36 gas range: Smeg - Fratelli Onofri or Berta master?
Roan Pastor
12 years ago
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acw6455
12 years agomarcolo
12 years agoRelated Discussions
OK...NXR v American v Fratelli v Bertazonni v Ilve
Comments (16)I do! Blue with chrome, 36 inches. I was shopping around last year for stove for a 2nd, future retirement house (some mice had gotten into the rock-bottom hotpoint). I considered BlueStar (the house is in the boonies and on propane, and there were some bad BlueStar on propane stories having to do with the oven), NXR, one of the Berta models (eliminated because I do a fair amount of low-heat cooking), the then-new Aga Pro+, and a vintage range (preferably O'K. + M). The cost of another house project gradually worked down the choice set, and I got a deal on the Ilve ($3000 delivered). Wouldn't you know as soon as I pulled the trigger that a O+M, refurbished and set for propane, appeared for $1000. Oh well. On to the Ilve. First off, it's beautiful. It will be the star of a kitchen reno next year. The big burner is fast; simmer is fine. It didn't take long to get used to turning on the burners (holding down for a couple of seconds). The oven is dead on, and I'm still (or will be when I get back to that house) experimenting with the flexibility of the oven burners (top, bottom, both,convection or not, variously combined). Minus: the oven takes awhile to heat. Longer than my 36 inch 15 year old DCS. Odd plus: the symbols on the oven controls don't immediately scream "turn this way if you want to bake brownies." The plus for me is that it moves unhelpful guests out of the kitchen, which is so small that even if I wanted help, there is scarcely the room to turn around. Another odd plus: the legs make it easy to clean underneath. With that, and sealed burners (which are easy to take apart for a deep cleaning when we close up the house), I'm hoping that mice will look elsewhere. A fan runs even in non convection -- it's not terribly loud, and I'm not sure if it's a plus or minus. It does remind us to turn it off when we're finished with it. I've put it through 3 or 4 large parties, and compared to what had been in the house, it was a dream. I've been using the griddle for holding rather than as, well, a griddle so far. I use a lot of large pans, and the spacing works fine. I've cooked on lots of different stoves over the years -- from vintage gas (didn't know it was vintage then!) to electric coil tops, open burners, sealed burners, pro style, and pro. I wouldn't say it is the stove of my dreams, but it is functional and beautiful. I will pick up a small convection oven for small items to get around the long warm up time for small items. Let me know if I can add anything else. I haven't had tons of experience with it, but enough to have a decent sense of what it can do....See More36' Smeg v. Berta?
Comments (10)Hi kumarc, I'm no expert, just someone who is going through the same motions at the same time. I was really interested in the Bertazzoni--saw it in the showroom, did some research, got excited, looked at it again the showroom. Letdown. As others have pointed out already. The Bertazzoni is a fairly conventional Italian gas stove. It is very much like the stove you will find in a good rental apartment in Italy, if the apartment is a genuine sublet. I don't think this has been adumbrated in this forum, but Bertazzoni has been active in Italy for a long time under the name "La Germania" http://www.lagermania.it/ Both the Master and Professional Series appear to be essentially normal La Germania stoves that were rebranded for the North American market. The fact that these stoves are sold in Italy under the name "The German", whereas in NA they are prized for being Italian and from Emilia-Romagna says a lot, I think. After determining this, I am just going to get something that is actually from Germany. Never should have strayed ;-)....See MoreWho has a Fratelli Onofri?
Comments (12)I have a Fratelli Onofri Royal Chiantishire 36" Burgandy/brass/stainless single dual fuel oven. By mistake, they originally shipped the double oven model.I srongly suggest to go with the single model due to oven size. From experience, the gas top works great... The oven, will take time to get used to. To operate the oven, as a safety precaution you do have to set the timer selection to either manual, or to a cooking time. The function knob is the tough part. There are various selections, so you will definately be going to the operation manual until you become familiar with the symbols.The electrical plug as with other manufacturers does not come with the stove. A nice feature of the oven, is that a rear cycling/cooling fan does kick on once the oven hits a certain temperature aiding with external heat. When I looked into purchasing stoves, the Fratelli had the most appeal, and the cost played a deciding factor. I am quite familiar with the undesirable lighting process of the Bertazonni, and I heard they were out of distribution in the US. In the past I had a Viking, and I know the Wolf Product well. They both are easier to operate, however, I am quite pleased with the look and professional quality of the Fratelli Onofri,and at a fraction of the cost. The downsides to date are: time it takes from intial ordering, service questions, and future repair parts. I also am concerned if there is anyone in the US that services these stoves. I do know that Fratelli Onofri only started delivering to the US in 2007. Hope this helps... I to would like to know how other people are doing with the oven....See MoreWhich 36 in. pro style gas range- features, reliability,USA,$
Comments (45)Well ours is without question made of 304 stainless. But honestly I don't really see a problem using 430 SS either, depends on the way it was built as in some cases the 430 is better because it holds a weld better and can bend to certain specifications better without cracking. A range made of 430SS inside your house is not going to rust anyway, that is pure nonsense. I DO however think that 430 SS could have more adverse reactions to acidic type foods such as say Tomato Sauce or Lemon juice Vs 304. maybe if you sat it in a corner of an abandoned house for 30 years maybe, but if you use it everyday in a house with AC it is not going to rust, but it very well could have more staining with acidic foods. I think that 304 stainless is critical on a BBQ grill, but not so much on an indoor stove. But I am still glad mine is made of 304 Stainless anyway. But there are many things made of 400 series stainless that work just fine, never rust, one I can think of is most "Food Slicers, Deli meat slicers etc" are made of 400 series stainless. Car exhaust pipes are usually made of 409 stainless because of the better welding and heat resistance. I once had the pleasure of meeting an old guy out in California, he lived in the middle of no where on many acres of land and when I met him I drove through the classic old gate with elk antlers on top and his house was built in around the 1830's, was an old adobe that was built by a Mexican General when California was actually Mexico. House still stands today with the same tile roof, just one addition was added on about 100 years ago but other than that was all original, No AC. He had as his stove a old wood stove that was thickly enameled color of like a seafoam blue/green and all the corners and edges were all Stainless Steel. Had to be a 400 series stainless because I don't think the 300 series was even in use yet. That stove looked like it brand spanking new and at the time I saw it was about 90+ years old. Not a speck of rust on it, of course it was thick as hell but still the surface was still like new. I actually find products "Made in USA" about 75% of the time to be pure crap in every way. I bet 95% of the world views items "made in USA" exactly the way people like Deeageaux does about China. In general about every product I see with "Made in Germany" tag on it is probably about the only one I can generally count on being very well made, I can usually count on a high price for that item also. Most of the working parts in the NXR come from every place except China, it is basically just "Assembled" in China and who better to assemble than those that have been assembling things for decades. Also it is probably the larger brand name companies that are forcing retailers not to carry a quality product that cost far less, that happens all the time in every category of product....See MoreRoan Pastor
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