Stove

[Nick]

Just checked out the Wolf at Ebay. Bid is at $720 but I imagine will get run up in the last hours. No reserve.

When I was checking out ranges last year (still haven't bought one), Wolf was having problems and had what seemed to be a big recall on them. I can't remember the details but it was enough to make me shy away from them in the future. A significant safety issue as I remember. About the same time Viking was getting in the news for customer unhappiness.

I'm still leaning toward a Peerless which is not known for its great cooking abilities, but which works well with solar electric systems (which I have) and which also works during power outages - including the oven.

I called the factory and talked with an older gentleman (it's an old company) about their ranges. I mentioned the recall Wolf was having and asked him if Peerless had had any recalls. He replied, "We're a small company. We can't afford to have recalls." He was a quiet person with no hype and I said I thought I might get one of his ranges. He said simply and quietly, "I think you'll be happy with it."

[davidthomas8779]

If anyone is keeping score, I ended up buying this oven GE Profile Performance Spectra 30 in. Free-Standing Sealed Burner Convection Gas Range JGB920 ( http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Large_Applian...as_Range_JGB920 ) because I got a deal I couldn't refuse ($900 for a perfect condition open box model (black on black). I almost bought the 30" DCS (for $1200 more) but didn't like the size of the oven (it was a little bit small) even though the range had some superior features. My wife and I decided that our next stove is going to be the 48" DCS.

Edited May 20, 2003 by davidthomas8779 (log)

[Schielke]

Also if you were keeping score on the Wolf, it went for 1700 US.

Not too shabby.

Ben

[DRColby]

Please correct me if I am wrong - or at least comment. As of now I am "in love" with a Dacor 30" gas slid in range with convection electric over at about two grand. Pros and cons? I have a microwave over my electric stove and if I put a hood in would have to give up the micro wave as counter space is short. Besides I burn enough without all those extra BTUs of a near-commerical range.

dave

[Alberts]

In regard to the DCS stove, we just purchased the 5 burner cooktop for our new kitchen and are loving it. We bought it for the 17500 BTU center burner. The other ones are hot enough for searing, etc.

The real advantage of the middle burner is for boiling water. A large pot of water comes to a boil in a few minutes and it returns to a boil after adding pasta almost instantly.

The burner on high will cause any pot other than a heavy duty one to assume shapes suitable only for frat house kitchens.

[viejo majadero]

I have owned the Viking 30 inch and now own the Viking 48 inch, 6 burners and indoor grill.

Never had a problem with either of them.

Viejo

[alicehat]

Alberts, your post prompts me to ask a question - When you're using that 17.5 burner to boil water, can you also have a few 12''and 10'' saute pans going at the same time on the other burners without crowding?

I'm shopping for a cooktop, and after examining the DCS, I had doubts about its configuration...

[jmcgrath]

When I remodeled my kitchen about ten years ago, I chose two 30" GE electric ovens mounted side by side. I chose nonconvection because of the depth I would lose with the fan unit. I sometimes miss not having an infrared broiler, but with two charcoal grills on the deck right outside the kitchen it is not a serious problem.

I have a 36" five burner propane Jenn-Air cooktop centered above the ovens. Burner BTUs range from 6000 to 12000 on high.

I have a microwave with integrated exhaust hood venting to the outside hanging from cabinetry over the cooktop.

Between this setup and the Klose BBQ pit in the backyard, I can handle just about anything that has come up so far.

Jim

[sashae]

Along the same lines, is there such a thing as a high-quality electric range or cooktop? My wife and I are on the hunt for a condominium, and unfortunately, many of them only have electric ranges. While I would much, *much* prefer to have gas, it may not be feasible given what we've seen thus far.

Obviously a coil-type electric range is not in the cards, but I've heard that the new sealed-type burners are fairly good. Any recommendations?

-s

[sashae]

Wow, apparently there is. Now all I need is some information on which sort is the way to go :)

Gaggenau CK494 [36"]:

http://www.gaggenau.com:80/image.send?id=922613

Wolf 36" electric:

Thermador CEP365ZB:

Viking VECU1656B:

[Bux]

Alberts, your post prompts me to ask a question - When you're using that 17.5 burner to boil water, can you also have a few 12''and 10'' saute pans going at the same time on the other burners without crowding?

  I'm shopping for a cooktop, and after examining the DCS, I had doubts about its configuration...

I went looking at a few ranges this weekend. Unfortunately it's not for us. The two stoves that looked best were a Wolf and a DCS, both 36" and not all that much different in price. In fact they had a floor model Wolf at a discount and it came out less expensive than the DCS. The couple's current range is 30" and the 30" model would eliminate the need for some extra remodeling of kitchen cabinets. In spite of a major renovation, cost is a major factor and in spite of that, a close to four thousand dollar range is not unreasonable for these cooks. They have plenty of pots and pans that are larger than 12 inches in diameter and with the hottest burners in that fifth burner position, it would severely limit the size of the other four pots. On the other hand, I have six 15,000 BTU burners and I'm not sure how important the 17,500 BTU burner is over the other four 16,000 BTU burners. Someone mentioned that it might be more important when boiling pasta than when sauteeing. No matter, it's just not as useful as the six burner 36 inch range, if you have the room.

I don't recall the ultimate BTU output on the Wolf range, but it's low is 500 BTUs, while the DCS will stay lit at 100 BTUs which I find remarkably useful if you've ever wanted to keep a small pot at a bare simmer. The DCS also has what I think is a useful feature--the over door soft locks in an ajar position with about three or four inches of opening. The DCS may be easier to clean, but I'm not entirely convinced of that. Both stoves seem solid. The Wolf seems perhaps a little more solid, but I'm not sure that means anything when you consider that we can't visually compare the important things. Any information on how either does with a little four inch butter warmer pot?

While my 60 odd inch Vulcan was impressive when we got it in a day when there was nothing inbetween it and a residential stove that seemed like a toy next to it, both the Wolf and the DCS seem heads and shoulders better to own and cook with than the untamed beast we have. I would say that even the Viking, is a much better compromise. I didn't really get a look at any of the newer residential ranges.

[Alberts]

alicehat

sorry for the delay in reply, long holiday weekend, etc.

I usually boil water on the middle burner of the DCS with an 8 quart calphalon pot. My usual saute pan is 12" which is nearly touching the middle pot. I will say, though, that even the lower BTU burners boil water quickly. So if I am using multiple other pans I will boil water on a side burner.

Hasn't been a problem yet. I just didn't see a comparable range for price and versatility staying with 36 inches.

Alberts

[Bux]

I usually boil water on the middle burner of the DCS with an 8 quart calphalon pot. My usual saute pan is 12" which is nearly touching the middle pot. I will say, though, that even the lower BTU burners boil water quickly. So if I am using multiple other pans I will boil water on a side burner.

Hasn't been a problem yet. I just didn't see a comparable range for price and versatility staying with 36 inches.

If you have 36" you can get the model with the six 17,500 BTU burners. One advantage of the DCS 30" model is the fifth burner in the middle.

[alicehat]

Well, in the meantime I've been doing more research and found a GE Monogram 36" cooktop, which is made by DCS. It has a different layout and the middle burner is just 15,000 BTU, but seems to be a bit roomier:

http://products.geappliances.com/ProdConte...SKU=ZGU375NSDSS

Due to certain restraints, (namely, Budget) I need to replace an existing battered Thermador cooktop with one that can drop right in. Otherwise, I'd be all over the 6 burner 17,500 pro-style model.

[Marlene]

Along the same lines, is there such a thing as a high-quality electric range or cooktop?  My wife and I are on the hunt for a condominium, and unfortunately, many of them only have electric ranges.  While I would much, *much* prefer to have gas, it may not be feasible given what we've seen thus far.

Obviously a coil-type electric range is not in the cards, but I've heard that the new sealed-type burners are fairly good.  Any recommendations?

-s

I have the Thermador cooktop shown in the picture. We just installed it a couple of months ago. I got the Thermador, because it was the only electric cooktop with a bridge burner. I like it just fine, but a couple of things to note. It does not heat up as fast as coils or gas, so it takes a bit longer to boil water for pasta for example. The other thing is ceran cooktops are a bit of a pain to clean. You have to use a special cleaner on them. Watch out for spill overs too, as there is no way for the spillage to be contained, it can run right off. The only cooktop I've seen designed to correct this problem is the Miele.

Miele

The Thermador had a couple of features the others didn't, including the bridge burner. t has electronic controls rather than knobs. It has a zone smart feature so that if you don't have a pot on an element, the element will turn itself off after 10 minutes. It has a panel lock feature which is nice, so you don't turn the cooktop on by accident. It sits very flush to the counter, whereas the Miele sits up a bit. Even though all my other appliances are white, I opted for the black cooktop, because white cooktops just don't look right.

I think I looked at every cooktop on the market before we settled on the Thermador.

[tedwin]

I too live in an area without natural gas. Does anyone know how cooking with liquid propane compares with natural gas?

[rickster]

Obviously a coil-type electric range is not in the cards, but I've heard that the new sealed-type burners are fairly good. Any recommendations?

One note of caution. I bought a GE model with the ceramic cooktop about 2 1/2 years ago and have seen wear on the finish of the burner I use the most. I've also seen it on another GE unit at a home I visited. I also managed to scrub a patch of the pebbled finish off one of the burners using the ceramic cleaner supplied by GE.

[Bux]

Well, in the meantime I've been doing more research and found a GE Monogram 36" cooktop, which is made by DCS.  It has a different layout and the middle burner is just 15,000 BTU, but seems to be a bit roomier:

http://products.geappliances.com/ProdConte...SKU=ZGU375NSDSS

Due to certain restraints, (namely, Budget) I need to replace an existing battered Thermador cooktop with one that can drop right in.  Otherwise, I'd be all over the 6 burner 17,500 pro-style model.

I see several significant differences between the two range tops. The difference in BTUs is obvious--two burners are 10,500 BTUs, two are 12,000 BTUs and one is 15,000 BTUs--but there's also a diffference between the size pots that can be handled comfortably. The five burner top is only 20 5/8" deep. You can't really put four 12" pots centered on 4 burners, let alone five and I'm not sure if the front or back burners are the 12,000 BTU burners. Looking at the DCS drop in cooktops with one 17,500 BTU burner and four 11,000 BTU burners, I find it surprising that DCS doesn't even offer a six burner drop in cooktop.

[jmcgrath]

I too live in an area without natural gas.  Does anyone know how cooking with liquid propane compares with natural gas?

I'm in that situation, and propane works just fine. You need to get a model that is designed for propane. The only difference is in the oriface diameter, but propane won't work properly with a burner designed for natural gas and vice versa.

Jim