Kitchen

[Razzy 7]

KaySD,

I don't know if you need a stove, but I don't. In fact where I live (a small apt in a retirement community), there is no stove. I use a NuWave Portable Induction Cooker (PIC). In fact, before I moved here I lived in a large apartment that had a stove and for the last 2 1/2 years I lived there I didn't use it. I used the NuWave PIC, loved it and still love it. It was temperature-adjustable in 5-degree increments - better control than the electric stove I had. I also have a wonderful Breville Smart Convection Oven, an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker and a microwave. I can't roast  a 25 lb turkey but there's probably very little else I can't cook. I don't know how small your kitchen is, but it can't possibly be as small as mine is. 

[OfCourse]

You could design the area so that a standard size stove could be popped in by the new owner if you sold.  If there's gas, could the plumber just cap off the gas lines and leave them behind the cabinets?  That way, if you decided to sell they could buy a stove and hook it up easily.

[SharkE]

Husband told me when I die he's just using the microwave and get a hot plate to stir canned food in. LOL  My electric  cooktop is scary to him. One side will boil water in like 10 seconds. Kenmore pricey cooktop. I put something on it , turned around to get a towel, heard a sizzle and the &&&& thing was already boiling over. What a mess.

[AuntG]

Seems a little strange to me but it's your call on how to update your kitchen.

[Financialgrl]

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@dex wrote:

If you plan on remaining in the house for many years why not have it work best for you and not design for someone else.

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I was going to say the same type thing but go the other way - if you plan to stay in the house forever that's fine for you but if you have to move for any reason, I'm guessing most buyers would want a standard kitchen setup.

[Sooner]

In nicer houses in this area, a double wall oven and a cooktop are pretty standard.  You see less expensive houses with stoves and high end ones with expensive stoves like Viking ranges.  I would imagine different areas have different norms.

We have a 30 inch high-output Dacor cooktop and 2 wall ovens and there are two of us.

I cannot imagine not having an oven.  To me that would be like saying I don't need a fridge or a closet.   I think it would be very difficult to sell a house without an oven.  We use ours several times a week year around.  We roast, bake and broil in them.  We have not had a countertop oven in more than 20 years, and don't miss having one.  We just use the oven,  it isn't expensive and it doesn't heat up the house--modern self-cleaning ovens really shouldn't.

[faeriemoon]

I can't even fathom not having a stove/range.  I get that some people don't like/need to cook on a regular basis; but NEVER??  It seems to me that all those gadgets some of you have to take the place of a stove take up more space than the stove...

[KaySD]

You have each given me a great answer, and each one is different. I love that, and I appreciate the discussion. 

I'm still considering my options. Yes, I agree that house buyers generally expect a stove. Or at least the space where the stove would go. So that's the downside. 

But I'd sure love to use the space with the stove and microwave over it for something more functional, because I do cook every single day for 1-4 people and every inch of space counts.

I use 1-2 of my 4 burners, a KitchenAid countertop oven, a wall-mounted microwave, a pressure cooker, an air fryer, plus assorted other small appliances. But I never cook a turkey or a big roast and I never cook for more than 4. Don't have room for more than 4 sets of knees under my table anyway!

If I could find a single smaller dual-purpose oven to replace both the microwave and the countertop convection oven, then I could replace the whole stove with some nice, sleek drop-in burners gas and induction burners. I'd still have an oven, but not a big one, just enough to pop in a 9x13 dish. 

And finding the right pieces could be the biggest issue of all. I think in other parts of the world they have a wider variety of appliance than in the US. 

Anyway, thanks again to those who advise caution, and and hats off for the encouragement from those who have taken this step before me and not regretted it.