Kitchen Q&A: Carol Smith’s Range Choice Dliemma
Q:
Carol writes:
I have looked at them all. Such a good selection to choose from I am stumped. Consumer Report has such negative things to say about the professional range that I am starting to ask questions as to what do they really know about cooking. I want a professional range for many reasons other than looks. We are building a new house and of course I love the look and would be proud to show. But bottom line I do want a range and oven that will perform with out having to call the service man out. I love the Viking Range but Consumer Reports says it is prone to problems. What do professional chefs prefer in their home if they were selecting for their at home kitchen. Would they choose a regular Sears Brand because it is more affordable and less likely to have a service call? Believe me I have had plenty of service calls on products Consumer Report has highly recommended. Consumer Report doesn’t really say what the problems are with the Viking Pro Range but they just say they are more likely to have problems. Do you know any one with a Viking, Wolf, Thermadore, Electrolux, or Dacor that has said they would never buy another professional range. Just curious. The people that has put them in their home kitchens how do they feel about cooking on them. Are they always broken. Have you had any one write positive statements other than a professional chef about pro range investment to their new kitchen update. Please give a clue if you can. I don’t want to make a serious mistake. I have had a Jenn-Air for the past 16 years that was already 10 years old when I moved into my home and it still was working perfectly when we sold our home. Jenn-Air was another range that was not highly rated by Consumer Report. I have never spoke to a Jenn- Air owner that had any complaints. Thank you.
A:
Huge question Carol. Consumer Reports is very focused on reliability and Viking has had problems with that, however I think you need to consider why they are so critical of restaurant-style ranges in general. First, the heat and energy requirements are often way beyond what any homeowner needs. A twenty-thousand BTU burner is almost equivalent to the burner in a gas furnace used to heat an entire house. Heat is destructive to the materials around it which is why these high heat ranges are made of super-durable materials like cast iron, stainless steel and enameled cast iron. Heat also needs to go somewhere after it does its job and this means serious ventilation. These factors all mean that, unless you truly are restaurant style cook (cook for large numbers of people frequently), you don’t need a restaurant-style range.
That being said, I know you love the look of these ranges- who doesn’t? If that’s the case, find models that are made of similar materials: cast iron, stainless, etc. Our old Jenn-aire appears to be stainless but much of the trim is plated and it is coming off. The grates are stamped steel and they have warped from the heat so pots don’t sit flat. These are common complaints with these ranges. We have heard the same regarding Dacor, in fact a local dealer stopped carrying them because of numerous quality issues. Thermador and KitchenAid offer some nice choices as does Wolf. Viking, though they appear to be a brand that once made restaurant equipment and branched into home appliances, is in fact a company started to build restaurant-style appliances, back in the eighties when the trend started.
Check the materials for durability and think about how you will use the range. Plan on buying a quality ventilation system.
Finally I have a good friend who is a highly respected chef. When I asked him the range question he said:
" Give me a hot plate, a garbage can and a flat surface near running water and I’ll make you anything you want- it’s not the range that makes the cook."
He gets the final word.
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