[shamster]

Ok, I've heard from different people that one gas range top is better than the other. I've heard some people say that Viking is more heavy duty, and someone else says that Thermador heats up faster.
Is there a definite one that is better in quality and/or function, or does it just come down to personal preference?

[phatch]

It's mostly personal preference. By that, I mean what you cook and how you cook it. With the range of foods, styles and methods available, no one stove is likely to please all cooks. My experience is that stoves on average are good in the middle range of tasks, and lousy at the extremes.

I have yet to find a stove that simmers large pots and small pots. I want to simmer at both extremes and across the whole pot, not just one hot spot in the center. I want a lot of BTUS and a good size spread between burners. By lot of BTUS, I mean on the order of 40K BTUS on a single burner. With the design of most stoves, you can't put a 12 inch pot/pan on the front and an 8 inch in back. I want to put two 12s front to back sometimes, not only on the diagonal.

So, sit down and figure out what are the largest combination of pots/pans you'll use at the same time and their heat spreads. Make sure the stove can handle that. What are your heating extremes, both low and high? Can the stove handle that and the stuff in between accurately?

[Jill Reichow]

ALso you might want to check out any complaints about service and repairs. I ended up staying away from Viking after talking to some dealers and reading the web about some major repair issues that Viking has been having. And I had my heart set on a Viking....JMHO

[fyfas]

re service, I believe the Viking service problems have been resolved. A year ago, at the beginning of a total kitchen remodel, the appliance sales people (authorized Viking dealers) reccomended against Viking for service reasons. Six months later, they were satisfied at corrective steps taken and were willing to encourage Viking (I bought Wolf).

With respect to Thermador, check very carefully on how they achieve "simmer" on their burners. My recollection is that Thermador has a constant on/off cycling mechanism that yields a very annoying sound to some cooks and not a true, even, low temperature.

[Ronn]

You should also get some one to check you gas line and BTUs as even the best range will do you no good if you can't at least pump out 30,000 BTU when needed.

[ChefHogan]

There are two names that are reccomended from all good chefs. Garland & Hobbart are THE BEST, hands down, from ranges, convection, salamanders, Garland rox the Chef world...

Originally posted by shamster
Ok, I've heard from different people that one gas range top is better than the other. I've heard some people say that Viking is more heavy duty, and someone else says that Thermador heats up faster.
Is there a definite one that is better in quality and/or function, or does it just come down to personal preference?