Hello,
my brand new gas oven HEATS UP, and not where it is supposed to!

I just bought a fairly pricey GE Profile gas range (JGB900WEF), and
used the oven for the first time yesterday. I quickly discovered that
the pan I left on the stove top was very hot, so were the racks
covering gas burners (all burners were turned off), and the control
panel in front (!) where the control dials are. I looked in the
manual, and on Page 14 in small print found a warning to remove all
pans and pots from the stove top while using the oven because of
possible heating/melting. No one mentioned this feature in the store.

The hot air from the oven, I found, vents out front, over the stove
top from the raised wall in the back,which makes stove-top cooking
WHILE baking risky, since the air heats pan HANDLES. The other
inconvenience is the hot control panel in front, where the flat
surface behind the dials is very hot to the touch.

I called GE customer service,and described the situation. The woman
registered no surprise, and said all GE ovens have the same venting
mechanism.I have decided, however, to get rid of this unit. But what
will I replace it with? My question is:

Which 30' gas ranges (free-standing or slide-in) do NOT heat up while
the oven is in use? It is inevitable with front venting? Is there any
other? (my old oven did not heat up, had no venting mechanism, though
would today be considered low-end.) I am willing to go up to $800 in
price.I do not need elaborate features like warming drawers,
high-power burners, delay-shut off etc etc. I need sealed burners,
good oven insulation,good temperature control in the oven, and a
self-cleaning feature. And I need it to NOT heat up on top while the
oven is in use. That's all.

I spent two wh I visited too maole days doing internet research and
got nowhere.I read every review there is on gas ranges, but most are
pitches by
sellers or home-improvement companies, few are by customers, and none
mentioned venting/heating problems. Many sites give high ratings to GE
ovens, and one recommended a Hotpoint RGB745 model (which, I learnt is
also manufactured by GE), but not a word about venting.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help you can offer.
Sincerely,

Irina T