The galley upgrade thing...

[MikeP]

Once again we are considering a galley "upgrade." I use the term in quotes because I'm convinced that replacing the Modern Maid range/oven with a current cooktop and convection/microwave oven will be an upgrade in appearance but a performance downgrade.

However, we both agree that we want to do it.

I've reviewed a bunch of the threads on this and there's a lot of info but I'd like to know the specific appliances folks used - cooktop and convection/microwave. We do not need a conventional oven at all.

I looked at a few cooktops yesterday at a small local Sears outlet and was surprised at the prices. I figured a cooktop would cost a lot less than a stove since it's essentially just "part" of a stove. But the cheapest one there was 900 bucks. The price for the remodel is not a big issue per se but I was surprised they cost that much.

 

[GJH]

We have a Whirlpool glass top that the chef really loves, since you can combine two of the burners for large pans and it cleans up nice. We paid about $500 bucks for it 3 1/2 years ago. I don'y see it in their current listing but they still have one in that price range. Coil tops can be had in the $300 range. If we were doing it again I think we'd get an induction style top. Since we have an 18'2" beam, our oven is a full sized GE and microwave a GE Space Maker. I would think of the convection/microwave as a step up from a plain oven.

 

[SeaWhisper]

MikeP,

2 1/2 years ago we upgraded our galley. I believe I have a picture uploaded here on the forum. I installed a GE 4 burner glass top ($575.00) and a GE Profile advantium 126, convection/microwave.($799.00) We also threw in granite counter tops, and a matching granite table top ($1650.00). Under the glass top we slid in a dish washerz (GE). Chef loves it and she doesn't miss the oven.

 

[oldawg]

We have a GE Advantium microwave/convection combo on the boat and like it so much we bought one for the house. Not cheap but worth the money.

 

[MikeP]

Thanks - I like the GE glass top and the Advantium. I've saved info/pics from GE's website and will be showing them to the Admiral when she arrives on the boat for official approval (or not).

 

[holtcl]

Mike- I've spec'd out new Viking appliances (cook top and convection micro/oven) for Cinderella and can show them to you or will email them when I get a chance. Not cheap, but when I had a land place I had Viking appliances and they make very good stuff. The range is electric, so no need to covert to gas or propane. Good luck- I wish I were there! I am thinking next year.

Cheryl
Cinderella
53MY

 

[REBrueckner]

One of the first winter projects for me was removing an original metal/rusty four burner electric cooktop and replacing it with a four burner Maytag propane glass cooktop. Likely you have checked Home Depot and Best Buy, maybe Lowes, to see what they have.

At the time I got my cooktop I had limited choice as the cabinet doors in my galley were black plexiglass,,,so I chose a cooktop with black flame grills.....Likely you'll go electric?? so a smooth top stove makes for a sleek appearance and easy cleaning.

My glass cooktop sat on a foam edge gasket, a feature I did not like from a cleaning perspective, but as I don't do heavy and frequent cooking it never posed a dirty appearance issue.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Thats not rust Rob... thats "patina"... ws

Still keeps the Coke cold!

 

[Angela]

I recently had the opportunity to cook with one of those microwave/convection combo ovens. Some things to consider, from a cook’s perspective, when making the decision as to whether you will like this appliance:

* I found the oven to be slow.

* The interior of the oven is quite small compared to a conventional oven. Check to see how many racks there are to hold your pans and bakeware. Conventional ovens typically have three levels; I think these combos have only one, but I’m not positive.

* When you are baking something in that oven, you’ve got no microwave unless you have a separate microwave, and that defeats the purpose of having the oven/micro combo, now doesn’t it. This is frustrating when I want to melt some butter, or steam some veggies while an entree is baking in the oven. If I’m doing an all-day slow roast of a prime rib roast, I’ve lost my microwave for the whole day.

* Depending on where/how you mount it, most of these ovens in boats I’ve seen put the cook in the position of having to maneuver very hot, possibly heavy, and sloppy pans from an overhead position, unless you’re very tall - most of us aren’t that tall. I find this to be quite dangerous, regardless of whether the oven is the combo or conventional. Imagine spilling hot bacon grease down your arm as you go to lift out a tray of bacon (I cook my bacon in the oven - less mess and I can cook a whole pound or two at once), or the hot boiling water of a bain marie. I have a hard enough time with that one in a standard oven at knee level.

* The combo does not bake breads, and the like, quite the same as a conventional oven does. Some cooks may not notice that - depends on to what extent you have a culinary passion.

* You lose the ability to broil - no more broiling 12 butterflied lobster tails all at once. The loss of the ability to broil, alone, is a deal killer for me.

* Once the oven is hot (having been used as an oven), you have to let it cool before you can put a plastic dish in there to reheat something with the microwave. Something I learned from a friend of mine who ended up with a melted mess of plastic in her combo oven.

* It is a space saver since you can wrap up two appliances into one, and space is such a precious commodity aboard a boat.

Depending on your cooking style, you either love these or hate these. I have a lot going on in my galley when I’m cooking so this combo oven is definitely not for me, but most casual cooks will and do love them. I'm sure I'm the oddball on not liking these ovens, but I have cooked with them and these are the pitfalls I noticed about them that I didn't fully realize before I worked with them. Just like the drawer dishwashers...I thought I wanted those until I had to use them and then decided I'd stick with the traditional full-size dishwasher.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Now THAT is the voice of authority- someone who really cooks on their Hatteras! Send the doggie bags to me in Annapolis, Angela...

Why would anyone want to remodel a perfectly functional galley?

YW, is that the before photo?

 

[yachtsmanbill]

No way JR! Thats "during" ! We pulled that out 2-3 years ago and replaced the whole sheebang with a 3 burner princess/oven combo. Does a bang up job makin' hangburger helper. That old job took all day long to remove... probably 200 screws! ws

almost done!

 

[MikeP]

Ang - Thanks for the enlightenment! Two points of yours really struck me and will strike the Admiral as well and we hadn't thought about it all. Not being able to broil is a big deal. We don't cook serious food too often but when we do it's usually broiled. And the fact that you can't use the micro while using the oven is another big issue. Some re-thinking will be required...

"Why would anyone want to remodel a perfectly functional galley?"

Because it is there?

 

[Angela]

Why would anyone want to remodel a perfectly functional galley?

My answer: Because the last person to remodel my galley removed the dishwasher and I really, really need a dishwasher - a FULL size dishwasher. I also need a much bigger refrigerator. When I remodel, we are going to try to plan it to accommodate one of the big refrigerators - the ones that are 33" to 36" wide. Because we're galley-up, installing a refrigerator is a piece of cake - roll it out the back door, slide it under the railing, bring in the new...all done in about 10 minutes.

Another thing I've learned....as much as the stainless appliances are all the style these days, I cannot, cannot, cannot keep the fingerprints and smudges off the SS refrigerator. My next one will not be SS.

 

[Angela]

Ang - Thanks for the enlightenment! Two points of yours really struck me and will strike the Admiral as well and we hadn't thought about it all. Not being able to broil is a big deal. We don't cook serious food too often but when we do it's usually broiled. And the fact that you can't use the micro while using the oven is another big issue. Some re-thinking will be required...

You're welcome. I'm really happy I had the chance, on someone else's dime, to try out some of these things I once thought I wanted. Everyone's situation is different.

 

[MicroKap]

Angela,
I believe some of the manufacturers of ss appliances have realized the downfall of fingerprints. Some of them have coated the stainless to be fingerprint resistant.

 

[Canuck Dennis]

I guess we are spoiled in our galley, full size side by side frig., cook top, oven with convection, micro with convection and full size size d/w ., all operable at once...just need to replace the counter tops with marble or something, not corian..

 

[bobk]

Mike, Sears will probably be the high priced vendor. When you find what you like, search the internet. A cook top is small enough and expensive enough that I bet Amazon will ship free.

I used Princess glass top and oven when I redid the 48 because home sized would not fit. Even though they are 240V units, Princess is not up to home standards.

Bob

 

[MikeP]

Thanks Bob, good suggestion!

As I said in the beginning, the galley works great as is. It just doesn't look up to date! The old Modern Maid 4-burner stove and full size oven works perfectly though we did have to replace the fridge and the dishwasher a few years ago.

We were wanting a convection/micro to free up some counter space that the micro currently occupies but this may not be workable based on Ang's comments.

 

[Angela]

When I get around to doing my galley, I plan to have just a very small microwave - small enough that just maybe I can mount it under a cabinet, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I don't really cook with the microwave except to steam veggies. I use it mostly to melt butter, warm chocolate sauce so that it's pourable, warm the buffalo chicken dip, reheat leftovers for myself - just little stuff like that so the smallest one I can find will be sufficient.

Depending on how you use a microwave, perhaps you can reduce the footprint if you don't need a big one. I know, I know...even the smallest ones ae big in the confines of a boat. Sanctuary had one of those 30" wide GE Profile beasts that had all kinds of features - it even talked to me, and I could leave messages for my cat on it. When it died, I wasn't all that unhappy. I don't miss having to reset the time, date, etc. everytime we disconnect power before I can use it again. When mine died (actually, it didn't die - it started running and would not stop unless I turned off the breaker), Pascal had just installed one of those convection/microwave ovens and gave me his microwave which he didn't need anymore [Thanks, Pascal!]. It's fine for now.

 

[JMGIII]

Mike,
Just completing a galley re do on our 54 MY. 12 years ago did a new gallery on our 53MY. Our boat is located at Bohemia Bay, not far from Kent Island. You are welcome to take a look any time.
PS, I am also in the appliance business, know what works and what doesn't.