Wolf AG or GE Cafe
paulskor
12 years ago
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paulskor
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Dacor 30' DF Discovery, Wolf 30' AG or GE Monogram 30' DF
Comments (11)I could go on and on about everything wrong with Dacor and have on this forum, but my experience was three years ago and maybe they are better now. I had the Discovery wall oven and the ER36D range. I would also be aware that sales incentives can color the opinion of some sales people. Before you buy, check out the reputation of the store where you would buy your appliances. Check online reviews and BBB. Anyway after we got rid of our Dacor appliances(they bought them back), we thought maybe BS and drove 250 miles to look at them but my husband did not like the fit and finish and they were having problems with the doors and ignitors at the time. We decided to go with the Wolf DF with a sealed burner. I thought we were settling at the time because I wouldn't have the 22K burner. When I got the range, I loved it. It has plenty of heat for the type of cooking I do -searing steaks and the occasional stir fry. The simmer can keep a pot of mashed potatoes on all burners indefinitely. It is often said the flame on the sealed burner spreads but I have not problem making caramel in a 7 inch pan. The semi sealed burner on Wolf AG is different and I haven't cooked on it. If I did a lot of stir fry and high heat cooking where I wanted a more central high heat and that were the most important consideration, I would think about the culinarian and if the simmer wasn't low enough use a simmer plate. I still like the BS shape of the burner for even heating. I don't think there is only one good range but each has features that might suit your style of cooking. The oven in the Wolf DF is great because you can manipulate the heat from the top or bottom depending on what you are baking/roasting and you can use the convection only mode if the oven is really filled up. I've never had to though as it bakes very evenly on the conv bake cycle. I also like the cool doors, with the grands running around plus I don't want to stand in front of a hot oven and the self clean. The AG ranges have the infrared broilers but we grill outside 95% of the time so this was not a feature that was important to me. I know you didn't ask about Wolf DF but since you were considering Dacor DF, I thought I would mention it. Good luck with your decision. deeageaux- "You can argue how much better the Culinarian cooktop is but I don't think anyone can serioiusly argue that the Wolf/Monogram is as good or better" Yes, you can. They are very different and not everyone has the same priorities when choosing a cooktop or range....See MoreBertazzoni, GE Profile, GE Cafe or Electrolux Gas Range?
Comments (13)I am not sure how useful this will be. I replaced an electric smoothtop (I hate them!) in my house in Oregon with an Electrolux Wavetouch 5 burner dual fuel LP range. I only lived there full time for about a year with the range before relocating to Maine. Am not sure what the fascination with smooth tops, but I ended up with another one in the place I have purchased in Maine, its dual burner died after 4 months of use. I decided to replace it with the 30" all LP Berta range and am taking advantage of the hood promotion (BTW, they retail for $1,200). My place is heated with an LP based European type hydronic radiant heat units and a LP fireplace, so adding cooking should not tax my 300 gallon LP tank, LOL! I was looking for a range that is decidedly "manual" without an electronic interface due to the wind and subsequent power outages that are to common in this part of the state. I was also advised of service problems with the electronic interfaces on the Electroluxes, even though my range in Oregon has not had a service problem as of yet, knock on wood (am a reluctant landlord). Initially, I planned to purchase an Electrolux dual fuel floor model but could not pass up the hood promotion Bertazzoni is currently offering. I am only hoping when the range is installed, the oven temp will be adequately calibrated. I previously owned a Viking, but really did not want to spend the extra money for what I thought would be of marginal benefit. I also do not miss cleaning the Viking grates which were an exercise in weightlifting too! I visited friends of mine a few years ago in Europe and I believe they have a Berta (the knobs are pretty distinctive). I do about 70% rangetop and 30% oven cooking. My old Viking had gas convection and an infrared broiler and I really liked the oven and understand that the Berta is similar, though I believe the heat control is different (regulated by flame instead of on and off)....See Moreall gas under 3,000
Comments (16)I have a friend with Berta and she loves it. She ans her hubby are into the farm share/locally sourced food thing and she cooks a lot. I was seriously considering one, loved the look, and especially loved that I could manually ignite the gas oven, as I live in a rural area and still have not recovered from the Thanksgiving I lost electricity before the turkey was cooked! I ended up with a propane Capital Precision floor model for a steal, and I must say it is overall excellent range -- I love the power wok burner/grate and the burners are very responsive, from simmer to rocket ignition. I am still learning to use the new to me convection feature, but it seems to me the oven does not heat as evenly as I would have wished, and the rack spacing is awkward. It is still 1000% percent better than the range it replaced so I am happy, and it is one solid hunk of range. Another bonus is the removable oven floor - an extra bonus for me as I am a habitual pie over-filler. I had the floor out for cleaning after the second time I used the oven. Everyone who has seen it comments favorably. It is also a very simple range, which is good for me because again, I live in the boonies. If need be I could make adjustments to the burner, etc. myself. I'm not sure what the new price would be but mine came in at $1500. Good luck!...See More30in range: thermadore, wolf or GE cafe -must decide
Comments (9)We've had a Thermador 30" slide-in for 10+ years now, and I absolutely hate the simmer burners. They don't work anywhere near as well as a true simmer flame, the constant on-off drives me crazy, and they won't work in a power outage. We hardly ever use them. Interestingly enough, the normal burners can be turned down extremely low by carefully adjusting the knob between High & Off. Aside from that, the oven and cooktop work well. We've had maybe 3 service calls, (all to do with the heating elements burning out or coming loose) in 10+ years. The annoying thing is that the local service co. doesn't carry Thermador parts, so they have to make a trip out, determine what parts are needed, and then come back a week or 2 later to make the repair. Aside from that, lately we've been getting an intermittent error code, for which the solution is to shut off the power at the breaker box, and turn it back on. We're currently planning a kitchen renovation, but will be getting a separate rangetop and ovens. The new Thermador has the star-shaped burners which might do a better job of heating up the bottom of the pan than the traditional round burners, but we ruled it out because it still has those awful simmer burners. My wife and I recently visited a Wolf showroom, and I asked whether they had ever considered star-shaped burners for their ranges and rangetops. The rep told me that they had ruled them out because they were too difficult to clean. Wolf has had some problems with enamel chipping in their wall ovens. I don't know whether this is the case in their ranges as well. They are known for excellent service though. Other than that, you're probably right that it's a safe but boring choice. It does have a great simmer burner though. I would highly recommend a visit to a Wolf showroom if you have one in your area. The people there are very helpful and informative. I can't really speak to GE, as I haven't looked at it. If we were replacing our 30" range, I think I would probably be pushing for a Bluestar, but my wife would reject it, and we'd settle on the Wolf....See Moremojavean
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