Kitchen

[millieshops]

I love my glasstop stove although I must admit I cook pretty much just for myself, not big family meals.  It's just so much easier than the coils of yesterday --and I have those in my summer apartment.  I detest them the way some of the others detest the smooth tops.  Of course, if I could have gas in either place, that would be my preference!

I do wipe it down as soon as it's cool enough to touch and I also use the wet paper towel for a few hours if something is really a hardened mess.

As for my garbage disposal-  I tend to use it now for small bits of scraps that are annoying to pick up.  I put the bulk of them in the garbage.  I'd compost but in a condo-setting, that's beyond tough to do.

Enjoy your new home.

[Hoovermom]

The only advice I can give you on the garbage disposal is to never put potato peelings down it.....bad idea.  I have found a lot of my producct information online with my appliances.  If you have the serial number, it is a piece of cake. Good luck.  

[italia8140]

 I have a glass top stove. It's REALLY easy to clean - much easier than cleaning a gas stove. I use Weiman's to clean mine.

[chickenbutt]

I'm surprised people aren't loving their smoothtop stoves.  I haven't had one yet but it would be the next thing for me - I think.

I still have the old electric stove with the coil burners.  Since they are so ugly, I have these shiny black, cast iron, burner covers over them so it looks a lot nicer!  

In all my decades of cooking I've never used gas so my next step would be the glass top I guess (or whatever type of smooth-surface stove they have).   I'm probably not one who should be in the company of an open flame.  I'm a klutz of the first order.       The visual I have is not a good one.  Besides, I have a bird so that's scary enough.

I like the 'easy to keep clean' thing about the smooth tops, though, and the fact that they are electric.  I'm so used to electric that even with the old coil burner stove I've long ago mastered it.

As for the garbage disposal (and the stove), hopefully you have the manuals.  If not, you can still get that kind of thing online for just about anything.  

[wismiss]

Well, it sounds like the cooktop isn't going to be too much of a problem---I just have to remember some of the advice given here.

As for the garbage disposal, it almost sounds worthless.  Can't put potato skins, citrus fruit peels, etc., so it sounds very limited what you can put down a garbage disposal.  Maybe I will have it taken out if I find I'm not using it that much.  It will only be me in the house for most of the meals, so it may not be used that much.

Thank you for all your responses.  Now to go back and write the advice down so I don't forget.

Spoiler

[chickenbutt]

Wis - There really is a lot for which you can use the garbage disposal.

While I don't use mine for any of those things, I turn it on at least once a day just for the basic debris that comes off a given dish or pot.  I also run a smidge of dish soap through it frequently to help toward keeping it 'clean'.  (as clean as something like that can be)

But here's the thing - they  don't all have the same motor, nor do they all have the same strength of motor.  So the manual will tell you a lot about what your particular garbage disposal can handle.

I have, from time to time, put half of a juiced lemon down mine to freshen it and, so far (fingers crossed), for the 15 years since we bought this house not had a problem from it.

[mousiegirl]

Don't put in anything with strings, i.e., pea pods, celery, etc., and always use cold water when grinding food.  Directions say even bones can be ground, but I do not put such things in.

[Hoovermom]

I put all kinds of things down my disposal but the only problem has been the peels for mashed potatoes (a lot of them).  Lemons and limes are what I use to sanitize it and have had no problem.  I would not be without mine.

[harcon]

I've had garbage disposals everywhere I've lived since 1971 and wouldn't be without one.  

About once a month I run ice cubes through it to help keep the blades sharp.

[violann]

I should have asked you ladies to indicate the make and model of your stoves, and I should have ALSO said that there are. SOME things I like a lot about mine.

Unfortunately all the way around, my Kenmore is no longer available and my particular stove also can't be repaired. One of the rings of the dual burners no longer works. Also, the 40" is the only unit that fits our space, so we will return to having a 6" gap if we decide to replace what we have.

Still hoping to have a gas stove some time in the future.

If anyone else has a Kenmore 40" range, could you post back please?