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Friday Favorite: My Stove

November 16th, 2012

About 10 years ago I got a new stove. My previous stove had been a hand-me-down from my mom that never worked quite right. You had to turn on the oven before starting to mix anything up because you never knew if it was going to come on or. There were times it would turn off in the middle of baking and not come back on. I’d been saving for a newone for quite a while. I didn’t get the Blue Star I wanted, but I knew this Kitchenaid would be a good stove for many years.

Now that we’re in Maine and my stove is back in Ohio, I’ve been sorely missing it. It’s kind of like being without your favorite tool, or in this case I feel like I’m missing my right arm. I know my stove like the back of my hand, I’ve learned how to cook everything to perfection on it. Getting used to a new stove can be a big challenge, especially when you loved your old one so much.

I strongly believe that a good stove is of great importance for anyone who loves to cook, I realized that when I purchased this beauty. Having a good stove will make cooking much easier and much more pleasurable. These last two months of cooking on a less than ideal stove have really taught me that. I’m actually starting to think that perhaps many people think they don’t like to cook simply because their stoves are less than ideal.

We will have to make a few modifications to the kitchen to get my stove to fit. The one that is here is a small apartment stove. After than an exhaust fan that vents outside is on the list.

Thankfully, my stove will make it’s way back to Maine in two weeks. I’ll certainly be very thankful to be able to use it once again.

Do you have a favorite appliance?

24 Comments to “Friday Favorite: My Stove”
  1. Robin Follette on November 16, 2012 at 7:11 am

    My current.stove is a big step up from the old but still not what I want. I love to cook, love propane, love the over sized oven, but don’t love my stove. I’m going to start saving for the next one soon. I hadn’t thought of a KitchenAid. I’m glad you wrote this; I’ll be looking at them closely.

    Reply to Robin Follette's comment

    • Susy on November 16, 2012 at 12:45 pm

      I’m saving to replace this beauty with a Blue Star when it dies, which will most likely be in 10 years or more.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. pam on November 16, 2012 at 9:03 am

    My stove is also my favorite appliance!

    Reply to pam's comment

  3. MountainMisty on November 16, 2012 at 9:10 am

    Beautiful oven!! What type of pots do you use for cooking? We have the iron skillets and the stainless stock pot, but I’ve been looking for non-Teflon smaller pots to cook in. Beautiful pictures!

    Reply to MountainMisty's comment

    • Susy on November 16, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      I use mostly enameled cast iron and cast iron. I do have a nice set of stainless steel pots, but I prefer to use cast iron if possible. I’d recommend getting Staub enameled cast iron or some Blue Star stainless steel pots.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • MountainMisty on November 17, 2012 at 11:42 am

        Thanks Susy!! I’ll check those out. Can’t wait for your next podcast. I get up earlier on Monday mornings just o download it before leaving for work. :o)

        to MountainMisty's comment

  4. annie on November 16, 2012 at 9:51 am

    It’s between my stove and stand mixer. My stove was a huge upgrade from the old one (particularly the continuous grate) and I love it, but I now know more about what I want in a stove (deeper top, multiple ovens, and if possible, no electronics so it’s easier to fix). The stand mixer and oven go hand in hand since I cook so much, particularly bread. I used to knead by hand but it caused such pain in my wrists that I stopped and my little stand mixer has been used for kneading bread and pasta 3 or 4 times a week for years! Which is why it’s about to kick the bucket…

    Reply to annie's comment

    • Susy on November 16, 2012 at 12:44 pm

      I’m with you on all those things, especially the no electronics so it’s easier to fix!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  5. BeccaOH on November 16, 2012 at 10:19 am

    I like the look of your stove. The appliance I HATE is my stove. It is a flat top that has a vent down through the floor. The vent and the oven are okay, but I really hate the flat top. I can’t regulate temperature on that thing. It is usually too hot. Getting a gentle simmer or “keep warm” setting it nearly impossible. You aren’t supposed to use cast iron on it. I’d like to get a gas stove and a hood vent, but I don’t know when that will happen as it will require a bit of reworking of the kitchen.

    Reply to BeccaOH's comment

  6. risa bear on November 16, 2012 at 11:45 am

    Alas, we just replaced our nonworking nondescript electric range with a working nondescript electric range. But we do have a favorite — our wood heat stove, which has a generous flat top. It’s in the dining room, so we’ll move in there for the winter if winter ever comes. The hummingbirds just raised a second clutch of babies, the grasshoppers and mosquitoes are everywhere, and the grass smells like May. We are in Oregon …

    Reply to risa bear's comment

  7. Marcia on November 16, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    My brand-spankin new Kitchenaid stand mixer! I`ve longed for it for years and have used it everyday since I got it. My coworkers are loving all the bread and muffin overflow I`ve been bringing into work. I’ve never had a great oven but I’ve spent many a times drooling in front of those amazingly beautiful ovens at William and Sonoma. Maybe one day.

    Reply to Marcia's comment

  8. jennifer fisk on November 16, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    I love my year old Kitchen Aid dishwasher. It does a great job and is very quiet. I don’t like my Frigidaire stove. I love the fact it is gas but it doesn’t turn down well. Even the simmer burner all the way down is too much for simmer.

    Reply to jennifer fisk's comment

    • Susy on November 16, 2012 at 12:42 pm

      I have the same issue with this stove, there is really not much of a simmer. On my favorite stove there’s a tiny burner that will just keep things warm, which I love!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Turling on November 16, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    Favorite appliance? Yes. My kegerator. Everything else is a distant second.

    Reply to Turling's comment

  10. Susie on November 16, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    I dream of the days I’ll have a beautiful stove like that. I’m currently still an apartment dweller moving around a lot, so I really have experienced my fair share of sad, small and ugly stoves – ha! I have a great Kitchen Aid mixer that my mom gave me though, and it gets a lot of use!

    Reply to Susie's comment

    • Susy on November 16, 2012 at 1:01 pm

      Oh yes, I remember the days of avocado green electric coil stoves and other rental appliances! I’m certainly glad those days are over for me, well at least when I get my stove up here to Maine.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  11. Ezra on November 16, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Stoves really are so important. They can dictate so much of how something ends up cooked. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ruined rice on a stove I can’t control well (or maybe it’s just my rice cookin’ skills)!

    :)

    Reply to Ezra's comment

  12. Mich on November 16, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    My favourite appliance is my Aga, I love that it’s always hot and ready for me to cook on.

    Reply to Mich's comment

  13. Maybelline on November 16, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    My 1st oven in my home was the original built in. At Thanksgiving we had to use that piece of junk. The oven door fell off while basting the turkey.
    The stovetop is my favorite appliance.
    Someday I hope to have an updated kitchen. Until then, there is Pinterest.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  14. Deb on November 17, 2012 at 1:59 am

    Best type to have during a power outage is the propane ones that require NO electricity. Much cheaper to use. Is it good, I just use it as it’s what we got prior to Y2K. I don’t think only a perfect stove makes good food. You just adjust to what you have. Mine is probably more than 20 yrs. but without electronic parts it doesn’t fizzle out and I can cook/bake any time of year during any conditions as long as we have propane.

    Reply to Deb's comment

  15. Rachel on November 17, 2012 at 8:21 am

    I feel your frustration, Susy! It is very hard to move from a well-functioning, properly-sized stove to something that simply doesn’t work so well. We are finally at the tail end of renovating our kitchen, and I must say that my favorite appliance is our fridge that keeps food consistently cold and is MUCH more energy-efficient than its predecessor.

    Reply to Rachel's comment

  16. Myra on November 17, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    I love my dual-fuel stove. Gas cooktop with 5 burners, electric convection oven with 3 racks. Whoo-who! Second would be the KitchenAide stand mixer, my second as the first wore out finally.I love to cook and make bread and both are put to good use. Enjoying your podcasts too, I download and listen on my walks!

    Reply to Myra's comment

  17. EL on November 22, 2012 at 11:08 pm

    My refrigerator which unfortunately isn’t working well right now. But the freezer works fine. It is a European style fridge and is tall and thin. Thus it fits in anywhere. Whether the fridge is working or not, the freezer is lovely.

    Because I am renting, I don’t have a stove of my own any more. When I owned a house last, I bought a stove and one of the things that I looked for was one with the knobs in front, like yours. The one I have now, has the knobs in the back and I really feel that that can be dangerous. . .

    Reply to EL's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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