Questions about gas ranges & new kitchen...

[mart242]

Sorry for the long post. Skip 1st section if you don't want the details!

---------------- EXTRA DETAILS -------------------

I'm having a house built, well, I've picked a model from a builder so can't make any major changes to it but can have things moved around... He're the model I choose: http://tamarackhomes.com/findlaycreek/floo...ges/bristol.htm I'm on a limited budget which is why I won't have the kitchen of my dreams with a walk-in pantry and big island in the midle. Well, I could have a walk-in pantry added to that kitchen but it look weird... Anyways, I still lots of time ahead of me but am wondering a few things regarding which gas range I should put in. It will be natural gas for sure.

I currently have a kitchenaid slide-in, 4 burners with convection oven that's pretty nice, lots of useless electronics on it though (touch panel with tons of options). It takes forever to boil water though.And the burners sometimes heat the side of the pots more than the bottom of it! I think that's caused by the range hood circulating the air.

--------------------------------------------------------

I first thought that I'd put in a "prosumer" grade range in my new house, something like a 5 burner 30" DSC range http://www.dcs-range.com/indoor/detail.php?id=91 whici is about 5k$CDN, that's as much as I'd spend. No 36" or more for me. Unfortunately. With such a range, all the burners are powerful (no 2xsimmer, 2xhigh power burners like on my current kitchenaid). The broiler is also great. Convection oven, but not self clean which apparently is not required on a range like this: you just put it on full power with the broiler for an hour or two and it's clean.

Now, it's summer time and I've realised that I have barely used my range because I have a good gas BBQ and it gets too hot inside the house if I use the range. I've got AC but why waste so much energy fighiting against the range?

Sooo... I'm reconsidering my choice. I'm thinking I could save some money and go with a lower cost range, aroung 2k$CDN. That would buy me a nice TV. I make that choice, I'm afraid that I'll regret it 2-3 years down the road...

Is "prosumer" grade worth it? I don't care about the stainless steel commercial look as long as it cooks well. Can I get that in a high end consumer model with more features for less $ instead? If I go high end consumer, I can get a double oven or warming drawer for cheaper than a basic "prosumer" one but do they cook / bake properly? Heck, I could even go with a dual fuel one, something I could not do if I go prosumer/commercial.

A few things to keep in mind:

- If you've looked at the floorplan, you'll see that there will be a ~8' duct from the range hood to the outside of the house.

- I cook / bake a bit of everything. I really enjoy cooking and cook more and more, when I have the time! I currently have 1 young boy and might have another kid down the road.

Oh well, I still have ~4 - 5 months to decide!

Edited August 25, 2005 by mart242 (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Depends on whether or not you think you can live with the burner output of a regular, non-prosumer range.

A DCS you are going to get like 14,000-17,000 BTU plus infrared broiler. Your average GE or Maytag is going to be like 9,000-12,000, in a 30inch.

http://www.dcs-range.com/indoor/detail.php?id=91

[fifi]

I don't have a clue yet as to cost where you are but GE Monogram (my choice for service reasons) has a 30". Even better, since I have been procrastinating on building my house, GE has since redesigned their range, all for the better. All of the burners are dual ring, 17,000 BTU (with natural gas, 15,000LP), all burners turndown to 140F simmer and are sealed to boot. With the 36" you can add an 18,000 BTU grill or griddle. The oven is self cleaning and has an 8 pass dual broiling element. The oven is also convection. All in all, now the range of my dreams. I was making some compromises with the earlier model and those have all gone away.

[winesonoma]

If you want high heat and have a patio or deck this is the way to go. A nice supplement to an inside stove. http://www.campchef.com/products/product_category.php?cat=2

[Mayhaw Man]

Here's my new one.

At some point, maybe tonight, I will try, really I will, to get my kitchen thread going again as it is actually happening as we speak (along with a gut of the rest of the place, which is why I have no time or energy (not to mention money) to get the thread restarted. But that stove is sitting in a box somewhere on a loading dock in New Orleans awaiting the floor in the kitchen to go down. Hopefully sometime next week I will be setting this big dog down and hooking up the gas.

[francois]

I have a DCS all gas range (30''). I love it. I got it about 1 yr ago, it is a previous model that had been sitting in a store for a few years and I got it for a great price. It was in a shop that sells propane gas and they also have a few appliances. 4 powerfull burners, SO NICE! Best purchase I ever made

However it does produce a hell of a lot of heat, so I must admit that this last summer, I mostly used the BBQ.

Burners are large and powerfull, so depending on the king of cookware you have. be prepare for a surprise! I had good quality stuff with heavy aluminum bottom. They worked great on my old electric stove. On these burners, the side get much too hot (sides are made of stainless, bottom have aluminum). I had to get somme fully clad.

By the way, the GE monogram used to be made by DCS (I beleive they still are)

[Jason Perlow]

By the way, the GE monogram used to be made by DCS (I beleive they still are)

Yes, some if not most of the Monograms are made by DCS.

[fifi]

I was told by my dealer that GE is making them themselves now, not DCS. I don't know if that is true. The range from earlier this year is a much different design than before when I know they were made by DCS. The new ones are a definite step up design wise.

[mart242]

If you want high heat and have a patio or deck this is the way to go. A nice supplement to an inside stove.  http://www.campchef.com/products/product_category.php?cat=2

←

That's pretty nice... Could be super useful at my next house. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

[mart242]

I have a DCS all gas range (30'').  I love it.  I got it about 1 yr ago, it is a previous model that had been sitting in a store for a few years and I got it for a great price.  It was in a shop that sells propane gas and they also have a few appliances.  4 powerfull burners, SO NICE!  Best purchase I ever made

However it does produce a hell of a lot of heat, so I must admit that this last summer, I mostly used the BBQ.

What range where you using before?

Based on your comments, I think I'll have to go for a DCS or another good range (GE monogram?).

[mart242]

I forgot something: how useful is "self cleaning" on these big powerful ranges?

[fifi]

Well . . . This range I have now in this apartment is not self cleaning. My long cherished housekeeper and clean oven fanatic is off having a knee replaced. I use my oven a lot and the drips and drabs are starting to accumulate. She is going to go into apoplexy when she sees this thing. I would give up a body part for a self cleaning oven.

[francois]

I have a DCS all gas range (30'').  I love it.  I got it about 1 yr ago, it is a previous model that had been sitting in a store for a few years and I got it for a great price.  It was in a shop that sells propane gas and they also have a few appliances.  4 powerfull burners, SO NICE!  Best purchase I ever made

However it does produce a hell of a lot of heat, so I must admit that this last summer, I mostly used the BBQ.

What range where you using before?

Based on your comments, I think I'll have to go for a DCS or another good range (GE monogram?).

←

I had an old electric GE range. When I had it, I thought it worked great. The oven flour wraped because I would just throw a glass of water in it when baking bread (it took over 5 years to do so!). Now I use a baking sheet to receive the water when baking bread, I would not want the same thing to happen in my DCS!

It is not self clean, I have had it for over 1 year and I still have not had to clean it (even if I use the oven a lot). And beleive me it is not dirty at all. I use a wet towel every once in a while, that's all. I am just a bit more carefull (e.g.: putting a baking sheet under a pie when baking it or not putting my bread directly on the baking stone - I now put my breads on baking papers, that way the oven is no longer full of flour!). Anyway I never liked self cleaning ovens, for some reason I am uneasy about them and I find that the whole house smells bad when the oven is self cleaning.

I don't have natural gas so I have a propane tank beside the house (There are so many flowers and plants that one does not really notice it - thanks to my wife). It is however quite expensive ($500.- $600. cnd in propane gas/year) - probably because I bake a lot - almost every week. Still, I just love that range! If you can, dont hesitate. They are built like tanks and should last forever

[mart242]

I don't have natural gas so I have a propane tank beside the house (There are so many flowers and plants that one does not really notice it - thanks to my wife).  It is however quite expensive ($500.- $600. cnd in propane gas/year) - probably because I bake a lot - almost every week.  Still, I just love that range! If you can, dont hesitate.  They are built like tanks and should last forever

←

All right then. THanks a lot for the info. I'll keep the DCS on my list. I think the 5 burner 30" one is something like 4600$ taxes in (in Ottawa).

Any range hood to recommend?

[squids]

Based on our research, we'll be going with the Vent-a-Hood. As far as your "list" of options, definitely check out the Bluestar range. There are so many mftrs out there, and you have to look at what style of cooking you use, and what is most important to you. (Looks? Power? Gas? propane? Electric? etc. etc.) Will you have a seperate wall oven as well? We are just about to sign on the dotted line with our contractor, so we can then place the order for our Bluestar range! We'll be getting the 30" RNB model

One of the plusses of the prosumer ranges is that if you get one with an Infrared broiler, usually that heat is hot enough to keep the inside of your oven fairly clean. We had a Viking in our previous house, and not only was the broiler great, we never had to clean the oven. We are going with the Bluestar this time as it is far better than the Viking in many areas, IMHO. DCS was out of our price range, so I didn't even look at them.

The only appliance we hadn't decided on yet was the single electric wall oven, to complement our range. We almost bought a last year's model Kenmore Elite, but it sold before we made up our minds. Snooze you lose, right? Well, we went to another Sears store to look at ovens, and they had one that should not have been there, a canceled special order, GE Monogram! They wanted to get it out of their stock so they sold it to us for an insanely cheap price; for less than even a standard, non-prosumer oven. I'm glad to see the positive input in this thread about the GE, since we bought it...albeit with the consideration that it could be returned if we changed our minds. The only hang-up is that it is a small oven--it doesn't fit a regular size baking sheet due to the convection fan. Plus, I don't know nuttin' about the Monogram line. I have heard before about the possible link to DCS, but...

If anyone has ever cooked with one of these smaller size ovens and has any input, please let me know. mart242 keep us posted on your choices!

[winesonoma]

Don't forget that Propane and natural gas are 2 different things. Most ranges will have to be converted to propane if that is what you have. Just a general comment, not specific to anyones situation.

[mart242]

squids,

I'll definitely look at the bluestar but it doesn't seem too popular in Canada. There's only one distributor carrying them under the name "prestichef" so service might be a PITA if something happens. Based on what you're saying, they were less expensive than DCS which would be a big plus if it's as good...

I'll look at the GE monogram. When will you have it delivered to your new house?

[squids]

squids,

I'll definitely look at the bluestar but it doesn't seem too popular in Canada.  There's only one distributor carrying them under the name "prestichef" so service might be a PITA if something happens.    Based on what you're saying, they were less expensive than DCS which would be a big plus if it's as good... 

I'll look at the GE monogram.  When will you have it delivered to your new house?

←

Check this website for more info. You'll have to do a search for the recent active threads, and click here for the archive of the 14 previous pages of threads. They are a small company, and usually there is only one distributor in a region.

We haven't ordered the range yet, as it will only take maybe a week to 10 days to deliver, and demolition hasn't even started yet...the Monogram sits currently on our living room floor!

[mart242]

Check this website for more info. You'll have to do a search for the recent active threads, and click here for the archive of the 14 previous pages of threads. They are a small company, and usually there is only one distributor in a region.

I did a bunch of reading on the gardenweb forum last night. I'm now tempted by an induction cooktop and inwall oven instead.

The induction cooktops heat quickly and evenly. Plus, barely any energy is wasted, so you don't heat up the house while cooking during the hot summer days when the AC is running. Oh well, still a few months to do my homework!

[Trishiad]

We have a Kenmore stove from Sears and really love it. It has 4 burners, one of which has more power than the others and one simmer burner. It also has a self cleaning oven and a warming drawer. It has a stainless look but isn't entirely stainless which made it more affordable. They also make a 6 burner version with 2 ovens but since we were just pretending we could afford the small one we really couldn't justify the big one.

[memesuze]

I did a bunch of reading on the gardenweb forum last night.  I'm now tempted by an induction cooktop and inwall oven instead. 

be sure your pots and pans will work or you might be out quite a bit of money replacing all of them....

[mart242]

be sure your pots and pans will work or you might be out quite a bit of money replacing all of them....

←

Most of them are ok, but not my non-stick pot, big pot, and a few other. As long as my Creuset dutch oven / mini dutch oven work work and regular pans / pots are ok, I'm happy! I'll buy what's not and it shouldn't be too expensive. I don't know what I'll use for home canning though.