From the WSJ Real Estate Archives

New Double Ovens Designed
For Compact Kitchens

by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
From The Wall Street Journal Online
September 30, 2005

A new kind of range is designed to solve one of the peculiar problems of small kitchens: how to keep the green-bean casserole from smelling like meatloaf.

Appliance makers are rolling out 30-inch-wide ranges that have two ovens. Ranges with multiple ovens traditionally have been 48 inches to 60 inches wide -- too large for most apartment kitchens. Their prices, too, tended to be large -- Aga Ranges Inc.'s ranges with two or more ovens cost $5,000 to $20,000.

[oven photo]
GE's 30-inch double-oven ranges in gas or electric versions retail for $1,499 to $1,999.
In the new pieces, space normally occupied by a bottom storage drawer has been turned into a shallow second oven that can fit casserole dishes and cookie sheets. General Electric Co. hopes to convince customers that its 30-inch-wide gas range with two ovens, introduced in April, would come in handy "for families where the kids want chicken nuggets for dinner but the parents want a casserole," says spokesman James Allen.

One caveat: These new appliances are still somewhat pricier than standard ranges. GE's new double-oven gas ranges cost between $1,599 and $1,999, while the average 30-inch range retails for $599 to $699. Some options:

Electrolux AB's Frigidaire brand has a "Bake-n-Warm" range in its Professional series with a second oven in the bottom drawer, offering a total of 6.1 cubic feet of baking space ($1,299 to $1,599, at Frigidaire.com).

This month, GE started selling a 30-inch-wide electric range with two ovens. The second oven heats food up to 450° and adds one cubic foot of baking space to the standard five-cubic-foot oven ($1,499 to $1,749, at Geappliances.com).

This year, Maytag Corp. began selling a 30-inch-wide range (in gas and electric models) that has two ovens that offer 5.2 cubic feet of space and comes in white, black, bisque or stainless steel ($799 to $1,799, at Home Depot stores).

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