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Range vs Cooktop

mollyshark
mollyshark Posts: 1,519
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Planning out kitchen for new house. The architect thinks I should go for a range/wall over since I'm getting, umm, older and lifting stuff out of a regular oven might get more difficult. I don't use the oven much, being an egg person of course, but I reeeallly don't like the looks of ranges. They look like the stove was decapitated! Kinda gives me the creeps. Cooktops don't look at strange to me as a range but have never really cooked on either. My knee jerk reaction is a nice 48" Wolf stove with 4-burner/griddle, but the architect does have some points. They are a pain to clean. Not the inside (self-cleaning) but the outside crevices and doors and such. Any thoughts on any of this?
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Comments

  • Have had 3 cooktops and love 'em!

    Wall ovens are great, too, but the double jobs can be a bit too high and low for us "challenged" gals B)

    We built in the microwave under the counter (originally for #1 when he was a small latchkey kiddo) and really like it from a safety (spill) perspective (easy to remove hot and liquid items).

    Ku's been eyeing the induction cooktops and we both have been eyeing the Wolf built in ovens.....currently have a 15y/o Viking Gas 36" which, although the broiler is super, has been a PITA as far as oven reliablity.

    Have fun! See ya in Salado :)
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Monica,

    I have the 48" Wolf with the french top and wouldn't trade for anything. Of couurse, I don't do a lot of the cleaning :blush:

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    my cluny has removable plates, a simmer plate, griddle plate, searing plate. simmer plate is on the stove, griddle and searing are collecting dust, they are messy to use, grease splatter everywhere. if i want to griddle or sear i use the biggest castiron pan that lodge makes, the sides of the pan help the grease splatter situation. i opted out of a broiler as well, dont like the mess and i have an egg. my thoughts on self cleaning ovens are i have an egg ;) how many times a week do you need a griddle
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    if i bought another cluny it would have the big french top in the center, you can put alot of pans cooking on a frenchtop
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    fishlessman,

    My first Wolf had the griddle and grill. Never used the grill and the griddle was a pain to clean. It was damaged when being removed after our fire. The french top is great.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    as a reformed architect, and understanding a small bit of your personality (gleaned over time here) i would say that it comes down to what YOU ultimately want and prefer first, followed by what the typical home-buyer might expect to see when you are looking to sell. it's up to you how much you care about resale value.... the architect is making sure you see all options, and may have a tendency to err towards resale value. it can sometimes be very bad to give the client what they THINK they want. so he/she may err towards the market.

    i would suggest that if it is a big kitchen, consider a double wall oven with a separate range top. i don't know if cooktops can achieve the same output s range tops. they used to be a step down. i have thankfully been out of the architecture-biz long enough that i'm not sure if things have equaled out. if they are equal, then it's a cosmetic/cleanliness issue.

    if you really use the egg primarily, then it might be that most of your concern will lean toward resale expectations. those in the market for a house with a "gourmet" kitchen will be in two camps. those who USE the kitchen, and those who like to LOOK at their kitchen. a double wall oven and generous range top will work for the first type of buyer. a stand alone semi-commercial looking dual fuel (electric oven, gas range) would make the second buyer happy and probably work for the first buyer as well. add a second oven to the dual-fuel, and you maybe snag both buyers unequivocally.

    which brings it back to you.
    do you think you could live with a viking/wolfe 'semi-commercial' 'professional' looking unit (single or double oven) if in ten years you started feeling older? i have never been sold on the idea that a wall oven was easier than a lower oven. lifting a turkey with juices in the pan from a higher wall oven is just as dangerous as trying to heft it from a conventional lower oven.

    are you positive that until then, for the next ten years, you'll be using the BGE as consistently as you do now, and the new oven/stove will simply be waiting for you til "someday", when you either sell the place or are frail and might (might) benefit from a wall oven?

    my gut is that if you cook all the time on the egg, rarely use the stove top, and don't expect either to change in the next ten years, that you might be better served by getting a nice wide (48 inch) viking/wolf/etc. with side by side ovens (one larger, one smaller). if you go this route, consider dual fuel. electric oven, gas top.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    parents had a grill on the stove, if you didnt use it all the time it would start to smell, french tops are great, easy to clean. with the lacanche the center of the french top pops out for a wok insert as well, not as much btu's as you would want for a wok, but enough to get by with.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Never thought of pulling the centre ring out for a wok. There isn't a control valve on the one on the Wolf and I don't think it is very high btu. The biggest negative with it is it can be on or off and very hot and there is no safety indicator.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    about cleaning, white stoves always look grungy, stainless stoves show dirt so your always wiping them down, my black stove always looks clean unless you look thru the grates and inspect the stainless catch pan which i wipe out once a month. the rest of my black stove gets cleaned once or twice a year, the brass knobs pick up a patina that looks good even if they are a little grungy :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • kricks
    kricks Posts: 244
    What the heck is a cluny? I've never heard that term.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    one thing about the stove is that if you like it, you can take it with you and replace it with whatever color is in style when you sell. someday stainless appliances will be considered dated and every young woman buying a new a home wants a new stove :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    hahaha,

    Avacado is the new stainless :laugh:

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    we have an old 20's era house. i was looking at these...
    Re-Furbed Vintage Stoves

    would also like to have one of those refrigerators you mentioned a while ago.

    Klondike Fridges

    but instead of old stuff being cheaper, it looks like it would blow the kitchen reno budget. perhaps i can find room for one of these fridges if i put it at the top of a ladder in the attic :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    was looking at houses 15 years back and my mother pointed out the dated 50's stainless built in range :laugh: :laugh: i thought it was the best feature in the house, she would have ripped it out in a heartbeat
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    although the more commercial looking stuff sorta does an end-run around the issue. they are stainless, but utilitarian. that look has always had play. the stainless trim and panels on otherwise 'standard' kitchen appliances are more in danger of falling out of favor. but no matter what you choose, that's always a risk.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    thats an idea, it would be nice to have cold beer next to the shower year round, i only have cold beer up there in the winter. i do like those fridges though
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    you could always paint it ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Bobby-Q
    Bobby-Q Posts: 1,994
    You're always going to be better off with a wall oven and cooktop combo. The ovens in Ranges are miserable even when they are at their best.

    In restaurants you will see ranges and the oven is always set to clean mode with the safety latch removed. They have a very hard time regulating temperature.

    A cooktop is no more difficult to clean than a range top.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    im not sure if molly is talking about the range top inserts which are a cooktop with the temp knobs in front verse the control knobs on top like most cook tops have. would rather have the knobs in front out of the grease splatter. im a messy cook, i would have those top knobs swimming in grease gravy onions flour etc
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • My dad, a commercial architect who designs homes for friends and families, had the wall oven in our family home placed at eye level for women (5'4" ave. height); made using wall oven a snap!
    he also lowered the base cabinets to working height for average height women -- much easier to slice and dice!
    Been in homes where wall oven was "typical height" and a bit awkward, but then the range oven is awkward for lifting out and upwards (after learning with everything ergonomically sound from the wall oven) B)
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i think you could make that fridge. compressor is remote, and otherwise it is just an insulated obx. his stained wood isn't that great (the plywood). wide fast-growth grain.

    if i had time and brains, i would look into making one. but i have neither those, nor money
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    alright, fish, you have even outdone my record of replying to other replies within a post started by someone else :laugh:

    your record may stand, too, because i have given up on all the dry-aged and bacon questions
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    Wow, I missed the fridge talk post.
    Very cool link.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • mkc
    mkc Posts: 544
    On my third house with a cook/range top and wall ovens. I would do it again in a heartbeat - 36" rangetop and 30" double convection ovens.

    Have had Dacor (Epicure) and GE Monogram. Love either of the ovens (the Monogram ZET1, single, or ZET2, double) are slightly nicer than the Dacor I had since they have full-extension, easy-glide racks. Both rangetops were nice, but I think the Monogram has changed since I got mine 4 years ago. Fit and finish on the Dacor was nicer; Monogram has better simmer and I like the grate design better.

    Capital now has a Culinarian line out that I would seriously consider for a rangetop. It's brand new, so not a lot of feedback on Gardenweb yet, but the photos look gorgeous and my experience with Capital customer service on our gasser has been extraordinary.
    Egging in Crossville, TN
  • Bobby-Q
    Bobby-Q Posts: 1,994
    Electric is the only way to go for a wall oven. The heat is way more reliable and the broiling is adequate to good.

    Dacor has the most reliable wall ovens in my opinion.
  • Personally...I like the idea of a range. Right now I have a four burner with a griddle O'keefe & Merritt....Long out of business :(
    When I have to replace...My next "range" will be a Valcan. We have then throught the school district I work for. They are NO maintenance and seem to be made to last.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    O'Keefe and Merritt are one of the vintage stoves we've been eyeballing. don't know if you know, but you can get parts here...

    Vintage Stoves; O'Keefe and Merritt
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Jerry,

    You have to be careful with commercial ranges. They don't have all the safety equipment that a home unit or as stike said "professional looking". As far as I know they are meant to be installed industrial fire extinguishing equipment as well.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON