Product Review: The Maytag Precision Touch Control 500 Electric Smoothtop Stove Range
The oven
One of the features I looked for most when searching for a new oven was a large area inside the oven. This Maytag has plenty of cooking space for my large family. In fact, two shorter than average cookie sheets can be placed side by side on the same rack to cook.
All of the oven features can be operated through the handy touchpad on the top front of the stove. One of my favorite features about the Maytag oven is that the oven temperature is displayed in 5 degree increments until it reaches the set temperature. The common features are a digital clock timer. Some other neat features include locking the oven door, cook and hold, delay bake, and keep warm. The oven will also shut itself off if it is on for twelve hours.
The smoothtop electric surface
One of the most frustrating things about stovetop cooking is having to clean up the mess that is always left behind. The smoothtop stove makes clean-up much easier. Most spills can be wiped away after the surface is cool. Stuck on substances can be scraped off with razor blade of cleaned with a special smoothtop surface cleaner. I have had my stove for over a year and I still have not used the small sample bottle of cleaner that came with the stove.
The elements do stay hot for a long time after use. The control panel has a light that will remain lit until the surface has cooled. I was a bit concerned that I would forget the surface was still warm and place something on the still hot surface. That has not been a problem and thankfully I have not melted or burnt anything on a still warm element.
The drawback
The one thing I do not like about the control panel of the oven is process of canceling the timer. If the timer has been set, and it needs to be canceled, the timer and less buttons have to be pushed. I have made the mistake several times of pushing the cancel button to turn the timer off. Pushing the cancel button will turn the bake feature off and if not noticed, the oven will completely cool and the food will not cook.
The Maytag precision touch control 500 electric smoothtop range is a good choice for the cook looking for an oven with a large cooking space and a surface that is easy to clean. It is a good option for the cost of the oven.
