Monday, November 19, 2007
Evil Appliances
Post contents to be reposted.
- Preaching to the Choir (11/30/2008)
- Happy Thanksgiving (11/27/2008)
- Cooking (11/26/2008)
- Ammo Day (11/19/2008)
- Satire (11/17/2008)
Posted 11/19/2007 11:50 PM CDT • Print Vers.
Comments
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Won’t take that bet. But might be interested in a small flutter based on Mom’s experience.
Repairman arrived on target, on time. Examined Sub-Optimal Oven, consulted service computer, and announced “Parts are no longer available” and “Turn-out charge is $65”.
We continue to set the oven temp by watching the $5 thermometer we put inside the hot box.
Happy Thanksgiving.
homebru | 11/20/2007 08:21 AM CDT -
The turn out charge is $55. I am preparing myself for something like you suggest… that parts aren’t available or some other reason why Ye Olde Oven cannot be repaired.
It is the original oven in the house so it is 20 years old. I know that 20 years in the life of a kitchen appliance is bad (what’s that in dog years?), but it is just a device that gets hot. How complicated is that? It isn’t as if the technology has radically changed or there are thousands of moving micro parts. When did GE see an ROI, 1937?
You can buy (for under $80) a device that can communicate with a satellite to fix your position on a map, but a replacement ‘cheap’ oven is $460?
When did that happen?
Mrs. du Toit | 11/20/2007 08:28 AM CDT -
good luck on the cabs. if you want non particleboard cabinets they’ll cost 30 k in your kitchen. hope the stove turns out ok.
og | 11/20/2007 08:52 AM CDT -
Quick point, in case you care - the part you are referring to is called the “sensor”, and since that’s most likely the part that is broken, it could be replaced fairly easily without the repairman call - most of them are plug-in parts. The other alternative is the temperature rheostat, which is a little more difficult to replace.
You can buy (for under $80) a device that can communicate with a satellite to fix your position on a map, but a replacement ‘cheap’ oven is $460?
There’s a WHOLE lot of manual labor in making an oven, and practically none in a GPS device. Makes a lot of difference in price.
WayneB | 11/20/2007 08:59 AM CDT -
if you want non particleboard cabinets they’ll cost 30 k in your kitchen.
For less than half that, I’ll fly out there and BUILD them for you… Heh.
WayneB | 11/20/2007 09:01 AM CDT -
I hate cabinets, actually. I think they’re all ugly, regardless of how expensive or well made they might be.
They just look WRONG, especially since kitchen fitters have gotten lazy and hang them below the ceiling line. In days of old at least they built a soffet to fill in the gap.
I intend to make my own version of them, out of MDF, but I’m going to saturate it with primer and then a good paint (inside AND out) so no water can seep in.
Can you tell I’ve thought about this?
If I built a house from scratch there would be no above-counter cabinets. Just furniture instead (besides those areas needing a fixed footing for drains or gas pipes). What would normally go in the cupboards IN the kitchen will be in the pantry, save for spice racks near the stove.
I think of a kitchen like a garage or workshop, but because it is inside it should look a wee bit better, but not THAT much better. The floor would also have a drain so you could hose the place down.
In my dream world, all kitchen surfaces are made of steel, save for the chopping blocks or careful use of marble/granite.
Mrs. du Toit | 11/20/2007 09:07 AM CDT -
I’ve always wondered. An Aga is always on, nicht wahr? (Helping you get ready for Germany) So, here’s my question: What does that do to your monthly utility bill?
Several years ago, we bought a Somemanufacturerorother Gemini stove. It has two ovens: a regular oven and a small oven in place of the old pan drawer/broiler. Unfortunately, it’s electric, but we settled becaust the two ovens in the place of one thing was so much more convenient.
I empathize with your kitchen woes. I’m trying to redo our kitchen right now on a budget of ...
wait for it…
$5,000. We have the appliances (except for the dish washer), but there’s going to be lots of sweat equity involved. We’ll have “better” but not “great” when we’re finished. Such is impecuniousness.
Weetabix | 11/20/2007 09:55 AM CDT -
That is a cult not a cooker!
CRÈME BRÛLÉE AND ADJUSTING TO AGA TEMPERATURES
The easy way to think of Aga temperatures and the ease of cooking with an Aga is found in my favourite maxim, you don’t set the heat with an Aga, you FIND it.
It is all a question of positioning food at the correct level in the most appropriate oven to obtain comparable cooking results. For a crème brûlée, make using your favourite recipe, then place the ramekins or single large container in an Aga roasting tin and pour boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Carefully slide onto the lowest set of runners in the Roasting Oven and slide a cold plain shelf onto the second set of runners down. Cook for 20-25 minutes if using ramekins, or 30-40 minutes if making a larger single crème brûlée, as the larger dense quantity of custard will need the extra time.
Then carefully transfer the whole assembly to the centre of the Simmering Oven and continue to cook for 30-40 minutes until set but with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the oven and water bath and allow to cool for 30 minutes before covering and refrigerating.
Dbltap | 11/20/2007 10:14 AM CDT -
We re-did our kitchen a few years ago. Had it stripped to the studs and redone from there, new floor, new tile, new appliances, new cabinets. Cost a bundle, but worth it. We paid extra (although nowhere NEAR what you’re talking about) for two appliances for extra function: the range is “dual fuel” meaning the cooktop is gas (so turning it off actually stops the heat) and the oven is electric (more even). The mircowave also has halogen bulbs for “speed cooking”, we can cook a whole chicken in there in 20 minutes and I defy you to tell me it didn’t come out of the oven. Great for working couples like my wife and I, we can actually have a complete dinner on a week-night and not eat at midnite. I know you folks do that, but we’re generally Both are made by GE.
Mark D | 11/20/2007 10:14 AM CDT -
According to what I’ve read, the stove requires about 30,000 BTUs per day. The savings or increase, of course, is relative to how much you have your current oven turned on (at today’s prices, that’s about $1.50 a day). You can spend that with traditional ovens, just preheating.
If you only turn your oven on once a week, then it would be an outrageous increase, but if you have your oven on for more than an hour or two a day, it will be a savings.
The thing maintains its heat and only has to stay at the current temperature, never needing to draw the power to heat up to cooking temperature.
It also means you get to throw away other appliances, such as the hot water kettle, toaster, and toaster oven, and rely even less on a microwave.
One of the rings on the top is a blistering 750 degrees, ALL THE TIME. That means you have instant hot water, and toast, and you can melt butter, just by setting it in a cup near the rings.
Our British friends even use it to dry their clothing--folding them from the washing machine wet, and setting them on it to dry. The heat is a dry heat.
What that also means, of course, is that it is going to throw a considerable amount of heat into the house… not so good during Texas summers. This is why I thought I wouldn’t be able to get one, but I researched it further and the equivalent in heat is about 10 light bulbs. That’s still a lot, but if you use a traditional oven, it is throwing a lot more heat than that.
That’s why I want to get the companion (that’s the small part of the configuration that has 4 burners). That is a traditional, albeit small, range. It has two electric ovens and 4 gas burners. In the summer months I can turn the Aga down (found out that turning it completely off isn’t good for it), reducing the heat it puts into the house. We try to use the BBQ grill in the summer, but would still have the Aga (set at a lower constant temperature) to prepare things like baked potatoes and such to go with it.
I will also add a vent (not an electric hood, just an exhaust pipe) to allow the heat to rise and escape out the wall behind it.
The British versions (sold in Britain) are ALSO water heaters (which heats the water so efficiently, if it isn’t used it turns to steam), with the water intake going through the stove, too. But our building codes won’t allow that model to be imported here. Bastards! That would REALLY be a savings, especially in a household of 5 people who bathe on a semi-regular basis.
Mrs. du Toit | 11/20/2007 10:18 AM CDT -
That sounds really neat. Swap out ten regular light bulbs for compact fluorescents, and you’re golden!
Weetabix | 11/20/2007 10:42 AM CDT -
um: MDF equals particleboard. well, not precisely- but in its resistance to water it is the same thing. even well sealed.
og | 11/20/2007 10:54 AM CDT -
I know. Note that when I mentioned particle board, I said “unpainted” as the qualifier.
Mrs. du Toit | 11/20/2007 11:15 AM CDT -
Nice post.
p.s. It’s cavalry, not calvary. Normally I don’t post spelling corrections but I thought as an atheist you might have a little more interest in getting this particular word correct.
Kevin | 11/20/2007 02:48 PM CDT -
Did the repair personage arrive and make it all better?
Enquiring busibodies want to know! B-)
Rob | 11/21/2007 06:37 PM CDT
