GE Electric Kitchen Range, Model JBS55 Review

I pulled a quick one on my husband when we bought a new refrigerator.  I chose a black model and used this to angle to get away with adding a new kitchen range with a ceramic top to the bill.  I had already decided that when my range needed replacing, that I would go with a ceramic top model.  They look nice, neat and modern!  We browsed the store while waiting on our receipt and noticed that the range was on sale.  This was the icing on the cake as far as I was concerned and sweet talked my hubby into getting it.  The range I fell in love with was the GE Electric Kitchen Range Model No. JBS55.

GE Electric Kitchen Range Model JBS55

This is a very nice and modern looking range at a very moderate price. I chose the black color to match my refrigerator and it looks awesome. The range has a ceramic top with 4 radiant burners, 2 large ones and 2 small ones. The oven is large with plenty of room to cook a Thanksgiving turkey or multiple dishes. Under the oven is a pull out drawer where you can store pots, pans or other items.

Features and Specs

The controls on the GE Electric Kitchen Range Model No. JBS55 are pretty easy to adjust to getting used to. The oven has on/off control that goes immediately to the preheat stage. The oven comes on at 350 degrees-the average temperature for baking.  If you want a higher or lower temperature, you need to change it immediately. The broiler has two settings, and you can choose either the Hi or Low setting. There is no in between factor here, which may be a "con" for some people.  

Burner controls are nice and go from numbers 1 to 9 with a Lo before the number 1 and a high after the number 9 for self explanation.  It is very easy to adjust the temperature with so many settings.

You will also find a normal timer control on the range that can be adjusted by simply pressing the control until it gets to the number of minutes you desire. The timer has a plus side and a negative side to go up or down with the time setting.

The feature I like best is the Hot Surface red light.  This red light will stay on until the surface of the range cools down.  This red light  is easily seen and helps anyone walking up to the range to avoid getting burned by touching a hot surface.

This model comes with a one year  warranty.

Cooking on the Ceramic Top

I have really enjoyed cooking on my range. A nice surprise that I found was that our new house has this exact same kitchen range in it.  However, it is white in color.  I'll have a retro classic modern kitchen with black and white appliances. 

It is recommended that you use stainless steel and heavy aluminum pots on the surface of this range. It can be easily scratched so you will want to put away your cast iron skillets.  I do miss my iron skillet but don't mind the trade-off!   Glass, stoneware and ceramic pots are usable but not recommended for the best performance on this cook top.  Copper bottom cookware is also not advised because it can leave residue on the surface.

Cleanup

Cleaning the surface of this range has been a total pleasure. It is very easy to maintain and I love the fact that it doesn't have hiding places like a normal electric range would have where food can fall under the burners and cooktop.

All I have to do is wipe the surface with a damp sponge after each use. If a better cleaning is needed to remove grease for instance, the manufacturer recommends a product called Cerama Bryte. This will keep your surface shiny and sparkling.  I find using a glass cleaner after soap and water also does the trick at a much cheaper cost, but the Cerama Bryte will cover any scratches where the glass cleaner will not.

The one con to this model is that it does not have a self cleaning oven feature.  From past experience, I have found that this option does not work 100% anyway, so not a big deal to me.

Recommendation

I love the GE Electric Range, Model JBS55.  It looks nice in my kitchen and I love cooking on it.  It cleans up easily too-except for the oven.  Overall, a B++.