Deep well stove element. How was it used?


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Thread Number: 51147
Deep well stove element. How was it used?

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Post# 735108 2/14/2014 at 00:03 (3,949 days old) by Vacosaurus (Cleveland Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes I have a 40 inch electric stove I think it's a 1949 General electric. It has what I think is referred to as a deep well cooker for a back element. You can pick up the rear left element and you can lower it into a well.I would imagine so you could put a pot down into it to make it more level with the top of the stove. How would this feature be properly used? How common was this as a feature on a range? Was there a special pot that fit the stove specifically or did you use any pot that would fit in there? Thanks Bill,

Post# 735111 , Reply# 1 2/14/2014 at 00:31 (3,949 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The stove originally came with a pot specifically designed for deep well use. Someone here may be able to post a picture of one, in case you're interested in hunting one down. A picture of your stove to confirm its age would help nail down the correct deep well pot for it. The average pot won't work in the deep well, since they have handles attached to the sides. All deep well pots have a lip around the top edge with handles incorporated so the pot can be fully sunken into the well and make contact with the element. You're lucky to have the option to use the deep well element as a regular surface burner. My mom's '49 Westinghouse had a stationary deep well element. No versatility at all.

Post# 735120 , Reply# 2 2/14/2014 at 01:43 (3,949 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 1 *My Norge* Has a dual duty unit, its great for boiling pasta or slow cooking a roast, I think what makes the deep well cooker handy is, 1 its safer, you cant accidentaly tip over the pot, and 2 you can see into it better, especially if you are shorter, In the mid 50s GE and Hotpoint made a deep fryer immersion unit that really worked well, it went down into the pot which of course was about 1/2 full of oil, it worked just like a commercial deep fryer.An outlet on the back splash of the range supplied the power.

Post# 735123 , Reply# 3 2/14/2014 at 01:49 (3,949 days old) by vintagekitchen ()
Checkrate/Likes 1 a money saving pain in the a** They were meant to be economical, often called a thrift cooker, the well had heavily insulated sides, and the pot had a heavily insulated lid. This meant you could cook one pot meals using less current, and heating the house less ( very important in pre air conditioner days). I used to have a 1939 GE with a deep well and a deep well cookbook, that stated an entire meal for 4 could be cooked I the average deep well pot, including meat vegetables and dessert. It was full of such recipes, telling one when to put in the meat, then how much later to add each vegetable, and whether the vegetables should be loose or in bundle of aluminum foil, and last when to add a small pan of some sort of dessert, which made for a tightly packed deep well and no second helpings. Deep wells were economical, and were much cooler to use in pre air conditioned homes, being so well insulated they could be used as a small oven in the summer. Unfortunately the simply were not as versatile as a surface level burner. It was frustrating when cooking a regular meal to need that 4th burner, for a small pan or a large frying pan, but it is only available for use with a large pot. Manufacturers tried offering triangular insert pans with allowed 3 vegetable to cook at once seperately, half moon inserts for 2 vegetables, a pressure cooker variant, and even as you see, the burner on some could be raised for use as a surface burner. However they finally fell out of fashion, being more of a hindrance than a help, and eliminating the possibility of a second 8 inch burner, as well as not being able to be used as a surface unit on most models. Ugh, you should try cleaning one if something has the misfortune to boil over into the well, yuck. And difficult! I don't miss mine.

Post# 735126 , Reply# 4 2/14/2014 at 02:16 (3,949 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 1 *The Norge ..* Has a 8 inch unit!!

Post# 735127 , Reply# 5 2/14/2014 at 02:17 (3,949 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Here is how..* You lower it.

Post# 735128 , Reply# 6 2/14/2014 at 02:18 (3,949 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Low* Position..

Post# 735129 , Reply# 7 2/14/2014 at 02:20 (3,949 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 2 *And with..* The pot in place, I also have a Presto deep well pressure cooker, it came with a Kelvinator, but it fits the Norge fine.

Post# 735130 , Reply# 8 2/14/2014 at 02:40 (3,949 days old) by vintagekitchen ()
Checkrate/Likes 1 *wow* Hans, you never fail to amaze me and show us something previously unseen. I truly didn't realize any company offered a deep well with an 8 inch burner, no less an 8 inch burner that could double as a surface unit. I still didn't find the deep well itself very useful, except as a version of built in crockpot or a built in stock pot, and boil overs were a pain to clean, but I have to admit that the ability to use it as an 8 inch surface unit would have made it much more acceptable to me. Amazing that other manufacturers didn't jump on the bandwagon with a deep well like the Norge version.

Post# 735154 , Reply# 9 2/14/2014 at 06:33 (3,948 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Bill:* The pot for your stove was indeed special. It fit the well exactly, and had specially-contoured handles that made it easy (and safe!) to lift the pot from the well's burner. Here's a shot of the correct pot, on a GE Stratoliner from 1948; your range used the same part:

Post# 735155 , Reply# 10 2/14/2014 at 06:46 (3,948 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *And Here's....* A shot of one of these pots sitting in the well of a 1948 GE Airliner. As you can see, it sits fairly flush with the cooktop, not causing any interference with the use of other burners. These pots are medium-weight aluminum, with a Bakelite handle for the lid:

Post# 735158 , Reply# 11 2/14/2014 at 07:11 (3,948 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Drawbacks:* Deep-well cookers weren't an unalloyed joy. First, the burners under them were usually the kind you have - open-coil nichrome elements that were of limited use when raised, and not exactly easy to clean, either. Second, the cooker caught cooking grease from the other burners, meaning that spatters ended up on the lid and handles of the deep-well pot. This was a real tooth-grinder after a while; I remember it well from the 1948 Frigidaire we had for so many years when I was growing up. Cleaning the cooktop after preparing a meal always involved some work involving the deep-well cooker or its burner, whether you used it or not.

Post# 735167 , Reply# 12 2/14/2014 at 08:27 (3,948 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The stove we had in our house when I was growing up had the deep well on the left rear. It was a large burner and it worked just as Hans showed above. I'm not sure of the make of the stove. It was a 40" model with the 4 burners on the left. Below it was a pull out warming drawer and below that a pots/pans drawer. My mom used the warming drawer to store pots/pans - I never once saw it used as a warming drawer. The right side was just a flat surface with the oven below that and another pots/pans drawer below the oven. The oven door had a glass window. With all the pics of vintage stoves on this site, I've yet to come across one that was the same as what we had. I'm thinking that it was a Westinghouse but for some reason Marquette also sounds familiar. It had push buttons for the 4 surface units, clock, a round timer knob and a round knob for the oven temeperature. On the circumference of the oven switch there was another dial with 3 positions to select bake, broil or preheat. Gary

Post# 735176 , Reply# 13 2/14/2014 at 08:53 (3,948 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes I've had a couple of deep-well cookers on ranges but have never utilized them fully. Tom kindly sent me the popcorn stirring arm for my Frigidaire range and I did use that several times with wonderful results. The high heat and heavy pan, somewhat insulated by the well in the range made for fast popping and never scorched. That's a great finger-loop on your Norge element, Hans, it would make raising and lowering easier.

Post# 735181 , Reply# 14 2/14/2014 at 08:58 (3,948 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes The early Frigidaires even had what they called the "Thriftomatic" control for the deep well cooker. This control had the the "High" setting on an adjustable 30 minute timer, which, when it got to end of whatever time you set on it, turned the heat down to "low". This allowed you to get everything up to cooking temperature and then it automatically turned down the heat. Also, by the 1950s All of the Frigidaire deep well elements were 8", although they were usually of a lower wattage than the front unit (1600 watts if memory serves me correctly).

Post# 735194 , Reply# 15 2/14/2014 at 09:11 (3,948 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 2 Frigidaire and high end Westinghouse ranges also used to offer an 8 inch raisable element in the deepwell after the early 50s when some deepwells still had open coil elements mounted in firebrick. Frigidaire sold the Mirro-Matic deepwell pressure cooker as an accessory. They had a 6 quart capacity, but were narrower than Mirro's top of the range models. GE ranges offered the EKCO-made pressure cooker for their deepwells which, pretty much to the end, used a 6 inch raisable Calrod element. On my 1954 Frigidaire, the deepwell element was 1700 watts while the front 8 inch element was 2100 watts so when I replaced the front elements with 208 volt elements, I put the 2100 in the rear position since I don't use the deep well cooker. If you look at many deepwell pans, you will notice that with the exception of the modern Hotpoint, most had covers than enabled them to be used as a resting place for pans or plates and the like. Most had either knobs that were flat on top, like the Frigidaires or that were recessed into the cover, like the GE above and the Westinghouse pans. The cover knob on the Hotpoint had the soft green color in the top to match the green ceramic button in the middle of the medallion for the left rear surface unit. (Thank you, again, Robert, for giving me that pan more than 20 years ago.) On the underside of the cover was a bracket. The cover could be lowered into the well and, once at the bottom, could be twisted to lock onto the frame in the center of the element. The element coud then be raised to the surface position and set into place without touching the element or worry about damaging a manicure. Just before WWII, Revere Ware introduced their own deepwell pan. It was shown as part of the line through the mid 50s. That is an item on my dream list that I have not yet found. In keeping with deep well pan design standards, it has the cover knob recessed also. A feature introduced in the Frigidaire deepwell was a thermostat in the side wall of the well. When the pan was in place, it pressed against the side. It controlled the temperature when deep frying. The fat was heated on high until the round signal light came on. The heat was switched to medium high and the signal light indicated the cycling of one of the two wires in the Radiantube to maintain the temperature so that you could be sure that the fat was hot enough for the next batch of food. Frigidaire deep wells also had a baking rack that rested on the element supports. In the days before toaster ovens, three potatoes could be baked in it, as well as apples in the pudding pan or three baked custards. Frigidaire also sold a popcorn popping stirer that snapped into place under the cover since it is hard to shake a 40 inch range to stir the corn. All the cook had to do was turn the cover occasionally during popping by its nice Bakelite handle. It used 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 3/4 cup of corn to yield 6 quarts of popped corn.

Post# 735197 , Reply# 16 2/14/2014 at 09:15 (3,948 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Thriftomatic switch* Jeff noted years ago that the way some people cook, all surface units should have a switch that only allowed them to use high heat for an automatically timed period.

Post# 735198 , Reply# 17 2/14/2014 at 09:19 (3,948 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes The deep well element on the '49 Westinghouse was 8" in diameter but it was the open coil nichrome type and didn't put out the same level of BTUs as the "Corox" elements. The Westy's deep well pot had a steamer plate that could be positioned at various levels. I think this was an across-the-board design with all manufacturers. The picture Hans posted in reply #7 shows the notches in the side of the pot that hold the steamer plate. The lid on the Westy's pot was not heavily insulated. It was aluminum, just like the rest of the pot. I've been passing by a deep well pot at Salvation Army lately. It has no lid or identifying marks, and has been knocking around the cookware aisle for weeks.

Post# 735213 , Reply# 18 2/14/2014 at 11:23 (3,948 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The plate was also used to put on top of the one kettle meal as a place to rest the pudding pan to cook the dessert. The instructions made a very strong point about keeping the foods actively steaming to prevent flavors from mingling. Back when people used glass baby bottles and before the formula was sterilized in the bottles, the plate was put in the bottom of the kettle when sterilizing the inverted bottles.

Post# 735215 , Reply# 19 2/14/2014 at 11:40 (3,948 days old) by gredmondson (San Francisco, California 94117 USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 When I was growing up, my folks built a new house, and it had a 1959 Thermador built-in range top. There was a griddle and a deep well in the back left. The burner could be raised. We never used that deep well feature.

Post# 735219 , Reply# 20 2/14/2014 at 12:00 (3,948 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Mark is right about Frigidaire deep wells, on my '59 Custom Imperial (last year for deep wells in Frigidaire ranges) the 8" burner had the same wattage as the rear 6" burner. And even if the the late-1950s Frigidaire deep well burners were controlled by an infinite switch, they kept the 3 wire design from earlier 5 heat burners. By 1959, all other burners that were used with an infinite switch had already switched to a 2 wire design. Greg, can you send a picture of the popcorn stirrer? I have never seen that!

Post# 735239 , Reply# 21 2/14/2014 at 14:45 (3,948 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *Hotpoint..* Had a nice feature on there deep well, the lid to the pot had a hook thing on the bottom side, you set the lid down on the unit, turned it slightly, it engaged the unit allowing you to lower or raise it while hot, after 1955, Hotpoint put their supermatic thermostatic unit on the left rear, so the deep well was thermostatically controlled, an 8 inch high wattage unit and usable for the deep well, also it came with a square heavy aluminum frying pan meant to take the place of an electric frypan, in 57 you could get a 6 quart percolator.

Post# 735266 , Reply# 22 2/14/2014 at 19:27 (3,948 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes 2 My 1950 Frigidare has one, though I had to replace mine with one out of a 1947 model. It works well, but I agree a regular burner would be more useful. There are some good recipes for them though. I really like the Thermiser recipe for custard.

Post# 735269 , Reply# 23 2/14/2014 at 19:34 (3,948 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Will:* In case I haven't said so before, I really like your kitchen. I was in dozens like it when I was growing up - and haven't seen one like it in a long time. Everything's terribly built-in and elegant now, but the character is gone. P.S.: The cabinets in the house I grew up in were also knotty pine, but stained much darker. The hardware was exactly the same as yours.

Post# 735295 , Reply# 24 2/14/2014 at 21:30 (3,948 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks Sandy!* One of these days, when I redo the 2007-era counter tops and floor that the flippers put in, I will have to give you all the 'tour' in pictures. Or if you are ever in this part of the country, you'll have to stop by and visit. :)

Post# 735301 , Reply# 25 2/14/2014 at 21:53 (3,948 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *I know what would look good on those counters!* Because I intend on having it on mine..real Linoleum, with chrome edging! LOVE the pine cabinets and the real refrigerator and stove, their just isnt any comparison once you use good stuff!!

Post# 735366 , Reply# 26 2/15/2014 at 04:00 (3,948 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)
Checkrate/Likes 1 When did manufacturers stopped to offer deep well cookers? Here's the one on my 1959 Frigidaire, the last year from that brand, but how about other manufacturers?

Post# 735367 , Reply# 27 2/15/2014 at 04:12 (3,948 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *I know..* You could still get one on a Hotpoint in 61, but after that I have no idea, I love mine, but its one of those deals you love or hate.

Post# 735403 , Reply# 28 2/15/2014 at 10:21 (3,947 days old) by cornutt (Huntsville, AL USA)
Checkrate/Likes *That '59 Frigidaire is great!* Would love to see more pics of it.

Post# 735427 , Reply# 29 2/15/2014 at 12:25 (3,947 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes Whither the OP?

Post# 735459 , Reply# 30 2/15/2014 at 14:46 (3,947 days old) by Vacosaurus (Cleveland Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Wow! 29 replies to my question already. Guess I ( Stirred the pot)with this one. Had this stove many years and was less than enthused that it was on this stove but after reading your responses now I think it's pretty cool. Yes Danemodsandy I think I will try and find the correct pot and lid. Thank's for posting the pictures of it. I will take some pictures of the range and serial number and post them to accuratly date the range and mabey some one here may have a correct pot and lid. Thank's Bill,

Post# 735479 , Reply# 31 2/15/2014 at 16:54 (3,947 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Bill:* There aren't any GE ones on eBay at the moment, but that's where I would focus. A bit of research dug up the fact that Mirro made a lot of the units for various manufacturers. Anyway, I'd search eBay for "deep well cooker" and do a "saved search" on it, so that you'll be notified as they come up on the site. Then I'd wait patiently for just the right unit at just the right price. It'll happen!

Post# 735533 , Reply# 32 2/15/2014 at 19:40 (3,947 days old) by vintagekitchen ()
Checkrate/Likes *possible pan for you..* Somewhere around here I have one of the pressure cooker pans for a deep well. It was too short for my GE, so I never used it much in the deep well, but I did use it on the surface burners and it still seals and comes up to proper pressure. If the dimensions are correct, I suppose you could use it as a regular pot also, just not twisting the lid into the locked position. Also it is much thicker than a regular deep well pot, so pinholes are less likely. They were the death of many a deep well pot. I will look for it and post the dimensions for you.

Post# 735537 , Reply# 33 2/15/2014 at 20:06 (3,947 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes Yes, be sure to check dimensions. My 1950 Frigidare and the 1947 model that I got parts out of had different size deep wells. The 1947 was thinner and taller than the 1950.

Post# 785789 , Reply# 34 9/26/2014 at 10:56 (3,724 days old) by mrsclark ()
Checkrate/Likes *Sizes* I guess that last response would answer my question... I have a Kelvinator model ER-455 with the deep well pot. I have the pot, but the bottom is burned out of it. I would like to get another but havent seen any online for Kelvinators, so was wondering if one of the others would fit. Sorry, couldnt get the size of the picture down or flipped, it is right in my file, just not when I upload it here!

Post# 785792 , Reply# 35 9/26/2014 at 11:10 (3,724 days old) by DADoES (TX,�U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes � Is your range white or pink?

Post# 785794 , Reply# 36 9/26/2014 at 11:29 (3,724 days old) by mrsclark ()
Checkrate/Likes It is white.

Post# 786397 , Reply# 37 9/29/2014 at 23:40 (3,721 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)
Checkrate/Likes *Kelvinator deep well* Look up a small fabrication shop that does aluminum work. Get a piece 1/16 - 1/4 aluminum plate. Cut it to fit with a jig saw or band saw. A few buck or a case of beer should get you a nice tig or mig welding job done. A small shop will generally do this where the bigger outfits are too uptight and greedy. It may sound involved, but it's really no big deal.

Post# 786471 , Reply# 38 9/30/2014 at 11:10 (3,720 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 2 OR, you can buy the one for sale on eBay now and if you don't like it, you can wait and watch.

Post# 786497 , Reply# 39 9/30/2014 at 14:10 (3,720 days old) by mikael3 (Atlanta)
Checkrate/Likes *Concerning the low wattage in the well...* On a Frigidaire, is it possible to replace the 1700 radiantube with a 2100 radiantube? I haven�t yet hooked up my 1950 Frigidaire RM-65, but one of the things I�m worried about is that low-wattage burner. We have a pot and a lid, a rack, and a steamer plate; but I wasn�t really looking to be a big deep-well chef. I really, really want a second strong burner.

Post# 786563 , Reply# 40 9/30/2014 at 18:57 (3,720 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)
Checkrate/Likes *low wattage well* Swap the burners in and out as needed. The best of both worlds.

Post# 786571 , Reply# 41 9/30/2014 at 19:22 (3,720 days old) by mikael3 (Atlanta)
Checkrate/Likes No re-wiring necessary?

Post# 991948 , Reply# 42 4/24/2018 at 08:43 (2,418 days old) by pdchesser (Knoxville)
Checkrate/Likes *Looking for a Thermizer deep well* We were very fortunate to buy a house with a working Frigidaire Imperial Wonder Oven, Model RS 60. Unfortunately it is missing its deep well cooker, known in the brochure as a 'THERMIZER." Does anyone know where I might be able to find one of these? Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 991954 , Reply# 43 4/24/2018 at 09:42 (2,418 days old) by ken (NYS)
Checkrate/Likes Look on ebay. Search deep well pot or deep well cooker. Make sure you verify diameter and height. From what I've read here Mirro brand pots were supplied with Frigidaire and Norge ranges. There may have been others that also used Mirro. GE used Ekco brand. GE deep pots were smaller in diameter because the rear burner used with them was the smaller 6". Here's one that may work for you. CLICK HERE TO GO TO ken's LINK on eBay

Post# 992877 , Reply# 44 5/2/2018 at 14:00 (2,410 days old) by pdchesser (Knoxville)
Checkrate/Likes *Burner holder for bottom of deep well?* Thank you! I did purchase the deep well cooker you recommended and it fits perfectly. My only issue now is that when I drop the radiantube burner down into the deep well (you have to remove a little tripod that it sits on) it doesn't sit flat on the bottom. So when you put the pot on, it doesn't fit all the way down, and it sits crooked. This makes me wonder if I am missing a part that the burner is supposed to sit on. Any insights on this? Thanks so much! Dawn

Post# 992895 , Reply# 45 5/2/2018 at 16:34 (2,410 days old) by ken (NYS)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Other members please correct me if Im wrong* But the tripod/burner support should be permanently attached to the element on that burner. When you drop the element down to use the deep well pot the support goes down with it. You don't want the element sitting directly on the porcelain surface of the liner. I know it to be that way on a 56 Frigidaire as I have one. Don't know if it was different on earlier models. This post was last edited 05/02/2018 at 19:37

Post# 1024313 , Reply# 46 2/11/2019 at 15:20 (2,125 days old) by Geneva (Oklahoma City, OK)
Checkrate/Likes *Need Frigidaire RO-60 deep well pot* Son has just set a closing date for a home with a Frigidaire RO-60 range. Made in the USA!! I LOVE it! However, it is missing some parts. I found this site and am so excited. I put a watch out for a deep well pot and today, I see this on eBay. Would this fit it? They give dimensions, but he hasn't closed on the house yet, so I can't measure the opening. Hope I can get him one to fit! CLICK HERE TO GO TO Geneva's LINK on eBay

Post# 1024316 , Reply# 47 2/11/2019 at 16:41 (2,125 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington NC)
Checkrate/Likes YES!

Post# 1024320 , Reply# 48 2/11/2019 at 17:14 (2,125 days old) by Geneva (Oklahoma City, OK)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Thank you, luxflairguy!* I have purchased the deep well pot on eBay! Thank you so much for helping me. No idea if I paid too much or got a great deal, but I REALLY wanted to have one. I'm happy! I fell in love with that RO-60. The 24 year old that is living with it now says the oven runs hot, but I'll bet she hasn't read about them. I got all three manuals from Automatic Ephemera and have read them. Hoping that turning to broil and then back to the temp wanted will help. I didn't see the divider for the upper and lower oven and am just hoping it is sitting on the bottom oven. The panel that folds down over the lower oven was in the bottom pan drawer, so hoping the rest is there! The range does so much! Am very excited! While he moves into the house, I'll be playing with the range. Thank you again!!

Post# 1024330 , Reply# 49 2/11/2019 at 19:02 (2,125 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *these* Ovens are easy to adjust.

Post# 1024356 , Reply# 50 2/12/2019 at 05:56 (2,124 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes Ken is right about the support. It is permanently attached to the original Thermizer element. With the modification I made to my range, if I were to ever use the Deep Well Thermizer with the element in the down position, I would have to place the support in the bottom of the well before lowering the element.

Post# 1024366 , Reply# 51 2/12/2019 at 08:20 (2,124 days old) by Geneva (Oklahoma City, OK)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Inspection Needed?* This RO-60 is being used currently, but only partially... When he closes on the house, should I have someone check out the wiring before I start trying everything out? View Full Size

Post# 1024433 , Reply# 52 2/13/2019 at 02:07 (2,124 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes 3 *Please* Do not get a electrician or young appliance tech , all they will do is tell you its old and unsafe, get someone like a older tech or better yet someone who specializes in old appliances,

Post# 1080534 , Reply# 53 7/10/2020 at 19:12 (1,610 days old) by Sherry01 (Murfreesboro, tenn)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I need help learning about my 1954 frigidaire RT-70 stove.* I have a list of all the parts numbers for most of the Ro and Rt models of the frigidaire stoves from the 50's ending with the RT -70 G but the problem I have is the numbers they are listing do not come up. Is there some sort of prefix numbers or letters that I should be using. I am a newly with this stove and I want to make sure how to get replacement parts if need be. Thank you all for any suggestions I can give me. View Full Size

Post# 1093446 , Reply# 54 10/16/2020 at 18:13 (1,512 days old) by Zackolon (Lewes)
Checkrate/Likes *Countryguy* Is this the oven your talking about ??? View Full Size

Post# 1093468 , Reply# 55 10/16/2020 at 21:31 (1,512 days old) by iej (.... )
Checkrate/Likes I can see why that never caught on. Interesting concept though. Very similar to the heated pots used on self service counters in buffets to hold soups, stews, oatmeal on breakfast bars etc etc etc 1. Solution in search of a problem. I�m mean what real advantage did it give over a normal burner? 2. Extremely difficult to clean if that deep well got the contents of a boiled over pot or a spill under the element. 3. Mechanically complex. You don�t want to have moving high temp elements if you don�t need them. 4. Obviously required specific pots. I remember those open ring stoves here. They were never much of a thing in continental Europe, but in Ireland and Britain, before ceramic tops were popular those open rings were the norm, as they heat and cool a lot faster than solid rings. I just seem to remember them being a cleaning problem. Our Creda stove lifted up, much like a car hood, and there were some kind of removable trays or maybe it was one big tray (I can�t remember the exact details) however it was always a mess if something boiled over or fell through the ring.

Post# 1093538 , Reply# 56 10/17/2020 at 18:36 (1,511 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)
Checkrate/Likes In one of the rentals I lived, the push button GE electric range had one of those deep well cookers. I never used it. Cause the landlady said it was broken. I suppose if I had investigated I could have figured out the problem and fixed it, but it was never a big deal to me - I rarely use all four burners anyway. I just used it (it has a flat cover) to set pots to cool down.

Post# 1093539 , Reply# 57 10/17/2020 at 18:45 (1,511 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)
Checkrate/Likes 3 Until we switched stoves the deep well was used quite a bit. I think it's handy.

Post# 1094118 , Reply# 58 10/22/2020 at 23:00 (1,506 days old) by mikael3 (Atlanta)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I think the well was taken from the design of older gas ranges. As I understand it, the little space was energy-efficient for gas cooking. Chambers was especially famous for their wells, and one could cook a whole meal in that little hole using their stack-able racks. I’m not sure a well is equally useful in an electric range, which may be why they were never as popular as the gas-range wells. The coils on Frigidaires can be lifted up and used for surface cooking, which kind of gives the best of both worlds, except that the coils are not very strong. Some have said that they can be replaced with a regular surface coils. I’m not sure if that can be done without some re-wiring. The RT-70 is my favorite model of all, especially the ones that LACK the glass in the door. The glass takes away from the “wall of enamel” that makes those old ranges look fantastic.

Post# 1094133 , Reply# 59 10/23/2020 at 06:00 (1,505 days old) by washerboy (Little Rock Arkansas)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I thought deep wells were cool* My grandmother and all my aunts had them. But every time I'd peek under the lid it was always the same thing; either green beans or turnip greens....seriously!!!..lol

Post# 1094196 , Reply# 60 10/23/2020 at 14:07 (1,505 days old) by mikael3 (Atlanta)
Checkrate/Likes The thought of green beans and turnip greens really takes me back to my childhood. It seems like we had green beans every day, what we picked fresh in the summer or what we canned for the winter. I don’t remember getting tired of them. Turnip greens are a different matter. I didn’t like them then and I don’t like them now. I like mustard greens, and my grandmother often made them for me—but turnip greens were more common.

Post# 1095338 , Reply# 61 10/31/2020 at 21:10 (1,497 days old) by Steve340 (Puyallup)
Checkrate/Likes *Here is a GE Deep fryer unit* I bought this thinking it would fit my Hotpoint but the angle of my control panel is different than a GE. View Full Size

Post# 1095350 , Reply# 62 10/31/2020 at 23:17 (1,497 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes I'll bet somebody here has a GE stove that deep fryer element would fit. The deep well unit on my mom's '49 Westinghouse had the open coil/clay block heating unit, which she considered basically useless for anything but slow cookery. I think the most common things it was used for were soups and sauces, both of which were started in the deep well pot on top of a surface unit, then dropped into the deep well to simmer slowly over a period of hours. For pasta sauce, this freed up the large burner for boiling the water once the sauce was ready. Even though it could be used as a steamer quite effectively, never once did I witness that.

Post# 1102095 , Reply# 63 12/26/2020 at 21:50 (1,441 days old) by MichMom (Midwest (USA))
Checkrate/Likes 1 *GE Deep Fryer Unit - Steve340* @Steve340 Yes, I've have a 1958 GE with the Deep Well Fryer socket. I would be interested in purchasing it from you. View Full Size

Post# 1107392 , Reply# 64 2/9/2021 at 18:17 (1,396 days old) by MichMom (Midwest (USA))
Checkrate/Likes 2 Thanks to Steve340!! The deep well fryer fits like a glove! So glad to have it. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 1107396 , Reply# 65 2/9/2021 at 18:45 (1,396 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)
Checkrate/Likes Wow, neat. I've long been on the look out for the deepwell pressure cooker insert for my Frigidaire range, they are very rare.

Post# 1107419 , Reply# 66 2/9/2021 at 22:37 (1,396 days old) by MichMom (Midwest (USA))
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Oops, I've learned a little my Stratoliner is a 1954!* @Matt The only place I've ever seen the pressure cooker top is in an old GE ad film on you tube. Would love to have one of those too! But I feel so fortunate to get the deep fryer. It's so nice I don't want to use it and get it oily.

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