36' Thermador Rangetop

15 years ago

We are considering buying a 36" thermador rangetop with griddle (PCG364ED) or 6 burners (PCG366E). I've searched the forum and didn't find much info. Does anyone have feedback or experience with either of these appliances? Thanks.

Sandra

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

theapplianceguru
15 years ago
If you're going with the six burner model this is a great buy. The star burners Thermador uses gives you more burner to pan coverage than the circular burners any other brand uses. The x-lo feature has it's positive and negative side. On the positive side it really does get extra low. You can take a piece of paper, put some chocolate on top and it will melt the chocolate without catching the paper on fire. The x-lo burners also lead me into the first problem I have with the rangetop - your burner will actually shut off and then come back on (10 seconds on and 50 seconds off on the lowest setting), so you'll get the regnition clicks continuously. Not really a big deal to most, but if you suffer from OCD it may drive you into taking the rangetop and chunking it out the window.
The other problem I have is with the griddle. It's electric, so you have an element underneath that squiggles back and forth giving you hot spots and cold spots, which leads me to a question for Thermador - Why put an electric griddle on a gas rangetop?! For a far superior griddle check out the Monogram or DCS rangetop (they have a gas griddle that has a compartment underneath, so your whole griddle heats up to one temperature). Either of those models have the dual-flow burners, which are pretty neat themselves.

The Guru has Spoken

Here is a link that might be useful: The Appliance Guru Reviews and Commentary
0
seb07
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the great review!
0
Related Discussions
My new Kitchen
Q
Comments (8)
Well, originally we had 6 people ( Me, my wife, and our children , but they're all grown and out of college! ): We've thought about moving, but we love this house too much! We just bought a winter home in Telluride Colorado, and we will be renovating the kitchen! I will be posting before-during-after photos. I will look through my files later tomorrow! About the DW's. We have to kitchen areas, the main area with micro, ovens, rangetop, dual dw, and the main Subzero. The other area has two Dw's, Wc, Ice maker, and the veggie sink. The main reason for having four dw's is, if we have a party, we can have pots and pans in one unit of two and crystal in the other unit of two.
...See More
Thermador Hood HPWB36FS vs Thermador Thermador HMWB36FS
Q
Comments (2)
Thank you for the link. I stumbled across it a bit ago in my quest for information on which to choose and why based on my two hoods. I wonder if the one with baffles is really just for esthetics seeing as the baffles are nearly flat. Time to delve deeper. Thanks again!
...See More
Makeup air issues
Q
Comments (10)
Cold air doesn't crack a heat exchanger in and of itself. The tensile strength of the material of the heat exchanger wearing out is what cracks the heat exchanger. They call it old age. A heat exchanger for the most part during normal operation of the gas furnace is heated to around 150 degrees of heat coming off the heat exchanger via air blown across it. Surface temp of the heat exchanger may approach 200 degrees. Heat exchangers are not made out of plastic. Have you ever cracked a window on your car driving in blistery cold with your car heater on? So what causes a heat exchanger to crack then? Normal operation and old age. The constant heat up and cool down. Take out a paper clip and start bending it back and forth. Keep doing so and what happens to the paper clip? It breaks. Just after it breaks put your finger on the part where it broke. It will feel warm to the touch, because the friction of you bending the paper clip back and forth produces energy, the same energy more or less that is produced by heating the heat exchanger of your gas furnace. Don't believe this: look to the warranty paper work of your furnace. Does it say 'Blowing cold air across heat exchanger will void your warranty'? No it does not. Heat exchangers are typically warranted for 20 years, cold weather or not. In fact some manufacturer's will warranty your furnace for your entire lifetime.
...See More
Which is the safer and more reliable rangetop?
Q
Comments (31)
I can't resist sticking my nose into the caramelization comments above. I think we can agree that Asian restaurants in the US with 100k BTU and up burners controlled by knee motion can caramelize serving sized quantities of food. By extrapolation, we might also agree that pre red Chinese hotels in Beijing using stoves with burners comprising a coal fire and a hole on the surface above the coal bed chamber would have been able to caramelize food. By reciprocal logic, do we believe that millions of Chinese families over centuries could not caramelize food unless they too had large coal burning stoves? I suggest that they could succeed with lesser equipment, probably with wood fires, and did so by scaling the quantity of food to the available heat density. Indeed, it is possible to caramelize food in my Cooktek wok on my 3500W Cooktek induction wok hob (~ 30k BTUh), IF I keep the quantity low and the power up. I suspect that if I aimed a MAPP gas torch at the bottom of a plumbing ladle with peanut oil in it I could caramelize a single piece of chicken. After all, the hottest the oil can get is its boiling point. Once there, the issue is whether the heat added to the cooking container equals or exceeds the rate that heat can conduct into the initially colder chicken piece such that the oil temperature is maintained (plus heat to account for the heat of vaporization of any moisture present).
...See More
gatorguy
15 years ago
Not quite sure why one would try to melt chocolate on top of a pice of paper, but I have had the 6 burner thermador rangetop for over a year now.
I did buy it on the premise that the star burners would heat more evenly/efficiently than a circular burner. This may be true.
One downside though, is that thoroughly cleaning the crevices between the points on the stars of the burners is virtually impossible. Aside from that, we have loved cooking on gas and have had no problems with this rangetop in over a year.
As to the griddle, why not get either an electric griddle or get a griddle to place over two of the burners for periodic use?
0

Related Stories

KITCHEN APPLIANCES Find the Right Cooktop for Your Kitchen

By KitchenLab Interiors

For a kitchen setup with sizzle, deciding between gas and electric is only the first hurdle. This guide can help

Full Story

101

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Design a Kitchen Island

By Vanessa Brunner

Size, seating height, all those appliance and storage options ... here's how to clear up the kitchen island confusion

Full Story

283

KITCHEN BACKSPLASHES Kitchen Confidential: 8 Options for Your Range Backsplash

By Sam Ferris

Find the perfect style and material for your backsplash focal point

Full Story

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Find the Right Range for Your Kitchen

By KitchenLab Interiors

Range style is mostly a matter of personal taste. This full course of possibilities can help you find the right appliance to match yours

Full Story

139

KITCHEN DESIGN What to Know When Choosing a Range Hood

By Sam Ferris

Find out the types of kitchen range hoods available and the options for customized units

Full Story

REMODELING GUIDES From the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget

By Erin Carlyle

We asked kitchen designers to tell us the most common budget-busters they see

Full Story

170

KITCHEN DESIGN A Cook’s 6 Tips for Buying Kitchen Appliances

By Christine Tusher

An avid home chef answers tricky questions about choosing the right oven, stovetop, vent hood and more

Full Story

331

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen of the Week: Function and Flow Come First

By Becky Harris

A designer helps a passionate cook and her family plan out every detail for cooking, storage and gathering

Full Story

107

TASTEMAKERS Pro Chefs Dish on Kitchens: Michael Symon Shares His Tastes

By KitchenLab Interiors

What does an Iron Chef go for in kitchen layout, appliances and lighting? Find out here

Full Story

101

HOUSEKEEPING How to Clean Your Range and Oven

By Bonnie McCarthy

Experts serve up advice on caring for these kitchen appliances, which work extra hard during the holidays

Full Story

214

36' Thermador Rangetop

Comments (3)

theapplianceguru

seb07
Original Author

Related Discussions

gatorguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

36' Thermador Rangetop

Comments (3)

theapplianceguru

seb07Original Author

Related Discussions

gatorguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

seb07
Original Author