Samsung Range and Microwave Spectacular
(This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Samsung Home Appliances)
At the end of this post I will share with you how you can win a $200 gift certificate from BestBuy! You will see that you’ve got 8 chances to win that $200 Best Buy card. Keep in mind, the giveaway is for the gift card and not appliances.
See that photo above? That is the biggest fanciest thing in my kitchen and my new favorite toy.
When asked if I would consider reviewing it my answer was simple, “Why, yes, yes I would like to review that crazy fantastic appliance.”
It was almost as if the kitchen goddess had heard our pleas as my old 14 year old range was literally down to its last electric burner (and it was only a small burner and it was only half heating and cutting out when not watched closely).
We were pinching ourselves as the guys from BestBuy delivered the 5.9 cu. ft. free-standing electric range and the 1.8 cu. ft. over-the-range microwave. We sighed enormously as the old range was pried out of its home and carted away.
It was time, past time.
The new range nestled right in perfectly and then it and I began to get to know each other better.
The specs at the Samsung site say the following (for you spec-geeks out there this is a link for all the details):
- three-fan true convection cooking
- rapid steam cleaning
- warming drawer with handle
- 5 burner ceramic glass cooktop
When I saw the glasstop I was sort of concerned because I have never had one before. I am used to rickety crotchety wobbly uneven scratchy electrical elements that go bad (and will, trust me).
The glasstop is no end to neat.
If you have one and think I am being a cheesy newbie, too bad!
I have been to the badlands of stovetops and I can tell you, first hand, this glasstop business is good stuff.
At first it is sort of disconcerting because it seems like you are cooking on your counter. I got over that after a few days.
Then, as you start using your various pots and pans you find that the ancient pots that are warped and really are WELL past their good days do not work so great on the glasstop. Just a few of my old craggy pots are no longer useable.
The only drawback, for me, is that I can not use my cast iron frying pan. I am ok with this. I have a countertop electrical element that I have been using and if I need to fry eggs in a cast iron pan I can use that again. For the most part, I am using my stainless steel Emerilware.
The first recipe I set out to do as my own homemade benchmarking was pizza, two of them, at once, on two different shelves and right on top of one another. I have made them in the old oven to poor effect (family still choked it down but thats because they love me).
It started with caramelizing vidalia onions on the glasstop.
Goodness, the biggest difference was how fast the element heated up the pan. It also got hotter than my old range. Takes some getting used to but I am getting there.
While I was caramelizing the onions (slowly), I was using the PROOF function in the convection oven to make my pizza dough.
I have since used this same proofing function to make some challah bread. Here are a couple of shots showing those breads proofing.
This function is just fantastic!
This convection oven is called true because the three fans force HOT air over and around your food. Some ovens just blow in cold nasty unfiltered air from outside of the oven, yikes!
What all this blowing means is that your food, and especially your baked goods, is cooked EVENLY and will brown evenly. It also means that you can live on the wild side and cook two pizzas on two different shelves, right above one another AND THEY WILL BOTH BE PERFECT.
Watch.
Two very thick and heavily loaded cheddar and caramelized onion pizzas in the oven.
Into the oven at 475 F and then, viola!
Both perfectly cooked.
Remember that challah bread I proofed in the oven? This is what they looked like after baking, just PERFECT.
This reminds me to tell you that the oven has a sabbath function. I am not Jewish so I am not articulate about the needs of the kosher kitchen but I do know that one can not light a flame during the sabbath. This mode (which I have not tested yet) will allow you to have a warm oven in a certified kosher manner.
Other details about the convection oven are:
- 20 minute steam heat self-cleaning
- 3 chrome racks with 7 positions
- 5.9 cubic feet volume
- pyrolitic cleaning mode (really evil hot)
- a warming drawer beneath (1.4 cubic feet)
- Convection (upper/lower)
- Top heat + convection
- Convection bake + convection cook
- custom code modes
- kitchen timers
- proof function
- keep warm function (for pancakes!)
- convection ROASTING (I have yet to buy a prime rib to try this one out)
- delayed start
- variable broil
- and more
Recommendation: This is one very solid and infinitely user friendly and intuitive appliance. For me and my family of 5 with a diverse culinary palate, this range is a perfect fit. I recommend this appliance completely. If you are a baker, this is a HUGE thumbs up!
Literally on top of all of this, we also got a new microwave – the Samsung 1.8 cu. ft. over-the-range microwave.
This thing fits in the same space as our old (NON-FUNCTIONING) microwave but seems just enormous inside.
The specs are as follows:
- metal shelf
- 1100 W
- 400 CFM ventilation
- sensor cooking
- large 14 inch turntable and stirrer
- kid friendly buttons
- much more
Our microwave died YEARS ago so my kids had never used one. They have been making nachos and popcorn. They enjoy being able to cook these things for themselves.
I have been using it for defrosting meats and also reheating left overs.
That might sound mundane but its not. Being able to use this for left overs is HUGE (you know this only when you dont have a microwave) – it really helps one use their left overs more effectively. This means you save money and not waste food.
Recommendation: This too is a very solid appliance. I like that it has many functions but the learning curve is very shallow – its easy to start using it immediately.
So, let me get to the exciting contest!
As I mentioned above, you’ve got 8 chances to win a $200 Best Buy card.
Visit Samsung’s site for more information about these and other appliances.
CONTEST INFORMATION
To enter, leave me a comment below, in this post, and tell me WHICH Samsung appliance would make your life easier? It doesnt have to be a range or microwave, it can be any of the appliances they make. You may also blog about which Samsung appliance you like most, linking to this post and ALSO leaving a link in the comments below letting me know about your blog post.
The contest will begin at 10/5/2009 at 5pm PST and will end 11/15/09 at 5 pm PST.
Please be certain that the e-mail address you leave is correct!
Rules:
- No duplicate comments
- You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to this post in the comments
- You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments
- This giveaway is open to US-Residents, age 18 and older
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail
- You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected
To see the full listing of official rules please visit here: Official Rules
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I would love the washer. I need to wash comforters and sleeping bags now that my 2 1/2 year old is somewhat potty trained.
Fridge (RFG297AARS) is definately my favorite, with 3 teenagers, I need a new fridge!
a new refrigerator would make my life easier! mine is too small and just plain old!
The washer/dryer would be what I would choose. I have an insane amount of laundry, and my Harley mechanic husband can really create some mega stains (not to mention what the kiddos generate…)!
I would love this oven!!!
I LOVE the fridge, but will have to go with the Dishwasher (DMR78AHS)as I don’t have a dishwasher and haven’t for years.
I desperately want a new fridge!
I could definitely use a new fridge. My ice maker and water dispenser no longer work. Could use a new stove also but I think I could use the fridge more.
I would love a new fridge. Mine’s old and small and I’ve been thinking about a new one.
I would love the fridge! Mine is very old and not at all energy efficient. It’s time for a new one!
I tweeted about the giveaway:
http://twitter.com/ferbird/status/4644272892
I need a dishwasher. But I covet that stove! Thanks for the awesome photos and testing!
Definitely the fridge.
I would love the Washer. Our washer and dryer work are about to die and the high-capacity would be great as we get ready to start a family!
OK I was going to say fridge because we are in need of a new one but now I really want this stove! NICE!!!
I would love to have the dishwasher. Ours doesn’t clean the dishes very well and the door that holds in the soap doesn’t always open.
The fridge would be fantastic ( Fridge (RFG297AARS)). I have an old side-by-side and I have been dreaming of a shiny new refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom.
I would love to have the dryer!
THE FRIDGE would be fabulous!!! But your oven is beautiful!!
I would love a washer and dryer like the one in the contest!!
I would love to give my old fridge the boot! It’s old, small & doesn’t always want to work right.
OK, our fridge? Makes and dispenses ice INSIDE the freezer. There’s no handy dandy external ice dispenser or water dispenser. We’re talking old school: Plain white with a very small freezer compartment, half of which is taken up with the aforementioned ice maker. We would love love love to have a new refrigerator.
I would love to have that range!!! It’s SO pretty and mine is really old and crusty!!! Glad you got the chance to win!!!
The Fridge (RFG297AARS) defiantly the fridge. We need a bigger fridge.
I would love to have the fridge. It looks amazing.
I need a fridge – and that would be my choice!! (although that oven sure is sweet!)
My refrigerator is almost as old as me! yikes. It’s time for a new one!
Wow! Samsung has some great appliances! I would choose the DMR77LHS Dishwasher because my current dishwasher is about to croak!
I could absolutely do with a new washer and dryer!! Being a college student living with three other girls (who all do 2-3 loads of laundry every other week) and old washers and dryers, our bill is much larger than we wish it to be. With new washer and dryer we would be able to reduce the amount of loads of laundry and with that neat silver care cycle, we would have a smaller utilities bill!!
Please oh please…I need a new dishwasher!! Mine is so stinkin loud that we have to run it while away from home. And a new oven would be awesome, too, but a dishwasher more.
I would love the range. wow, great description truly a dream that would definitively make my life easier, the steam cleaning system sounds great!
thanks for the opportunity and the great review!
Oh, man! The Microwave OTR!!! Our microwave is about to die! And this would match our stainless steel fridge! =)
I was totally thinking refrigerator but now you have me thinking about the stove . . . I’d love to try convection . . . Thanks for the chance!
I could really use the washer. It’d be a great addition to our appliance family.
A difficult decision but I think it would have to be the washer
OH my gosh, I would LOVE that stove. And boy, could I use a new one!
Definitely the dishwasher!
This is a hard call, since all these appliances would make my life easier (except maybe the dishwasher, we have a new one already…) Never even thought about the oven, until I read your review and it looks awesome. I’d love the convection feature. Still…I think I’d have to go with the washer/dryer. Oh. Maybe not. I think I will say the oven…because I do love to cook, and think I’d love it even more with this (also, it would be nice to have a stove that heats evenly…)
At this point, I’d go for the microwave since we’ll be moving soon and I expect we’ll need to get a new one…but if we stayed, I’d definitely vote for the new (bigger!) fridge.
It is really a toss up for me. I think the washer and dryer are great, but I like the fridge too. I would have to say the fridge would be my first choice. I never have enough room the one we currently have!
I have to say I would definitely choose the fridge. Ours is an older model and I am constantly re-arranging it to get all of our food to fit. And we shop on a budget and keep the fridge clean, so it’s not like I’m packing in food that we never use. It’s annoying and with our growing family, it would be WONDERFUL to have more space… AHHHH…..
Here’s a link to my blog post,
http://walternotwalters.blogspot.com/2009/10/yall-better-enter.html
Thanks for the chance to win!
We would love the fridge! Ours is about 9 years old. We can’t put veggies or fruits in the veggie drawers because they will become “icey”! UHG! It also makes our costco trip limited because our fridge is too small for a family of 6!
Happy Blogging!
The washer!!! Mine is 12 year old and on it’s last leg. Any washer would make my life easier!! sheadrummond@hotmail.com
Okay now I’m drooling a little over the dishwasher. Seriously.
I have fantasized about a fridge with the freezer on the bottom for years. The new split top ones even have ice makers now! My fridge is so small, and I have to practically get on my knees to get anything from the back.
The fridge would be AMAZING! Fridge (RFG297AARS)
Oh man, this is a hard choice. At first I thought fridge but after your review I would love an oven/range like that. After living overseas and using tiny ovens on their last legs I would love a large oven that I can proof dough in, bake 2 pizzas AT THE SAME TIME and more. rubbing my hands in glee – Oh the things I could make..
A new range would be a dream. We bought a new electric range for our house in California, and then moved. We love our Oregon home, but the range is rather puny.
A new stove/oven (range) would make my life easier. The one in our home is as old as the house (1985) and doesn’t always work properly.
Blogged about this post here: http://furr-real.blogspot.com/2009/10/200-best-buy-giftcard-giveaway.html
I would love a dishwasher! NOT having to wash a hundred dishes by hand would totally make my holiday season!
I’d go for the Fridge (RFG297AARS) – not so much for the alarm or the ice maker, but so I can actually see what’s at the back of the shelves.
If I had to choose just one, I would choose the dryer. Ours is on its way out, we have a family of eight. We need a new dryer.
The stove would be absolutely fabulous! I bake constantly-breads, cakes, cookies, kolaches, not to mention the usual casseroles and main dishes! I also cook the holiday meals for all the extended family at our house, so my old stove gets a workout! That new Samsung range with convection oven would be a dream come true!
I’d totally go with the refrigerator. Mine is (literally!) almost as old as me and is WELL past time to replace it!!
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I love the fridge, but really, really need a wonderful stove like this. Mine is taking so long to heat up, and even longer to cook meats and baked goods. I bought the old stove twenty years ago, at a dent center in New Hampshire, when I moved into my house here on Cape Cod. It’s certainly given me the full term of use, and I’m ready for the future of baking: my sister has a convection oven, and I’ve been coveting hers since the moment I saw it!
The fridge would save my life!!!! Our is soooooooooooo ugly, sooooooooooooo small and very inefficient. With a growing family of five…a brand new shiny efficient fridge is my dream!!!!
I’m torn between the fridge and the dishwasher. Both of mine are in dire need of replacement. But I’ll probably have to go with the fridge. A kid alarm in it for when they’ve been browsing too long! Jeez, that’s awesome.
Your review was really good. I’ve never had a flat top stove or a convection oven before and I could see myself in your place having to get used to it too!
Easily a Range Electric!!! We moved into a house 2 years ago where everything is 20-30 years old, the furnace, hot water heater, stove, and refrigerator plus us 20 year old roof is leaking! All of our money is going into the roof at this point. But I love baking/cooking, and our gas oven cooks things unevenly…depending on the day it will under cook things or when I want to bake of course it will burn my cakes, brownies, and breads.
I would love to have the washer!!! It would make my life so much easier since my washer is on its last leg. Only one cycle still works and it barely makes it through one load without my help. Plus, how beautiful are the stainless steel washers!!!
I would love a new washer. My old relic does not have the capacity of the new ones.
Dishwasher. Would you believe we don’t currently have one!
The fridge would be nice. (My sister just bought a house and the fridge that came with it is broken.)
I would love a new dishwasher- ours is barely functional!
That’s a darn pretty oven/ micro, but I’d go with the fridge. We’re doing a kitchen remodel and that’s what I’d like to replace first (in phase two, after we save up for new appliances)!
ellengraf(at)gmail(dot)com
What a generous giveaway!
We totally need the Dishwasher (DMR78AHS). Ours is really old, doesn’t wash efficiently and really rings up the energy bill for us. We usually just hand wash, because it’s cheaper. If we had a new dishwasher, though, we’d definitely use it more!
I would love a new dishwasher! We have a “portable” one that we have to roll up to the sink and hook up.
kstabler@cbizmmp.com
I could really use the dishwasher!! Dishwasher (DMR78AHS)
Ours is so loud, and unless we wash our dishes first I can’t really say that they would come out clean. This diswasher(DMR78AHS)looks like it would be great with the flexible loading option for washing all types of dishes, like parts from my crockpot!!! Thanks for this giveaway, it is truly awesome!!
I would have to choose the range. I’ve always wanted a convection oven. This one looks amazing with all it’s features.
I would love that fridge! It’s so pretty! With three men in my house a best buy gift card would be used well around here. I hope we win!
Yeah you!!!
A new stove would be lovely!! We rented up until Jan of this year and had a 60+ year old oven that never was the right temp, the oven at this house is much better but still…I would LOVE a brand new oven!!!! Oh, the things I could cook…mmm.
Id be happy with any new appliance though=)
I would love to have the diswasher! Mine is on it’s last leg
Not sure how to link to the twitter post but…
http://twitter.com/Donna020
http://bit.ly/6lGMS
LOVE IT! Want it, want it, want it!! Need it!
I would go for a new dishwasher, but if we’re dreaming lets just go for a whole new Samsung appliance kitchen!! Good to hear they have great items other than just electronics.
April
aprilleanne@hotmail.com
The dryer! Without a doubt a new dryer would make my life SO much easier. Right now mine isn’t working and I have stuff drying all over the house, the office, the guest bathroom, the banister, I’m in dire need here! Although I am WAY jealous of your cool oven, and that Sabbath function is WAY cool!
I would love a new dishwasher, ours isn’t getting the job done and handwashing all of these baby bottles is getting old!
Would love to have a new, bigger fridge!
OK, I just blogged about it here:
http://goodgirlgoneredneck.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-want-to-win-new-dryer.html
for my second entry! Thanks!
Oh the jealousy! I have a broken stove, and that has been broken for over a year! I NEED a new one!!
The Samsung dryer would be a dream. All the features would make my life so much easier!
The dishwasher!! Mine is older than I am!!!!
I would totally love a dishwasher. I am curently the the house dishwasher and taking 20.5 credit hours of study with only 2 weeks break every 4 months, I need all the help I can get.
janinelsmith@gmail.com
FRIDGE- I have a very odd, smallish refrigerator and I especially need more freezer space!
I’m thinking the dishwasher… Our home was built in the 80′s and I think all the appliance are quite noisy… Something about a quiet dishwasher sounds appealing and perhaps I could even do dishes in the middle of the night without fear of waking the family!
)
Traci S.
We really need a new dishwasher. I am tired of ours leaving “grit” on everything. I have to wash a load a few times just to get it clean! That stove looks nice too thogh, our oven handle keeps falling off!
solta(at)hotmaildotcom or email in blogger profile
I’d love a new refrigerator, especially a nice shiny one.
I’m all for the washer (wf448aap). I can’t believe how beautiful it is. Ours is a hand-me-down, and this one seriously puts it to shame!
Fridge (RFG297AARS)!!! I love the freezer in the bottom option!
Count me in for the fridge!!! I have a side by side and HATE it!! I love the Samsung’s space and wow- a front ice dispenser feature!
Your pizzas look gorgeous!
We’d love to replace our stove. Our oven temp is way off all the time, it takes forever to preheat, and our gas burners don’t light the way they should – have to use a match to light them. Also, it would be nice to have a stove where the controls aren’t on the FRONT of the unit, so my 2 year old can’t reach them!
The washer! All I do is laundry….
I would love the washer and dryer!! My 3 boys seem to attract dirt so the laundry sure does pile up
The dishwasher is my pick! We don’t have one right now, and always have a lot of dishes to do! It sure would make clean up faster, and we’d have more time to get other things done.
My husband and I could REALLY use a new dishwasher… ours is cheap, old, rarely gets dishes clean even with pre-washing, and with a baby on the way we could really use something that actually gets hot enough to sterilize dishes (ours doesn’t)!
I would take the fridge. Ours is cheap and old and probably on its way out. No room in the freezer either!
I was going to say a dishwasher, but your review now has me wishing for a new oven!
The dryer would be wonderful to go with the washer my parents gave us for Christmas last year. With 7 kids, washers and dryers don’t come too big.
Wow. I could use the washer, dryer, and fridge! But my number one choice would be the dishwasher (DMR78AHS). Between working full time, doing research for my Masters, TAing, seeing my husband, and taking care of the house, washing dishes is usually the last chore I do.