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liza_minnie

which 36' dual fuel range?

15 years ago

I have to replace my 15 year old Thermador range (electronic ignitions all died over the summer, repair guy says they're basically impossible to replace), oven door hinge is semi-broken, and now the oven doesn't work. Silly me, when I bought the Thermador, I thought it would last a lot longer than 15 years!

I cook a lot. I'm looking for reliable. I want burners that get nice and hot, burners with a low simmer, and an oven that holds an even temperature. I don't want timers or other extra electronics that are likely to break.

Suggestions?

Thanks

Comments (6)

  • 15 years ago

    If you want something simple that is not likely to fail why dual fuel in the first place?

    I would save the money,buy an All-Gas range and with the savings buy an electric wall oven if you really want super even dry heat.

  • 15 years ago

    We like our Wolf DF366 and it fit our needs when we went shopping last fall. Be aware, though, it does indeed have electronics - still, we like what the electronics do for us (things like the integration of thermometer probe with an alarm, for example). I don't recall seeing any dual fuels that we liked that didn't have some electronics.

  • 15 years ago

    All gas is a possibility. Though I've heard that all gas with a self cleaning oven also gets pretty complicated in the computer/electronics side of things.

    But I would consider all gas, and maybe give up self cleaning.

    Any other insight on brands?

  • 15 years ago

    I have the exact same aversion to complicated electronic/computerized parts in ranges. I got a Fratelli Onofri 36" dual-fuel. At the link below, you'll see they have two styles in the 36": Evolution, which is modern in style and comes in stainless or anthracite (matte black), and Royal Chiantishire, which is vintage in style and comes in several colors. Mine's the Royal Chiantishire double oven in burgundy, and it has nothing computerized, no plastic on it anywhere, and nothing electronic, except I think maybe the ignition for the burners is electronic (or is it just electric?). Anyway, it's simple, solid, old-school construction.

    There are a ton of positive reviews on Fratelli at AJ Madison, if you want to check them out.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Fratelli Onofri ranges

  • 15 years ago

    Thanks for that. I'll look into Fratelli.

    Any comments on GE monogram, Kitchen Aid, Dacor, Capital?

  • 15 years ago

    I've owned the 36" single oven Fratelli dual-fuel Royal Chiantishire for about 6 months. It was hard to find but I've recently seen it sold at good quality appliance stores. It doesn't have any pesky electronics that can break, that's true. The quality is very good, nothing plastic, the large middle burner you just want to hug. It's absolutely perfect, it's in the right spot, it's the right size. All good. I used to have a gas only range so the dual-fuel has taken some getting used too. My gas only oven heated up in about 5 minutes, the electric oven (in the Fratelli) takes about 10 or more minutes. This extra time has caught me off guard a number of times when I was rushing to cook a frozen pizza before the sitter arrived. So you have to plan a little more ahead than with an all gas oven. I doubt this extra preheat time is unique to the Fratelli. Plus the convection fan continues to run even after the oven is off (I'm guessing it runs to cool down the oven, because if I open the door the fans goes off fairly quickly). So both these items have required some adjustment to my former cooking habits.
    Overall, I do love the look of this oven and the burners are amazing. The oven has taken some time to master but it cooks much more evenly than the old gas oven. This range cost the same (about $2,200) as the GE Cafe which was the other range I wanted. The Fratelli range is in a whole different league than the GE. I know some friends who have the GE Cafe and their knobs have melted because they are cheap, and they've had all kinds of annoying issues. The Fratelli is like a tank, it seems very simply designed but well thought out. The 5th middle burner is worth the whole package.