Maytag Repair Man Has Nothing on Me!

Ummm. except it wasn't a Maytag appliance. Nor was it a washer or dryer. Other than that, I'm the man.

Ok, so last night I thought it would be a good idea to bake up a quick pan of brownies. There were only two problems with that:

1) There was nothing quick about it.
2) It wasn't a stellar idea.

ok, three problems.

3) They wound up costing me $47.50

They actually turned out to be not bad - a little underdone, or "extra fudgy" as I like to call 'em.

So here's how it went. I already had the batter mixed and poured into the pan and was waiting for the oven to heat up. I waited. I waited some more. Why isn't this thing beeping to let me know it's hot yet? Ok, sometimes I get a little impatient waiting for the oven so I left the kitchen for a little bit. An HOUR later I checked the oven and it had crept up to about 275 of the required 375 degrees. That let me know that we did indeed have a problem, Houston. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

I threw the pan in the oven anyway and hoped for the best. It took about another hour and fifteen minutes, but I finally had my "extra fudgy" brownies.

Today I marched into the kitchen, tools in hand, ready to take on the not-so Hotpoint range. After about 15 minutes I had it narrowed down to two possible culprits. The control unit (retails for anywhere between $130-$200) and the heating element. (Retails for about $45) I called a local appliance parts store and talked to one of the guys there. (Dey Appliance Parts in Saint Paul) I got directions and made my way out there with the element.

Anyone who knows me knows my luck always trends towards the greater of two evils when it comes to stuff like this. I almost never get off cheap. Thus, I was actually talking to the heating element all the way to the store... "You better not work, you S.O.B." and "Come on, just be bad." were the most common.

I got there, he tested the part and whaddia know about that? It WAS bad. Turns out the little heat I was getting from the oven was coming from the broiler element, which "assists" in keeping the heat even. I was never so happy to spend $45 on a part for anything. It was all I could do to keep from doing a little happy dance right there at the counter.

I came home, put the whole thing back together, plugged it in, didn't die, and tested it out. It lives! It LIIIIIIIIVVVVEEESSS!

I think I'll make a pan of regular brownies now.