Kenmore Elite 30'' Freestanding Electric Range

Exceeds expectations March 19, 2012
via sears_dot_com

We've had this range installed for a little over one week, so at this point I cannot speak to the long-term durability of this appliance, but for the one plus week of use this range has been nothing short of amazing. Our old setup consisted of an early 90's single wall oven and electric cooktop with exposed coils. In our eyes this range respresented a huge upgrade, but we were concerned about some of the negative reviews we read here and on other sites. The last thing we wanted to do was drop serious money on a range that didn't perform as advertised. We rolled the dice an couldn't be happier. After reading every review out there, our primary concerns were the integrity of the cooktop, time to boil water on the cooktop and consistent baking with both ovens. We have yet to take a razor to the cooktop, but we have not experienced the scratching issues that some people are having. Our cookware is typical nonstick in decent condition and thus far no scratches. The range boils water like any other range. The rapid boil feature may boil quicker, but not enough to really notice compared to our old setup. Generally give it 5-6 minutes on the rapid boil or select-a-size burners and your water will be boiling. The double oven feature is new to us and is a huge upgrade. The upper oven is by far used the most. It heats quick and cooks pretty evenly throughout, probably due to the smaller size. The convection feature in the lower oven is also new to us and really is a game changer for items that may have longer bake times. Our sales person told us to ratchet the cook time back about 30%-35% for items baked using the convection feature. This coupled with the convection convert feature helped us cook meatloaf tonight in 35-40 minutes instead of the hour it used to take. We baked a cake (store bought out of a box) and it was done in 23 minutes compared to the 30-34 minutes it calls for on the box. In my estimation this range provides state of the art technology in a fairly simple to use package. If you're willing to experiment a little with this thing and understand that there may be a bit of a learning curve (especially going from conventional to convection baking) you'll be very happy with this range. Give it a week like we did and I'm sure you'll write a similar review.

Kenmore Elite Freestanding Range March 18, 2012
via sears_dot_com

I purchased my Kenmore Elite Range a few months ago. I haven't had any problems other than the top oven burning alot of my foods. (The top oven seems to be the the oven I use most) I called Sears and they recommended I keep my temp 25 degrees less than what is shown. Since then I've had no problems. I love having the double ovens it's very nice on holidays!

The reviewer indicated they are affiliated with this product.

Gorgeous March 07, 2012
via user

Love it. Cooks faster than my old stove and you can't beat how fast the smaller oven preheats. But like any black car the top is hard to keep clean, however when it is it is gorgeous

It's going back to the store February 18, 2012
via sears_dot_com

Bought this unit to replace a double-oven Maytag Gemini which worked perfectly.  We only replaced it because we were going with a stainless look in the kitchen.

Got delivery just in time for Christmas.  That's when we discovered that the top oven burns everything on the bottom, with the top being uncooked.  My wife now refuses to cook anything in the top oven.  And she hasn't even tried the convection in the bottom oven.

Two service calls from two different techs didn't help.  To summarize their response, "Works okay."  The techs said:

• (Tech 1) When setting the temperature to 350, wait an additonal 15 minutes after the stove beeps before putting in anything.  The temperature can overshoot by 50 degrees during that time.
• (Tech 2) The coils are covered, which promotes more even heating.  But that can make the temperature fluctuate more.

The touch screen doesn't work very well.  You have to fiddle with the controls to get them set.  The first tech said that was normal.  I didn't even bother to ask the second guy.

To add insult to injury, the cooktop is impossible to keep clean.  Even the recommended oven cleaner doesn't help.

I stopped by the store today and demanded my money back.  They're going to send out the Service Manager from the district to take a look at it before they refund my purchase.

Looks okay (actually a lot less black would be better for us), but it's a piece of junk.  We want our Maytag back!