Gas stove top recommendations?

[Mark]

I just moved into a house that has an electric stove top. I am planning on replacing it with a gas top but am not sure which brand to go with - Miele, Wolf, Jenn-Air, etc. At the moment, I tend to be leaning more toward the Miele. What has your experience with any of these been and if you have one would you go with that brand again? Thanks for your help.

[Homecookin']

There are a few nice reviews for jenn-air found in Consumer Guide Website. I didn't see any reviews for Miele.

Hope it helps.

Link: http://products.consumerguide.com/rev...

[ChowFun (derek)]

I just went to a Dacor demonstration, at their place in S.San Fran. they have a unit that can produce 18,500 btu! And they do have normal size units.for all kitchens. Boils water fast, and great for a wok! They had a wok ring attachment for it.

[Will Owen]

Well, whatever you do, avoid Bosch. After years of dealing with their automotive products, I should've known better than to buy one of their cooktops, but NOOOOOOO!

At least it *was* hideously expensive...

[Jane Hathaway]

I agree. I loathe my Bosch.

[ChowFun (derek)]

Mark,
Don't know where you are located, but there are Dacor showrooms all over...They let you come with your pots if you want.. and cook or they'll provide food and create a meal, showing off the different aspects of their products (we had steaks and salmon) and they continue to have after purchase classes....pretty impressive....

[Jeremy Newel]

I got a DCS because I could get 6 burners at 17,500 BTUs each, if I recall correctly. Also, it is very easy to keep clean. I am very happy with this stove top. I should mention that they sent me the wrong top initially. It was configured for propane, not natural gas. The company fixed it, but they should have sent the right one in the first place.

[Ms. Ghost]

Have you checked out the Garden Web forums? There are a lot of really knowledgeable appliance people who participate in their discussions. The Blue Star cooktop has what amounts to a cult following---at least one burner puts out 22,000 BTU plus there are several that simmer as well! Wish I lived in an area that you could even SEE them, but apparently the distributors are confined to the East and West coasts. Those of us in between are just out o'luck!

[Frank]

Mark,
If you are contemplating high BTU burners you’ll need to look into your local ordnances as it might require an exhaust hood.

Frank

[Sherri]

The Viking cooktop unit simmers at a lower temp than the others I found, handy for some things without using a "simmer plate". Very high heat when needed, I don't remember the exact #BTUs but wok cooking is a joy. The spider burners allow easy movement of pots between & off burners without lifting. Easy to clean, everything comes apart. Good luck in your hunt.

[Pssst]

Mark,
I just got a new range in June. I had a 40 year old range that was a wreck. I did a massive amount of research because I found it interesting and I wanted to be as sure as possible that I made the right decision (read The Paradox of Choice, yet?).

Anyway, we decided to get a Blue Star (Garland). They are totally awesome. But they are not cheap and I just couldn't write the check.

I realized that given the condition of my current range, anything would be a massive improvement. So I gave myself 3 months to look at used ranges; if I didn't find an amazing "deal" in that amount of time, I'd spring for the Blue Star.

We found a barely used Viking (for half retail) from a kitchen in Atherton - you gotta love the Bay Area where people buy $1+ Million tear-downs and completely remodel their kitchens every 5-8 years.

We totally love our Viking. Its got 6 burners, a griddle and 2 ovens. Having two ovens rocks! We don't use the griddle much but it has a wooden cutting board insert that is really convenient.

Link: http://www.departures.com/ad/ad_1103_...

[FLEUR]

I love my Thermidor range and oven. It has four large burners and a large grill in the center.
It is excellent and almost as nice as the La Cornue I had in France.

[racezx9]

Stay away from DCS, I have a 48" RGS-48GD "Professional" range, I don't see what professional would use it. The F*&^&* stove was 6500 dollars, more than most kitchens or a Kia, but if you look closely at the construction it's crap. Look closely at the the large oven door hinge at the bottom of the oven. The Door slides into a internal hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism is held in place by 2 sheet metal screws. 2 small screws !!! the bottom screw take all the pressure of the door opening and closing, why not larger screws, or 4 screws even, they are 9 cents a piece.

The best is when I called Customer service, there was none. They were polite withe no answers, solutions or willingness to help.

I ended up switching the brackets from the small oven the large one and fixed it my self. Their web site was inadequate, the customer service reps were clueless, parts over price. The overall experience was pretty much crap. I would say if you ca afford to pay this much for a stove, do you want to put up with the crap treatment from DCS, when there are so many other companies. I buy luxury item to get the experience along with the product and DCS failed on all fronts. Waste you money at your own peril.

[johnb]

You have revived a really old thread here.

I think you have vastly overestimated the cost of sheet metal screws. They are probably more like a penny each or less, bought in industrial quantities.

DCS was bought out by Fisher-Paykel several years ago. I had a DCS cooktop in my old house and it was fine, but there has been a lot of carping about DCS since the buyout. Several of their founders left and founded Capital, which some say has the old DCS quality.