We have the GE 30" Profile, with the ss frame. Purchased in summer 2008. At the time, the specs were exactly the same between the profile and the monogram, and the profile was a few hundred less (via the induction site). We did think the stainless/mirrored monogram looked really cool, but the black controls on it were funny looking, so decided to stick to all black. Got the framed version because we were worried about cracking an exposed glass corner without it. Performance is excellent. The large burder is quite large and very powerful. Overall, great control, great power and a good price. Cleaning up is easy and no noticeable scratches or other issues after 9 months. Only small quibbles--it does hum (not enough to bother us, but usually it is noticeable), more so with some cookware than others. Wish the larger burner were centered so as to provide better capture of smoke when stir-frying (we have it in a peninsula). Clearance requirements underneath are high--meant we used pullout shelves instead of more efficient drawers under it. On balance, happy and would recommend.

Someone else here reported that they spoke to Capital, the CEO I think, and the range tops are available now. You asked about getting a Performance vs the Precision. Performance is less money, but has lower BTUs (750-15000 BTUs vs 19000 BTU "Power-flo burners") and I believe they put a bit sleeker styling on the Precision....New knob style, etc. I'm wondering why you think DCS's cooktop is 'lame' compared to Monogram's... I just looked at Monogram's site and it says the 36" cooktop has one at 15K BTU, two at 12K, and two at 10K. Seems like having one at 17.5K and four at 11K would be about the same, except for the higher fire power on the big burner? (For me the Monogram would be even worse, since I have propane and then their output offering is 1@ 15K and 4@ 9.1K) I'm still shopping for a rangetop myself, so appreciate hearing the thought processes of others when they make their choice. My current top 3 are BlueStar, Wolf, and Capital Precision. Have you checked into BlueStar? Their 36" drop-in cooktops give you 2@ 22K BTUs, 2@ 15K, and one 'simmer' burner, which on the ranges is 9 or 10K BTUs. Here is a link that might be useful: BlueStar drop in cooktop

After reading endless posts and reviews here and elsewhere, we went for the Wolf. It is a pain to clean (even though they say it will be easy) - and the burners chipped my porcelain sink. Each grate must weigh 5 lbs., and the grill option grate must weigh 8-10 lbs. Maybe all the stoves are like this. The worst thing about this stove is the oven rack design. They don't glide easily, and are difficult to change out when the oven is cool, deadly when the oven is hot. Their designers missed the simple AND functional concept. Mechanically it is superior - temperature regulation and those sorts of things are engineered well. Flame control is good. It looks like a tank in the kitchen. Won't buy another one. Only two dealers in our area, service has been horrible. The first stove showed up looking like it had been hit by a train - someone had dropped a forklift load on it thinking we wouldn't notice. They also scratched our wood floors delivering it, and the replacement. I am a year plus trying to get a faulty stainless trim piece replaced - and I bought the entire extended warranty. Next stove will be LaCanche or KitchenAid. Even if they won't work as well (might work better, not sure), at least they will be more pleasing to look at every day. The problem with these sorts of things (Ranges, Hoods, HVAC, Refrigerators, Toilets, etc) is that you can't really run the full range of use before you purchase.

This is a good thread. Almost two years ago, I purchased a 48" GE monogram dual fuel range. Before that I had a 30" GE Profile electric slide in range, so it was quite a change. For those contemplating the decision between a Culinarian and a Monogram, it might be useful to hear what I like and don't like about the GE monogram range What I like: - Dual ovens. I use the small (10"-wide) oven surprisingly often. Fits standard casserole dishes and comes with a small roasting pan which is perfect for roasting small pieces of meat. Also good for keeping food or plates warm. The large oven gets a work-out too. At 36" wide, it has plenty of room for multiple items. - multitude of oven settings. Both ovens have bake, roast, and broil settings with convection turned on or off, plus also proof and clean settings. One oven can be on clean mode while the other is cooking normally. Cleaning time can be set for up to 5 hours. - probes: both ovens have meat probes. A small plus since one could go out and buy a meat thermometer, but this way I can see the internal temperature on the oven display and the oven shuts off and a beeper sounds when the correct internal temperature is reached. - closed oven doors when broiling. The oven door must be closed to broil. There are oven vents that exit behind the range top at the rear of the stove that are used when broiling. This does two things: it keeps smoke from the oven out of your face and under the vent hood, and it is safer with little kids around. - timers: two of them low burner settings. On the 48" model, all of the range top burners are a stacked 5" burner. All are capable of reaching a low range of 140 degrees and a high range of 18,000 btu. GE has done a remarkably good job with the burners at the low range. You can place a piece of paper over a burner on low and it will not burn (I've tried it). I have melted chocolate and made hollandaise over the low burner without using a double boiler and it works like a charm. The burner is more than capable of holding a delicate sauce for hours and is also great just for keeping a single plate or dish of food warm. - easy clean up: food does not get baked on to the range top surface very easily. - fit, finish, design. looks good and functions well What I would do not like: - high burner settings: Despite being an 18,000 btu, the burner is not able to bring a pot of water to a full rolling boil without a lid, and even then it is not great. The reasons have all been given in this thread. The jets of the monogram burner (like all sealed burners) point out sideways under the cap that seals the burner. Consequently, the flames arc outwards and then upwards. When a pan is placed on top of the stove, the exit pathway for the gases forces the flame to arc even further out to the side. the result is that the flames do not come into contact with the pot, and it takes a long time for water to come to a boil. The problem is exacerbated with smaller pots because of the diameter of the burner cap. Put a 5" pan on the stove and crank it up to maximum and most of the flames are shooting out past the side of the pot heating the side of the pot, not the bottom. Put frozen vegetables in the water and the cooking time has already passed by the time the pan recovers to a boil again. Put too much meat in the frying pan at once, and the pan cannot recover to maintain a sear. Quite frankly, for high heat cooking, my 30" electric stove was far superior. It is at these high cooking temperatures when I really covet an open burner. Even at the same btu level, the monogram cannot match the Culinarian's heating properties. By comparison, I have also cooked on a Thermadore range. Their star-shaped closed burner does a much better job of delivering flame to the bottom of the pot and appears to be a good compromise between heat delivery and sealed unit. - wok cooking. Despite having a range top specifically designed to hold a wok, the monogram is useless at wok cooking. No heat is delivered to the bottom of the wok, the wok's curved shape ensures that all heat is quickly dissipated up the side. The result is that it is impossible to stirfry in a wok on the GE Monogram (note, the 36" monogram does come with smaller diameter burners, which may be better for woks) No infrared broiler: one of the downsides of choosing an electric oven is that there is no infrared broiler in the oven. The broiler that comes with it is pretty good, but is no substitute for an infrared. All in all, the GE mongram is an pretty good product and performs very well for 90% of the cooking functions. Compared with other sealed-burner ranges, Monogram offers good value for money. The only disappointment is its performance at high heat, but this is really a choice between a sealed burner and an open burner.. I hope this helps