View Full Version : Old appliances and energy efficiency
Shalom_Poet's 'Major purchase - had to do it' thread started me thinking about this...
As I've mentioned before, my DH restored a vintage gas range to be used in our new home. Betty is a 1952 Chambers 90C. Chambers ranges were made from the 1910s through the late 1980s, but I believe the company was sold sometime in the 1960s and they weren't the same after that.
Aside from the fact that I like the styling of the older appliances, the reason I wanted a Chambers is that they were designed to "Cook with the gas turned off!" The top burners, griddle and broiler all function as a regular stove, but the oven and deep well are highly insulated and designed to cook with retained heat. The idea is that you preheat the oven or well briefly, place the food in and cook with the gas on for a prescribed time. You then shut the gas off and let it finish cooking on retained heat. For something like a large turkey, you would briefly heat it again halfway through the cooking time. In addition, because of the insulation, the food will stay hot for hours after you turn the gas off.
Since we haven't moved in yet, I haven't had much of a chance to use the retained heat features. I did bake an apple pie using only 20 minutes of gas and 30 minutes of retained heat. My recipe calls for it to be baked at 450 for 20 minutes, followed by 40 minutes at 325. I was worried that the crust would be soggy and the apples wouldn't cook through, but it came out perfectly. Even the bottom crust was nicely browned.
The point of this ramble is... In this day of energy consciousness, why aren't manufacturers reviving this technology? I would think it could save a significant amount, especially with an electric oven.
I had a fire engine red Chambers for 14 years. We only got rid of it because there was no way to fit it into the house we got when we moved. It always worked well although the pilot light was off. I truly loved it.
The big issue is that they are a huge investment in cast iron which is what retains the heat. They weigh a ton. And, they dont have all the bells and whistles of the new stoves which consumers have been taught they need. I never need anything but off and on and a good thermostat so never understood the bells and whistles.
In the place I rented, two apartments ago, there was a very simple gas range from the 1930s or so. Didn't need to be plugged into electricity or anything but the gas line. I did have to light the oven manually, but that didn't bother me (my church at the time also had a huge old range and you had to do the same thing). I never had to worry about cooking if the power went out.
I want one of those stoves! This is the first time I have heard of them.
I love the old Chambers Ranges! And agreed, manufacturers need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to mixing new with old.
sweetana3
10-3-11, 11:57am
http://www.chamberstoves.net/KeepYourChambers.html
here is a bunch of info on Chambers ovens.
Sweetana3. Thank you greatly for the website link! This will be tonight's entertainment for me.
Be careful if you go to that website or the forums - you'll end up bringing one home like I did! :) Actually I brought home 2 and DH used the second one as a parts stove. And then someone gave me a stainless steel Chambers cooktop that we plan on using for an outdoor kitchen. And now I'm looking for another one to restore to put in our shop kitchenette. As I said, be careful! ;)
I'm not really trying to push Chambers ranges on anyone, but I wish today's manufacturers would stop putting electronic doodads on everything and focus on making quality products with features that actually make sense. Retained heat makes sense to me. A tv on my refrigerator does not.
In the place I rented, two apartments ago, there was a very simple gas range from the 1930s or so. Didn't need to be plugged into electricity or anything but the gas line. I did have to light the oven manually, but that didn't bother me (my church at the time also had a huge old range and you had to do the same thing). I never had to worry about cooking if the power went out.
We debated on leaving the oven as it was originally designed, but in the end we put in a standing pilot with an oven safety system to shut off the gas in case the flame ever went out. Mostly we were afraid that the gas company wouldn't let us install it without the safety system, even though it technically met code at the time it was built. That was the only real change we made to Betty. The rest was just cleanup and de-rusting.
Sweetana3. What an incredible site for info!
Daisy. If I were building a new home or redoing my kitchen, I'd install a Chambers without question! (Either a Chambers, or a modern commercial grade six burner gas stove). Like this. (http://homeappliances.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/wolf-gas-range.jpg)
Modern stoves are built with electronic controls which have a built in obsolescence and end up in the landfill long before those with mechanical dials do. My neighbour has gone through two electronically controlled stoves and my 20 year-old mechanical is still going strong although DH had to search for and install a new lower element about 5 years ago. My stove was top of the line at the time of purchase with slow-cook and convection baking as features that I use often.
These features need to be considered in energy efficiency as well.
Modern stoves are built with electronic controls which have a built in obsolescence and end up in the landfill long before those with mechanical dials do. My neighbour has gone through two electronically controlled stoves and my 20 year-old mechanical is still going strong although DH had to search for and install a new lower element about 5 years ago. My stove was top of the line at the time of purchase with slow-cook and convection baking as features that I use often.
These features need to be considered in energy efficiency as well.
razz,
We did get a modern wall oven with convection and I do wonder how long the electronic controls will last, but I don't recall seeing any mechanical options for them. I'm not sure if it has a slow-cook option, but I'm happy to hear that something like that exists. That's effectively what the Chambers does.
Sweetana3. What an incredible site for info!
Daisy. If I were building a new home or redoing my kitchen, I'd install a Chambers without question! (Either a Chambers, or a modern commercial grade six burner gas stove). Like this. (http://homeappliances.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/wolf-gas-range.jpg)
Does that Wolf have 6 burners and a griddle? I would love to have a kitchen that could accommodate a stove of that size, Mrs-M! I'm not sure if I'm coordinated to manage 6 burners at once, but a girl can dream. :)
A big issue with the commercial stoves or those with high heat burners is that they need better ventilation than most residential homes allow for. If you are doing wok cooking and using a very high heat burner, a great hood system is needed to get rid of the grease and heat. I could not justify the $5000 price for the stove let alone the retrofit for the hood.
A big issue with the commercial stoves or those with high heat burners is that they need better ventilation than most residential homes allow for. If you are doing wok cooking and using a very high heat burner, a great hood system is needed to get rid of the grease and heat. I could not justify the $5000 price for the stove let alone the retrofit for the hood.
The true commercial stoves aren't insulated, either, so you can't place them next to your cabinets unless you retrofit them with insulation. I never really looked into the Wolfs/Vikings/etc, but I assume that the models sold for home use have been altered to account for ventilation and cabinetry.
Originally posted by Daisy.
Does that Wolf have 6 burners and a griddle? I would love to have a kitchen that could accommodate a stove of that size, Mrs-M! I'm not sure if I'm coordinated to manage 6 burners at once, but a girl can dream.I think you are right, six burners, a griddle, and a warming area. Serious stuff. Like yourself, dreaming is all in a days work for me..... :)
Razz. Excellent point Re: electronic controls. Of course there's nothing preventing manufacturers from revisiting the drawing board and inventing a better, more reliable (long-lasting) control system, but that would make sense, and like the Maytag man, pretty soon there would no longer be a need for a parts shop or repair department. (Got to love the style of our modern day manufacturing cash-grab system)! Pay once (initially) for the product, then keep paying, and paying, and.....
Sweetana3. Indeed, the stoves are priced for the well-heeled for sure. No matter how long I think about money like that, I can never wrap my brain around it. Astronomical in my world.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.