Whirlpool 27" Stainless Steel Electric Double Wall Oven - WOD51EC7AS

Easy to use but unusually loud for an oven

Replacing an old double oven, we had several options in our price range. This model was on the short list because the 27" model wasn't a stripped down version of the 30&q...Read complete review

Replacing an old double oven, we had several options in our price range. This model was on the short list because the 27" model wasn't a stripped down version of the 30" unit. We weren't looking to remodel just yet, so keeping the cabinet size was important. I think that most of my comments should apply to the single-oven model and the 30" version too. As I mentioned in the summary, this oven is pretty loud. It's not a convection oven -- it doesn't have a fan that circulates air inside the oven chamber. It does, however, have a blower in the cabinet that I assume maintains a more even wall temperature. That blower is a lot louder than the convection fan we had in a unit in a previous home. It's our loudest appliance in the kitchen, excepting the disposal. Louder than the range exhaust fan, fridge or dishwasher. Not a big problem, baking is usually done in the daytime here, but it's something you just won't notice in the showroom. Overall, for about the same money we could have dual self cleaning (this one) or top-only clean + mild convection. We opted for the double clean, and haven't regretted it. Baking doneness is even enough, I think the cabinet blower helps with that. And it's electric, not gas, so evenness isn't that big of a worry anyway. Preheat to 350F takes under 8 minutes in a 72 degree kitchen, and the display shows the temp. during that time. It's got two clean modes. The regular one is the type you're used to: oven door is locked shut for 3 or 4 hours while the oven is cranked up to maximum temperature and spills are burned to ash. The kitchen gets hot, and a little smoke wafts around as all those drippings are incinerated. The other clean mode is the "steam clean." You follow the instructions on the display, pour a measured amount of water on the "floor", close the door and let it go. Since it's just boiling the water it doesn't get very hot at all, and the whole cycle takes about a half hour. When done, you wipe the (hopefully) loosened gunk off and mop up the excess water -- it leaves more than I expected. Recent messes are generally softened enough to get them fairly clean. It's not a replacement for the high-temp clean, but is more of a maintenance step to be used periodically, especially after making a mess. The control panel/display is very good. Meaningful text on a large display prompts you through all the steps needed to clean, bake, broil, use the cook timer (which turns off the oven when done) and the kitchen timer. The kitchen timer is independent from the cook time, so you can use them both at once. The only function I can't figure out from the display prompts alone is the delayed bake ("start time"). I tried it for grins, didn't figure it out, and never bothered to check the manual -- probably won't do it, since I don't figure I'll ever use that anyway. Bonus points for the controls: If you enter a time like "90 minutes" (instead of 1:30), is doesn't freak out and turn off the oven like a couple other brands out there (you know who you are). It just counts down the 90 minutes -- just like you'd expect it to. The doors and windows stay cool enough to be touched without discomfort. This is a plus with kids in the house. Quirks. The cabinet blower keeps going after the oven is turned off until it's cooled down. Also, every so often, the oven shuts down for a second or two, then resumes everthing like nothing happened. Temp stays set, clock doesn't lose time, timer keeps right on counting. If it weren't for the noisy blower, you'd probably never notice. It's not frequent or predictable enough for a service call, but I might do it before warranty is up.