[Sca-cooks] OOP: Stove info wanted

[Philippa Alderton]

--- Sandra Kisner <sjk3 at admin.is.cornell.edu> wrote:
> >Gas with a pilot light is nice if you want to do a
> lot of dried foods like jerky, but an
> >electric stove will require power, and that can be
> expensive.
>
>      This is the kind of thing I would never have
> thought of by myself, and why the list can prove so
> helpful.  I haven't done much looking yet, but I
> think all the gas stoves I've read about have
> electronic ignition, so no jerky on the pilot.  :-(
>  Does an electronic ignition mean that the burners
> won't light if the power is off?  Could I use an old
> bunsen-burner lighter (or a match)?

You can light any of them with a flame source, but
since most of them have some sort of thermocouple that
needs heated a bit, one of those charcoal lighters-
the long kind, is a good idea, so you can reach and
heat things up without burning your fingers. I like to
have one in my kitchen anyway- handy for lighting
flambes, or a cigarette, if my lighter does its usual
and dies about 2 AM. They also have safety locks on
them, so they're reasonably kid safe, and unlikely to
leak.

>      A useful bit of information.  I heard about
> them when they first came out, but they weren't very
> good then, and I had no idea how much they have
> improved.  I do spill often enough that clean-up
> options are important to keep in mind.  :-)

Yeah- I don't feel cleaning up a stove every 6 months
or so is a big deal- it's even easier if you use those
disosable drip liners.

>      Another option to consider.  There's enough
> folks around here that might be upgrading to a
> fancier stove that I might be able to find
> something.

Certainly doesn't hurt to ask. In many cases, people
are happy not to have to pay to have them hauled away
;-)

> >Well, I agree with your mother, if you can set up a
> hood that goes outside.
>
>      It's the venting that worries me, as there's
> nothing of sort now.  I hadn't thought I'd be
> cutting holes in the house when I started thinking
> about a new stove.  The wall behind the stove isn't
> really exterior anymore, as the garage is there.
> Can I vent into the garage?

You could, but I don't suggest it- it's against most
building codes, and you probably don't want smoked
garage stuff, including cars, since most people put
stuff in the garage to protect it ;-) Venting, expense
and hassle, is going to depend on exactly how things
are set up- how thick the original wall is, and where
the garage roof is in relation to where you need the
outlet. Most of them can be set up with a damper so
you aren't sending all your heat out into the world-
you just open the damper when you want to use the
vent- some are automatic.

> >Another money saving idea, if you aren't as broke
> as I am, is to look for sales.
>
>      Is there a particular time of year when
> appliances go on sale?  There's January white sales,
> and fall "new car models are coming in, clear out
> last year's models" sales; how about stoves?

I'm fairly sure they have New Model Years for
appliances as well as cars, now, and I seem to
rewmember them being in the fall, when they have a big
pre-Holiday appliance sale, but your best bet would be
to ask a reputable store- Sears Rowboat, for example.
Any experienced salesman should be able to tell you.

Phlip

=====
Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....

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