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High end ranges


Jason Perlow x

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My wife and I are in the final stages of the design process of re-do'ing our kitchen, and we are currently evaluating which appliances to buy.

Obviously the most important part of a pro kitchen is the range and ovens --we're looking at a few brands, primarily Wolf, DCS, Viking, GE Monogram, Thermador, Gaggenau, and Dynasty.

We originally were thinking about the DCS because one of our friends has one and is very happy with it, and also because DCS makes real restaurant equipment. However after looking at the Garland, which has a very high burner capacity (18.5K btu) as well as a very low simmer (250 btu) and a 1850 degree infrared broiler (which stays on as long as you like) I think we might go with this one.  

Thoughts anyone?

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My parents have had a Garland six-burner with overhead salamander for almost twenty years and have never had even a hint of a maintenance problem. Oven needs to be calibrated once in a while and that's all. One caveat, they have a real restaurant stove for which my father installed special insulating tiles. The fake professional style stoves sold for the home can be good but they are not real restaurant stoves no matter what anybody tells you. Every salesman will say "Oh, sure, that's true of all the other brands, but these Garland/DCS/Viking/Wolf babies, they're the only ones that are really professional." It is always a lie. Well, there is one brand that is a real professional stove rated for home use, but I can't remember it. Steven will know.

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Ellen R. Shapiro

www.byellen.com

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The brand Ellen is thinking of is Diva de Provence (http://www.grandecuisineamerica.com/). Tom Colicchio uses these in his new kitchen at Craft, where they are beaten upon day and night by the cooks. They are the only professional range I know of that has enough insulation to pass muster for home use under the local fire codes. They also make island suites with integrated gas burners, convection oven, induction cooktop, overhead broiler, sink, shelves, everything. Wish I had one.

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Steven A. Shaw

www.fat-guy.com

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I've also had a six burner garland with salamender for the last 20 years and swear by it.  I probably use the salamander more than the burners or the oven.

But probably any restaurant caliber range will do.  Remember to allow more depth for the range than usual.

One other appliance I consider a must.  I installed a dishwasher gooseneck spray hose over the sink.  Great pressure for spraying dishes and pots and I've used it more than once to chase from the kitchen those getting well meaning souls that tend to get on my nerve.

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Holly Moore

http://www.HollyEats.Com

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Anybody who put in a restaurant range 20 years ago, before the fake pro-style kitchen wave hit, installed a real one. That's an entirely different animal from the declawed specimens being sold on the residential market today. I'd love to see one of these so-called professional ranges last one month in a real restaurant, cranking every burner and the oven at full for 16 hours a day and otherwise getting the crap kicked out of it, liquids spilled into the works, etc. At the same time, the reality is that most people don't need a restaurant range in the home. Even people who consider themselves extremely serious cooks rarely do restaurant level cooking at home. So those pro-style ranges are fine for most people's homes, and if they want to delude themselves into thinking they have a professional range I suppose they'll never have that belief put to the test anyway so it's harmless.

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Steven A. Shaw

www.fat-guy.com

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Yes, its true. But the one thing I really like about Garland is that for a "home" professional range, its probably the closest you can get to a restaurant range in terms of raw burner power and the functionality of the broiler. Lord knows I've been obsessing for months on which of these stoves to get!

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Quote: from Fat Guy on 9:47 pm on July 19, 2001

Anybody who put in a restaurant range 20 years ago, before the fake pro-style kitchen wave hit, installed a real one. That's an entirely different animal from the declawed specimens being sold on the residential market today. I'd love to see one of these so-called professional ranges last one month in a real restaurant, cranking every burner and the oven at full for 16 hours a day and otherwise getting the crap kicked out of it, liquids spilled into the works, etc. At the same time, the reality is that most people don't need a restaurant range in the home. Even people who consider themselves extremely serious cooks rarely do restaurant level cooking at home. So those pro-style ranges are fine for most people's homes, and if they want to delude themselves into thinking they have a professional range I suppose they'll never have that belief put to the test anyway so it's harmless.

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An inoven broiler is a joke compared to an upright restaurant broiler. You will never be able to accomplish the same things. Your BTUs no matter what will be about 6000 less than the restaurant model of your same stove.

If you care enough about your BTUs why don't you just get the right insulation installed and get a restaruant stove? It will be a thousand cheaper than the home model and will give you 24,000 BTU. Get an overhead salamander while you're at it and you will be the envy of all your weekend warrior cook friends.

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Chris

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A salamander is the greatest thing. I so wish I had one. My parents' salamander makes the best hamburgers I've ever had. No grill has ever come close. We have an in-oven infrared broiler but it's small, has limited controls, and is mainly useful for browning food. Even without the safety cutout it would be pretty useless compared to a real salamander.

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Ellen R. Shapiro

www.byellen.com

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Talked to a guy who works on restaurant stoves and he said I was crazy to recommend a pro range to any homeowner. Said no amateur cook is safe on a 24-30k btu and even pros use the fake ranges at home on account of the safety and heat issues. Not sure I agree (couple of folks here lived 20 years wihtout mishap) but here is his source.

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Chris

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Well, I have to say after hearing from you nut cases I actually went to a restaurant supply store locally (Hackensack Restaurant Supply) and inquired about putting a commercial range in my house -- the very knowledgeable sales guy there, who did it in his house in Clifton, says that the sucker puts out so much heat that you dont even need to heat your house in the winter, and in the summer you sweat bullets if you are anywhere near it, plus if you attempt to open the oven latch with your bare hands you will burn your skin off. The unit he showed me was a 36 inch American Range, which uses 6 32,000BTU burners, which doesnt self clean and has no built in broiler -- bucks total. This did not bother me, but he also mentioned that in addition to having one huge mother 2000CFM custom hood with giant external blower on his roof, and super thick fireproof ceramic tiles on all three sides, and 6 inches of empty space between the range and the cabinets, he had to put in a special fire extinguisher system in his kitchen to keep things in code, and that if he ever had a fire his homeowners warrantee would be null and void and his insurance company probably wouldnt pay for any damage.

Sorry. I think I am gonna go for the "fake" garland, which will deliver enough power for the kind of cooking I intend to do at home!

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Quote: from PastryChef on 5:04 pm on July 20, 2001

Talked to a guy who works on restaurant stoves and he said I was crazy to recommend a pro range to any homeowner. Said no amateur cook is safe on a 24-30k btu and even pros use the fake ranges at home on account of the safety and heat issues. Not sure I agree (couple of folks here lived 20 years wihtout mishap) but here is his source.

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I put in a 6 burner Garland, with salamander.  It does add a bit of heat to the kitchen but not much.  I notice it more after cooking, because the oven and the salamander take longer to cool off.

Never had a problem with the oven handle.  Always use my bare hands.

Did put a hood in and vented it to the side, to a patio off my Philadelphia row house.  The building department did not require an Ansul (fire extinguisher system), though they do for restaurants.  I'd check code on that.  I like the full size hood - adds to the "drama" of the range.

While I have a quarry tile floor, I didn't put in any special tile (plain ol' white ceramic).

Don't be so easily disuaded.  If you can figure out how to incorporate it, you'll love it.

One side benefit - for the first few years my non-restaurant background friends got such a kick out of having access to a real restaurant range that they'd come over and do all the cooking whenever I entertained.

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Holly Moore

http://www.HollyEats.Com

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If you are able, consider following the lead of my good friend who, while buying a hotter-than-normal stove for his kitchen, installed a gas line and a honkin' hot double burner stove on his patio, near the kitchen door. This he uses for his woks, his deep fat frying (extinguuisher handy) and for boiling crabs, lobsters, corn. Keeps the heat out of the kitchen, yet allows high btu use with safey.

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I think what's missing from the equation with all these posts is the knowledge of the layout of our kitchen and house.  There is a choice of two locations for the range, on an interior wall and next to the back door.  However, I don't like the latter choice because it puts the cook's back to the pass-thru area between the kitchen and dining area peninsula.  This is the current configuration to the range and I feel this is rather dangerous, because someone can bump you while you're cooking.  Hence, we have a longer run for the hood ducts and have the heat of the stove further into the house.

Also, I think our space limitations prohibit allowing the extra room for the insulation necessary with a commercial range.  Also, we don't have a semi-outside area in which to install a heat producing item such as a previous poster suggested - except for the grill, which we already have.  Actually I use the grill side burner for the wok a lot because of the heat and because it has a higher flame than the current stove burner.

I do have a question about the salamander.  Where do they get located?  If they are over the range, how do you vent the range?

Thanks, Rachel

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I personally have a very crappy domestic oven with an electric oven and gas hob, but I manage OK. I did meet a cookery book dealer who was very keen to show off her genuine professional range, but had to admit that it was a real pain to clean, produced an awful lot of heat and required professional standard ventilation which really annoyed her neighbours.

I suppose it's a matter of what you need a professional range in a domestic setting for and are the pluses worth the minuses.

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The Food Store

www.alynes.freeserve.co.uk

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We have had a Viking 6 burner range with 4 ft. hood and extra draft for 10+ years.  On the plus side, it performs; it daily does what I expect.  On the minus side, regardless of its high initial expense, it is very poorly made: poorly finished metal connections, enamel failure, poor design, difficult to clean.  On the plus side, a contractor friend has told us that ours is a Sherman tank compared to those he has recently installed.

eGullet member #80.

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At the highest end of the market-considered the Rolls Royce of stoves, I'm aware of the La Cornue brand. At least in looks, it's similiar to Diva de Provence(mentioned by Steven A. Shaw). La Cornue got its Canadian launch last December, here in Montreal(Canada). Their flagship model(has 2 ovens) was demoed at the time by top Montreal chef, Marc de Canck(La Chronique restaurant). Price ?? Around ิ,000 Canadian(approx. ษ,000 US). La Cornue website is at http://www.lacornue.com/  

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  • 2 years later...

As a degreed Nuclear Engineer and one time Fire Marshall for a Nuclear Utility, when I decided to invest in a new range, about 12 years ago, I studied the industry, what was required(NFPA codes) and what was available. Outside of the AGA(too much heat), I installed a 4 burner Viking with the requiste 2 fan Viking hood and ducting. The thing is a tank and is used daily with many times all four burners going and food and liquid being spilled. Ona 70F day if using the oven or three of the burners, i need to trun the air on for the kitchen. It is not the prettiest or most trendy thing out there today and there are many boutique ranges but if you only have 30" and are serious about cooking, don't discount the Viking line.

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