Thinking back on all the years of cooking and all the ranges I've cooked on, I have to admit a particular love for the classic gas stoves. They're so solid, so hot, and just… beautiful. Thankfully I'm not alone in this mild obsession. Some cooks want up-to-date functionality but still desire a certain style…
A range and a cook have a relationship. Once you know if you're gas or electric (or, now, both!) the real search starts. I've had several really amazing stoves over the years – the old Roper that had the clock/timer that refused to run but would light if I blew on the burners to push the gas to the ignition flame, the sweet four-legged double with a nice wide surface that was perfect for setting up stir-fry ingredients, the early 60's behemoth that made a frightening pause before it thundered "awhoosh" every time I lit it with a match while praying my eyebrows wouldn't get singed. Each of these stove relationships had to end…but like love it all works out.
My current baby is a Chambers "C", a popular stove made very recognizable by appearing as Rachel Ray's oven on 30 Minute Meals. and seem to have quite a following. I had wanted one for a very long time but had the Roper and just couldn't rationalize replacing one sturdy range for another classic. Although looking for a white one, we scored a pastel yellow one (on Ebay, no less) for a reasonable price. All we had to do was arrange for shipping. From Yonkers NY to Minnesota. Just imagine that for a moment – coordinating two sets of movers to heft a 36 inch stove filled with rock wool insulation. The incredulous questions from a few moving companies still makes me wonder how crazy I was to arrange it. It still amazes me this poor baby shuttled halfway cross the country and ended up safely in the kitchen. I loved it immediately. The oven is extremely solid and warms evenly, the burners ridiculously efficient, and the broiler, the broiler deserves a sonnet or an award, maybe even just general applause. Having the broiler on the cooktop was brilliant. We look for reasons to use the broiler!
The single best part of the Chambers has nothing to do with how it works. When my maternal Grandmother visited the new house for the first time, she rushed the tour to the kitchen, as all the women in my family seem to do. She's a sharp cookie and somewhat pointedly observant, so I was bracing for the questions about the layout when a kitchen miracle happened. She gasped and could barely speak, "Did this stove come with the house?" I explained I found it online and had it shipped to the new house but she didn't look at me, just started touching the stove, opening the thermowell, testing the gas knobs. It turned out she had owned one, in the first house I can remember. I've pressed my memory and even looked through old photos but I cannot find it. I must have remembered it on some level. Every visit she walks into the kitchen and simply beams at it.
How many appliances encourage a certain fondness? Admit it, are you in love with your current stove or looking for the next range relationship?
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Julia Schrenkler
American Public Media Interactive Producer
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Comments: 10
I'd love nothing more than to skip the Viking , pocket the savings and get something with a little style instead.
You're probably not alone in dreaming of a Viking! They have style! I know most people associate them with stainless steel, but they actually have a number of finishes including "mint julep" and "eggplant".
Still, even a refurbished classic range will probably outprice the Viking considerably.
Sadly, I've never even had a stove I liked -- although I've had a few that were OK. Perhaps someday...
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976734181
AFTER I cooked my first thanksgiving family dinner on it, Yankee Magazine published a whole schematic drawing and article explaining that I'd essentially cooked dinner on the "Summer" mode - meaning very uneven oven temp as the heat wasn't "wrapped" around the oven, just past it. I knew something was wrong when I had to keep turning the roasting pan to brown the turkey evenly. Live and learn. I've cooked family Thanksgiving dinner on it every year since. Great memories to give to younger generations.