Best Slide in Range and Its Clever Design! by: Glen Crawford
We are about to subject our kitchen to a complete make-over, and are now looking to find the best slide in range that will suit the new kitchen lay-out. Because we have limited space, we decided that the slide in range would be the best option, even though we would really like a built-in range, but it can’t be incorporated into the new design.
We haven’t previously owned any of the slide in ranges before and at first were a little hesitant about whether this was going to be the best choice. Our kitchen designer was correct when he said that this was the only way that we would be able to free up bench-top space, which was a priority for me. We have very large windows in the kitchen which makes it difficult to incorporate a wall oven into the planning.
We have been informed by our kitchen designer that the best slide in ranges for our situation are the electric downdraft models. These are really neat because they remove the steam, grease and heat through special vents which are situated on the center of the cooking surface. Downdraft ventilation pulls the steam etc. downwards and then it is removed through special ducts which are situated either in the floor or in the cupboards. The electric downdraft models do away with the overhead ventilation hoods which I think is a great idea.
The slide in range is going to be installed into a completely new kitchen island, and because we have exceptionally high ceilings the downdraft model will work best. I was doubtful that they would really be able to remove all the steam and grease that they claim to, but evidently they can. According to all the reviews that I’ve read the people who own these models are very pleased with them.
We know that buying the best slide in range that we can afford is still going to set us back around $2,000. We will get a good warranty with it though, which is five years for all elements and electronics plus the actual cook top. Even though we could get an electric slide in range a little cheaper than this, we chose to pay more for the downdraft feature.
It is quite amazing how many extra features are incorporated into the slide in ranges that we are interested in. Wipe-clean cooking surface for one, as well as the convection oven with its own automatic conversion setting. It is obviously going to take a little while getting used to all the settings but they are supposed to be quite logical and easy to use. The food-drying cycle sounds like an interesting thing to try.
It seems that the Jenn-Air slide in range is considered to be one of the best around. From my research it also appears to be the only one that offers the downdraft feature. Even though it is on the expensive side it has rave reviews by customers, so the money is obviously very well spent. They do offer a dual-fuel model which we considered, but in the end the flat cook-top won. It is so much easier to keep clean.
Kitchen remodelling is such a fun time. Being able to choose new appliances, design cupboards and bench tops, and find the best slide in kitchen range has been an interesting and rewarding time. Patience is however my next step, in having to wait for the tradesmen to start their work on this exciting project.
Tags: downdraft range hoods, ductless range hoods, electric range hoods, euro range hoods, glass range hoods, island range hoods, kitchen range fans, kitchen range hoods, kitchen range vents
