If I haven't thanked you or returned a r/r/c blame CIAO for being a big Gumby.
If I haven't thanked you or returned a r/r/c blame CIAO for being a big Gumby.
Member since:28.09.2004
Reviews:28
Members who trust:15
I had a look at this cooker in the local electrical store after my built underoven decided to pack up during the cooking of a Fray Bentos. Don't say awww, I like them soggy. Come to think of it, they're still soggy after a full cooking.
Anyway the thought of a double oven appealed to me, now I could get creative with different dishes.
Before I talk about the cooker, I'll talk about Stoves.
The cooker was delivered and upon opening I saw straight away that the glass lid was ovelapping one side by about a half centimeter. I checked the hinges to see if they needed adjusted but it turned out the glass was not set in the frame properly. I should have had it returned but I called Stoves to give them a chance to fix it. They arranged an engineer to come out but the new lid would be sent separately. The engineer came before the lid! He
told me to call back when the lid arrived.
A couple of days later the lid arrived with the engineeer a couple of days after that. He opened the box and the lid was smashed so he got on the phone to order another. After another wait I found myself with another lid and engineer a week later. When he took the lid out I noticed the glass had been set into the frame at an angle, he didn't and proceeded to install it. I waited for the penny to drop. It took a while but here it comes, "That looks a bit wonky doesn't it?". "Really?" I said, "What now?". He said It was ok as he can adjust the hinges. I let him go, he's the one with the degree in cookers. It turns out when studying for your degree in cooker repairs there is a practical module where you are taught, if all else fails, bend the hinges. I said to him that this was the bit where he stops and leaves my house after ordering another new lid, "And don't forget new hinges while you're at it".
Another week passed and my new lid and hinges were delivered with the engineer a day later. He wan't deivered, he drove here himself. Finally my cooker looked the way it should have, "Where did that scratch come from" the engineer said. OH NO! The handle at the front of the lid was scratched. "Maybe it's that huge belt buckle on your trousers as you were leaning over trying to fix the hinge" I said. I had enough, I asked the engineer to leave and I called Stoves again. They actually apologised and asked me if the scratch was noticeable enough to see it. "Err, yes, I saw it, that's why I'm calling, would I be calling if I didn't see it?". They arranged another lid and I asked them to arrange an engineer without a belt buckle.
Finally it was fixed, my cooker was up and running.
Now the cooker itself. I purchased the silver one with chrome handles and a black hob. Its supposed to be black but I think it looks a very dark brown. The cooker looks great sitting there but its really the only redeeming quality. Get in closer and you notice the little clock / timer doesn't sit in perfect symmetry to the opening created for it. Either the hole is too big or the clock too small. The little caps on top of the burners are held on by the thinnest of flanges. If you try to give it a quick buff with a cloth they keep being knocked off. The pot rests are not quality made, you can see the welded joins and thay have not been smoothed off properly. If you get the one with the "black" top like mines then you really have to get the soap flying as a quick wipe leaves greasy smudges.
There is a fan behind the cooker that kicks in after a minute or two of the oven being switched on. This fan is not to assist in the cooking but there to keep the wires between the hob and the top oven cool. This fan continues for a few minutes after the oven is off. Performance form the oven is not as good as gas cookers I've had in the past. I feel there are a few cool spots and you have to keep opening the oven to move things around a bit to heat something more or stop something burning. If you make oven chips and leave them for the 25 min or so, you will go back to all the outer ones burned and the middle ones underdone. If you were cooking even chilled sausage rolls you would expect to put them in the oven under the chips when there's 10 min of chip cooking left. Wrong, put them in at the same time. The shelf underneath is very very slow and it can't get much circulation.
All the controls seem sturdy enough and the ignition works first time for the hobs but after two or three time for the ovens. The grill is a "solar" type and only functions properly if on full. In fact it's not designed to be turned down so stay with it when it's on. The grill will turn itself off if the door is closed and when opened the gas comes on again without a light obviously because you forgot to turn it off didn't you. The hobs will turn off automatically if you lower the lid with the knobs returning to their "off" state.
The hobs are one large, two medium and one small. The small one is only suitable for heating soup, frying a small item or keeping something warm. The others are ok for general cooking.
The chrome racks and supports are all easily removed for cleaning and the inside glass of the oven doorsslide out for the same purpose. Because there are two pieces of glass per door, its easy to spill in between them but its easily cleaned.
The cooker is standard depth and 60mm wide so make sure you measure your space. There are four agjustable and locking feet for uneven floors. Once you get the right height you can lock them with a nut. The doors are standard pull / push, no knobs or handles to twist. When the oven is on the outside glass gets a little hot near the top but not too hot where it will do any harm. An oven light is there to inspect your cooking but I find its hard to tell and find myself opening the oven to make sure.
In conclusion I'll say it looks a lot better than it performs. It may be that its me who needs adjusting to get the cooker at the right setting for the food being cooked. I suppose trial and error will produce better results. The knobs aren't really much of a guide as the numbering and the markings on the cooker don't look very precise so I guess more use will gain better results.
Thanks for reading.
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