We also made lots of trips to the farmers' market for fresh vegetables each week in search of different things to try, and had to experiment with alternate cooking techniques. In the end, not having a stove has resulted in both of us losing a few pounds, and exploring a few new ways of cooking things; for instance, having a mesh grilling basket like the one below made it possible to do a wider variety of vegetables, etc. on the grill:
This is now an indispensable requirement for summer grilling. Get one from Williams - Sonoma or Crate & Barrel. |
And now, lots of shiny pictures:
Our 1954 O'Keefe & Merritt model 640, looking like new. (We had the appliance guy drop in the living room for a few photos) Compare with the "before" photos in the previous post. |
The restorers took the whole thing apart, cleaned everything, repainted the chassis, and replaced the insulation around the oven. The exterior panels were in good condition, so this is actually the original enamel, only having been cleaned up.
Broiler on the left side and oven on the right. Note the three chrome drip pans just above. We really like the printed table of cooking temps and times on the inside of the oven door |
The really amazing improvement was with all of the chrome; it shows how impressive these stoves were when new. This thing reminds one of a 1953 Chevy:
SO SHINY! |
All top surfaces and trim pieces were re-chromed, and the burner trivets re-enamelled.
And under the hood:
The speckled enamelling is original; the gas manifolds, flash tubes and burner heads were re-enamelled. There are new gas lines and oven thermostat, and butterfly valves were re-chromed.
This is a view of the broiler in action, one of our favorite features of the stove:
The broiler is raised and lowered by the knob in front (Click to watch live Grillevator action) |
Here is the whole thing re-installed in the kitchen, and everything is back to normal:
Top Down. |
Top up. |
The top also forms a shelf. |
SO SHINY! - Ready for another 56 years. |
Our thanks go to Carolina's Antique Appliances for an impressive and thorough job.