I cooked on my clients 36" GE monogram range again the other night, and I have to say that I'm a but underwhelmed. I believe it's this
model, or one dangerously similar. It's a beautiful range, but the issue I have with it is the burners. I've cooked on it 3 times now for different dinner parties and events, so I was withholding final judgment until I gave it a few rounds with different pots and pans.
Basically, I can't get a pan hot on that range. I've used many different pans - 32cm De Buyer steel, 18" steel wok, 11" Viking stainless, 4-5 quart sauce pans, etc. and no matter what I use I can't get a pan very hot. If I crank a burner up to high and let it sit for about 6-7 minutes, sure it'll get hot. But not like I expect from 18K burners. I have no idea what the problem is. There's plenty of heat coming off of those burners, but it's not going to the pan. Over the summer when I tried to do a Thai-themed dinner I was using a 18" wok, and that thing wouldn't even get to a simmer. I was trying to make pad Thai for 12, and it was almost a painful disaster because I couldn't get the pan hot. And to compound the matter, the burner grates are reversible and have a flat side and a concave wok side, supposedly to use for a wok. But if the burner can't heat a wok, what good is a concave grate?
The other night I was trying to steam some broccoli in 5 quart +/- sauce pan w/ a lid. Usually it takes me, at home, about two minutes for the small amount of water in the pan to boil and steam. I checked the pan at about 2mins - nothing, not even a shimmer in the water. Kept checking it every couple of minutes, hardly anything. Then I actually forgot about it, for maybe 10 minutes, checked it in a panic (hey I make mistakes sometimes too!) and found the water barely starting to simmer and steam.
I was trying to sear some bone-in country style pork ribs for a braise in a 32cm de buyer steel pan. I left that pan on medium-high heat for more than 5 minutes. When I put the pork in the pan, it barely sizzled. I cranked up the burner - full-bore - and after 10 minutes or so, hardly any crust formed on the meat. However, in a le creuset dutch oven, I was able to get a decent sear.
I'm not really sure of the issue - I thought it was maybe the pans and sizes I was using, but I've used many different pans and sizes, and the same thing happens. I bring a lot of my own equipment with me from home, and on my own range, I have no issues at all. This
little range is FANTASTIC!!! I think it's something to do with the flame structure/shape and it's not directed at the bottom of the pan efficiently, rather it just spreads out and gets dispersed. I strongly suggest to find a way to test-drive one these guys for yourself before you pull the trigger. Hopefully it'll work better for you!