I met and fell in love with my first double oven in December of 1992. My husband and I took the plunge and bought our first house, and there in the kitchen - in all her glory - stood the formidable Lady Mayfair.
Lady M was freestanding (and freethinking too): both ovens, the stovetop, and the dials were a single unit, and the design was terrible. The small upper oven hung directly over the stove burners, so when anything on the stove boiled or even simmered, moisture collected on the "roof" over the cooking pots and dripped down onto the stovetop. Her dial settings were mushy at best, and you could never be sure how hot a burner might get - assuming you knew it was actually turned on - and both oven thermostats were iffy too; she was flawed to be sure, but I loved her just the same.
We kept Lady M alive for ten glorious years, until one sad day when she was preheating, and I heard several loud pops. When I turned around there were sparks flying inside the large oven. I panicked and ran hollering to grab my baby daughter and run out into the street. Luckily my calm and composed husband was at home and quickly unplugged the old dame. All was well - other than the fact that we were without a functioning stove.
I knew I absolutely had to have another double oven. There was no way I could go back! The convenience is hard to beat - especially during the holidays. You can turn out batches of cookies in record time; you can bake pies, toast nuts, and cook the sweet potato casserole, all while the turkey is still roasting! You can warm a multitude of dishes while you make gravy, and you can have something slowly roasting away in the large oven while blasting vegetables in the small.
I use both ovens simultaneously several nights a week and I simply can't imagine life in the kitchen without them. Thus the name of my blog.
I hope to share culinary adventures, discoveries - and yes, even disasters (anyone who spends time in the kitchen has a disaster or two once in a while).
And for inquiring minds, my double oven is a Maytag Gemini, purchased in 2002 and still going strong.
Tutti a Tavola!
