Gas Kitchen Ranges - what does the collective suggest

[chatton18]

I'm not really happy with the electric one I have in my house now and want to gas. We have a natural gas heater so running a line shouldn't be that expensive (also going to run one for my grill which I'll convert later), but I'm looking for the collectives opinion/experience with these. I'm thinking $1-2k in terms of budget. Really the only limit besides price is that it has to be 30 inches. We have a hood with the current system but its not super powerful. My gf does a lot of baking and we're fairly serious cooks, but I don't think its worth putting big money into something since it's a starter home but I'd imagine we'll be here for the next 5-7 years so I don't want a piece of crap either. Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

[ate'em]

gas cooks better that electric in my experience.
i have a Brown gas stove. it is 30", four burners, oven and broiler.
it is really simple, not all the modern meaningless bells and whistles.
excellent burner heat output and simmers really low. oven bakes consistently, and the gas broiler is great.
it is solidly build in USA, works like a champ.
cost well under $1k, easily serviceable. i bought through lehmans.com but there are other vendors online.
two thumbs up, no hesitation.

[Viva]

Thermador makes a 30" unit that's supposed to be tits. But it costs >$3000, I believe.

I have had higher end GE stoves in my two houses and they were fine, but only one large burner, which sucked. There were two mid-size burners and a single tiny-weeny one that was useless.

Find something with 4 large burners. You may require a hood, though, if all 4 are going full-blast concurrently.

[NmbrdDays]

My rents have the ge monogram. Prob is when the igniter goes it's a huge job to fix. Then again the stove lasted about ten years. The repair guys said don't ever spray any sort of liquid on the stove. Spray the cloth then wipe. The reason is when the stove is on and shit boils over the heat dries it up. Spraying onto a cool stove will rust out the igniters underneath and you can only get to them from the top. Stupid. That being said.

Wolf was the recommendation from the repair guys and appliance stores. They are high end. Bosch makes some nice stoves too. High out put and really nice. The GE monogram my rents have is awesome. The simmer feature is tits!

Find what works for you. Don't be afraid to bring your largest pots and pans to the store to see what fits. Go stainless all the way. Viking is overpriced crap. Simmer features are great for soups and béchamel sauces. You can always take the stove with you when you leave.

[chatton18]

My rents have the ge monogram. Prob is when the igniter goes it's a huge job to fix. Then again the stove lasted about ten years. The repair guys said don't ever spray any sort of liquid on the stove. Spray the cloth then wipe. The reason is when the stove is on and shit boils over the heat dries it up. Spraying onto a cool stove will rust out the igniters underneath and you can only get to them from the top. Stupid. That being said.

Wolf was the recommendation from the repair guys and appliance stores. They are high end. Bosch makes some nice stoves too. High out put and really nice. The GE monogram my rents have is awesome. The simmer feature is tits!

Find what works for you. Don't be afraid to bring your largest pots and pans to the store to see what fits. Go stainless all the way. Viking is overpriced crap. Simmer features are great for soups and béchamel sauces. You can always take the stove with you when you leave.

The wolf/mongram/etc. are a bit higher than i'd like to pay for a unit at this point. I would be more comfortable with going for something more expensive but then you have to worry about it fitting in your next house (is it a 30 or 36 inch, do they have a built in oven/separate cooktop, etc.). I've been looking at some of the cheaper professional style ranges like the NXR that costco has right now which apparently uses the same burners as the wolf home ranges. I've also been browsing craigslist a bit since I'm in the NYC area to pick up something, i've seen some DCS and bluestars for a decent price. Is there a big difference going with the pro style vs a GE Profile type range. I could care less about self cleaning ovens and kitchen timers.

[OSECS]

Have had DCS 36" gas cook top with griddle and 4 burners for 8 years or so. Could not be happier with the quality and have haver had a single need to call for any service. The hood will set you back some coin. More than $1K depending on blower (variable speed fan, remote motor is what you want) and hood design

(it'll die tonight after writing this I'm sure)

[Pegleg]

I got a 30" stainless 5-burner Frigidaire professional series convection oven for $900 as a scratch and dent from a local appliance shop (scratch is on the side, can't see it once installed). It's been great for the last 5 years, literally not a single problem yet. Two "power" burners get water boiling quickly and one "simmer" burner to keep stuff at low heat. I've checked the oven regularly and the thermostat is pretty accurate. Couple of lessons learned:

- Don't worry about 5 burners in a 30" cook top; you can't really use the middle one anyway unless you're using all very small pots/pans.

- DO NOT get a cook top where each burner has a separate, round iron top for your pan to sit on - get one where it's a connected grate that covers the entire top (I don't know what this is supposed to be called). It's really useful to be able to slide a heavy stockpot over to cool without having to lift it and place it precisely.

[GeezerSteve]

Gas is so much nicer than electric. We have a Premier 24" gas range, which has served us very well. It fits with the rest of our compact (think Euro) appliances in our small bungalow kitchen.

[Sirshredalot]

My wife and I are pseudo-serious cooks. We've both held bitch-level jobs in commercial kitchens. She used to work in a bakery. We are in our first house, and we've been fixing it up so it's nice for us to live in, but also with an eye toward sale in a year's time.

We got a gas GE range a couple years ago. We made sure to get the continuous grate across the top with the weird oblong fifth burner in the middle. The continuous grate is something I would not do without. The oblong middle burner is great for the dutch oven. Both the simmer burner and the big BTU chucker burner get heavy use.

The oven temp isn't all that accurate. Maybe if we had paid extra to get a dual fuel model with a convection oven it would be better, but this hasnt been a big deal for us. A remote oven thermometer solves this problem for cheap, and most baking enthusiasts who I know end up using one anyways.

We spent enough money to get the stainless steel because that makes irrational homebuyers excited. The 5 sealed burners and the continuous grate were for functionality. Spending extra above that for dual fuel or convection oven didn't make any sense for us: it sounds like you're in a similar situation.

[Shredhead]

If your wife's really a baker, dual fuel is the way to go! I'm happy with my Wolf, but I'm sure there are less expensive units that would work well.

[panchosdad]

If your wife's really a baker, dual fuel is the way to go! I'm happy with my Wolf, but I'm sure there are less expensive units that would work well.

2nd on the dual fuel for oven performance, but its going to be at least $2K.

[chatton18]

I don't know that she needs dual fuel, but will keep it in mind. I've found a 2001 Thermador on craigslist that appears to be in good shape for 1200 with the hood from a family thats remodeling/getting a bigger range/having first world problems just like me. Appears to be in good shape but obviously will check it out. Does anyone have any long term experience (10+ years) with these and feel confident in picking it up

[schindlerpiste]

Whatever you choose, don't forget to add a g-note for a hood on top of the price of the oven. New 30" Thermadors start at about $4000.

[Cruiser]

I have been thoroughly pleased with my Kenmore Elite dual fuel 30" unit. It's got a big dual ring burner for throwing a lot of heat at things, then 2 smaller burners for simmering, and one long burner that is divided into 3 different sections for my griddle. The convection oven is tits too. Gonna move soon and I'm going to have to upgrade the cooktop in the new place. Thinking about trying to find the coin for a 5 Star or DCS unit but I may end up with another Kenmore Elite if I can't find the $$$ in the budget for something higher end.

[Conundrum]

I got a Jenn-Air convection with a gas top and dig it. My house won't allow a hood without some major mods so I went with downdraft. It sucks compared to a regular hood so definitely try to get a regular hood if possible.

I got a pretty good deal on scratch and dent. Mine also has the grill on one side that some people think is lame and not worth it but it grills mean veggies, fish, and very lean beef. Anything greasy goes outside. I have the switchable burners too and it's easy to switch. If you do get a grill, make sure to go for that option. Only having two burners sucked for the little while I only had two.

[NmbrdDays]

I heard DCS makes a bunch a ranges for other companies. I'd do some Hw on that. There are a few spots here in westchester that you might want to check out. I've installed a few dual ranges but never used them. I'd just stick with the gas. No need to use electricity when you can use fire! I'm no baker but I do may fair share around the holidays and the gas is great. If your going with an oven make sure it's 30" wide. Then you can fit two baking pans side by side on each shelf

[oftpiste]

I'm sorry, but all the products recommended above are shite.

Bluestar is the closest you can get to a commercial range without incurring insurance issues. 22k btu burners, IR ceramic broiler, convection fan in the electric oven. I had a WOLF and it was crap. Whatever you do avoid sealed burners. horrid to clean. Most of the high end gas ranges are so faux. ping me if you need info.

[Meadow Skipper]

I know the OP said $1-2k but I fucking love our 30 inch Wolf. Bomber, accurate, easy to clean...just a joy to work on. It'd be worth the time to search for a used one.

[Conundrum]

My suggestion was for a "starter home" that he thinks he might move out of in the next few years, why not scratch and dent?

I needed a range and was barely out of college with a $300 budget. I spent $200 on a $1900 range with a barely noticeable dent on one of the knobs. He may get something pretty rad that would still have a warranty. I don't if stove warranties are that big of a deal but it seems a used stove might not come with one.

I would guess a Blue Star would be well north of his budget but don't really know...I leave that to the people who get tight pants over appliances.

[skinnyskier]

Really what you should want is induction.

[Pegleg]

Really what you should want is induction.

So that he can pay to replace his pots and pans as well as buying a new stove? No thanks. (I know SOME will probably work, but my experience is that inductions are picky and don't play well with all pots and pans unless you've already invested in a full set of All-Clad.)

I'd be nervous buying a 10yo used stove, regardless of brand (except for a true commercial unit, which are designed to be bombproof). The higher-end units are more expensive because they're designed to work better and have more features, not necessarily because they last longer. My friends who have high-end Dacor and Viking ranges have had problems with theirs just like everyone else (more, in the case of the Dacor). I'd rather get a new midrange model and have a warranty, as well as its full functional lifetime ahead of it, than a 10yo high-end range that might only have a couple of useful years left.

[OSECS]

I'm sorry, but all the products recommended above are shite.

Bluestar is the closest you can get to a commercial range without incurring insurance issues. 22k btu burners, IR ceramic broiler, convection fan in the electric oven. I had a WOLF and it was crap. Whatever you do avoid sealed burners. horrid to clean. Most of the high end gas ranges are so faux. ping me if you need info.

yeah, uh no....... There are several good brands listed for different price points. The Kenmore Elite stuff is pretty damn good for the price, we have a scratch and dent wall oven that's been the bomb (at half retail cost). Our DCS is also great with solid construction and no service ever. Wolf, and DCS are both pretty strong brands. Viking and Wolf are good but yer paying for the names somewhat, Theramdor, gaggeneau good stuff, but I've heard some issues with maintenance.

Price point being your driving force look for scratch and dent and do some googling of service issues with all the brands.

[cat in january]

Cruise craigslist especially as you have the option of time. High end stuff gets offloaded in your price range.

Even though gas is more energy efficient, I would really look for self cleaning as it is better insulated.

Make sure the plumber checks that your gas lines are properly grounded.

I have been very impressed with a gas Whirlpool I own, but the burners on my wife's Viking ignite better and have a much better flame spread. She does all the baking and oven cooking so I can not comment on the quality differences there.

[Meadow Skipper]

,,,I had a WOLF and it was crap...

I missed this earlier, but I have to say that it's something you don't hear people say very often.

[XXX-er]

The last place I lived had a scratch n dent 30 " Kenmore that the LL got cheap with 5burner & convection which I liked using, it looks nice in SS and bakes real well with convection although all I ever made was left handed brownies

I got a bud who bought a house with a BIG restaurant grade 6burner that was old enough to still use a pilot light instead of an igniter which burns a LOT of fuel just sitting there and it's so fucking big he could never get it out of the kitchen ... I think it looks a lot more imressive than it is practical for a home user