- PreciseAir convection system
- Single/Multi-Rack Convection Bake
- 5.4 cu. ft. oven capacity
- Griddle system with pre-seasoned, cast-iron griddle
- Baking drawer - lower oven
This range has a couple of features that some similar "non-backsplash", freestanding units don't have. It has a stainless trim around the cooktop, so the unit snugs up to the countertop without overlapping, making it simpler to install. In addition, many of the freestanding units vent oven air out the front of the unit.I read that some customers felt a strong gust of air blowing on them, while cooking.This range vents UPward from the back of the cooktop, so exhaust gets pulled away by our range hood fan.
I love the high wattage, extra-large burner in front, which can be used as a medium sized burner as well.Another medium on the other side, a variety of sizes in back and the 5th burner cooks as well as warms. I also love the baking drawer.There is one medium wattage element in the baking drawer, so it requires a longer preheat time, but as long as I remember to turn it on about a half hour before I want to bake some potatoes or a casserole, it does a great job.The larger oven preheats quickly and has many racks for cookies.So far, we used convection to evenly and quickly cook meatloaf and cookies.
We have experienced a couple of minor snafu's.The first scheduled delivery, the unit had a medium size dent and had to be sent back.The second delivery went smoothly, but after the delivery guys left, I noted a very small bend and unpainted section (small like 1/4" x 1/4" triangle shaped section) on the inside section of one of the exhaust holes.I probably could have requested a new unit, but frankly I didn't want the hassle.I called the store and they scheduled a service visit.GE Service carefully straightened the slight bend and ordered some heat resistant touch up paint.As a backup, they also ordered a replacement part for the section of metal that includes the unpainted area.Replacing the part seems like overkill, however, since you need a flashlight and to squint your eyes to see the spot.My only concern is rust (over the years).The paint should take care of that.They have scheduled a followup visit when the parts come in and indicated that I can choose to have them replace the part if I'm concerned that the touch up paint does not look ok.So, I'm very satisfied with their response.
This unit does not have a "hidden element" in the oven, as some ovens on the market do; easier for cleaning.I also would have liked a split oven rack and perhaps a rack with ball bearings, but these are minor issues.
I left a star off only because quality control might need improvement.If our unit arrived without any flaws, I would have given it 5 stars.
Buy GE CS980STSS Cafe 30" Stainless Steel Electric Smoothtop Range - Convection Now
I bought this stove nearly 3 years ago. So far I've been pretty pleased. It looks nice and works well for me. I bake a lot and generally just use the regular bake function. The 3 racks are very helpful. I don't have much experience with a convection oven and only use it if I need to dry something out or brown something quickly. The lower oven takes a while to heat up but is convenient if you need to keep something warm when cooking a big dinner. Or if you have a bit of time and don't really want to watch whatever's warming. I just throw whatever I want warmed up in the oven without preheating it and let it slowly warm. My biggest complaint is the metal piece above the knobs in front of the glass plate because it scratches, and also food and dirt tends to accumulate in between the metal and the glass and it's not easy to clean. Also, I'm not sure but I think the oven is getting nosier when it heats up. I can hear a fan or something going that sounds uneven. I will be phoning GE about this. All in all I am happy with the range. I would recommend the extended warranty because it is a pretty pricey item and from my research quality seems to be unreliable.Please do yourself a favor and do not buy this range. I wish someone had told me all of the reasons you will hate this range. First of all it is seriously over priced. I owned this stove for approx 4mths when the real troubles started. I did not buy my stove from this company. There is only one big element. It looks like there is two but in reality there is only one. You pretty much have to cook everything on 8-9 or high, anything lower was just a simmer. The piece of metal that runs across the top above the knobs scars at nothing. My husband sat a pizza pan on the top and it was part way resting on the metal, he used the pizza cutter while holding the pan with the other hand and just the slight movement looked like he took sand paper to it. The knobs look great being on the front but in reality this is a real pain as grease and food drop on them while cooking, there is no way to avoid this and also no way to clean behind the large ring that the knob fits in. The knobs themselves can be removed for cleaning but the base cannot. There is a gap between this ring and the stove which food gets in. We hada accident involving pancake batter being dropped on one of the knobs and I could not get it out. I tried a tooth pick, I tried laying a wet cloth on it to soak it and it simply could not be removed. The touch screen on the front looks nice and works great but is super sensitive. It works like the touch screen on a iPhone, iPad etc. It is not one you push you just barely touch it. It is made of glass. On one occasion the oven was cut on just by rubbing against it and on another occasion I went toget dinner out as the timer was going off only to discover the oven had been cut off and the food was still raw. Everything else was done but the main course was raw chicken....not good. You would really hate this setup if you have small kids. The oven drawer is a joke it takes forever to heat up and only has one element resulting in burned food, also as we all know oven drawers seem to attract dust bunnies even if it is barely ever opened. The final straw was the piece of metal above the knobs developed a bulge in it for unexplained reasons. Because of this bulge the rubber gasket that fits between the glass top and the metal started to work its way out of the slot. I pushed it back in only to have it back out inside of a week. GE sent out a repair man who ordered a new part, when the part came someone had attached the gasket on the wrong side of metal piece making it unusable. I got a second part shipped UPS when I opened the box it had a used partsin it with food on it and no rubber gasket. The gasket problems resulted in electrical problems where moisture was able to get between the glass top and the metal piece.This is where all of the electrical parts are located for the knobs. This resulted in the oven thinking the door was not closed and the oven will not come on until the door is closed. It would just keep saying please close oven door. I would open and close the door until finally it would recognize that the door was actually closed. After nearly 3 months of dealing with this mess the place I bought the stove from brought me a new stove. I lost approx $300.00 by doing this but I was just happy to have this nighmare out of my house. The only thing this stove has going for it is that it is pretty. Stay away.
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