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.
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.
The 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.
Hi Ron! I was doing search for what this particular range looks like installed and your blog came up! I was wondering if you are still happy with the range and if you went with the sealed burners or open burner model? You built yours into an island as I am planning to do as well. Any special considerations or does it install that way with ease? Mine will be propane so will need to use adapter kit, I imagine. Any info you can give would be great. I am a pretty serious cook on a serious budget (haha) and given the options out there this seems the best bang for my buck. Plus I live in a frequent outtage area in the mountains so like the lack of gadgetry.
We’re still very happy with our range and don’t regret the choice. It performs as advertised (and hoped). I’ve adjusted the burners so that two can be set for a very low simmer while the others can go full on for maximum heat. The oven thermostat lacks the precision of contemporary digital models but it’s as least as accurate if not more so than the old stove we had been using for decades. My only complaints are what, in the world of auto reviews, would be called “integrity”. I’ve had to tighten just about every fastener I can get to. Most were barely snug and needed some torque. I suppose they could have loosened during shipping but… And the enameling of the black top surface (we did the get the sealed burners — much easier to clean) shows some rough spots indicating corrosion under the black enamel. That’s a disappointment. There are little black rubber feet under the cast iron grates that are made of some plastic that really isn’t suited to take the heat they’re subjected to. Being the clever guy I am, I made a simple mold to make my own from silicone and they work fine. If you find this to be a problem for you, let me know. When you do the install and propane conversion, read to the very end of the instruction booklet. The new propane conversion instructions are appended at the end and I missed a crucial step that made the oven work… oddly, at first. I called for help and they pointed out my error and all is well now. All in all, I like the stove’s simplicity and value, that we can light the oven during a power outage, and it works great. Good luck!
Ron,
Thanks for the reply. I didn’t notice you’d replied til today! I am very glad to know that you are overall happy with your range. I found a great deal on the same model and am picking it up tomorrow, so it’s reassuring to hear that you’ve been satisfied with it. I probably won’t get it installed for a month or two ( you know how these projects go ) , but when I do I will watch for the issues you mentioned. Thanks so much! –Angie