Our Wonderful Thermidor Ovens Bit The Dust After 24 Years.... Go Figure

Our double Thermidor ovens were state-of-the-art back when we first bought this house (almost 25 years ago) and we had many years of joyfully baking, roasting, and broiling in them. Sadly, that time has at long last come to an end.

Our favorite repairman, Charlie, has been mending and patching them back together for the last ten years or so (I'm pretty sure he has a villa in Italy by now). Eventually, the self-cleaning feature died. The clock and timer went next. Last week the bottom heating element in both ovens went out, which is when I made Mr. Snoots face the ugly truth. We had to buy new double ovens... pronto! Heating meals with the broiler would be insane as well as being wasteful of energy. We both did internet searches and discovered that unless we wanted to completely remodel the kitchen, we only had one choice. We will still be forced to have a carpenter alter the space by adding a panel at the top or bottom to accommodate the empty space. Ovens (like most everything else) are smaller than they once were.

Did I happen to mention that once you've had two ovens (for many years), you can never do without them again unless you're stranded on a desert island? This is a fact. One oven would drive me to the edge of madness in no time.


I also have two built-in Toastmaster Warming Ovens below the gas stove but they only heat up to 350 degrees. They were never intended for baking anything so they are completely useless in our time of need. However, they do each have individual heating elements and can be set at dry heat or moist heat. I've always loved that. They are indispensable for parties, which we actually used to have.


So, within 7 to 10 work days (yes, they had to be ordered), I'll be having new double ovens installed. The new ovens won't be Thermidors but they will be the only ovens that come even remotely close to fitting in the former space occupied by the wonderful Thermidor ovens. The end of an era for sure. Sniff! Sniff! I'm sure I'll live, but I loved those ovens.




This is what our new ovens will look like (Obviously, they aren't using the government mandated crappy light bulbs, so their pictures are bright. Mine are not.):





Now I have to go find a handyman to alter the space and make the new ovens fit...