NEWTON, Iowa -- At a time when more and more Americans are relying on microwaves to prepare quick meals, Maytag Corp. is betting there are still plenty of die-hard cooks who want a stove with two conventional ovens in their kitchen.
The company last week introduced a free-standing, standard-size, electric range with double ovens and a premium price tag.Ranges typically feature a cooktop surface over a large oven with a drawer underneath for storage. Maytag's new Gemini range, named after the Zodiac sign for twins, has a cooktop surface, a large, standard-size oven on the bottom and another independent, but smaller, oven above that.
Both ovens can broil and bake and are self-cleaning. The upper oven also has an automatic setting to keep food warm after it is prepared and can act as a toaster oven.
The Gemini, which will be available in white, black and brushed chrome, will range in price from $1,399 to $1,499, depending on color, when it reaches stores in July. That is about double the $500 to $700 price tag of a single-oven range, but is below the cost of buying and installing a double-oven unit that is built into a wall, according to Maytag.
More than 85 percent of U.S. homes and more than nine out of 10 homes in Canada have conventional, free-standing stoves with single ovens, said Bill Beer, president of Maytag's appliance unit.
While the Gemini is being billed as another time-saving idea for busy families, Beer concedes some people rely on a microwave or simply do not cook and may never want two ovens. But for those who do cook, Maytag hopes the Gemini will be a must-have item that will help encourage customers to upgrade appliances instead of waiting to replace them when they wear out.
"Just going into people's homes and seeing the problems they encounter and the frustrations is what really gave us the idea," he said.
The company did not provide details on how much it cost to develop the new range, but said it has invested $50 million over the past three years to come up with new products and revamp its line of kitchen appliances.
Maytag chairman Leonard Hadley sees the Gemini as an example of the innovation required by today's competitive appliance industry.