Disappearing Act

Amazingly enough, I actually had a planned idea for "Almost Wordless Wednesday" today. But my camera battery charger --which is ALWAYS in the outlet above our fruit bowls in the kitchen-- is

*P o o f !*  

gone.  NO one knows where it is.  There is NO reason for anyone to remove or move it.  It is NOT in the fruit bowls or lurking behind them.  A mystery........
Just what I need!  ;-)

Meanwhile, there is lots going on around here...

The kids (and Hubby) are enduring the last week of school, the siding is finally wrapping around to the front of the garage, and I'm about to spend a bunch for doorknob sets, plumbing fixtures, and base cabinets for the upstairs kitchen area.  We've decided to go 'non-upper' and install open shelves instead.

We also replaced our laundry equipment after our dryer overheated to an alarming extent last week, and we'd already been using limited cycles (actually 1 only) on the washer for a couple of years or more, due to repeated problems with the mother board.  So we are now are catching up on the backlog of dirty clothes and towels that can grow amazingly large in 5 days.  Our new set is the low tech, but heavy and durable, made by Speed Queen.

Prince CuddleBunny and I stay almost constantly enthralled, watching the visitors to our bird feeders.  We've had some new visitors this year.. Big ones!  

Meet Mr. Ring-necked Pigeon (the Mrs. came with him, but flew off too fast to get her pic), Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, and Mr. Pileated Woodpecker.  We've also had his much smaller, but similarly marked cousins, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, which we've also never seen before this year.

5 Year Appliance Report

I've previously moved into homes with appliances that were decades old and still working.  I thought that when we built our house, I was spending for certain things that would last most of the rest of my life, so chose carefully for both performance and durability.

The Majors

When it was brand new... and CLEAN

48" Wolf Gas (LP) Rangetop:  I was disappointed in the difficulty to keep this clean and new-looking, but never disappointed in its firepower.  After a lifetime of cooking on nothing but electric, radiant heat, its 16000 BTU's per burner and quick response time seem like enough to me!  I was amazed that I could turn down the burner under a boiling pot, and have the boil immediately die down, instead of continue and go over the top, like happened on electric.  I can sear meat and stir fry veggies instead of steaming them, and I can also simmer without fear of burning.  Other than changing out the grates after the rubber feet on the originals burnt off in no time, for which Wolf was very prompt and apologetic and sent me grates with new and improved, metal feet, I haven't had any problems with this cooktop, and expect it will last a few decades.  Mine is the open-burner style they're no longer offering.

48" Electrolux ICON Hood:  I meant to get a hood that vented straight back.  At the last minute, I chose a different model, forgetting to check for that feature.  When it arrived and we unpacked it, I should've negotiated a return, but I didn't and we made do.  My whole cabinet above the hood vent is filled with vent pipe.  And because Hubby and our builder friend got a little creative and joined both vent pipes into one large, sheet metal box - so it could vent up, then back and out the wall - it's LOUD when running.  It seems to do the job, so that's what counts, I guess, but it's been a regret since we opened the box.  Also, one of the wonderful halogen lights went out, and won't come back on with a new bulb, so there must be a loose wire.  I haven't done anything about it, because even one light is so good, it adequately lights the stove surface.  Not that 2 wasn't better...

Bosch Dishwashers:  I love how the upper racks can adjust up or down to create more room in either the bottom or top racks, as needed.  The lower racks have parts and pieces that adjust and come out... when I don't want them to.  I should buy new racks, but at $140 a pop, I fight the ones I have.  The dishwashers clean fine, and run quietly, which is most important.  

I love the hidden controls and panel-ready fronts that are covered with a cabinet door and drawer front, often leaving people wondering why we don't have a dishwasher.  ;-)  

I use AutoWash the most, for best cleaning and energy/water savings.  I also use the Power Scrub Plus cycle for cooked on food, and it works well.  

Miele Dishwasher

Since we want to put a dishwasher into the upstairs space over the garage, we are considering moving one of our Bosches there, and trying a Miele in its place in the main kitchen. I still read such positives about Miele dishwashers with their special cutlery racks, their good performance and organization, and still kind of wish I'd spent a few hundred more to put in 2 of those instead.  So we'll try one and compare!

Ovens... Well, most of you are familiar with my sad and aggravating 7-oven history, so I won't repeat the old stories..  My salesman says #7, the Gaggenau, is my best bet at an appliance that will last 20+ years, so I'll just hold onto hope. 

Electrolux ICON Refrigeration:  I have 2 of the all-refrigerators, and 1 of the all-freezers.  They are classified as counter-depth, even though they're more like 27".  They are only 32" wide and 68" tall, so modestly sized, except when put side by side, when they at least look mammoth.  We chose not to spend an extra $600 for all the trim pieces to make them appear more built-in, and did our own built-in look instead.  This started with putting them up on toe-kicks, like the other cabinets.  Besides a better look, this improves access a tiny bit, and keeps the dust bunnies from collecting underneath.  

We are happy with the organization... nice drawers, shelves, and door shelves.  What I'm not happy with is the drawers that are attached to the shelves above. Getting them out to clean is awkward and a big hassle, since it means emptying and taking out both the shelf and drawer as one unit...with the drawer sometimes trying to slide out as you maneuver.  And you can't put them in the sink to rinse them out, because it's all too big.  Dumb idea, Electrolux.

The units run quietly and keep things cold.  The freezer has an ice maker that has worked flawlessly.  One fridge seems to have a wire loose concerning the interior light.  It doesn't always come on, but if we kick (gently, more like tapping, but with a foot, since it's low) the area at the bottom of the fridge, it will come on.  Also, that fridge sometimes has the proper number for the coldness setting on the readout display, and sometimes flashes an E.  I think that means the motor for the evaporator fan is having issues, but it seems to come and go with no affect on the fridge performance.  So I don't know if it's a glitch in the readout, or the evaporator fan motor, and therefore, the contents of the fridge, are on borrowed time...

The Minors


Of course, I didn't expect small appliances to last a lifetime.  Actually, Hubby still uses the microwave we got as a wedding present in 1985 (Magnavox, if I remember correctly) in his office.  Still works as it always has, just a little behind the times in technology....Meaning it's underpowered and comparatively slow.  But it's worked for almost 28 years now, which is a lot more than I can say for a lot of the small appliances we've had in this kitchen.



And why is it that when one dies, others immediately follow?  Our Panasonic microwave, Krups toaster oven, Kitchen Aid hand mixer all died within a few weeks of each other.  We like Panasonic microwaves with the inverter technology so much that we got a new one, but decided on a 1.6 cubic foot model, instead of its 2.2 cubic foot predecessor.  So far, we don't miss the additional size.

I am not a particular fan of the fairly expensive Bamix stick blender (I think we needed the bigger, more powerful, and pricier model to meet our family's needs), but at least it's lasted longer than the short-lived Cuisinart.  (To be fair, the Cuisinart SmartStick Immersion Hand Blender is highly rated, but just didn't like that small bone it encountered in the split pea soup.) The best I ever had was a $40 Braun I received as a gift in 1988, and, of course, I can't find another like it now.

Speaking of Cuisinart, we have other items of that brand... Our food processor and mini food processor/chopper both run just fine and do a good job, but we've had to adapt to too-easily-broken parts on the plastic attachments.  The Cuisinart Round Classic Waffle Makers that used to belong to Hubby's parents work great.  Our new toaster oven is a Cuisinart, too.  It's not as hefty and solid feeling as the Krups was, but hopefully, it'll work better and last at least as long.  The reviews are very good.  Plus, its price tag was about 1/3 that of the Krups, so I will cut it a little slack.

Other small appliances still on the job:

• KitchenAid mixer, another wedding gift in 1985, so still made by Hobart then, and with metal gears.  Priceless.  We use this for cookies, cakes, whip cream, etc.

• Bosch Universal Plus bread mixer.  A fantastic help in mixing and kneading dough made with 12 cups of flour, yielding 5 loaves of bread.  This could make large batches of cookies and such, but we only seem to use it for bread, and the KA for all other baked goods.  We also use the mixer as the motor base for our flaker/roller, which turns oat groats into rolled oats/oatmeal.

• Blendtec Total Blender.  Used daily to make smoothies with ice and/or frozen fruit.  It's a trooper and does a great job.  We did have to replace one pitcher, that had a bearing go out so the blade wouldn't move any more.

• WhisperMill.  I'm not sure this grain mill has many years left in it.  Since it's "lifetime warranty" became void with the demise of the company, it seems I'd be out of luck to fix or replace it... But, not true.  Someone else bought up the production rights, put in a stronger motor, made improvements to the canister, and now sells the new version as the WonderMill Grain Mill.  When the need arises, they can update mine with the new and better parts (since the new company supports the old models), or I can start over with the new, improved model.

• Breville Panini Grill.  I bought our original panini maker from an Ebay seller for $20.  The kids dropped it and the handle broke.  It still worked fine, otherwise, so I contacted Breville to order a new handle. They had discontinued that model, so had no handle to sell me.  Instead they sent me a whole new, vastly upgraded model for FREE!  It was totally our fault we broke it, and I bought it cheap on Ebay, but they still stood behind it and sent a $100 model to replace it.  That was 6 years ago it's still going strong.  What a good company with quality products and excellent customer service!!  Definitely impressive.

More of the 5-year report on my kitchen, coming soon!

Rotissing: Didn't Love It

I know using it once probably isn't giving it its due, but I am not feeling a connection with the rotisserie feature in the new oven.

I will tell you what I did and what I didn't like and maybe those of you with more experience can tell me how to do better, or get more out of this thing.

I started with 2 roasting chickens.  I knew I was supposed to tie them up, particularly so the wings didn't hang and catch on the rack, preventing the unit from turning properly.  I should've looked up a diagram online, but I was a bit lazy and figured I could do well enough to tame the wings.  I also used button thread, because of not knowing where someone had put the string.  With a bad tying job with the wrong material, I was off to a good start!

Following the diagram in the manual, I turned the oven onto broil at 355 degrees.  I put the pan with the rotisserie contraption at the bottom rack position, as instructed, so the shaft  inserted into the proper space in the back of the oven.  It turned!  So I'd done that part correctly.

Everything looked good and the chicken was browning beautifully.  But that was the outside.  How long it would take, and what was going on in the inside was only a guess, since with the rotisserie, I can't, of course, use the probe.

I noticed all that empty space under the chickens "going to waste, " so cut up potatoes, garlic, and onions to take advantage of the hot oven, and whatever dripping juices would be provided to baste them. 

After about 50 minutes, I used my instant read thermometer to check.   It wasn't to proper internal temperature, so I had to continue to check every 10 minutes or so.  This was disappointing to do, since with every prick, lovely juices poured from the chicken, no longer inside doing their job to keep the meat moist.

The legs were loosening, the moisture was visibly boiling under the skin, but the thigh and breasts continued to stay too cool for what seemed to me to be too long.

Finally, they jumped past the temperature I was looking for, and I removed the pan from the oven.  THAT was a feat.  It wasn't so bad going in... With everything cool, I didn't notice how awkward and  heavy the unit and 2 chickens were.  It was another story when the whole thing was sizzling and about 400 degrees.  I didn't care if my arms bumped the metal stand when I put it in, but not so when getting it out!

Now I had 2 steaming chickens locked onto a hot, metal contraption.  I let them rest, of course, but they were still hot, as I'd sure want them for serving.  

The birds were so done (and the veggies well past ready, too), the meat and bones of the extremities fell to pieces as I attempted removal from the rotisserie unit.  (It was a messy process, and I didn't stop to wash my hands and get photos.)  I guess I could've cut the meat from the carcass without removing them, but then I'd risk undesirable knife-metal skewer contact, so I'm not sure that's a better remedy.  Plus, I just don't know how I'd cut the breast into servable portions that way.

I served what I thought was a mess of meat and chicken parts.  It was moist enough, I guess.  Frankly, I was exhausted and disappointed by that time and really didn't notice.  But I don't remember noticing dryness, so I guess it wasn't too bad, especially considering the overcooking.

I'm just not convinced this is better than rack-roasting while using the probe.  It seems like a lower oven temperature might help.  

Any other suggestions of why I had these problems, and how my experience might improve for next time?  

Any suggestions of food choices that would be a better fit for success with the rotisserie process?

A Beastly Invasion

Apparently, when one Beast is welcomed into the house,  others follow...

... If you order and pay for them.  ;-)  This most recent arrival one is presently looming over the aisle that runs from our back door, past our sewing room.

This is actually not as full as it can get.  This is
after a week or so of use so that things don't
fall on your toes when it opens

For quite awhile, we've had issues with our freezer.  --Not any issues that are its fault.  It's just that with 9 people in the house, including a young couple who keeps their own supply of foods, many of them frozen, the freezer gets FULL.  

I would like to keep additional supplies of things we go through quickly, like chicken breasts and berries.  I would've loved to harvest or buy produce in the summer and freeze it for winter use.  I have also long wanted to do some 'mega cooking,' in order to freeze pre-prepared dishes that would be quick and easy to heat up on busy days.  But there hasn't been room for any of that.

Our new addition should make all of it possible!  We considered a freezer available at our local Costco, but it was smallish and bare-bones, with very little organizational help inside.  











This one, which, like the oven, came via Albert Lee Appliance, has nice shelves, pull-out baskets, and adjustable door storage.  

This was just after it was plugged in, so just starting to cool.

It's also a little high-tech, with electronic controls and read-out on the front, plus door-ajar, and high heat alarms.  Since a certain prince, who tends to "Go-for" things and then move on a little too quickly, often leaves the freezer door just short of sealing closed, the latter could be a big help.

It is not sitting in its permanent position.  We're relocating the main floor laundry center out into the breezeway, the connecting area between the existing house and new garage.  The plumbing has been moved, so the washer is already out there. Since the dryer venting remains for the moment, so does the dryer.  

But soon we'll have this little alcove to use.  I'm thinking it will be just right for the freezer, and a cabinet that will conceal the cat box and provide additional pantry or sewing storage (completely separated from the litter box, of course.)  So, this alcove has a makeover in its future!

I Have All my Parts!

--For my new oven, of course.  I thought it warranted a special edition, 2nd-post-of-the-day to let you all know.

I received one, lonely box yesterday, marked "#2 of 3."  It held one wire rack.  Today it was employed when I remembered to use the Dough Proofing mode when trying a KAF recipe for Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread.

This is what the display shows during Dough Proofing mode.
Prince CuddleBunny walked by and asked,
"Why does the oven think its baking a pie?"  ;-D

Today #1 and #3 arrived, carrying the 2nd rack and my "Core Temperature Sensor," which, in American-oven terms, means 'probe.'  Thanks, BSH/Gaggenau and Albert Lee for coming through for me so nicely!

The Beauty is a Beast

No doubt about it, the Gaggenau oven is a striking piece of equipment.  Several people have commented, though, about it not fitting my original vision for the kitchen.  I actually hadn't really thought of that and wondered why it hadn't bothered me.  

If I think about it, I am a little disappointed at the loss of the homey, retro look I got with my first Fisher & Paykel oven, but that was gone long ago.  I've had more contemporary ovens since; some worse than others, in my opinion, for how they suited my kitchen.  

Glass, reflective face...With fingerprints

This one, with its massive presence, and with its glass-over-stainless front (uh-oh... fingerprints!), is probably the farthest from my vision of any I've had.  But there is something less objectionable about it to me. I think, that though it's large, it doesn't demand a lot of attention.  


Its overall impression of monochromatic silverness means no 'black holes,' like some oven windows and control panels appear, and no flashing red or green lights.  I think I didn't object to it as an oven, because it looks almost more like another fridge!  So I'm missing a little piece of my 'home and hearth' vision, but really, I can like it far better than most modern ovens.



This oven's beastliness is not only in size, but in engineering and build.  The doors have 4 layers of glass to help with heat regulation and visibility.  The glass is clear and the window area is so large!  
Hardly any part of the oven is out of sight.  The large halogen light on the side, and also one from the top help in seeing an accurate view of baking progress and browning level.



These ovens have an additional element surrounding the door area so that during self clean the front edge of the oven and the door get more heat.  I shouldn't end up with the residual black junk I had in other ovens near the front edge of the oven and on the door, nor the brown glaze on the glass.  Not that this is a huge deal, but it's nice, especially for long-term maintenance (which I've yet to experience), and shows some wonderful planning.

The woman in the distributor's showroom described the Gaggenau oven as being designed and built by German engineers to the specifications of French chefs.  She said other ovens are meant for the home cook, and these are meant for the home chef.  --I think I'm under-qualified for my own oven! 

The oven has 17! cooking modes, graphically represented on the control screen (and, thankfully, more in the manual and a cookbook she gave me) as to what elements and fans are used in each.  

This means I can pick and choose the heating directions, and, to some extent, the amount of heat from each, in order to get exactly the result I want.  I happened upon a chart that showed me which heating elements and fans were used at what percentage for each mode in the Wolf oven, and I found it very helpful in choosing which method I wanted for each item I was cooking or baking. So, this oven offering that kind of information to me on its face is impressive and wonderful. 

This has gotten long enough, so I will continue with the challenges I'm facing with this oven in another post.  Also, I think another with further explanation of the cooking modes, as symbolized on the screen shots above, is necessary.  Of course, I'll be sharing experiments and projects I attempt as I get to know my new friend.

In case you missed why I am on Oven #7, all within 5 years, you might be interested in previous Oven Saga posts.

Presenting Oven #7

I know you've been awaiting oven photos, and I'm so slow!

Hubby was able to gently, but firmly, with the use of 2 boards along each side, and a clamp spanning underneath, to bring the bowed out, left, bottom section into line, so the new oven would fit into the cabinet.  (In case you missed it and are confused, I showed the damage around the bottom of the oven when it arrived in this post.) 

Before and after Hubby worked his magic

Thankfully, the oven was a bit smaller than the specs indicated, so we had a little more wiggle room than we'd thought, so perfection in getting those bent areas flat wasn't necessary.

Our plan to have the oven delivered onto milk crates, so that it was about a foot off the floor, worked like a charm when it came to sliding it into place.  (Here would be a good place for a photo of that process, if I were a more conscientious blogger!  But I was busy watching and holding my breath.)

Anyway, in it went, and very important, 










on it went.








And then the bread went in...

and came out beautifully.  So, on its first test of baking performance, it gets an A.  --The behated Monogram oven passed its first test of bread, too, so this is far from a conclusive result, but so far, so good.

This is my 3rd display oven, and the first of which has missing parts.  It was supposed to come with 

• 2 baking trays, that double as racks as well as pans...  Check.
• 2 broiler pan/rack combos, one outfitted with the rotisserie unit.  These also slide right into the rack brackets... Check.
• 2 regular-oven-like wire racks.... Uh... No check.  :-(
• 1 temperature probe... Shoot.  No check again.  :-(    :-(   

I'm doubly sad about that last one, because I've become so spoiled and dependent on a probe.  And wouldn't you know, I've cooked 3 roasts, 1 turkey breast, besides the bread, for which you may  remember I learned to use a probe (post about that here), in the last 4 or 5 days?  Without it means much more hassle and uncertainty!

I am told... now... that missing pieces are part of the risk of buying a floor model oven.  Since it's never happened before, I didn't realize this would be a possibility.  Even though it's part of the "as-is" condition, the salesman and distributor are working on finding me the parts.  :-)  

Albert Lee Appliance, Seattle store

This reminds me... I should have mentioned by now that if you're anywhere near Seattle and in the market for a major appliance, I can heartily recommend Michael Hoag of Albert Lee Appliance, who has been exceedingly patient through my hundreds of emails, and so helpful in this journey.  He's checked and double checked information with the Gaggenau distributor as to my pizza baking and concerns regarding oven quality and customer support.  He made sure we're well covered with warranty, at no extra expense to us, because of the ridiculous oven history we've had.  His management team has supported him in this, so I continue to be impressed with the business, as a whole.

You need to know more about this new oven, information with which I will come back with later.  
I promise.

The Road to Number 7

As I said in Ovens Divided into 2?, it was only after lots of communication, back and forth with my very helpful appliance salesman, and with him communicating with management and distributor reps on my behalf, that I decided on my latest oven.  I was honest about my oven history, my baking methods, and my concerns.  I asked a lot of questions and wanted assurance of support.

I'd thought about the other brands that I'd narrowed to and considered before, but hadn't had in my kitchen yet, specifically, Miele, Electrolux, and Gaggenau.  

Electrolux Oven
Recently popular and highly regarded

The least expensive on my list, choosing an Electrolux oven would've meant money remaining in my pocket from the Wolf refund.  It may not be fair, but the popularity of Electrolux ovens is pretty recent, and I'm not sure, at this point, that they're manufactured to last for the long haul.  When I built my kitchen, I had the next 30 or 40 years in mind, including in my appliance choices.  Naive, maybe, but that's what I was after... A "forever kitchen" with forever appliances.  But I'm not sure Electrolux is in the built-like-a-battleship category. Time will tell, but we're not there yet.

Miele MasterChef wall oven

Miele has had some mixed reviews in the last few years, and their previously long-time, stellar customer service has occasionally come into question by those with problems they don't feel have been remedied.  But I also have consulted very credible, discerning bakers who have Mieles, who are very happy.  Also, Hubby and I were most impressed with the Miele construction quality, and the company's reported close scrutiny over the build process, when we first looked at ovens 6 years ago.  It was my "if money was no object" choice for a long time.  But a new Miele would have been $1000 or more over my Wolf refund.  I'd hate to spend $1000 more and have any doubts.


Gaggenau ovens are pretty generally considered to be the top of the heap with their German engineering and construction. --And their prices sure reflect that!  

from Gaggenau.com/us

from Gaggenau.com/us

When I got the list of prices in an email from the appliance salesman, and noted that a new, double Gaggenau would be $3200 more than my refund from Wolf, I knew it was out of contention.  Faaaaaar out.

It was after receiving this price list that I started to look at the combinations of steam and single ovens that I'd mentioned in a previous post.  If I was going to have to spend $1000 more, I figured I might as well consider something new and different.  Thankfully, as those numbers and assurances weren't coming out much better, my appliance salesman contacted me with some intriguing and potentially very exciting news...

He found an open-box Gaggenau oven in the warehouse of one of their other stores, and was able to offer it to me for only $500 more than my Wolf refund.  Not that $500 is nothing, but it was more economical than some of my other options, while being my best bet, many felt, in my quest for my 20+ year oven.

You might not all know that Gaggenau ovens open to the side instead of downward.  The best configuration for our kitchen would have been to have the doors hinge on the left.  This oven has its hinges on the right, but for the $3200 savings, I'll be glad to "make do."

The Oven Saga Continues :'-(

It doesn't seem to end, or, at least, hasn't yet.  But I have hope, I really do... I think.

In just a few weeks I will have my 7th oven installed in the less-than-5 years we've lived in our home.

I've done previous posts on this sad and ridiculous oven saga, but will recap a bit.  

I started with a Fisher & Paykel oven.  I loved it.  --Loved how it looked and especially loved how it baked.  But eventually, the porcelain began to chip and pit.  They nicely sent F&P number 2, which was a brand new model.  I wasn't a fan of the new modern look, but it baked, if anything, even better than the first.  However, there were problems with operating the buttons from the start, and its porcelain started to show signs of problem, too.  They had challenges finding me service in our area so they bought back the 2nd oven and we parted ways.

My next move was to a Monogram ZET2 oven.  The original F&P had been a fully warrantied open-box model, so a 'good deal.'  The Monogram was also a display model, but meant spending about $1300 more.  It was larger than the F&Ps, so Hubby had to make major adjustments to the oven cabinet for it to fit.  Great look, and wonderful, although space-hogging, ball-bearing glide racks that could stay in during self-clean.  I never had a bit of problem with the porcelain, but the inconsistency in temperatures, from use to use, and from side to side of the oven during any use, was awful to bake with.  I took photos and recorded temperature problems and discrepancies.  Thankfully, after a lot of communications and lengthy wait times, unlike others who weren't so fortunate, GE agreed to buy it back.  I was so glad to see that oven leave our house.

We adjusted the oven cabinet again, this time to fit a Wolf E-series double oven.  This was supposed to be my best bet at getting the best quality oven money could buy. -- Made in USA, boasting years of good history with the technology, and high marks for build quality, their extensive testing, and customer service.  Even though it, too, was a floor model, it meant spending about another $1000 than we had for the Monogram.  

 Wolf's Dual Convection.  I'm a believer!

It was the best baker yet.  I'd never been so impressed with temperature accuracy and the efficiency of convection modes.  I loved that oven, and we never regretted the extra expense to 'get it right this time.'  

Sadly, at about 13 months in, I noticed porcelain issues across the bottom and in the corners of both oven cavities.  After seeing the photos I sent by email, Wolf quickly arranged for a new oven, and I was only inconvenienced by losing a morning of baking when they made the switch.  I was happy.

But only 6 months later, I was wiping crumbs out of oven #2 and got a shard of porcelain in my hand.  That oven, also, was developing issues with the porcelain at the front corners.  I again sent photos and got a quick phone call from Wolf, apologizing that I'd had to deal with this twice, and assured it was unusual for this to happen.  Again, there was a pretty quick oven switch, and I was happily baking again...

For only 5 months this time.  In early November I noticed crazing in the porcelain at those infamous front corners, and by Thanksgiving, I could see bare metal and had the loose shards of blue porcelain again.  

This time Wolf is throwing in the towel.  They think that my weekly, 500+ degree pizza baking, plus my frequent baking for our large family, puts me in a category outside the norm for which their ovens are designed.  I'm blown away by that, frankly, as I don't think I'm using the oven in such an extreme way, and they are quick to agree that I am not abusing it in any way, just using it... A lot.  

They gave me 2 choices...  Keep the oven, for which they'd pay $500 for me to keep a problem they considered to be cosmetic, or refund my money in full and take the oven.  If the porcelain was letting go in the corners in the first half year, I have no idea what it will look like a couple years in, or 10 years from now, and wasn't willing to keep it under those circumstances.  In addition, I didn't consider it just a cosmetic issue, but also a cleaning and safety issue, so decided they can have it back.  

I will miss my Wolf oven.  I know how it works, and know what modes I like for what.  Using it has become 2nd nature to me now, and it's been a valuable tool in successful baking projects. Using the probe for bread and rolls was a Eureka! moment for me, and it's technique I love and have come to count on.  The oven, overall, does a phenomenal job performing just how I expect it should when it comes to the baking and roasting aspects.  I'm so sad to see it go.  










And now what?!  If Wolf ovens can't stand up to my baking, what can?  I feel like I am definitely running out of options.  I'll discuss the ones I've considered in a future post.