Trying to decide between the 36" GE Monogram rangetop or the Wolf
Comments (6)
eam44
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
ILoveRed
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Rangetop Cooktop Wolf, GE Monogram...who else?? CONFUSED
Comments (7)I have the 6 burner Wolf open burner rangetop for about a month now. What I can tell you is that it is hands down the best cooktop/rangetop experience I've ever had. What I like: -low simmer is very well controlled---even cheese sauces and milk-based sauces don't scorch or burn -boils large pots of water relatively fast---not as fast as induction, mind you, but much faster than my old cooktop -lots of space to work--you don't need to be running all 6 burners to take advantage of the expanse of the unit--I often cook on the far left and far right burners and stand in between -OK--let me indulge--I love the look of the rangetop---the WOW factor. It's the first thing people comment on when they walk in the kitchen (ignoring the Wolf double oven, granite, gorgeous cabs, etc....all things that cost way more than the rangetop). -Wolf customer service has been the best of the best in terms of support. The things I don't like: -the black enamel burner pans do get dirty fast. It won't look new forever and you need to be prepared for that. -you do need to upsize the ventilation to handle using the Wolf to it's full potential--that translates into $$$. There are lots of threads on this subject so I won't bore you with the details. I don't have any experience with the monogram, so hopefully someone who has one will weigh in. If you have more questions, keep asking....we're here to help....See MoreKA 36 ' rangetop vs Wolf rangetop
Comments (6)I admit to having a Wolf and never having looked at this KA until I looked it up for this post, so am starting out biased. ;-) I like all my burners the same power, which is one reason I chose Wolf. For example, I can use a 2 burner griddle sideways or vertically on any burners I want, and I can always arrange whatever size pans and whatever I'm cooking the way that works best for me, not by what output each burner provides. Also, Wolf customer service has an exceptional reputation for standing behind their products. I didn't experience that with Maytag, which is now in the same business family with KA, so I'm not sure if it's better or worse than I dealt with. There's the open vs sealed burner issue, which you can probably do a search on to find previous discussions on this forum. Different people prefer different things, but I thought the open burners looked like the best performers and what I'd prefer to clean. I only ever wonder if I should have gotten a BlueStar to have burners that are even more open. Do you have natural gas or LP? The KA specs say it's configured for NG, but can be converted to LP, which usually means a loss in BTUs for propane users. These are all tough decisions, especially when you're talking about so much money for either choice. I just didn't want to spend thousands and be disappointed, so after my research decided Wolf was my best bet for satisfaction without regret. Best wishes on your decision....See MoreWall oven/speed oven combo: bosch 800 vs. GE Monogram vs. Wolf/Miele?
Comments (19)@Amy Cantu We've been in our house for 6 mo now and I really like the GE Monogram oven. I haven't actually used the speed oven functionality of the speed oven. Just the microwave. And even then, we just use the add 30 sec option. I need to sit down with the manual and experiment with it. Unfortunately, using the speed oven is not as simple as just turning it on. It's pretty complex. I remember when I tried the speed oven at my friend's house it was really hard, and I thought I'd need to dedicate some serious experimentation to getting it to work for me, and doubted that I would ever bother using it as an oven except for Thanksgiving, which hasn't happened yet. My motivation to learn how to use it has been even less than I expected, so I'm sorry to say I can't report back. I also haven't tried using the oven probe functionality for the oven (haven't cooked a roast yet). Need to find the oven probe along with the speed oven manual! But I have done a ton of baking and roasting of vegetables and have been pleased. We were living in a rental house with a viking range and the GE monogram oven is 1000x better than whatever model of viking oven came with the range in the rental. Much more even. I've done two cakes side by side and they came out beautifully without the need to rotate. With a sheet of cookies I notice that sometimes a corner might brown a little quicker than another corner, but not so much that I really need to worry about rotating the pan halfway through. Broiler also works great--I've been making a lot of toast to go with steak tartare and an entire pan filled with toast toast 100% evenly under the broiler--hooray!...See MoreSubzero-Wolf or GE Monogram
Comments (44)Robin K.... what appliances did you end up getting? Would love to hear what you decided, and how it has worked out. I'm currently starting my kitchen remodel. I've owned Thermador double convection oven and gas cook top for 22 years. They have been maintenance free (never had a part or needed service for 22 years!). Thought I would get the same brand. Unfortunately, neighbors that remodeled and replaced with Thermador in past year to 3 years have had problems. Parts have been replaced, and now getting concerned as their warranty has expired or will be expiring soon. Sooo.... I started researching appliances. On my appliance list: Refrigerator = Classic Side by Side SZ (Owned one for 22 years, and love it!). DW = Bosch or Miele? Still researching reliability and ease of getting service / maintenance, when there is a problem. Single Wall Oven = 30" M Series Pro Built-In Single Oven, Model # SO30PM/S/PH Convection Steam Oven = 30" M Series Pro CS # SCO30PM/S/PH Gas Range Top or Gas Cook Top = Wolf 36" Sealed Burner / 6 burner or Wolf # SRT366 36"Pro Gas Cook Top. Due to the discussions and law suits (2015 and 2018 both refer to double oven E series, but other postings seem to be having similar problem with L series ovens, M series ovens and ranges), it froze me in my final decision for the Ovens and Range Top / Cook Top. I am back to researching (more thoroughly) the oven - cook/range top. I ran across this Yale Appliances blog yesterday, which seems very helpful (updated June 2019) https://blog.yaleappliance.com/best-luxury-appliance-brands-reviews-ratings I don't live in Boston, but I am tempted to call and inquire about the Wolf built in ovens; get their recent consumer experiences. Thank you for starting this post! Perfect timing for me!...See MoreSusan Scott
4 years ago
wekick
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoIt is very common to market a burner as simmering @ 140°F but this is a meaningless number. The simmer temperature will depend on cookware, what you are cooking and the configuration of the burner. To compare simmers, look at the low side of the BTU rating. Wolf now claims that their burners are all about 300 BTUs at the lowest end of the simmer burner, the bottom part of the stacked burner. I would call GE and try to get the BTU rating on their burners to compare.
You might notice in going to a prostyle range the flame is much wider, especially looking at capped burners. Some brands have a really wide flare on high heat. Wolf and maybe Monogram are a little better because of the stacked burners but if you have a way to compare, there might be a difference there. I have a Wolf range and would not want to be without a small pot burner. I have a couple of 5” or so pans but hardly use anything with less than a 7” diameter and then it needs to be a pan that conducts heat well.
“It’s the low temps that matter most to people who cook a lot”It really depends on the type of cooking you do.YesWolfwill melt chocolate chips on a paper plate and I have not used a double boiler since I have had mine. There are work arounds though if the simmer is not low enough but you can’t get more BTUs if you need a lot of heat fast. There are people that do a lot of high heat cooking like stir frying who want higher heat.
There are other aspects to the burner in getting heat to the food. Both of these burners are capped ring burners, so pretty similar. To really compare with something different, there are burners designed without a cap, so that the flame goes in a more straight up direction. This brings the heat closer to the center on high heat so more heat gets to the pan on smaller pans. I always use 12”-14” skillets, that conduct heat well on high heat so the flare with a capped burner works out for me.
A very popular burner on this forum us the BlueStar star burner. The burner is star shaped so you get a more even dispersal of the burner ports. It has higher BTUs. This is a good option if you cook with cookware that is not a good conductor of heat like cast iron, steel and some clad cookware. It is also marketed with the simmer rated by temperature and I have never seen what the simmer BTU rating is. Anecdotally people say the simmer is adequate.
This is a comparison of the two burners, the BS on the bottom.
Another difference is that the burner tray in the BS breaks down for cleaning. The Wolf and Monogram have sealed trays.
Susan Scott
4 years ago
Michelle misses Sophie