GE's JPB80SKSS Stainless Steel Electric Range Is A Good Thing Brought To My LIfe
Written: Apr 04 '06
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Pros: Many quick heating evenly-heating burners, even baking on both racks simultaneously, nice broiler control
Cons: Surface too small for all five burners to have all five pans on the burners
The Bottom Line: For the price it's on par with gas ranges and even I dare say on par with convection ovens in terms of evenly baking and cook-top temperature shaping.
bntowen's Full Review: General Electric JBP80 Range
A psychiatrist once told me that my passion for cooking comes from my unresolved desire to obtain my mother’s approval. Being a highly trained and seasoned psychologist myself, I closely considered those challenging words and replied, “Bite me shrink-wrap!” In spite of this emotional meltdown, I admit I love to cook. The GE 30” stainless range was a step up in my amateur cooking career, and I admit it, my mother likes it too. She approves…of my range…let’s just drop this, and discuss the range.
This puppy sports five elements that function in six ways. It has the standard 6”, 9”, and 12” elements. However, the right front element could either be cranked up in “small” 6” burner or 12” big-pan burner mode. The middle fifth element is a “Warming Zone” good for keeping already finished products alive and warm while the other four burners are cookin’. A drawback here is the small size of the glass, smooth-top, cooking surface. A complete meal at our home of six soon to be seven carbon-based consumers requires a large skillet for frying and/or sautéing something. As my wife says, “Anything’s good fried,” hence the olive and corn oils within arms reach of the stove not to preserve her girlish figure but to maintain the 36” waistband moratorium on the undersigned. A large skillet will crowd-out the other pots on the other three burners, let alone a fourth pot on the “Warming Zone” [also a nice name for a Wi-Fi bakery]. The crossing of the pot handles alone looks like an OSHA disaster DVD or a culinary game of Twister gone wrong.
The elements themselves warm through a radiant glowing tube or chamber that fire up and die down in increasing frequency and duration as the above-range-top knobs are turned to higher and higher settings. This allows for the kind of immediate but an even and maintained temperature from beginning to completed cooking end. It was the closest thing to the immediate and well sustained temperature of gas ranges. It also allows for subtle heat control in between dial settings, or what I term temperature shaping. I mean a la gas stoves where frying, softening, milk-boiling, cheese melting, I can quickly and easily persuade food with heat rather than too quickly heat them up and then not be unable to quickly turn them down. This I found especially true when I was cooking in or with oil.
In addition, when a pot is removed for a long time from the eye, there is a sensor that…well senses there’s nothing there, the temperature is rising and unless we’re smelting something, it need to automatically turn off. Switching knobs above and across the hot surface is cool and I mean that figuratively and literally. However, the switch to “Hi” on the 6” to 12” two-speed burner has a locking set almost too subtle. Cranking up the 12-incher to boil stockpot full of water needs the continuous radiance only afforded when you can find the often elusive “Hi” spot on the dial. Enough said there.
Key to the range after the burners is the oven. I have 5.3 cubit feet of space that feels like 50.3 after my apartment-size Hotpoint that could barely brown two pieces of white bread leaned against each other (yes, I know GE makes Hotpoint). Two racks allow for generous baking space, but I know what you’re wondering next, “So Martha, what if the top rack cooks at a different rate than the bottom Ms. You’re-Too-Cheap-To-Buy-A-Convection-Oven”. It’s “Mister”, and for your information I nearly bought a Frigidaire to match my counter-depth refrigerator (another Epinion ago). I resisted after I was able to stick and nearly cut my husky finger on the stainless steel vent slots in the front door of the Frigidaire. This GE has non-violent heat venting slots in the door. To continue on the oven cooking evenness, it cooks evenly even without being convection. What it cooks evenly so far simultaneously bakes on separate racks includes but is not limited to cookies, cake layers, key lime pies, pizzas, Sam’s store-bought dual-pack lasagna, etc.
A favorite oven feature for the “Dorie-the Fish” of cooking i.e., forgetting to shut off the broil function, is the “hi” and “lo” broiler feature. My smoke alarms have breathed a sigh of relief with the slower but effective cheese-browning I can do with the “lo” broiler setting. The myriad oven temperature settings are impressive to friends, and important if you live in altitude and have to make recipe temperature conversions. However, I wish it would just go from its 350-degree opening temperature to 400 degrees without scrolling through 355, 360, 365 etc. even though it does so at approximately 0.5 seconds per increment (no I didn’t stand there and time it, I’m estimating). I will vouch for it’s rapid speed of preheating compared to every other five ranges I’ve owned. Furthermore, when it hits the preheat temperature, it beeps. That’s not a small thing to someone who only had a little red light go off and an barely perceptible “click” to realize the oven’s finished preheating.
The internal surfaces are as easy to clean as any with an over cleaner. Now you’re wondering, “Have you used the ‘Self-Cleaning’ Mode?" In all e-honesty, no. I’m an oven-cleaner cleaning guy. Yes, I clean my oven as well as my significant, and still manage to maintain my baritone voice. The key to staying male in the kitchen is to clean the oven with an old t-shirt on, or better yet, a football or other sports jersey, and avoid cleaning in a frilly apron no matter how good you look in them. So suffice to say, I’ll make a solemn e-promise to update this review when I use the self-cleaning function.
Other features of note are ample oven light, digital controls, and kitchen timer with cooking delay setting. I would have put the oven light control near the door because the switch on the digital panel marked “Oven Light” looks so much like the other contact-buttons the attentionally-challeneged like myself stand with mouth agape wondering over-and-over why GE built such a nice stove without any light source in the oven compartment, and then vigorously striking my forehead with the flat of my palm mumbling, “There it is, what a stupid place to put the switch.” Also, the storage compartment on the bottom is real; meaning really holds trays, cookie sheets, and pizza stones, and it has plentiful wide-screen window on the front.
Now for the whining about the cook-top cleaning. This cook-top is no more difficult than other glass cook-tops are to clean. Once a substance is seared onto the glass surface, it’s a bear to clean immediately and a cave full of bears to clean after it cools enough not to ignite your sponge. Some lightly starchy stains wipe off with scrubbing soapy water and heavier scorched foods soften on the range eye of left to stand in cleaner for 10-30 minutes. Some scorched toughies require the reemergence of the dreaded oven cleaner to chemically cook-off the cooked-on foods. I’ve tried using the manufacturer’s recommended glass-top cleaner, and it worked about as well as a Febreeze. Again, it’s a general drawback of all glass cook-tops and not a gaping GE flaw.
Finally in terms of price, Lowes knows that the lower Lowes price goes the more I’s go to Lowes. This was a half-price-never-dented-never-yelled-at-wealthy-couple-didn’t-like-the-feel-of-it-return situation, $449. Overall, not being a GE fan in anyway, this is a wonderful, stylish, very functional, and well-priced range. It’s the first good major-appliance-thing they’ve brought to my life.
GE: JBP80 30'' Freestanding Electric Range with 5 Radiant Elements, 6''/9'' PowerBoil Element , 5.3 cu. ft. Oven, Self Clean and Storage DrawerMore at Home Everything
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