Range Finder
Yep, that kind of range. I know this has nothing whatsoever to do with sharpening, tools, woodworking, or any of the other stuff I manage to mouth off about. But this product deserves some attention. As some of you already know Linda and I are finally, after 30 years, remodeling our crummy kitchen. It’s been six months in the doing so far and right now, though not quite finished, we are using our new kitchen and loving it!
The only major appliance that we replaced was the range. We searched and searched and agonized over all the possibilities. We weren’t too smitten with all the electronic gadgetry that gets bundled up with most new stoves and most of the big brand’s repair records left a lot to be desired. Then we stumbled quite by accident over the best six burner model that neither we, nor most likely you, have ever heard of. While I may do some of the cooking, Linda is quite a serious chef. So we (she) wanted six burners and a large oven. This Premier showed up many pages into a DuckDuckGo search. It has the burners and the oven but it also has something that we think is pretty cool: damned little else. No electronics at all, not even a clock. The only reason it has a power cord is for the burner igniters and the oven light.
It looked good in photos so we searched and called all over for recommendations. It seems the manufacturer, the Peerless-Premier Appliance Company, could stand to do a marketing push, at least out west. We found few reviews, though the few were mostly favorable, and there was no floor model to go look at anywhere nearby. We called a repair service or two who thought the stoves were well made. So, sight unseen, and with a gulp, we ponied up $2000 and ordered one through the nearest Home Depot.
Our Premier Range in our almost-finished kitchen
It languished in the garage for a couple months until we finally reached the point where we could install it and test it out. We love it! Works great, looks good and it can be used during a power outage (we have too many of those here and are often the neighborhood soup kitchen for those with electric ranges during a prolonged outage.)
I just figured that a company that’s been making stoves in America since 1912 could use a positive product review even if it is in a sharpening blog.
Looks great, Ron! I wish we had gotten a better range when we moved into our house a few years ago. Now you have time to finish the electrical on that island
-Eric
What’s on the left side of the oven, Ron? Is it storage or just a cover for dead space?
It’s a narrow, vertical storage compartment that stores the griddle that comes with the range (along with cookie sheets and the like.)
I love cooking with gas. Faster response times and usually higher possible output. Cooking with the power out is also a fun experience. Roasting marshmallows inside always makes the kids awe at my creative daddyness.
One word of caution for those who may be thinking they can run most gas ovens with the power off, you can’t. This one is unique. Hope to have mine in place for the next outtage so I can roast a turkey.
It fails on my biggest pet peeve about stoves though: you cannot figure out which knob to turn. Far too many times I’ve noticed one burner is too hot, and I turn down the other, resulting it bad meals.
It isn’t hard to arrange the knobs so that you can tell – without looking at the diagram – which is which. I hope more and more people start noticing this major design problem and rejecting badly designed appliances.