What’s the Most Important Appliance in Your Kitchen?
If I was to ask any of my family or friends what the most important appliance is in the kitchen, the answer would be the stove. This is especially true of my family because we come from an Italian background and EVERYONE loves to cook (thanks to mama)!
You will notice as you browse my website I have reviewed a lot of cooktops, but I’m not in the habit of reducing the amount of choice that’s open to you. For that reason, the following review is all about the GE PHB925STSS Stainless Steel Induction Range. This may not be the cheapest range on the market but it certainly makes up for that in the number of features it includes.
I’m not going to leave you hanging, so let’s get straight on with what you can expect from this stove.
Appearance
In my humble opinion, nothing will look smarter in your kitchen than this range. The overall look is contemporary, yet it has a sense of the traditional about it. Starting from the top you get an attractive black ceramic “splash back” which is where all of your digital touch controls are stored. From there, you move on to the patterned graphite on black ceramic cooktop which houses 4 burners with no lumps or bumps to get in the way of cleaning.
Moving down, there is a stylish black glass door that houses the main oven, and below that you have a handy warming area both topped off with lovely looking sculptured handles. All of this is finished in attractive stainless steel, with textured side panels.
The Technicalities
The cooktop uses induction heating which means you only get heat from the burner to the cookware you’re using. This means no more nasty minor burns from other areas of your cook top, and you benefit from a more energy efficient way of cooking.
In fact, if you’re used to cooking with gas, beware! The cooktop with this range will heat a pan of soup almost twice as quickly which might take some getting used to, but once you’ve mastered it you’ll never consider using gas again. You also have to make sure your cookware is induction compatible. If you’re not sure just put a magnet against the base of your pans; if it sticks then you’re good to go.
The oven part of this range uses convection heating technology which means no more burnt crusts on your pies and soggy middles. This oven will efficiently cook everything evenly so all the meals you prepare are at their best. You can choose variable temperatures throughout this range, which means you can cook top and middle while keeping everything warm at the bottom in the warming drawer.
Cleaning
This is any cooks nightmare and I feel your pain, but GE has made this as easy as possible. The induction cook top will not heat areas where spilled food can become baked on, so a quick wipe is all you will need, and the lower oven element is concealed so there are no hard to reach areas.
Overall
It doesn’t matter if you just want to upgrade your current stove or you are intending to undertake a complete kitchen remodel, this range should be something you include in your budget. It comes with a 1 year limited warranty on parts and labor, and a 5 year limited warranty on the radiant units and glass cooktop.
Personally, I don’t think there would be any reason to replace this range for many years to come, and you can make some great savings on price by paying a visit to my favorite online retail store, Amazon.