This Mama Cooks! Reviews

My Frigidaire has arrived!

My Frigidaire Gallery Freestanding Electric Range and my Frigidaire Gallery Over-The-Range Microwave have finally arrived.

I don’t know who was more excited the kids or me. Here are my first impressions and some suggestions for the people at Frigidaire.

Click here to see the entire Frigidaire Gallery Collection. Or go to the main Frigidaire site to learn more about their appliances. Don’t forget to check out the Frigidaire Facebook Page, too!

Installation

The installation by a local company was a snap. The gentleman installing it arrived on time and didn’t need turn-by-turn directions and me standing in the street waving to get here. (It’s amazing how many people have a tough time getting here even though they have GPS units in their delivery or work vans.)

He took a look at my old unit and range hood, and asked me to remove the spices from the cabinet above the stove, since he needed access to install the microwave. After he removed the old unit, he gave me a few minutes to clean the floor, wall and cabinet sides – it’s amazing how much yucky crud had accumulated even behind the old stove in the last nine years. Thank goodness I was on the phone with GeekMommy or I would have hurled.

My installer also repositioned the electric plug since like the rest of this house, things were done a bit strangely by the builders. Even so, the install took less than an hour and was done with a minimum of fuss, inconvenience or noise.

Recommendation: I’ll touch on this later, but these new appliances are a bit intimidating with all their buttons and setting. A few basic instructions from the installer on how to use the stove top, microwave and stove would have been a classy touch. I’ve had home theater and satellite TV installers do that. Instead, the only tip from my installer was to clean the range with the special stove top polish (a small bottle came with the appliances) before using it to cook.

I know that may be impossible to train installers on every single product they handle, so another option would be a new owner’s DVD that would cover use and care. Also, coupons for stove and microwave safe cleaning products along with instruction booklets and warranty info would have been cool, too.

This Mama Cooks! with the Frigidaire Appliance Test Drive

My home is falling apart. The house is now 10 years old and we’ve lived here for almost nine years. Having two kids who put holes in walls, and a husband who wears his motorcycle boots in the house means it’s time to give the old girl a facelift, so this spring starts off the Year of Remodeling. We’re going to:

• redo the master bathroom (tile the floor and install a bigger shower)
• paint and carpet the entire interior, except for the kids’ rooms
• put in new baseboard and trim
• tile the other bathrooms and the back hall
• have the wood floors in the kitchen refinished

That’s all our budget covers for now, which is too bad because we could use new kitchen appliances, too. We have the cheapo range and the crummy dishwasher the builders put in. Our refrigerator is fine, but it’s getting a bit worn out, too.

Well, Mom Central and Electrolux must have read my mind, because they’re giving me a chance to be part of the Frigidaire Appliance Test Drive. I’m one of the lucky moms who is getting Frigidaire kitchen appliances – a Frigidaire Gallery Over-the-Range Microwave and a Frigidaire Gallery Freestanding Range. Other moms are getting dishwashers, refrigerators, or washer/dryers. It’s all to test Frigidaire’s brilliant new collection of more than 250 kitchen and laundry appliances, released just in time for Mother’s Day! They designed these high-performance products with easy-to-use, time-saving features to give moms more free time away from the kitchen and laundry room.