GE Electric Stove Drop In Gets It Right & Installation Hints

We have now owned this high end GE Profile range (electric drop in model)for 10 months, and finally have an electric stove that not only heats quickly and well, but it has not had any need for repair!

Previously, we owned a top-end Kitchen Aid drop in electric stove and had nothing but electronic malfunctions, about 5 in 20 years. GE offers one of the few drop in stove models on the market. We prefer drop in over slide in for the sleeker look, and tighter fit to the side and back that a drop in offers.

An electric range is an electric range, so I won’t bore you with a description of basic operation; you can get that from the GE web site and shopping in the store. I like to offer insights on things that you don’t learn from sales people.

Controls: Range controls are straight-forward and easy to use. So far the matt-black finish cleans well and does not discolor.

Surface Heating Elements: The glass top is of a quality that allows the element heat to come up through quickly, and confined to the heating area, there is no transfer of heat to surrounding surfaces. We have had no problems with the elements working, they come on immediately and the lighting is very helpful to identify not only burners that are turned on, but those that remain hot after turning off.

Glass Top: If you are not willing to put time into cleaning the glass top, do not buy one, or at least go with a white model (we have black). You must follow cleaning instructions, and use quality cleaning polish and a special glass top cleaning pad. In the first few months of using this range, some sugary ultra hot candy liquid splashed onto the top of the stove glass; the food came off with a razor scraper, but the high temperature must have caused a change in the coloring of the glass, giving it a halo around the small drip. GE service came in a few days and replaced the top (after trying to remove the discoloration).

Oven: The oven heats quickly and holds the heat very well. Recently we spent some time with another family, and they had a basic electric range -- the wait for pre-heating was agonizing, taking three times the delay that our GE Profile takes to pre-heat. The first time you use the self-cleaning feature, make sure it is summer when you can open the windows and put the fans on; there is a strong odor when first using self cleaning mode; it goes away in future use. Another reviewer indicated that the oven is not well vented, that you get hit with a hot blast of air when opening -- that is totally correct, but after getting blasted a few times, just keep your head back for two seconds -- I believe this is a good thing that the head is kept in there, saving power consumption.

Cooking quality has been excellent on both the top and in the oven. As with every electric stove, heating a large pot of water is never fast enough, it still is not as good as a gas range.

Installation: I self-installed this range with no problems but I want to offer two cautionary notes, about cutting and about wiring. Installation instructions were well written and accurately detailed. Regarding cutting, our counter top (Formica) had to be enlarged about 3/4 inch on each side as well as in the back about ½ inch. I did this with a jig saw, first placing masking tape over the Formica to avoid scratches from the tool; probably duct tape would have been even better. The cutting went well but it is critical that you purchase a down-cutting jig saw blade – buy the best blade you can afford – and do not attempt to cut a counter top with a regular blade, it will split and break the counter surface. Regarding wiring, this unit does not come with a plug, it comes designed to be hard-wired. I recommend installing a metal junction box screwed into the floor below the range. You will have plenty of clearance to install a larger junction box. Lastly, you will have to make a kick-plate to go from the bottom of the range to the floor. I made one from ¼ inch luwan plywood and wood trim, painted it gloss black, and people think it’s part of the range!

Appearance: So far, the stove simply looks great, feels solid, and clearly shows that you get what you pay for; those models for much less money are just that, cheaper models, cheaper in every way.

We purchased our stove from Sears, on sale, paying $1,259 on sale (Paid $1329 but then went on deeper sale and they credited the difference). With the extended warranty and tax the total was $1625 with delivery (We purchased the Sears 5 year warranty for $299, because of the poor experiences we had with the last range electronic controls). So far, no problems to say that was a good choice, but he GE replacement of the glass top has already paid for the warranty. The $299 price for 5 years seems to be a good deal. After you buy this GE stove, GE mails you an extended warranty offer that is a bit lower priced than the Sears offer (GE is $69 per year and if you act quickly they give you 20% off making it $55.96 per year) but they only offer 3 years of coverage for $152. So extrapolating to 5 years, the GE deal is a bit better but you're assuming they won't raise the prices 3 years later; the Sears is a better offer in my view.