If you are looking for a premium gas slide-in range, Café Appliances vs. KitchenAid is an interesting comparison.
Both KitchenAid and Café are advertised as convection slide-ins but aren't. They also promote two oven cooking, but that isn't exactly the case either. However, premium gas ranges have improved over the years, so this article will cover the new features of both.
You will also learn about reliability for both brands based on over 40,000 service calls.
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Slide-in ranges slide over your countertop, eliminating the seam between your cabinet and range for easier clean-up. You don't have that seam on either side for all the food to drizzle down.
Kitchenaid's and Café's ranges are under 30 inches wide and are front control ranges. They will have the seam but can replace your existing stove without minor cabinet modification. Most brands, including professional ranges, are now front control ranges like Café and KitchenAid.
Slide-in ranges need minor cabinet modification for replacing existing gas stoves. You may want to consider a slide-in for new construction or cleanability.
Let's look at the brands.
Café Appliances is the second-best brand in GE's product portfolio after Monogram. Of course, GE is not GE anymore but is owned by Haier, the Chinese appliance manufacturer. Haier has revitalized GE, especially Café, with new aesthetics and features.
The CGS750P2MS1 is available in several finishes plus their newer "Modernist" mirrored line. You can also buy this range as a single oven, the CGS700P2MS1, and the many less expensive options in their Profile and GE lines.
KitchenAid is the affordable luxury brand of Whirlpool after JennAir. They updated their range over six years ago for capacity but haven't done much since, especially with technology.
The KSGB900ESS is KitchenAid's best range. You can buy it without the baking drawer as the KSGG700ESS. Then you have other options on their less expensive Whirlpool line.
Fun Fact: Both companies only started manufacturing gas ranges in the late 1980s. Before that, Tappan used to manufacture the GE stove while Caloric produced Whirlpools. Both ranges are made in the US.
KitchenAid is a traditional five-burner range, while Café has only a six-burner 30-inch range. You most likely don't need six burners or even five.
The griddle is in the middle for Café while KitchenAid's is on the right. KitchenAid's dual fuel slide-in range, the KSDB900ESS, has the griddle in the middle. KitchenAid is 9200 BTU (British Thermal Units), while Café has two 9500 BTU burners underneath for much better power and even cooking.
Café is technically more powerful per burner at 21,000, 15,000,12,000, 9500, 9500, 5000 BTU. KitchenAid is close with 19,000, 15,000, 9200, 8,000, and 5,000 BTU burners.
Like the cooktop, the difference in oven size is minimal. KitchenAid is the largest at 7.1 cubic feet, but Café is close at 6.7 cubic feet.
However, the oven breakdowns are different, as well as their location. The Café unit breakdown is 2.7 cubic feet in the top smaller oven and 4.7 cubic feet in the lower oven. KitchenAid is 6.5 in the larger oven and 0.6 in the baking drawer.
Café's second oven is on the top and much larger, whereas KitchenAid has a much larger primary oven. They will both fit a turkey.
However, you will have to bend down more in the Café because the secondary oven is on the top. If you are baking smaller items, the Café is more convenient. Ultimately, it depends on what you cook between the two.
Café has the air fry, and I imagine they will be adding Air Sous Vide. Air Fry is the new feature for ranges. However, we can't seem to fry anything in these modes from any manufacturer.
High-speed convection only works in smaller appliances for now. Perhaps air frying will be possible in a larger oven when they involve the broiling element.
KitchenAid does not have any smart functionality, whereas Café may have the best platform in GE's SmartHQ.
SmartHQ will allow you to do the basics. You can turn the oven on or off remotely and see the time remaining in the cycle.
It's also set up to add additional cooking modes remotely. Last year, before Thanksgiving, a "Turkey" mode was added to all existing Café customers, complete with a "gobble gobble" end of cycle signal.
KitchenAid is stainless only, whereas Café has several options. You can buy Café in white and Black as well as steel. Then you can accent your range with brass, copper, or stainless handles. However, different finishes and accents increase the price of the Café range.
Freestanding and Slide-In Gas Range Reliability from March 31, 2021, to March 31, 2022
| Service Rate | |
| Whirlpool | 2.0% |
| Samsung | 2.8% |
| LG Electronics | 4.4% |
| GE Profile | 8.7% |
| Cafe Appliances | 9.1% |
| GE Appliances | 10.0% |
| Beko Appliance | 10.9% |
| KitchenAid | 11.7% |
| JennAir | 13.8% |
| Grand Total | 6.4% |
Based on over 40,000 service calls, Café Appliances is 2.6% more reliable than KitchenAid. In theory, you should have less service in Café than in KitchenAid, but the difference is not that great.
Both GE and Whirlpool operate service companies. It's a rarity in the appliance business but important when buying from a store without service.
Read More: Most Reliable Gas Ranges
GE is testing their Wi-Fi-enabled service features. It could be huge. The product will diagnose its problem and the faulty part directly to the servicer, speeding up service time.
Smart diagnostics is a nice yet not crucial feature but is evolving especially soon. KitchenAid should at least start because they are far behind a vastly improving GE and their SmartHQ.
It depends on what you like and how you use your stove. KitchenAid has one large oven and a much smaller baking drawer. Café has two ovens, a much bigger smaller oven, and a smaller larger oven. You should probably look at both to decide.
Café is better with a higher output cooktop and smart functionality in terms of other features. Smart capabilities are not there yet. However, telling your stove to cook lasagna and opening the door to a perfectly cooked lasagna will be a reality in the next few years. KitchenAid should at least start.
You may be interested in a whole kitchen of appliances. In that case, let's take a brief look at the other appliances.
Both have twin evaporators, so the refrigerator and freezer air doesn't blend. The refrigerator is humid and warmer than the drier, colder freezer, so your food, especially the frozen food, will taste better.
Once again, Café is Wi-Fi-enabled. You can monitor your refrigerator through an app on your phone and change the temperature. The refrigerator will send you to push notifications if you leave the refrigerator or freezer open. It will also remind you to change your filter.
The Café has its Keurig coffee system built into the refrigerator as well. You can even automatically schedule your custom brew through your SmartHQ app in the morning.
You also have many styles in the Café line versus stainless and black stainless in KitchenAid.
We haven't compared Café vs. KitchenAid refrigerators, but you can read Profile vs. KitchenAid Refrigerators on their two less expensive models.
Both dishwashers are new. KitchenAid has its new four-level wash action, and the best racks in the industry are slanted to hold more. It's quiet at 44 decibels (dB).
The Café has special bottle washes and silverware wash with direct washing action under the basket. The Café dishwasher is also quieter at 42 dB, but it also has a grinder to pulverize any bits of food left. All the other quiet dishwashers use a filter.
Both dry well. KitchenAid has a fan to dry air inside the dishwasher. The cooler air is attracted to the warmer air and is dissipated as water. The Café uses a fan to dry warmer air from the dishwasher to dry even plastics. Overall, both are great choices.
Read More: KitchenAid vs. GE Profile Dishwashers
Both have convection and non-convection models. Convection will allow you to cook as a microwave, and convection mode saves you half the time.
Neither works well as a vent. Then again, all over the range microwaves lack suction CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute) and capture depth to vent the powerful front burners.
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about the latest gas ranges and technology? Read the Yale Gas Range Buying Guide with features, specs, and detailed profiles of every major brand. Well over 1 million people have downloaded a Yale Guide.
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