There are many models of the Sears Self-Cleaning Oven, and after reading a few of the opinions by other members, I'm not sure they were writing the one that I purchased one year ago. So, right off the bat, I will tell you that the oven I will comment about is the SEARS KENMORE SELECT CLEAN, SELF-CLEANING ELECTRIC RANGE, MODEL NO. 665.95802.

After many years using my electric-coil range that came with my house, I felt it was time to upgrade, and update my kitchen with a new range. I love gas ranges, but unfortunately, in my area we cannot get gas. Gas ranges are by far my range of choice if I were given one. It's much easier to control the heat on your gas range than it is on an electric range. But, I did not have a choice, electric was what I was, unfortunately, stuck with for over twenty years.

When in January of last year, I decided to get a new range, I went back and forth as to whether I would buy a standard electric range or the smooth top style cooking range. I must have driven my husband crazy because one minute I wanted the standard electric range with the coils, as opposed to the "new" smooth top cooking ranges. I hated the idea of the standard electric range because I was tired of trying to keep the drip pans and cooking coils clean all the time. When they really got so bad that they were impossible to clean, I then had to search all over the place to find the drip pans to fit my particular stove … not easy. Some just didn't sit in properly with the electric coils on my stove. So, then I decided, well maybe I should join the new century and go for the new smooth top ranges, but then I worried, because I had heard that certain things like sugar or salt, if spilled on to the smooth top, did not clean up easily. So, I went back to considering the electric-coil range, and then I said to myself, "No, I really want the smooth top because it looked so much neater and easier to keep clean in general." I was so confused. I worried about everything with the smooth top. I even worried about when my mother visited, would she be able to get used to this new cook top. I could go on and on with how mixed up I was about what to buy. Well, in the end, I chose the KENMORE SELECT CLEAN, SELF-CLEANING ELECTRIC RANGE, Model No. 665-95802, and it was the best decision I have ever made in buying an appliance.

I so love cooking on this range, that I'm forever telling my husband just how much I love it! All my fears about keeping the cook top clean were for naught. It's as easy as cleaning your kitchen countertop Whenever I'm finished cooking, I take a wet sponge and clean off any spills that were on it. And, on a few occasions, I have spilled salt, or sugar on to the cook top, which can be difficult to remove, but if you don't let it sit, you can clean that up quite easily. When you buy your range, you are given a small bottle of cook top cleaner, which helps keep the surface clean and shiny and also helps repel stuck-on spills. You're also supplied with an razor that you can use to get off the stuck-on foods. CAUTION: Never, ever use anything but cleaners for smooth top ranges. Anything else could ruin the surface. These cleaners are supplied by Sears or Home Depot, etc. Please keep that in mind when cleaning your stove.

Now, I said earlier I would prefer a gas range, and that's still true, because it's easier to control the flame on your range than on an electric stove. When you want to put your flame on simmer, it's immediate goes to a simmer. On electric, sometimes you have to take the pot off the heating coil until the coil cools down. Well, it's much better with my Kenmore Smooth Top; when I have to turn the heat down it's almost as quick as on a gas range. And there is a thermostat in the range that will regulate your cooking surface. It's wonderful! There is even something called "Suresimmer," which put on "Lo" for low simmer and when using lids, to melt chocolate or butter, or Number 4 on the dial, which is for a high simmer or when simmering without lids. This is a feature I use often, love it!

As for the oven, I've baked quite few things in the last year and my baked foods come out absolutely perfect. A nice feature of the oven is that this model comes with the STURGLIDE oven rack with an integrated handle, making it quite easy to pull out the rack when you want to remove your food. The handle is large enough to use with an oven mitt.
The STURGLIDE oven rack comes with an insert which maximizes space. This is is aninsert which is removable and can be used as a cooling rack for baked goods. You can place the STURGLIDE rack wherever you need it, so that you can bake two sheets of cookies at once, a real time saver.

I could go on and on about how great this smooth top range is, but I'll make it simple and just run down some of the features:

UltraBake Electronic Display, Clock Pad, Kitchen Timer, Manual oven light and oven lockout pad, 12-Hour Shut Off Control, Starting/Canceling Function and a Great Oven Draw with a liner. There may be more that I've missed but these are the features that I use the most. And, of course, it is self-cleaning and it does a great job. But, if you clean up spills in the oven as soon as the oven cools down, a sponge is all you'll need for quick and easy cleanup, and that will save you money, since using the self-cleaning feature is expensive and takes a lot of electricity to use this self-cleaning function.

I have no qualms about recommending the Kenmore Select Clean, Self-Cleaning Electric Smooth Top Range. Have a look at your nearest Sears Store, it's worth the trip if you're looking to replace your old range.




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 499.00