook enough to need 2 ovens?

Appreciate hearing from you, Old Medic.

I've visited a couple of homes where gas ranges are in use, and I really like them. I do a lot of cooking, and from all that I hear, gas is the way to go. As for cooking enough to utilize two ovens, I don't anymore, but it was something I've been looking at just to have for those times of need, like around Christmas when we take turns in the family hosting Christmas Day dinner. Would be a dream to be able to put a ham in one, a turkey in the other, and have stuff going on the gas range.

We're going to keep the bones and guts in the kitchen as is, so we're just looking at cupboard, drawer, and cabinet fronts, and then of course a gas range.

It's going to be hit-and-miss as to whether we'll have the time to tackle the job this year, but I'm one of those types that likes getting on things early, that way I can see what's out there and what we're dealing with in the way of cost.

With everything being so expensive nowadays, we pick a job or two each year, that way it helps to keep costs down, but at the same time, we're still getting things accomplished and the home pulled together more and more all the time. Bit-by-bit is our adage.

How I would love to have an outdoor area where I could have a sort of barbecue/kitchen. I'd me more apt to deep-fry and make other recipes if I did.

 

[Lewkat]

Gas range is a must for me and if you do a lot of baking and roasting, it might behoove you to go for the second picture type.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Gas range is a must for me and if you do a lot of baking and roasting, it might behoove you to go for the second picture type.

Appreciate you weighing-in on this for me, Lew.

Honestly, the more and more I look at the full range, the more I'm steering towards that as my choice, and yes baking, roasting, etc, that's me.

Everyone I have spoken with regarding gas ranges are sold on them, and swear they will never go back to electric.

 

[old medic]

We're going to keep the bones and guts in the kitchen as is...
LMAO wanna see ours?

We have had gas cooking and heat for years and love it

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

@Aunt Marg, my family just had this very conversation over the weekend. I said a gas stove and 2 ovens would be my top priority. My mom had two ovens in a free standing gas stove when I was growing up. They both got a workout especially on holidays.
Since I'm stuck with an electric stove because the hubby has some kind of aversion to gas I don't know what really is available these days.
I have a question about gas stoves.
If the oven is gas do they have the self cleaning feature?
If they don't that would be the one thing that would hold me back getting gas ovens. I wouldn't want to go back to that smelly can of spray that my mom used back in the 50s and 60s.

 

[Aunt Marg]

We're going to keep the bones and guts in the kitchen as is...
LMAO wanna see ours?

We have had gas cooking and heat for years and love it

Love the pictures, Old Medic!

It's nice to be able to work around the existing structure.

 

[Aunt Marg]

@Aunt Marg, my family just had this very conversation over the weekend. I said a gas stove and 2 ovens would be my top priority. My mom had two ovens in a free standing gas stove when I was growing up. They both got a workout especially on holidays.
Since I'm stuck with an electric stove because the hubby has some kind of aversion to gas I don't know what really is available these days.
I have a question about gas stoves.
If the oven is gas do they have the self cleaning feature?
If they don't that would be the one thing that would hold me back getting gas ovens. I wouldn't want to go back to that smelly can of spray that my mom used back in the 50s and 60s.

Nice to hear from you, Ruth.

Looking at the bottom picture I posted, I do really love the double oven feature, and seeing how options are available for either a single or double oven feature, I'm gravitating towards the double oven feature range.

I've always really liked the overall design and functionality of an oven (or two) built into the wall or cabinetry at chest height, which makes me think... a single oven gas range with a single oven built-in, or a double oven gas range with no built-in.

The thing I was so surprised at is the price of gas ranges, jeepers. They don't come cheap.

I also want glass-fronted cupboards, have always loved the vintage look of glass-fronted cupboards, and with today's fancy-schmancy LED lights, we'll definitely be adding lights within the cupboards, as well as under-cabinet lighting.

One thing I have made my mind up on is the backsplash, which this time around I want to go with glass. I've seen my fair-share of tile over the years, and so now it's time for change, something different.

Yes indeed, I remember the days of the stinky oven spray cleaner, too. Used to stink and fume the entire house up.

Will definitely be inquiring about the self-cleaning feature with gas.

 

[Jules]

After numerous gas stoves, I never want one again. They’re dirty unless you’re absolutely diligent about turning the fan on. They’re definitely much faster.

My friend who was an incredible chef said there was no need for gas in the oven, but I think that was for baking. If you want to broil something at the end, it sure is nice.

When I had two wall ovens, the second rarely got used. Now I’ve been wondering about the split ovens. Lately what I’ve been cooking seems wasteful to turn the oven on for two people. It’s larger than fits in a toaster oven. I like to use the oven in the winter.

We put in a smooth cooktop range in this house. Have been happy with it.

Start recording HGTV reno shows. You learn how to FF past their ’surprise crises’ and see the end product.

I have oodles of opinions on what the designers on these shows choose. They walk into a place and say how dated things are and then put in styles that will scream dated to the next designer in 5 or 10 years.

One thing I wouldn’t want is a below counter microwave. I’m short and it would be a nuisance. We have a built in area for ours on the counter top.

Leave the ability to put a different size fridge in when it inevitably has to be replaced.

A lot depends on the current footprint of your kitchen. And your wallet.

 

[asp3]

We have a single gas range with burners at counter height and two smaller ovens below. The top oven has a maximum height of about 6 inches clearance (from the top of the bottom rack to the top of the oven). The bottom oven has about 10 1/2 inches clearance. My wife has never had to cook anything taller than 10 1/2 inches so we've been fine. She usually used the top oven because most things she cooks are only a few inches tall.

The good thing about these ovens is that they heat much more quickly because they are so much smaller and they also use much less gas because they are easier to keep at temperature. They also reheat more quickly when one opens the oven to check on something.

If you're convinced you want two ovens you might consider getting three ovens, one large oven and one with the two ovens built into it.

 

[old medic]

It just dawned on me... I have used multiple oven on many occasions

 

[Aunt Marg]

After numerous gas stoves, I never want one again. They’re dirty unless you’re absolutely diligent about turning the fan on. They’re definitely much faster.

My friend who was an incredible chef said there was no need for gas in the oven, but I think that was for baking. If you want to broil something at the end, it sure is nice.

When I had two wall ovens, the second rarely got used. Now I’ve been wondering about the split ovens. Lately what I’ve been cooking seems wasteful to turn the oven on for two people. It’s larger than fits in a toaster oven. I like to use the oven in the winter.

We put in a smooth cooktop range in this house. Have been happy with it.

Start recording HGTV reno shows. You learn how to FF past their ’surprise crises’ and see the end product.

I have oodles of opinions on what the designers on these shows choose. They walk into a place and say how dated things are and then put in styles that will scream dated to the next designer in 5 or 10 years.

One thing I wouldn’t want is a below counter microwave. I’m short and it would be a nuisance. We have a built in area for ours on the counter top.

Leave the ability to put a different size fridge in when it inevitably has to be replaced.

A lot depends on the current footprint of your kitchen. And your wallet.

Lots of info, Jules, thank you so kindly for all.

I really do love the smooth glass or ceramic cooktops. One of my biggest pet-peeves is snagging dishcloths on the old-fashioned elements when wiping/cleaning the stovetop, so I'm really looking forward to getting away from that in whatever I choose.

I lost interest in watching the likes of HGTV, at least their reno shows, because of the needless waste, and unless a homeowner is filthy rich, doing what they on those shows is way out of most people's reach.

Your mention of considering a future refrigerator replacement and being able to fit that into the hard design is something I never gave any thought to, yet such an important mention. I'll bet few homeowners take that into consideration when redoing/renovating kitchens.

Not to deviate from the original intent of this thread, but something else I'm going to do at the time we're redoing our kitchen, is have a size large floor-to-ceiling, possibly wall-to-wall built-in china cabinet put in. For years I have wanted a special place to store my fine china and cutlery.

Like this or something close to, and yes, I LOVE cremone bolt cabinet doors!

 

[Aunt Marg]

We have a single gas range with burners at counter height and two smaller ovens below. The top oven has a maximum height of about 6 inches clearance (from the top of the bottom rack to the top of the oven). The bottom oven has about 10 1/2 inches clearance. My wife has never had to cook anything taller than 10 1/2 inches so we've been fine. She usually used the top oven because most things she cooks are only a few inches tall.

The good thing about these ovens is that they heat much more quickly because they are so much smaller and they also use much less gas because they are easier to keep at temperature. They also reheat more quickly when one opens the oven to check on something.

If you're convinced you want two ovens you might consider getting three ovens, one large oven and one with the two ovens built into it.

This is great info, Asp.

I'll definitely be critiquing ever aspect of oven space when I buy, because a number of years ago we bought a side-by-side fridge, and at the time I was just so thrilled to get rid of our old fridge, which had given up the ghost, but was of the old design where it had a freezer compartment on top, with the fridge compartment on the bottom.

Needless to say, the side-by-side freezer compartment on our modern fridge, while deep, is no where wide enough for my liking, so I'm not going to make the same mistake when buying a range.

All things to consider.

 

[Jules]

I really like all your examples of built in cabinets. They take up less space than a china cabinet. In hindsight I would have done similar and replaced our china cabinet (which I don’t like.).

With the flat top stove, it’s not the same kind of mess when things boil over.

 

[IrisSenior]

I plan on re-doing (gutting) the kitchen in the future. I have an electric stove and have heard that they are safer than gas. My daughter has a black flat top stove and she says it is good but it shows the finger prints and needs wiping all the time.

A new fridge with ice maker/water on the front door. New microwave and cabinet for microwave dishes. A dish washer which I at present don't have. New floor, counter, small table and 4 chairs. This will take a lot of thought, co-ordination and research.

 

[Aunt Marg]

I really like all your examples of built in cabinets. They take up less space than a china cabinet. In hindsight I would have done similar and replaced our china cabinet (which I don’t like.).

With the flat top stove, it’s not the same kind of mess when things boil over.

I love built-ins, too, Jules, always have, and for the same reason as you.

As for spill-overs, etc with the glass-top stoves, I can only imagine how easy it is to clean up.

Lots for me to think about.

 

[Aunt Marg]

I plan on re-doing (gutting) the kitchen in the future. I have an electric stove and have heard that they are safer than gas. My daughter has a black flat top stove and she says it is good but it shows the finger prints and needs wiping all the time.

A new fridge with ice maker/water on the front door. New microwave and cabinet for microwave dishes. A dish washer which I at present don't have. New floor, counter, small table and 4 chairs. This will take a lot of thought, co-ordination and research.

Please fill me in on the safety issue related to gas ranges.

I've never cared for gas myself out of fear of an explosion, etc, but our gas man has assured me that there is no need for me to fear.

Love the sounds of your planned remodel, Iris!

 

[Murrmurr]

Gas stoves are more responsive than electric ones when you need to adjust the heat.

For my mom's 60th birthday my dad gutted a cabinet and installed the upper/lower ovens for her because he didn't like to see her bending all the time with the full range (and she got a new cooktop). And by that time they had something like 15 or so grandchildren so holiday dinners got huge and she needed the second oven.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Gas stoves are more responsive than electric ones when you need to adjust the heat.

For my mom's 60th birthday my dad gutted a cabinet and installed the upper/lower ovens for her because he didn't like to see her bending all the time with the full range (and she got a new cooktop). And by that time they had something like 15 or so grandchildren so holiday dinners got huge and she needed the second oven.

That's my understanding of gas ranges as well, more responsive, and you can fine-tune the heat to perfection.

Love your dads idea for your mom!

 

[Murrmurr]

That's my understanding of gas ranges as well, more responsive, and you can fine-tune the heat to perfection.

Love your dads idea for your mom!

Oh man, she cried for like an hour and then called everyone in Italy.

 

[IrisSenior]

Please fill me in on the safety issue related to gas ranges.

I've never cared for gas myself out of fear of an explosion, etc, but our gas man has assured me that there is no need for me to fear.

Love the sounds of your planned remodel, Iris!

Much loss of heat: no efficient energy consumption. Cleaning is difficult due to pan supports and burners. You cook with an open flame and therefore cooking with gas is not the safest way. There are gas appliances that are better - gas water heaters (I have one) are faster to heat than electric and gas dryers dry clothes faster. I just did a google search but remember I just don't like GAS stoves.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Much loss of heat: no efficient energy consumption. Cleaning is difficult due to pan supports and burners. You cook with an open flame and therefore cooking with gas is not the safest way. There are gas appliances that are better - gas water heaters (I have one) are faster to heat than electric and gas dryers dry clothes faster. I just did a google search but remember I just don't like GAS stoves.

All things for me to carefully consider.

I appreciate all, Iris.

 

[MarciKS]

Hoping a few here can provide me with a little guidance and direction on this.

When it comes to gas ranges and gas cook-tops, I'm at a crossroads of sorts, I definitely want gas in the kitchen this time around, but what to get, a gas cook-top, or a full gas range.

I absolutely love the idea of having two range ovens built into the cabinetry as shown in the first picture, yet having a full range appeals to me, too.

Does anyone have any input on this based on personal experience?

Pros/Cons?

So are those big gas cooking burners on top or a bunch of little ones? I would definitely go with the ranges.

 

[Aunt Marg]

So are those big gas cooking burners on top or a bunch of little ones? I would definitely go with the ranges.

I believe the top picture with the gas cook-top is a mix of 5 burners, and the picture below it, the gas range had 4 burners on the far side, with two more on the right, and then controls for the two ovens.

If I do decide on a gas range, I won't get anything less than a 6 burner range.