Our s.m.e.g. oven is misbehaving.
Having taken the covers off, discovering really poor construction and lots of problems, it's clear that it's a case of fur coat and no knickers (the oven equivalent of an Alfa?) - so, while there's lots of good looking stainless steel and heavy duty features which are visible, the internals are horrid and cheap.
As an example, the plastic insulators around the lucar terminals clearly aren't up to withstanding the high temperatures found around an oven - they all crumble and crack as soon as you touch them. The main electrical connector at the back of the oven clear wasn't sized for the current - it had overheated, melted the plastic housing, and had softened the metal of the lucar terminal.
So, repairs having been made, I don't have a lot of confidence in the long term life of the oven.
Having been bitten by the Alfa of ovens, I don't want to go out and buy the Renault of ovens, so, which should I be looking at, and which should I be avoiding?
We prefer a gas hob and electic oven - I don't want to go back to an electric hob if I can avoid it.
The heaviest use of the oven is partially SWMBO's response to the current baking craze (not that I'm complaining!), and we do make a few casseroles, so, the oven does get hot and stay hot for hours at a time.
Last edited by: Number_Cruncher on Sat 20 Apr 13 at 23:09
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Built in?
Miele at the high end?
I'd avoid de Dietrich (Fagor) if the experience of a friend is anything to go by, I think he had three then gave up.
Our mid range Neff oven is 10+ years old and has been no bother. Manufacturer is BSH (Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Gaggenau brands).
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 21 Apr 13 at 00:01
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Thank you - that's helpful info
>>Built in?
No, it's a free standing, 60cm oven and hob.
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Being a fan of Red Dwarf, I refused to have anything in our kitchen with S.M.E.G. on it.
Perhaps you've just proved me right?
;>)
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Sun 21 Apr 13 at 00:04
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Caught out by the swear filter too BT?
>>I refused to have anything in our kitchen with S.M.E.G. on it.
Wise words - never again!
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I bet the insulators around the lucar terminals are probably made from cheese.
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Baumatic seems like another brand to avoid. Friend had one in a new-build house and it was nothing but trouble. Eventually his insurer stepped in and replaced it with a Rangemaster, which is doing much better. Built in Leamington Spa too.
We prefer a gas hob and electic oven...
yes, I'm very keen on my eclectic ovens. The gas one is good for roasting, and the 220V one for cakes.
};---)
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Sun 21 Apr 13 at 07:41
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"I bet the insulators around the lucar terminals are probably made from cheese."
Stop it! :)
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 21 Apr 13 at 10:31
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>> >>I refused to have anything in our kitchen with S.M.E.G. on it.
>>
>> Wise words - never again!
>>
I have a S.M.E.G. fridge/freezer...it has to be at least 17 years old and has survived two house moves.
The only thing I've had to do is change the light bulb...and that was incredibly easy as it was right at the front of the door.
When I bought it though, i'd measured the gap it had to go in, but didn't take in to account it had a concave outer part to the door...so it wouldn't fully open flush to a wall....so I couldn't pull out the freezer drawers very far... so had to remove part of an internal wall to create some more space...really, really annoying, but my fault entirely.
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>> >> >>I refused to have anything in our kitchen with S.M.E.G. on it.
>> When I bought it though, i'd measured the gap it had to go in, but
>> didn't take in to account it had a concave outer part to the door...so it
>> wouldn't fully open flush to a wall....so I couldn't pull out the freezer drawers very
>> far... so had to remove part of an internal wall to create some more space...really,
>> really annoying, but my fault entirely.
AHA I've suffered that 'gotcha' was well. In my case a protruding door handle on a Hotpoint freezer. Solved to appoint by rehanging the door to hinge on left but getting a seal was nigh on impossible, never got it perfect.
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Aw shucks, and there was me thinking it was gonna be ironing boards this week.
:-)
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Well, Dog, perhaps one of these would suit. Whaddya reckon?
tinyurl.com/boq7bp7
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Nice one Cc, it reminds me of my ole mum for some reason.
:)
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There are ironing boards ......and ironing boards.
tinyurl.com/c6kq2uf
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We have a Bosch electric fan oven and are entirely happy with it. Heats up fast, maintains temperature well and temperature is as the dial says (according to an oven thermometer).
Getting the right temperature is important for some cake recipes.
The only drawback is the maximum temperature achievable is 200°C.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Sun 21 Apr 13 at 13:23
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......................and I thought this would be about David Dimbleby retiring :-)
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>> We have a Bosch electric fan oven
>>
>> The only drawback is the maximum temperature achievable is 200°C.
Shirley not? I start my bread at 220. And you won't be having very good Yorkshire puddings with 200°C.
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>> >>
>>
I start my bread at 220.
>>
Optimum bread rising temperature is 37 C (96 F)
Yeast is killed at 106 C
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My wife has just made two wholemeal loaves and a bloomer. Whole house smells gorgeous!
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>> My wife has just made two wholemeal loaves and a bloomer.
>>
Hi Roger, are her Bloomers White or Brown?
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White - à la Paul Hollywood's recipe. ;-0
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Bit of a muddle there, Cliff. 37C is 98.6F, and the upper lethal temperature (for humans as well as yeast, when proteins denature like cooked egg white) is 42C, which (if you must - does anyone this side of the Atlantic use Fahrenheit any more?) is more like 108F.
But 200C as the max temperature for an oven? Close to useless.
Did today's beef by the Blumenthal method - all morning in the electric oven at 60C, then 20 min in the gas one at about 240C. Laaaarvely!
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In the gaff we did have DeDietrich induction hob and same make oven bought together.
Whilst the hob has done well and we would buy again, the oven wasn't anything to write home about, the knobs couldn't stand the heat and split where they slide onto the controls, couldn't get any more either so they were bodged and glued for about 6 years, trim bits kept coming loose too, not well made at all.
It was a self cleaner supposed to nuke itself clean, it only completed one or two self clean cycles, the rest of the attempts failed to complete.
The grill however was fantastic, that did nuke anything in its glare.
Oven was replaced last year with a Neff fan jobbie, which SWM is much happier with, it does seem a heck of a lot better made than the previous one.
I just eat the food which is always good and she makes the worlds best gravy..;)
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Whirlpool is a good brand apparently: www.liveleak.com/view?i=ca0_1366465375
:+}
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Thanks all! - most interesting! - will check out Bosch / Neff as possibilities.
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>> In the gaff we did have DeDietrich induction hob and same make oven bought together.
I was a bit worried I had give a bum steer on De Dietrich ovens when I read that, but you had much the same experience as my friend. He kept sending them back when they wouldn't do the pyrolytic thing properly and his wife, who is a baking nut, said the temperature was all over the place.
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>> kept sending them back when they wouldn't do the pyrolytic thing properly and his wife,
>> who is a baking nut, said the temperature was all over the place.
Lots of bells ringing now MT, SWM cursed fluently many times about nuked food MT, no such problems now.
Induction hob has been excellent though, ceramic comes up as new and all touch controls still light and function correctly.
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We have a Fagor induction hob which is very good.
We also have a lot of Fagor white goods (a major brand there) when we lived in Spain and they were OK, too.
Last edited by: Roger on Mon 22 Apr 13 at 00:05
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>> We have a Fagor induction hob which is very good.
Thats handy to know Roger thanks, no doubt when our present one fails there won't be a decently priced DeD anywhere to be found, handy to have one or two alternatives in the back of the mind.
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Fagor owns De Deitrich, good chance they are the same jobs under the skin.
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>> Fagor owns De Deitrich,
Its surprising when you go onto the Whitegoods and similar sites just how many makers are tied at the hip.
Look what happened to BL or Rover or whatever it was called on any day..;)
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>>when proteins denature like cooked egg white) is 42C
Not so much when I'm in Chile, where the high temperature is like 37 or something, but when I'm up in Brazil 42 is easily achievable with 45 being regularly seen.
So am I being harmed in some way beyond that of sunburn and radiation?
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Potentially, FM, yes. But you do have natural mechanisms - sweating, vasodilatation, even panting - for dissipating excess heat back to the air, so your core temperature stays about normal. They can only remove so much heat, though, so stay out in the sun and allow yourself to get dehydrated and getting cooked is a possibility. Be careful out there.
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I meant to add that it will happen very slowly. Remember that the atmosphere is made mostly of air - which is not very good at holding heat - whereas you are mostly water, which is, although that also means it takes more heating up. A 60C oven doesn't feel especially hot when you put your hand in it - and it took all morning to cook my 1.5kg of topside, which was past making any effort to cool itself - but a pan of water at 60C certainly does. You may also weigh a bit more than 1.5kg.
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I've always been happy with anything Bosch, especially if I know it's made in Germany, sadly I think a lot of their gear is being made else where, not sure if the quality is suffering, did also have a very good Meile vacuum cleaner (cat & dog I think), I do like thier kitchen stuff but it's just a little too expensive for me.
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A smug replacement? - Manatee
