In my business I find myself cooking on a different stove every day.
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I have cooked on some ranges that I love and some that are just a colossal waste of money.
If you're itching to upgrade your ca. 1978 Magic Chef range to something fancy, please hear what I have to say before you just go and plunk down $2,500+ on the first stainless steel work of art you see.
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A few weeks ago I trekked up to Gwinnett County to visit
Westye Group.
There they have erected a cathedral as a place for us foodies to come together and bask in the glory of the great works of art by SubZero/Wolf.
The reverend Vicki Stevens was gracious enough to give me a tour of the sacred nave showcasing myriad shapes and sizes of Wolf ranges. I plied her with my questions.
Some definitions first. The word "range" is synonymous with "stove": burners on top, an oven or two below. When referring to a stove with no oven beneath it, we're supposed to call it a "range top". If the controls are on top, instead of the front face, it's a "cook top".
Gas or electric? As you climb up into the higher end models, the advantages of gas vs. electric become less and less. More efficient surfaces and heating elements allow more expensive electric cooktops to mimic the instant-on-instant-off ability of gas. (I'll still always choose gas over electric!)
Burners, size and quantity. I happen to like five or six burners because I often have that many pots going at once. But, even more important to me is the size of the burners themselves. You can't put a two-quart saucepan over a burner six inches wide without scorching the sides of your pan. I like a range top that has three different size burners.
Clean up. I want a stove that cleans easily. I don't want a bunch of gaskets around the burners that trap oils. My favorite are range tops that can be taken completely apart. Some models have removable drip pans that you can just pop right out and scrub down in the sink. Which brings me to a particular pet peeve of mine...
What about stainless? I know stainless steel is all the rage right now. But, really, the top of a range is the LAST place you want stainless steel. You can't even put a plastic scrub sponge to it without leaving scratches!
The best surface for cleaning is dark gray enamel. You can scrub down on it with reckless abandon. And if you miss a spot...heck, you're probably the only person who'll ever notice, anyway!
A note on cleaning nasty stains on stainless (almost oxymoronic, isn't it?) Use Barkeeper's Friend along with a soft rag. Purple 409 is particularly effective at removing heavy grease and grime. For those really nasty stains, Vicki at Wolf says Fume-Free Easy Off works very well (she emphasized "fume-free.")
Ventilation. Don't skimp on ventilation!! A vent that passes the air through a charcoal filter and then belches the odors right back into the kitchen is utterly useless to me.
There are two types of arrangements for ventilation. There is the traditional overhead type, which has nearly 100% effectiveness. This is the one you want.
There is also what is called a "downdraft" vent. These are the nifty gadgets that magically rise up behind your stove with the press of a button. Turning one of these on is the equivalent of putting a vacuum cleaner hose directly to the burner. The suction is so powerful it causes the flame to go nearly horizontal making sautéing impossible.
Choosing a manufacturer. My absolute favorite is
Wolf.
And if for some reason I can't have Wolf, I guess I would have to choose
Thermador
or
Dacor.
All three of them offer tons of layout options. And all three of them offer a range top with 3 different size burners.
GE
is also catching on to the game and has produced a new competing line of "drop-in" gas cook tops that are much more economical.
Happy shopping!
Bon Appetit!
