36" Gas Range -- which one to chose?
Comments (14)
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Which 36' gas range??
Comments (8)If you are thinking of American and DCS I would suggest you look at Capital Cookings Precision line as well. These are serious performing and beautiful stoves. We had narrowed our choices to Blue Star and Capital. Although the burners on the Blue Star are impressive, frankly we found the fit and finish of the rest of the stove to be unacceptable. Additionally there has been a lot of complaints about igniters and poor customer service on this stove. We ended up with a 36 inch 6 burner Capital Precision. The burners are sealed which was not a selling point for us, but they also deliver 19000 btu on each burner which was. Each burner also has a very low simmer setting which is a serious plus. After all, for many dishes once they are browned, seared, or whatever the remainder of the cooking must be done on low heat. Having a flamethrower is great, but much home cooking is either finished off or all on low heat or simmer. On this stove you are not restricted to one simmer burner. They all are capable of this. The Blue Star has 22000 btu and in reality may be significantly more powerful than the numbers show. Having said that we have not been disappointed by the power of the Capital. In fact we have found that we have had to adjust our cooking considerably to accomodate the increased speed and accuracy of this heat delivery. Because we no longer get heat bog caused by slow recovery time the taste and texture of the food has improved, especially when using a wok or stir frying. Take a look at this link at Select Appliance to see what I mean, they have many other good tips as well: http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/ce-tidbits/secret. By the way, Capital Cooking was started by some original ex DCS people. This link gives you an idea of who they are and where they think they have progressed beyond the origanl DCS idea: http://www.bbqislandinc.com/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=4. I should also add that the exterior of this stove runs impressively cool, and I mean all of it, knobs, oven window, metal parts and side panels etc. Obviously a portion of it's 450lbs is in a very effective thermal insulation. If you like the look of the American you will love the Capital, and it has better specs !!...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 More36in gas range vs 30in gas range.
Comments (6)Without knowing anything about you and your family's needs, it's difficult to say whether you should get a 30" or a 36" range. How many burners do you regularly use? How many do you need when you entertain (if you do) and for holiday dinners? If 4 won't cut it, get a 36" range. Your kitchen is large enough to accommodate a 30" wall oven, too. Personally, I'd prefer to use the smaller oven most of the time so that I'm not working over a hot oven while cooking on the range. Another option would be to do a 36" cook top, a 30" wall oven and a 30" speed oven (MW combo, multi-function). Separate appliances cost more but, as DrB477 pointed out, 36" ranges are spendy. You didn't ask for lay-out advice but your lay-out doesn't make the best use of your kitchen's footprint. Your fridge and range are crowded together and your island's angled shape puts the sink farther away from perimeter counters than recommended, plus it provides limited counter space. Given the opportunity to take advantage of your misfortune (my sympathies), it seems a shame not to consider addressing these issues at the same time. Are you on a slab? Even if you are, can you move plumbing at all? If so, here's one possibility that relieves appliance crowding and gives you a larger island with more counter on each side of the sink plus a lot more room to work on each side of the range, and better work aisle widths. Do you have pantry space somewhere? Or are you doing pantry cabinets? There's room to add them to the above plan, either between wall oven/MW and fridge, creating a "wall of tall" or at one end or the other of the range run. Good luck with your rebuild! PS. If your fridge is a standard depth fridge, you may want to allow a wider aisle between fridge run and island. Or you could investigate recessing the fridge into the stud space a few inches....See Morewhich 30'' gas range? Anybody with a LG signature one? other sugg?
Comments (0)I remodeled my kitchen 3 years ago. I decided to hold off on changing the stove even though it was a kenmore that was adequate, no more and it was black and not stainless. At the time, I couldn't decide what I wanted... So I waited. And now, I want a new stove. When I remodel, it was the first time I ever heard of the lip countertop. I had no clue. I decided to not do a lip on the back and I was glad I didn't do it as I have no seam in my countertop. So now... what do I do? Can I get a slide-in? Can you still get one even though you don't have that lip? seems to be yes? I read that Bosch has the benchmark series which is like a freestanding but slide in (but Bosch benchmark series seems unreliable?) Then I thought I would get an LG. Same question about slide-in. What about the requirement about the electric outlet having to be in at 6'' from the floor?? Mine is not. Will it not sit flush? So anybody has suggestions, comments. I saw some freestanding that looked really cheap at Home Depot so now, I am not sure what I should get. I don't think I want to spend more than $3500... so any suggestion? Thank you!...See More
murchkid
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomurchkid
8 years agowekick
8 years ago"kfunky_gw
To wekick: Of course it's subjective, but I can tell you my BS cooks better than any other residential range I've used."
Each cook's needs are different, rather than the generic " my BS cooks better than any other residential range", you might be specific in how you make use of its unique attributes. For instance, the star burners are very beneficial if you like cast iron or some plied pans that don't distribute heat very well, because the heat is dispersed over a greater area. You would have to have the pan sized to the burner though to get the greatest benefit. It is not so much a benefit if you use heavy gauge aluminum or copper.
"Not sure what 's confusing about open burner? Sealed vs open burner, do a search if it's not clear.
The "burner tray" as you referred to, has nothing to do with an open burner vs sealed burner."
Believe it or not it does. Maybe I did not explain the confusion well enough above, but you have demonstrated it on the last sentence. The confusion is due in part to marketing that attributes almost magical powers to the nonspecific term "open" burners. Here are pictures.
There are two aspects to a burner that go under the term "open" burner. Yes there is the open vs the sealed vs the semi sealed burner tray. This from Handyman is an example of a sealed burner tray. The idea is to keep the mess up top. There is plenty written online and this very forum. It's a thing.
Or this
If you can't see it well enough is from thishttp://www.universityelectric.com/node/103
An open burner tray allows boil overs and the mess to go through the tray to your hopefully foil wrapped pull out tray below. It breaks down for cleaning.
The second reference to an open burner may mean whether it is capped or not. The cap is there to keep food from getting in the burner ports but the flame is splayed anywhere from a little to a lot depending on how it is engineered.
CappedVVV
UncappedVVV
".do me favor and tell me what brand makes a semi sealed burner system?"
Did you not read my post? It is the American Performer. VVV
It has a semi sealed burner tray in that it comes very tight up to the burner but the black tray lifts off and can go in the dishwasher. It has an uncapped burner.
"As far as the simmer I can simmer for hours, doesn't matter what type of pot I'm using as long as it matches the burner size. "
Again it is more helpful to be specific about what you simmered and the types of pots you have used. It might also be about what you can hold on simmer. Simmering liquids maybe one thing but holding something like mashed potatoes in cast iron with no movement is another. Maybe you don't need that low of a simmer while others might.
...the BTU rating for my simmer would be insignificant to any corresponding BTU rating...."
I am not following you here. You go by the high rating because you mentioned it but the low one doesn't count? It is a unit of measurement. How else would you compare. For some cooks the low end is very important so they need to compare.
".sealed vs open are not the same, very different in terms of flame delivery to the pan/pot you're cooking on"
Let's look at an even broader concept, flame to food because after all we are cooking. There are several aspects to consider. They don't all roll into the term "open burner"
Sealed vs open burner tray is mostly a personal preference on cleaning no real effect on cooking
capped vs uncapped-you might have more flare on the highest setting, but this depends a lot on how the burners are engineered. You might want more flare on high heat, if you use a 14" skillet or griddle overlay. You have to see the burner going to see if it is an issue for you.
Shape of burner --star shaped like BS, Thermador and American Performer-CC has three rings --single ring on most other ranges.
BTUs
One of the biggest considerations overlooked is the interface of food to heat-->cookware. There are several articles that address heat conductive properties of various metals. A good understanding of this will enable you to cook on single ring burners, even with a 15x23" griddle.
Of course consider the food.
"Have you ever cooked on a CC or BS range, just curious as to where your info is coming from...the internet, or have you had any actual real life experience cooking on a CC or BS or any other open burner system?"
Why yes I learned to cook on open burners and have cooked on some commercial ranges I can't remember the specifics of, some star shaped commercial ranges and just today was cooking on a commercial American Range that is configured very much like the CC. I am a scratch cook and while daily cooking is for 4-8 and occasionally 12, we entertain in our home 30-35 monthly and 60-75 a couple times a year. I won't say how long I have been cooking. I used to work in a food lab as well. I have not cooked on CC or BS though, but notice none of the information I gave on those was of the subjective kind.
But here is the thing. There are four sorts of information to consider when choosing a range.
1. Objective - The facts. I don't have to cook on a range to know it has a sealed burner tray or has uncapped burners or star shaped burners. I can look up BTU ratings and yes they might be significant both top and bottom. Some people have specific ideas about what they want and can eliminate certain ranges based on this information. Yes the Internet is a great source to look at specs and use and care manuals and all kinds of useful information
2. Subjective- reviews-the most useful give specific information about how a cook uses their range. Other cooks can see how that fits with the way they cook. Something that is important to one is unimportant to another. It does not make one person or the other the superior cook. The simmer issue is one such issue with people on both sides saying a particular range simmers or doesn't simmer. A simple BTU rating would allow the same comparison made on the top end. "Even baking" is another very subjective thing. There are many variables on both of these things.
3. Videos and photos might be helpful for certain things. YouTube has some great videos that show how to clean open burners of different kinds and on some you might get some idea of the flame and how it behaves if you can't see one in person.
4. Service/ support in general from the company and locally in your area. You might have a great range but if there is no service, unless you can service it yourself, and some do, I wouldn't buy it.
"All I can say is my open burner BS will out perform any sealed burner (residential) range on the market."
You would have to first define performance.
Performance is often subjective so perhaps give a subjective review of all the sealed burner ranges currently on the market that you have used, to compare. Then people reading your reviews of all the ranges on the market could see if your reviews are relevant to the way they cook.
And then some people would want to consider the oven, so do all the sealed burner ranges include DF because for some an electric oven might trump the burners. Cooks are funny like that. Like herding cats.
It is great that you are happy with your range though.
murchkid
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agowekick
8 years agoteachmkt1
8 years ago
wekick