[mike mclaughlin]

Hi: my name is Mike and I look forward to becoming activeon this forum. I am an enthusiastic home cook Let me begin with questions.
I am shopping for a 36" commercial type range. I am looking seriously at the Bluestar and DCS. What are the preferred Btus for effective sauteeing and stock preparations? Bluestar offers 22,000 on two burners and DCS is 17,500.Should I go with the highest I can get? What other considerations are there ? Mike

[kuan]

17,500 is not much. Enough for a 14" saute pan maybe and 2.5 gallon pot. It's barely enough for stir frying with a wok, even with a wok ring.

Few people use six burners at once at home, not even me on big party day. The most important IMO is the space between burners. That way you don't have pots and pans bumping into each other.

Go for more BTU's and space.

[foodpump]

Most commercial ranges are higher. The standard commercial workhorse, Garland, is 25,000 btu's. Chinese Kwalis ( the wok is the pan, the kwali is the stove...) can go up to 100,000, very serious fire power.

BUT.... What also is important is the size of the burner. The cheaper burners can have all the fire power you want, but concentrated in a 2 1/2" diameter. This is not good. If the heat is concentrated in such a small spot, you will get uneven heating in your pans, and warped pans. Kind of like heating up a dutch oven with a blow torch... Look for star-shape burners or large ring shaped burners spreading the heat over a larger surface area. Also, look for heavy cast iron grids tops. Porcelainized steel looks cute--for a while-- until it chips, scorches and then looks like, well, a mess.

Have fun, shop around, do your homework well, and don't believe a word the kitchen applaince salesguys tell you...

[Jock]

And don't forget the exhaust hood. All that heat needs to go somewhere if your hood isn't up to the job it will end up in your kitchen.

Jock

[mike mclaughlin]

Jock: Thanks. I am planning on a 900cfm hood for 22,000 btus. Does that sound correct? Mike

[mike mclaughlin]

Originally Posted by kuan

17,500 is not much. Enough for a 14" saute pan maybe and 2.5 gallon pot. It's barely enough for stir frying with a wok, even with a wok ring.

Few people use six burners at once at home, not even me on big party day. The most important IMO is the space between burners. That way you don't have pots and pans bumping into each other.

Go for more BTU's and space.

Kuan: Thanks. I was thinking of six burners on the Bluestar because the heavy duty grates cover the entire cooking surface. When I get serious about my cooking I use a forty gallon stock pot to begin a demi-glace I want to comfortably straddle a couple of burners.
Sounds like I need, at minimum, 22,000 btus. One of my reasons for choosing a commercial grade range is so I can master sauteing and sauces. I'll keep looking. Mike

[mike mclaughlin]

Originally Posted by foodpump

Most commercial ranges are higher. The standard commercial workhorse, Garland, is 25,000 btu's. Chinese Kwalis ( the wok is the pan, the kwali is the stove...) can go up to 100,000, very serious fire power.

BUT.... What also is important is the size of the burner. The cheaper burners can have all the fire power you want, but concentrated in a 2 1/2" diameter. This is not good. If the heat is concentrated in such a small spot, you will get uneven heating in your pans, and warped pans. Kind of like heating up a dutch oven with a blow torch... Look for star-shape burners or large ring shaped burners spreading the heat over a larger surface area. Also, look for heavy cast iron grids tops. Porcelainized steel looks cute--for a while-- until it chips, scorches and then looks like, well, a mess.

Have fun, shop around, do your homework well, and don't believe a word the kitchen applaince salesguys tell you...

Food pump. Thanks for your reply. I have yetto find anything higher than 22,000 BTUs (Bluestar). Let me ask you the question I gave Kuan. What do you consider the minimum BTUs necessary for saute` and effective boiling of water in a forty gallon pot? Mike

[foodpump]

To saute? 25,000 is nice. 40 gallons is alot, but 40 gallons of water would weigh around 160 pounds, not including the pot... Can you lift that much, or do you have a stock pot with a faucet on the bottom, or do you want one of those "low boys" a gas burner that is only about 2 feet off the ground? Most of the "lowboys" made for stockpots are around 30,000 and built to take alot of weight.

[mike mclaughlin]

Originally Posted by foodpump

To saute? 25,000 is nice. 40 gallons is alot, but 40 gallons of water would weigh around 160 pounds, not including the pot... Can you lift that much, or do you have a stock pot with a faucet on the bottom, or do you want one of those "low boys" a gas burner that is only about 2 feet off the ground? Most of the "lowboys" made for stockpots are around 30,000 and built to take alot of weight.

Foodpump: Oops. I meant forty quarts. I wouldn't want to try lifting 160 pounds of water. Ok I'll look for 25,000 BTUs Mike

[kuan]

I can tell foodpump isn't a baker. 40 gallons is approximately 320lbs!

For your stock pot, get a burner which simmers nicely. You can also check out the Asian kitchen store and see if they have a floor burner which fits your needs.

[mike mclaughlin]

[quote=kuan]I can tell foodpump isn't a baker. 40 gallons is approximately 320lbs!

For your stock pot, get a burner which simmers nicely. You can also check out the Asian kitchen store and see if they have a floor burner which fits your needs.[/quote

Kuan: Thanks again. A floor burner could also handle wok cooking. Mike

[AprilB]

= 6 pounds.

240 pounds for 40 gallons.

A*

[Nentony]

Will weigh more as stock due to disolved solids. For example, one gallon milk is 8 lbs. So times 40 is 320 lbs.

Tony