I've been using the Culinarian for about 2 months now. Some thoughts: The burners are really just the best. So happy with them. Tremendous control and the most even heating I've ever seen for sauté pans. They work great high, low and medium. They may need a little fine tuning on delivery as everyone has different gas pressure (I had to turn mine up just a hair) The oven gets great even heat even without the convection on. I no longer have to turn my pies every 15 min. Heats up fast, cools down fast and works great. Griddle: like with all good griddles, it takes a while for it to heat up and get even. Wait 20 min after the light turns off to make sure the heat is evenly spread. Otherwise I'm very happy with it. I use it for pancakes, bacon, hash browns and grilled sandwiches. Rotisserie: Messy messy messy, but thank god for the self clean oven. Works great for chicken and turnkey breast. I'm going to try a pork shoulder and a beef joint soon. We had to upgrade our hood fan to accommodate the smoke that comes from the rotisserie Cleaning: The range top pretty much comes apart and cleans super easy in just a few minutes. I clean mostly with simple green, but for tougher stuff Barkeeper's friend shines it up really nice. The griddle is more problematic since it doesn't come off, but still very doable. Use a microfiber towel to finish everything off to a nice shine. Cons: very few. The finish on the aluminum burner caps tends to chip, and I had to replace 3 of the 4 on delivery. Replacement parts arrived in just a few days. The cover for the griddle is designed in such a way that it is hard not to scratch the front panel with it. There are two (hidden) spots that are a little hard to clean. That's it really. As far as performance goes I have zero complaints.

Grandma had what I believe to be a 1945 O'Keefe & Merrit that I just revamped (not calling it restored, not sure I deserve that) but it does not have the grillevator, it has a long door on the left for storage only, an oven and a broiler, four burners and a griddle in the middle. Since it was missing the clock I bought a 50's on Craigslist ($75) and screwed in the clock. All of the knobs were better on the newer one so I'm having the old ones painted red as well as the old crumb trays painted red since the 50's are chrome, the red will be my xmas look! so I guess I'm ending up with a mishmash but it still reminds me of my great grandmother making goodies for us back in the 50's. I wish my mom had grilled some of the fish we ate everyday since our relatives were fishermen and we could not afford red meat or chicken, she vegetables and made it like a stew since it made it go farther, she served it with beans and rice since we live in Mexico and its what we ate back then. Anybody ever heard of abalone chorizo?, yep, we ate that too and lobster burritos, what I would have given for a juicy steak! All in all I love the look of my redone kitchen and all it took was some elbow grease and about $100.00 so far!

Here are a few dishes that require no effort once assembled. Chicken Enchiladas - Marilyn 2 chicken breast season, grill, rest and slice 8 ounces green chili salsa 1 Cup shredded Jack cheese 1 Cup shredded Mexican cheese 1 1/2 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream 4 to 6 flour tortillas (white or whole wheat) Pour 1/2 cup cream into a shallow bowl. Dip each tortilla in cream then place in a baking dish. Place chicken then salsa into tortilla and sprinkle with cheese; roll, lay seam side down in dish. Pour cream from dipping over tortillas along with up to 1 additional cup of cream and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 mins. ,until bubbly. Wait at least 5 minutes before serving. SHEPHERD'S PIE (Woodie) 2 pounds ground beef 1 tablespoon oil 2 onions, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced Pinch thyme Dash Tamari Sauce (I would omit) Dash Worcestershire Sauce 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup beef broth 2 cups cooked mixed vegetables (leftover or frozen) 5 potatoes and 2 garlic cloves, boiled and mashed with butter and milk 1 tablespoon butter Brown meat in oil and drain. Stir in onions, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme and cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, flour and broth, Tamari and Worcestershire. Add cooked vegetables. Transfer to casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Salmon Pie 2 (8-ounce) salmon fillets Salt and freshly ground white pepper 3 Cup court bouillon 1 Tbl olive oil 1 Cup finely chopped onions (I used green onions) 1 Tbl chopped garlic 1 Tbl finely chopped fresh parsley 2 Cup mashed potatoes 1 egg 1/2 Cup heavy cream Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.~ Season the salmon with salt and white pepper. In a saute pan, add the court bouillon and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon and poach for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow the salmon to cool in the water until tepid. Remove the salmon from the pan and discard the liquid. Flake the salmon into a mixing bowl.In another saute pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and white pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and parsley. Add the Sauted mixture to the salmon. Mix thoroughly. Add the potatoes, egg, and cream. Mix well. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. I did not use a regular crust but rather topped with a puff pastry. *******Cut the pie dough into 2 halves. Lightly dust the surface with flour. Roll out each half of dough to 12-inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick. Fold one circle of dough into fourths. Carefully lift the dough and place in a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Unfold the pie dough and spoon the salmon mixture into the pie shell. Place the second round of dough over the salmon mixture. Using a sharp knife, cut away the excess dough. Using your fingers, crimp the edges of the pie firmly to seal the dough completely. Bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Note: Can sub a nice white sauce for egg and cream. Top with puff pastry Cheese And Spinach Enchiladas (Emeril) NOTE: The **** indicate steps I took to make this a bit less labour intensive. Lots of words but they really go together quickly. 4 Poblano chile peppers about 1 pound ( I used canned chiles) 4 Lb fresh spinach stems removed and well rinsed (I used a package of frozen) 4 Tbl unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons 1 Cup chopped yellow onions 1 Tbl chopped garlic 2 Tsp chili powder 3/4 Tsp salt 1/4 Tsp ground black pepper Pinch cayenne 1/4 Cupall-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup 2 Cup half-and-half 1 Cup cubed queso fresco or queso blanco 1 Cup cubed Pepper Jack plus 1 cup grated 1 Cup grated cotija or Parmesan 2 Tbl vegetable oil 12 corn tortillas ( I used flour tortillas) 1 Cup chicken stock (I used vegetable stock but next time will use chicken) 1 Cup heavy cream **** I used canned and omitted this step****Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler, or on top of a gas or charcoal grill.) Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside.~ **** I used frozen and omitted this step**** Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 3 batches, add the spinach and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in an ice bath. Remove and squeeze out the excess. Chop and set aside.In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, to make a light roux, 2 minutes. Gradually add the half-and-half, and cook, stirring, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Fold in the cubed queso fresco and both Pepper Jacks, and set aside. In a bowl, combine the grated Pepper Jack and cotija. Set aside. ***** I used flour tortillas and softened in the microwave*** In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium temperature. One at a time, add the tortillas to the hot oil and cook, turning, until soft and pliable, 15 seconds per side, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and place on a work surface. Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up into a cylinder. Place, seam side down, in a single layer across the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, to to make a light roux. Slowly add the chicken stock and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining poblano peppers and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the filled enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are completely warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

We have used the following recipe for years an have never been disappointed. I do not make the whole house seasoning recipe - just enough for the roast that day (about 1/8 cup kosher salt; 1/2 Tablespoon pepper; 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder). Foolproof Standing Rib Roast Ingredients 1 (5-pound) standing rib roast 1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows Directions Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Rub roast with House Seasoning; place roast on a rack in the pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Leave roast in oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees F and reheat the roast. Important: Do not remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until ready to serve. House Seasoning: 1 cup salt 1/4 cup black pepper 1/4 cup garlic powder Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Here is a link that might be useful: Foolproof Standing Rib Roast