Take the Bread While You Can, Boy | Chickens in the Road

Apr
24

My oven is broken.

For a long time, only the “Bake” worked. I could push it twice and the oven would come on at 350-degrees. I learned to bake everything at 350-degrees. (Never buy an oven with one these types of panels! Need I mention that our house is only two years old and therefore the oven is only two years old? It was out of warranty when the buttons went bad. Just barely. Repair? Almost as expensive as a new oven. And it’s just another panel that will go bad….. So a new oven without a panel like that is the best solution.)

Then yesterday the “Bake” button stopped working. The panel was completely dead.

I bake. That is WHO I AM.

I can’t bake now.

Where will I go? What will I do? Who will I be?

I had this little bunch of biscuits left over. Not even fresh. Just left over from the day before. And I had a big bowl of dough ready to bake bread that would never be baked.

Weston came up for dinner and I pointed to the biscuits and said, “Take the bread while you can, boy, take the bread while you can! THERE WILL NEVER BE BREAD HERE AGAIN, NEVER.”

This is all I have to say today: I languish now in deepest mourning. I baketh no more. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls. It’s darkest before it’s darker, black before it’s blacker. MY LIFE IS OVER.

52: “I’ll buy you a new oven.”

SHUT UP, I’M MOURNING–

What???!!! Oh!!!!

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70 Responses
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4-24
1:32
am

That 52 sure knows which side of his bread is buttered doesn’t he?

mommafox

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4-24
1:45
am

Yippee, a new oven! Amazing that the oven only lasted 2 years. But then, you DO do a LOT

princessvanessa

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4-24
2:26
am

Why not get one of those nifty reconditioned old stoves, like:

http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/

Karen Anne

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4-24
3:37
am

Bummer about your oven. I know it’s out of warranty, but that’s pretty quick no matter how much you bake. Did you contact Maytag to see if they had had trouble with that model? Notice I’m saying to bypass where you purchased it from all together? Long story. All I’m saying is it wouldn’t hurt to try and contact Maytag. I did it with GE and they were super nice, mailed the part for free and everything. Not that anyone needs to say it out loud, but 52 is a kind and generous man. A cow, guenies (sp?), and an oven. A practical and generous man. Yeh 52!

Kathy

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4-24
4:36
am

Sorry that your ovens broken Suzanne. I’d agree with Kathy about contacting Maytag – I’d have been on to them in the first place when it was just out of warranty. I’m sure that they hold their customers dearly, and wouldn’t want you purchasing another make.
Just a thought..Do you have a microwave with a built in convection oven? My neighbour swears by his for baking bread – I’ve tasted it, fantastic!
Good luck, hope you get it sorted out one way or the other VERY SOON.

Rose H

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4-24
5:09
am

So like, is 52 your honey?

Samantha Sullivan

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4-24
6:22
am

I hate all new appliances, period!

We remodeled the kitchen in 2004, got all new appliances. I don’t like any of them. My Jenn-Air gas range has had so many service calls I have lost count. The last to go last week was the blasted(insert cuss word here) push button electronic panel. I finally got it to 360 for a cake requiring 375° ; it actually came out beautifully. Service man came out (without required panel, of course) can’t get back until next week.

I learned to buy the service contract. It has paid for itself about three times now.

I am not sure you can even buy a stove without the panels anymore unless you go to the professional ones.

I have threatened to get my old cheap range out of the barn and have it reinstalled in the kitchen. It is a farmhouse after all and does not require a ss range.

Two years…..that has my record beat.

glenda

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4-24
6:30
am

When my oven went I used an old toaster oven for baking.That kept me sane until we got a new one.Hang in there!

Cheryl LeMay

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4-24
6:32
am

Buy used. That’s what I did when faced with a new stove. An appliance repairman convinced me to go with a used one. He told me they are worth fixing, the new ones with those electronic panels are junk. All the moisture created with actually using them fries the panel.

Sheila Z

Flag this comment
4-24
6:55
am

Only 2 years old. That is bad that it broke down so soon. So cute that 52 said he will buy you a new one. lol. Because you know the way to a mans heart is though his stomach. He must really enjoy what you feed him daily. lol.

I am not impressed with the newer stoves. My mom has a glass top and I am afraid I am going to break it when I am using it up there. Or scratch it. I like the no fuss kind of stoves. Easy to repair.

Diane

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4-24
7:01
am

Uh, don’t I remember a whole lot of posts last winter about you conquering the woodburning stove? Can’t you bake your bread there? I have a friend with a solar house and she does all of her cooking on a woodburner. You’re not a whiny-baby type, Suzanne — you’re a solution maker!

Johanna

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4-24
7:53
am

Karen—that site with the antique stoves was way cool. I want one.

Once again I vote 52 as man of the year!!!

blueberrylu

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4-24
8:07
am

Me too, and at the risk of sounding like your Mother,may I just say, “Marry him!”

CATRAY44

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4-24
8:20
am

Maybe that Maytag repairman who is sitting around because he has no work (cough, cough) can do you a free service call and save his company’s name.

When my aunt was in the army, she used to cook entire meals on top of the iron she used to press her uniforms. Cooking in the barracks was forbidden, but she loved to cook. Suzanne, you are the MOTHER of invention. Fry that bread, bake it in a toaster oven, go visit the Ornery Angel.

In the meantime, say YES, YES, YES, to 52′s oven AND to his heart.

Jan
GDP

Jan

Flag this comment
4-24
8:20
am

Losing your stove stinks!!! I’ve been there done that before-hope you get it all straight soon.

stacy

Flag this comment
4-24
8:51
am

Been there, done that….not much fun! I think you have your knight in shining armor…..you are very fortunate to have found someone so thoughtful and caring, that genuinely thinks of what you want, what you need, and then acts on it.
This time go for a less thrills model so if it breaks it’s only a matter of replacing a heating element or a temperature gauge and not a computerized monster of a headache :-) Trust me, the stress will be less!

Melinda

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4-24
9:00
am

I got lucky when my oven went out last month (14 year old dial style and coil burners Frigidaire by the way). The old timey hardware store in town that has “everything” if you ask (because you won’t find it on your own) had the replacement element hanging on the wall waiting for me. The cost was a couple dollars more than ordering on line, but I like supporting the local stores when I can, and it was way less than a new oven. The big box stores don’t even carry repair parts like that anymore. They do sell ranges with the dials though. Be carefull of that confounded “spill lip” around the edges though. Some of them are really deep and don’t allow big pressure canners to sit on the burners right. I looked into that before I found the hardware store. Happy shopping for the new one!

Sandy

Flag this comment
4-24
9:02
am

How frustrating! I suggest asking people you know about their ovens before you buy a new one. My mother has the high end Viking and I despise baking in it. It sits very low to the ground and it is aggravating to clean the stove top.

highlandviewpantry

Flag this comment
4-24
9:20
am

I once went without my stove for two weeks. I used the microwave for everything, but I didn’t try to bake bread. I think you should try the wood stove, maybe some kind of fry bread. But first…take a deep breath and give 52 a big hug.

Carol

Flag this comment
4-24
9:21
am

I knew 52 would come through for you (again!!).

Glenda, I too have a Jenn-Aire (my second)that I pretty much despise. It is so cheaply made, but cost a ridiculous amount so I am making myself use it; at least until I take a sledge-hammer to it. The sensor that senses the meat probe (which I have never used) sometimes beeps incessantly until one must shut the breaker down. I could go on and on about it….maybe I’ll opt for an Elmira cook stove….

Suzanne, let us know as soon as you acquire the new member of the family.

IowaCowgirl

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4-24
9:22
am

I had this same problem with my stove and I paid a guy to come out to the house. 80$ later I found out we had to get behind the stove and unplug it and plug it back in. That reset the little computer in the panel. It was the heat from canning that messed up my panel. So the next stove I get will be restaurant grade with real dials to turn it on and off.

Senta Sandberg

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4-24
9:22
am

It’s 52 to the rescue! How nice.

Julie

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4-24
9:23
am

I said it before “The way to a man’s heart is through the stomach” 52 is a smart, smart, man, and a generous man. Maybe he should write a book. 52 we love ya!!!!!

Marymac

Flag this comment
4-24
9:25
am

From Karen Anne’s link… I think you really, really need this one!

http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/aristocrat.html

Couldn’t it be a tax write off, as it is used for work/income?

CATRAY44

Flag this comment
4-24
9:38
am

Is that man priceless or what?! As for ovens: You may want to stick with models that are manual. The kind with knobs instead of digital panels.

NorthCountryGirl

Flag this comment
4-24
9:57
am

Awhile back I had this epiphany about new stuff: it’s mostly crap.

I first noticed this with appliances. My Dad and a brother worked for GE for decades, and we always had GE appliances. They used to last forever. And GE had this wonderful phone Answer Center where a human picked up the phone in the first minute. They even had tech people there who’d walk you through problems and even repairs on the phone free.

So I got GE appliances when I had my own house. Crap. Long stories omitted about things breaking down, terrible repair service, the Answer Center degenerating into menu hell.

“Small appliances” (mixers, etc.) are crap too. (I’m getting repetitious.) Remember when there were stores that fixed them?

And what’s with the stuff made out of that softish plastic that smells like its outgassing brain-melting chemicals?

So now I try to buy used old stuff on ebay, and I look for American-made if I have to buy something new. The ebay good stuff is often cheaper than new crap. If I have to pay more for new US-made stuff, so be it; it’s probably a savings over its lifetime, and it protects US jobs.

Rant mode off.

Karen Anne

Flag this comment
4-24
9:58
am

Seriously, if you don’t snatch up 52 and marry that man, I’ll come and take him off your hands. Such a gentleman!

Marianne G

Flag this comment
4-24
10:12
am

I would marry 52 in a second. Oh, never mind, I’m already married. Well, he’s all right too, he’s handy anyway. lol When we bought our stove/over about 5 years ago, I did NOT want the digital panel because of that reason. Do you believe that no one even sells knob ovens around here? I HAD to get it, no choice. I really wish I could afford one of those antique ones, they’re gorgeous! But I also know from experience that a well worded complaint from the company will get you replacements for free. Try it. Steady voice, firm but kind, no threats unless they refuse to work with you. Get a manager right off the bat. If he/she won’t work with you, get their manager. Go high enough and someone will give you what you want. Hope you get a new stove soon!

I Wanna Farm

Flag this comment
4-24
10:19
am

I once had a microwave with a messed up panel. I had to do everything in 3s. It was like that not to long after I bought it.

Dark

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4-24
10:27
am

I hate replacing big appliances even when they get older let alone only a couple years old. That’s a shame. I wish it could get resolved by the company before you have to spend all that money. It just doesn’t seem right. Maybe 52 could make some phone calls.

Mary

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4-24
10:27
am

Don’t toss the bread! Make some fry bread or donuts! I agree with calling Maytag. I am getting a gas stove with no digital anything even if I have to get an old one!

Gayle

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4-24
10:45
am

Yes, contact Maytag. We had a Maytag refrigerator that was involved in a recall due to a part defect that could lead to an electrical fire. Unfortunately, we thought, ours had an electrical blow-out TWO weeks prior to receiving the recall letter. Since we had already had two expensive service repairs on the refrigerator, we opted not to repair it and we bought another unit. We kept getting recall letters and phone calls, which we ignored, thinking that we were just out of luck because our problem happened prior to the recall. Finally, I returned a call, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was informed that Maytag was going to reimburse us for the refrigerator, on a prorated basis, and also compensate us for the repairs. So, for a $1,800 refrigerator, we rceived $1050!! The person I spoke with was Joe Sparks (866 640-7146 ex. 7864). He is a senior safety recall representative and might be a good starting point for you.

Diane Edwars

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4-24
10:56
am

Cooking/baking on a woodburner may make sense when the stove is cranked up 24/7 to heat the house but sure doesn’t when it’s Spring and 70 outside
I have also been without an oven for almost three months – stovetop works thankfully. Have been baking either in the toaster oven or in the Nesco 18 quart roaster. But I am not a baker like Suzanne is. Go gas Suzanne if you can and yes, get the simplest (manual settings) stove you can get.
I am still looking……

dede

wvhomecanner

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4-24
11:19
am

With as much baking as you do, you should get a bread machine (regardless of your oven’s status). You just put the ingredients in and hit ‘Go’ and it does all the work for you!
Mine even has a delay-timer on it so i can wake up to fresh bread.
Plus there are bread machine cookbooks out there that give LOADS of recipes for so many varieties.

And i agree with everyone else: 52 is a KEEPER!!!
=-)

Wendy

Flag this comment
4-24
11:20
am

Oh, that’s bad for you, the baker! No oven. BUT, do you have one of those big roaster pans. I mean the BIG ones you do turkeys in. They say you can bake in them. I’ve only had my new stove for a couple months. Maybe I’ll add it to my prayer list!!!!

Shirley Corwin

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4-24
11:25
am

Marymac, what a spendid idea: Suzanne and her life from 52′s point of view. WOW! I bet everyone of us would buy it!

Meanwhile, Suzanne, I wish there is some way to let the company know you are telling the world about their product according to your experiences with it. Changing to a new stove? let them know it will be reviewed by you for your (fill in the number here) readers. I once wrote “the president of __”, I forget which company, but it was about the ice maker in our new refrigerator. They quickly found a local handyman who could fix it for me. Turns out that model had a known problem, and they told him how to fix it.

Barbee'

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4-24
11:26
am

Ooops! That was supposed to be ‘splendid idea’.

Barbee'

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4-24
11:27
am

I can feel for you. I have a gas stove that’s 16 years old and the oven went out completely. Needs a new thermostat. We’ll be moving in a few years though, so we’re going to wait. I have learned that some things will work on my gas grill, and some… not so much. Good luck getting your new stove! I don’t like the ‘touch panel’ stoves either.

Linda

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4-24
11:33
am

Maytag??? I had a Maytag washer….two years and it needed repair and after five it died, Frig……needed repair after two years (they were unable to get it working right so I replaced it…last year) Whatever happened to this great company?

Darlene

Flag this comment
4-24
11:43
am

Next party for your readers you better hide 52!!! I’m just sayin……

Diane

Flag this comment
4-24
12:07
pm

Our GE oven panel kept messing up when the electricity would go off. Our nice repairman told us to turn the circuit off and on again and it reset it. You might try that and see if it works.

Bette

Flag this comment
4-24
12:08
pm

We did try turning the circuit on and off. Unfortunately, that didn’t work for mine!

Suzanne McMinn

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4-24
1:18
pm

Oooh, I am so sorry. Maybe an outdoor pizza oven is the answer. Good luck.

N@n

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4-24
1:32
pm

52 is an amazing guy!

Su

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4-24
1:34
pm

My new oven did the same thing. Out of warranty less than a week and it stopped heating right. I could just kick myself for buying it. I had an 1950 GE electric oven/range I called the “Buick” because it was HUGE, but it baked like a charm. Never had a problem with it until the handles broke off the oven door. Now I have junk.

Cate

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4-24
1:51
pm

And you thought the great snow storm/power outage of 2009 was bad! After you are finished mourning think of the fun you’ll have choosing a new oven!

DonnaTN

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4-24
2:01
pm

May I have your permission to send a link to your website to the Maytag Complaint Department or Customer Service?
PS. I found your website while searching for a recipe (which I can’t recall now) and have enjoyed it ever since. Thank you.

HeavyEvie

Flag this comment
4-24
2:19
pm

HeavyEvie, if you think that would help, I’d be more than happy for you to do that!

Suzanne McMinn

Flag this comment
4-24
2:42
pm

Goodness! No oven…yikes! I agree with comment #28. Take a deep breath, pour a fresh cup-o-joe, call up Maytag and try to see if you can work something out with them. Been there…done that and have been pleasantly surprised a few times. Worse part can be sitting on the phone a looooong time as they shift you from pillar to post. Hang in there.

Yankee Gal

Flag this comment
4-24
3:02
pm

Wowzers! you wore out that oven in 2 years!! Though, I haven’t had a good experience with a Maytag refridgerator.
52 is an keeper!!!

rileysmom

Flag this comment
4-24
3:32
pm

Think outside the box!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2002-10-01/Build-Your-Own-Wood-Fired-Earth-Oven.aspx
http://www.grit.com/Tools/Backyard-Bread-Oven.aspx
http://www.sunset.com/garden/how-to-sunset-classic-adobe-oven-00400000040017/
http://www.traditionaloven.com/building.html

Or, you could listen to 52. Really, though, which sounds like the more exciting adventure?

Ulrike

Flag this comment
4-24
4:12
pm

52 is a good man.

Tori Lennox

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4-24
5:48
pm

Wo! sorry about the oven. I buy midrange priced things and they actually have worked better than high end ones. Go figure? How about a used one for a backup in the shed? My hubby brought in the ugliest stove I ever saw (some rust on the bottom) but it is electric and everthing works fine. $1 at auction. If i paint the bottom it’d be a keeper in a shed of course. My summer kitchen maybe in the barn? We aren’t in our farmhouse yet but he keeps buying used appliance & hunks of metal that used to be a wood splitter or some other thing. The stove he bought works, so that is something. So far my flat top flat panel stove is working good and hope your next one will be a great long lived one. I like flat top stoves so much! Your 52 is a wonderful guy. You are so blessed.

Karen

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4-24
6:06
pm

10 years ago the touch panel on my Maytag rang went out with the oven locked in clean mode. Had to unplug the stove. Could not even use the burners. Since the stove was still under warranty, Maytag had to pay to fix it.
Looks like Maytag would have figured out what is causing this by now!

Estella

Flag this comment
4-24
6:58
pm

Hey, that link to a beautiful old-time looking gas stove that “CATRAY” put in her comment is gorgeous! Maybe we could all pitch in a little “dough” to help you buy one!!!

Jo

Flag this comment
4-24
7:32
pm

I would never need a stove as big as the one catray singled out, but if I had a million dollars, I would buy it in an instant.

Karen Anne

Flag this comment
4-24
8:16
pm

Bummer. I make it a point to never buy the fancy appliances with all the bells and whistles. I just buy simple with knobs. My dishwasher is 15 yrs old, stove about 4 the old one died and I wanted a smooth top, the fridge must be about 16 yrs old. Colors have all come and gone, from now on only buying white, it stands the test of time. All my appliances are almond, before that harvest gold, will they ever wear out I want white ones.

Sheila

Flag this comment
4-24
9:43
pm

I’m thinking that if HeavyEvie sends this link to Maytag, they would have to be “brain dead” if they don’t realize that a lot of folks will be thinking twice before they purchase a new Maytag appliance. Good luck with whatever you and 52 decide to buy. There are a lot of options out there to choose from.

mommafox

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4-24
10:01
pm

My sympathy! I had the same thing happen last year. The stove wasn’t that old and the computer system went on the fritz. The replacement computer board would have cost almost as much as a new one. Mine wasn’t the same brand. I’m using a temporary yucky gold colored one that has lots of issues, but no computer board. One day…

Patrice

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4-24
11:44
pm

Sheila, I think you can have appliances painted.

Karen Anne

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4-25
12:49
am

Grrr. You NEED an oven. So frustrating to have it break so soon.

Karen Anne, I have one of those old stoves, a 40″ Wedgewood circa 1950. I love my old stove. So much so that when it finally needed repairs about 15 years ago, I got it reconditioned rather than buying a new one. BUT it has a smaller oven than modern stoves, just 16″ wide. Maybe not so good for a serious baker.

whaledancer

Flag this comment
4-25
1:19
am

This is a follow up to my earlier post. I sent the link to Maytag Corp. Now it’s a waiting game. we’ll see if either one of us receive a call back. If not, then I’ll go to step 2.

HeavyEvie

Flag this comment
4-25
2:51
am

So sorry about your oven. It seems like having something break like that immediately makes you want to use it! While you are finding a new one, You can use an 18 qt. turkey roaster to bake in. Someone loaned my mother one when her stove went out. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Good luck.

Vicki

Flag this comment
4-25
12:25
pm

He’ll buy you a new oven? Boy, he sure is a keeper, eh?

Our oven is from 1970. Its still hanging in there. We have replaced the oven element yearly, the burner pans are slowly dying, and I managed to wash the numbers off the oven control knob (but could just barely see them so I used a marker to reink), and its old enough that it has a fuse panel in the top. The timer doesn’t work and it only has one rack which is annoying, but… oven is so old we can’t get another rack. Unless I see one at a used store.

And it still keeps working. It’s ugly, but why mess with something that works?

Have fun on your new oven search! =)

MousE

Flag this comment
4-26
6:37
am

Do you have a gas grill, will work as oven temperarily if you cook over indirect heat.

Connie Trippett

Flag this comment
4-26
1:28
pm

I feel your pain Suzanne. Let me explain why. First off, your problem witht he oven is, unfortunately, it’s a Maytag. Now I believed Maytag was far superior to other makes. But, I’m now on my 3rd microwave in 3 years, and this time I bought a different brand: LG. When my microwave went out the first time, we called on the warranty, and guess what, it had just gone out 1 week past the year mark… no they would not honor it. So we paid the $90 fee for a tech to check it out and he told me “it will be $400 to fix it!” I bought a new one for $100 less than that, with tax. Should have bought the extended warranty too…. Duh! So, a little over a year later, bam! The microwave stopped working again. This time, I replaced it with the LG model…. so far so good. I’ll keep you posted. The price was the same, the looks are the same (maybe a little prettier), the wattage and all the same as Maytag. But, Maytag was NOT helpful, admitted that they go on a lot of calls and charge $90 per call minimum, and that most of the time, it costs way more to fix these models than to replace. I’m very disappointed in the quality of Maytag products. I’m waiting on my oven, dishwaher and stovetop to go out too (I fully expect they will) and I’ll replace them with a LG brand too. Never again a Maytag. They are not what they used to be. Godspeed to ya!

Kim Clemons

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4-26
4:49
pm

I love your blog and visit it @ least 3-4 times a wk. You, the QC Report and Dear Author are my addictions! You make me miss no longer living in what dh called our little house on the prarie. It was in rural SC…gardened, canned, crocheted, sewed and loved it…Don’t do a lot of any of them anymore…Wishing I could go back to that again..
As for your oven….hubby is an electrical embedded systems engineer, specializing in appliances. We now have a lovely Heartland Range. Expensive but so worth it..dual fuel, gas on top, electric oven…

Ivy

Flag this comment
4-26
5:51
pm

Even my repairman told me to repair my REALLY OLD washing machine because the repaired one would last longer than a new washer. He said it’s best ro just buy the cheapest new appliancs ans when they go bad junk them and buy another cheap one..says it’s a lot cheaper than the repairs would be.

SuzieQ

Flag this comment
4-27
6:56
am

how about contacting viking stove pr dept. tell them about your website and just how many viewers you have everyday. im sure they would love the continued veiwing of thier product and you would be working with the best stove on the market today……..ps. that what i would do!

trish robichaud

Flag this comment
4-27
10:10
am

Use the power of your blog and Twitter as Heather Armstrong did *with Maytag* last August. Google “dooce, Maytag” or follow these links for the story:
http://www.dooce.com/2009/08/28/containing-capital-letter-or-two
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/09/maytag_crosses.html
http://www.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor/dooce-v-maytag-twitter-battle
http://maytag-news.newslib.com/story/6942-1837/

sterling

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