I LOVE this range!
Pros:
HUGE capacity, looks great, easy to clean, tons of features.
Cons:
No bread proofer, takes some getting used to, burner racks are big and unwieldy.
The Bottom Line:
Love it. Not too far from the top-of-the-line, and why spend the extra money on TOTL when this goes the distance?
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I had an old stove, the one my house came with, for years. I guess familiarity is a good thing, because I knew exactly how to cook what I was cooking. I wanted a new stove. With convection, a big oven, gas burners, touchpad, the works. This baby has it all. The only thing I'm missing is a bread proofer, and I wouldn't use it that much anyway.
The interior of the oven is HUGE. I have had a 26 lb turkey, stuffing, macaroni, and rolls in it all at once. And not little bowls; I mean 9x13 pans. The half-rack feature is great. One of the racks has a section that pops in or out (you have to slide the rack partway out to remove or install the section) that allows for a tall turkey or ham while still allowing you to have all three racks in at the same time. The half-rack lets you put a tray or bowl on one side while the top of the turkey or ham sticks up into the space where the rack section has been removed.
I love the convection feature. I use that for my hams and turkeys, and it's just the best thing. It cooks faster, more evenly, and it seems to make the meats more flavorful. It does take some getting used to; you have to figure out how to adjust your cooking times to accommodate the different type of heat circulation. I definitely don't recommend that you buy this on Monday and try to cook dinner for an important guest on Tuesday unless you already know how this baby works. I ruined a few batches of brownies, but I have it down now. The convection fan is ultra-quiet. The only way you know it's on is because you can see it spinning on the back wall of the oven compartment. The viewing window is huge, and the interior is very well-lit. I hated not having a window on my old stove because you can ruin quite a few things by opening the door and letting heat out while checking for doneness. This is great. I can see everything, which also helps when I'm adjusting a new recipe.
The whole bottom of the interior compartment slides up and out for cleaning. It's smooth on the bottom, which makes it easy to clean in the first place, but the fact that it comes out if you DO happen to spill something on it and can't clean immediately is just the best.
The top of the stove is very easy to clean. It has a lip all around the outside of the where the racks sit to catch anything that might spill. It contains spills very well. The racks are a bit unwieldy because they are big, but they're made like that so that you can slide big pots back and forth across the top. That pro outweighs that con by a mile. You also don't have to worry about not having enough rack to support a very large pot. The burners unscrew with only two screws and are idiot-proof to put back on. I take mine off periodically to clean under them. I don't know if I like the super burner or the simmer burner better. The super burner heats anything in NO TIME. The simmer burner is awesome for sauces and gravies.
The touchpad is very easy to use, though I do find that whenever I hit the timer, it beeps twice and I have to reset it. I guess it's too sensitive. Nice, big digital display, no buttons for crud to get around, nice high back to keep anything from splashing on the back wall of your countertop.
The broiler is great, too. Browns food in no time.
I don't know what I like best about it. The only problem I had was that I did have damage when it was delivered, but that's not Maytag's fault, and I did have to have it recalibrated because the temperature was off (hence so many ruined brownies) by quite a few degrees. Both situations rectified in no time, so no harm done.