GE Profile JB968 Electric Kitchen Range - What's Cookin?
Written: Jan 06 '06 (Updated Aug 02 '09)
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Pros: Convection oven, lower extra oven, abundance of helpful features in both oven and range.
Cons: Glass top cook top is fragile, Need to purchase new cookware, Rather expensive.
The Bottom Line: Expansive oven, extra lower oven, oven and range are loaded with features. Yes, it's rather expensive and glass cooking surface is a bit worrisome - Still a great choice!
michiman1's Full Review: Ge JB968KK / JB968TK / JB968BK Electric Range
Late last year, after over 20 years of faithful service, our Tappan free-standing double oven and range began giving us trouble. During our search we became immediately dismayed with the fact that the over/under style double oven and range units were no longer available. After an exhaustive search both on-line and and nearly every brick and mortar store in metropolitan Detroit, we ended up selecting the GE Profile JB968SKSS Electric Kitchen Range. Along with the matching JMV1790 GE Profile Spacemaker Convection/Microwave, these appliances, with their brushed stainless steel fronts are as nice to look at as they are to use.
Be advised if you are looking at a General Electric oven with the JB968 denotation, you may be actually considering any of at least eight different models, all with the convection oven option.
•JB968SKSS - Black and stainless with black glass top and tri-ring burner, 5.3 cu. ft capacity upper and 1.2 cu. ft. lower oven
•JB968BKBB - Black with black pattern glass top and tri-ring burner, 5.3 cu. ft capacity upper and 1.2 cu. ft. lower oven
•JB968KKCC - Bisque with Bisque pattern glass top and tri-ring burner, 5.3 cu. ft capacity upper and 1.2 cu. ft. lower oven
•JB968KHCC - Bisque with bisque glass top, single 4.5 cu. ft. capacity oven
•JB968BHBB - Black with black glass top, single 4.5 cu. ft. capacity oven
•JB968THWW - White with white glass top, single 4.5 cu. ft. capacity oven
•JB968SHSS - Black and stainless with black glass top, single 4.5 cu. ft. capacity oven
•JB968TKWW - White with white pattern glass top and tri-ring burner, 5.3 cu. ft capacity upper and 1.2 cu. ft. lower oven
•JB968BHBB - Black with black glass top, single 4.5 cu. ft. capacity oven
Your New Oven Features
The GE Profile line offered some great features that have almost made us forget our old Tappan range. First, the upper oven has a self cleaning option which we were used to but they enhanced the oven with a few additional features we never had. On this model, homeowners are able to delay the start of the cleaning cycle to any time of day as well as set the length of time needed for cleaning. The cleaning time may be set anywhere from 2 1/2 to 5 hours depending on how dirty the oven is. This is a great energy saver not available on many ovens.
In addition, the Hidden Bake Oven Interior hides the oven's bottom element which was previously exposed in our older oven. This feature makes wiping down the surface after a spill or cleaning a breeze allowing you to keep your oven looking better... longer... easier.
Most importantly for us was the addition of the Lower Oven which offers an additional 1.2 cu. ft. of capacity of oven space to make up for what we lost in replacing our older free-standing oven. This extra oven is much more than the warming drawers found on some of the competitor's ovens. It has the ability to bake at temperatures ranging from 140 degrees to 450 degrees. For our purposes, the smaller oven is actually the extra and will be used less often than the expansive 5.3 cu. ft. upper oven. We liked the idea of having the smaller oven at the bottom of the range as opposed to most of the other options on the market today. Reaching down to near floor level to remove a turkey or multiple sheets of cookies such as we did over the Christmas holiday seemed like something we were just not interested in. Our search did produce a few double oven and range options but only this GE Profile and the Frigidaire offered the oven configuration with the smaller oven below.
Most options on the market today such as the Maytag Gemini have configured their ovens with the smaller one above the conventional sized oven. In addition, the lower oven in our GE is comparable in size to that of the Maytag Gemini at 1.2 cu. ft. but the upper oven was actually larger. By comparison, the GE Profile is 5.3 cu. ft. compared to Maytag's 4.0 cu. ft. space.
Every one of the GE JB968 ovens offers the option of convection style cooking. Our GE Profile JB968SKSS Electric Kitchen Range comes equipped with GE's Precise Air™ Convection System which is designed to distribute air and heat evenly to ensure professional baking and roasting results. The innovative fan designed into this oven reverses direction for advanced heat and air circulation throughout the oven. This could not have been more evident or helpful as my wife was in the midst of her holiday baking this year. She was actually able to bake three sheets of cookies at a time with superior results. This would have never been possible in our old oven without burnt cookie bottoms and partially uncooked cookie dough tops or centers.
Since many of your favorite recipies pre-date convection style cooking, GE has designed the Auto Recipe Conversion feature into this line of ovens. If you decide to enable this function, your oven will automatically convert regular recipe temperatures to those equivalent for convection cooking.
Your New Range Cooktop Features
One of the first things you will notice is the well designed control panel on the range backsplash. GE has designed the controls with a variety of both knobs and touchpads. I like the fact that GE opted for the Glass Touch Controls. The more substantial glass touch controls not only make cleaning a breeze but they reduce the chance of breakage and worn-out look after repeated use.
Homeowners will love the Tri-Ring element built into the front right side of the cooktop. GE has designed an element into the cooktop that can be switched from 12" to 9" to 6" by simply dialing the control switch. The Tri-Ring element gives us an unbelievably versatile cooking option depending on our current needs. The ability to switch to different sized elements means you can use you cooktop more efficiently with reduced energy use.
GE has also added a Bridge Burner on each of the ranges within the JB968 line. This added burner gives you added flexibility for the ability to accommodate oblong pots and pans, griddles and roasters.
The GE Profile JB968SKSS Electric Kitchen Range as well as the remainder of this line includes a Warming Zone. This is the rear center element that can be set at either of three settings (Lo-Medium-Hi) to keep sauces, soups or nearly any other food warm as the rest of the meal is prepared.
A great safety feature built into our new range is the Hot Surface Indicator Lights in clear view on the cooktop. The lights glow indicating each burner element which is too hot to touch. The lights remain lit until the glass surface has cooled enough to touch.
Not Without a Few Issues
We were well aware that switching from coiled burners to a glass cooktop meant the possibility of having to replace some of our older copper-bottomed Revereware pots and pans. What we didn't expect was just how much trouble we were about to experience. Several of our pans that seemingly had flat bottoms must have been warped. One began spinning at a dizzying rate and several others violently rocked as the water began to boil. Unless you own a fairly new set of cookware before moving to the glass cooktop, consider the possible cost of a new set of pans in your buying decision. We ended up with a set of new Cuisinart cookware whether we liked it or not.
With is simple clean look, the glass top seemed like a great idea. Spills just simply need to be wiped off - no more scrubbing the metal bezels under each of the coiled burners. What we have found is that keeping the glass cooktop looking like new is actually not as simple as we had hoped. Even the smallest spills must be wiped up immediately after the surface has cooled. The manufacturer recommends making sure the cooktop is totally clean of spilled or burned on residue before the next use. Regular cleaning with products such as Cerama Bryte and cleaning pads designed for glass tops is also highly recommended to keep the surface looking new.
Special care must also be taken not to slide pots and pans across the cooktop. Metal markings can be caused by improper handling. The glass cooktop we thought would make our life easier has actually turned out causing us additional work and worry. After a little over two months, I can already see several marks and imperfections on the glass surface. It is now very evident that over time we will have to look past a cooktop surface that will not have a brand new look no matter how hard we may try.
Update - Spring of 2009 - The day before Easter... of course we had invited 25 guests for the holiday... the tri-ring burner ended up quitting on us. The heat indicator light stayed lit as though the burner was hot but none of the three burner sizes would heat. We ended up calling GE for service and the burner was replaced at a cost of $175.00 to us. The technician stated the cost would have been closer to $300.00 if the unit was over 5 years old. The part was covered but we ended up being charged for the original service call and labor. Any future trouble with burners will not be done by a repair technician. The job was simple and I'm sure I could swap out the burner in less than a half hour. Overall, we are still satisfied with our purchase even though our old double oven gave us well over 20 years of completely headache free service yet we have only owned this one for under four years.
Appliance Specifications and Features
I could easily go on about the features on both the ovens and range but have elected to simply touch on those features which may be most regularly used. For those looking for some more specific information, I have taken an exhaustive list directly from the General Electric website. If you're interested in a specific feature or specification, much of what you're looking for should be answered below:
APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS (HxDxW) 46 1/2 in x 27 3/8 in x 29 7/8 in CAPACITY Capacity (Upper/Lower) (cu. ft.) 5.3/1.2 FEATURES Oven "ON" Light Auto Oven Type / Cleaning Convection / Self-Cleaning Infinite Heat Controls Yes Self-Cleaning Cycling Light Display Convection Bake Multi/Single Rack Bake Proof Mode Yes Oven Racks 3 Heavy-Duty Self-Clean Audible Preheat Signal Yes C° or F° Programmable Yes 6"/9"/12" Tri-Ring Element 1 Ribbon (3000 watt) 6" Heating Element (s) 1 Ribbon (1500 watt) Oven Interior Light Yes Control Lock Capability Yes Broiler Pan and Grid Yes Glass Touch Controls Yes QuickSet Oven Controls QuickSet VI Hot Surface Indicator Lights 5, Cooktop Convection Roast Yes Preheated Oven Light Display Warming Zone 1-6" Ribbon (120 watt) Lower Oven Bake knob control; inifinite heat settings; removable insert Digipad Numeric Entry Yes Bridge Element 1 (800 watt) Auto Oven Shut-Off with Override Yes Precise Air™ Convection System Yes Variable Cleaning time w/Delay Clean Option Dual Element Bake Yes Warm Mode Yes Variable Broil Yes Frameless Lift-off Oven Door Yes TrueTemp™ System Yes Cooking Technology Convection Style Smoothtop Control Location Backsplash Delay Bake Option (Time Bake) Yes Removable Full-Width Storage Drawer Yes - Lower Oven Delay Clean Option Yes Electronic Clock & Kitchen Timer Yes Certified Sabbath Mode Yes Touchpad Controls Yes Convection Conversion Yes Oven Function Icons Yes Automatic Self-Clean Oven Door Lock Yes Digital Temperature Display Digitemp Heating Element "ON" Indicator Light Yes Oven Meat Probe Yes Roasting Rack Yes Auto Self-Clean Yes Self-Clean Cool-Down Time Display Yes Hidden Bake Oven Interior Yes Element Type Radiant Glass Ceramic Cooktop Black Pattern on Black Glass Electronic Oven Control EasySet III Six-Pass Power Bake Element Yes One-Piece Upswept Cooktop Yes Dishwasher Safe Knobs Yes Control Lockout Yes 7" Heating Element(s) 2 Ribbon (1800 watt)
WEIGHTS & DIMENSIONS Depth with Door Open (in.) 47-5/8 Depth Without Handle (in.) 25-3/8 Oven Interior Dimensions (W x H x D) (in.) 24-1/8 x 19-1/2 x 19-3/8 POWER / RATINGS KW Rating at 240V 14.2 Amp Rating at 208V 40 Amp Rating at 240V 40 KW Rating at 208V 10.7 ACCESSORIES Convection Cookbook / Cooking Guide Included Cooktop Cleaning Cream & Sponge Included WARRANTY Limited Five Year Ribbon Elements & Glass Surface Parts Only
One Year Warranty Entire Appliance Parts & Labor In-Home
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Initially, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that our old Tappan double oven and range was going to be irreplaceable. After several months of use, the GE Profile JB968SKSS Electric Kitchen Range has ended up being an exceptional choice. It has done everything the old range did and more... much more. We didn't much appreciate having to replace our cookware due to the glass range top. We were also admittedly a bit disappointed with the care associated with the glass cooktop surface but it's my guess that the top on this range is no different than any other on the market today.
At a cost of $1477.00, we ended up paying more than we planned but also feel we got much more than we expected in return. Yes, we're a bit disappointed with the glass cooking surface in general but so long as you are aware of the pitfalls or are accustomed to their careful handling, it shouldn't be an issue. I would give this appliance a five star rating due to it's plethora of great features and options if it were not for the issues with the cooking surface. Let's call it four and a half stars for good measure.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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