Holiday Cooking Has Never Been So Convenient #MaytagMoms

Eeeeek! Christmas is only a couple of weeks away. I am so not ready...Our presents are still in hiding and need to be wrapped, and there are even a couple last minute gifts I need to purchase. On top of that, we have had to re-decorate our tree about 25 times because our mischievous Lab/Shepard mix, Snickers, and our Shih-Tzu, Bear seem to think it's fun to pull the garland off of the tree, knocking off tons of ornaments in the process, and chasing each other around the house with it.

At least I know one part of our Holiday preparations will go smoothly: the cooking! With my dependable Maytag range, I can always count on my food coming out wonderfully, with very consistent results. So as I bake about a zillion cookies, they will look the same, from the first batch to the last. No uneven coloring or inconsistencies (provided I use the same kind of cookie sheets each time!) and no surprises.

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Built to cook everything from dinner for two to large family Holiday feasts, this industry-leading 6.2 cu. ft. capacity freestanding range has the space to get it all done and the power to get it done fast.I absolutely love the Triple-Choice element for more flexible, even heating. This element allows me to set the burner's heat according to the size of my cookware. So if I have a huge pasta pot, I use all 3 elements. For a small sauce pan, I just use 1. There is no wasted energy, no uneven heating, and no scorched pans.

I also appreciate the convenience of the 3,200-watt SpeedHeat  element—the industry's most powerful-when I am cooking for my family of 5, and whatever guests happen to be over at meal times. This allows me to get food onto the table fast. This feature is especially helpful for searing steaks or a roast before putting it into the oven to finish. When cooking meats, I prefer to get a nice sear at high temperature before I put it into the oven. This not only gives a beautiful, browned appearance to the food, it also helps lock in all of those mouthwatering flavors, and allows for a juicy, tender dish.

The inside of this oven is also amazing. And HUGE. This oven offers 6.2 cubic feet of cooking space, which is basically unheard of! What does this mean for the customer? Well, you can cook a lot more, all at once. I know one Maytag Mom who cooked 2 large turkeys simultaneously in her oven. I have done a casserole as well as 2 pies all at once. You can choose standard baking or broiling, or convection cooking. (If choosing convection, be sure to do your research and adjust cooking temperatures and times accordingly.)

My husband recently baked a strawberry rhubarb pie, and it ended up spilling over. He added WAY too much filling, and it bubbled and oozed onto the bottom of the oven. Take a look at his mess:

This could spell disaster, since pie fillings can be awfully sticky and really hard to clean when they're baked on. If this were my old oven, I probably would have been pretty unhappy.To be honest, I probably would have griped at him for his carelessness.

But since this is a Maytag with AqualLift technology, I knew that I would be able to clean this mess quickly and almost effortlessly. AqualLift is a special, state of the art coating found in Maytag appliances that makes clean-up easier than ever before. This coating activates with water and heat, and allows baked on, stubborn spills to lift, almost like magic!

All you do is place about a cup or so of water into the bottom of the oven and set the unit to self-clean. No, you won't be waiting for hours, and there won't be any funky odors. As a matter of fact, this process takes less time and operates at a much lower temperature than traditional self-cleaning settings, so you can clean your oven in the middle of the summer without making your kitvhen feel like a sauna. Once the soils are lifted, all you do is wipe it out with a damp cloth or rag and repeat if necessary. Sounds pretty simple, right?

Here's how it works:

Overall, I love my Maytag 6.2 cu. ft. capacity range. I am able to prepare many dishes at once, and I can always be confident that my foods will cook evenly and to perfection. I plan to take full advantage of all of these great features as I prepare for Christmas. I am going to make a nice ham, a couple of pies, some cookies, a carrot cake, and even my super-fantastic baked potato soup. And I will be cooking with confidence, because I know my Maytag can handle it all.


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***Disclosure: I wrote this post participating in an Maytag Moms Dependable Kitchen Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with a Maytag kitchen appliances set, including a refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and range to facilitate my post”