Recommendations for 36" gas range

2,526 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by htxag09
Aggies76
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In the market for a 36" gas range. We can't get parts for our old DCS so need to make the change. We've looked at Fisher and Paykel, GE Cafe and Monogram, and Thermador.

Anyone have any advice from their experiences?
Marvin_Zindler
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AG
Thermador
A New Hope
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Blue star. Eot.
ktownag08
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Adding the question of closed or open burner?
Aggies76
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ktownag08 said:

Adding the question of closed or open burner?
We've been looking at closed burners. How much of a cleaning hassle are the open burners?

I see that Blue Star has the open burners.
aggiemike02
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We have a Wolf with downdraft ventilation that raises or lowers.
MoreCushing4thePushing
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It was between Wolf and Thermador for me. Those red knobs look sweet, but I liked more of the features on the Thermador. Wife hated the red knobs, so the decision was easy.
Aggies76
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vmiaptetr said:

It was between Wolf and Thermador for me. Those red knobs look sweet, but I liked more of the features on the Thermador. Wife hated the red knobs, so the decision was easy.


What Thermador features did you like?
htxag09
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We did a reno and have had a 36" Fisher and Paykel for a couple months now. We have no complaints, it looks great, the output of the burners is 100x better than our old stovetop, and the oven heats up quickly, which we were slightly worried about as a friend with a 36" thermador said they hated how long it took to heat up. We also really like the continuous flat surface of the grates (pretty much all have this) and the halo temp indicators around the knobs

If you are in any kind of time crunch, lead times will probably make the decision for you. While we really like our Fisher and Paykel, it's roughly the same price as the rest. For the price, we probably would rather have gone with a wolf or thermador, but they had 4+ month waits everywhere we looked. The luxury appliance supplier near our house could get the fisher and paykel in 3 days.
A New Hope
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Aggies76 said:

ktownag08 said:

Adding the question of closed or open burner?
We've been looking at closed burners. How much of a cleaning hassle are the open burners?

I see that Blue Star has the open burners.
Open burners aren't difficult to clean. I have a decent number of boil overs and I don't think cleaning them is that onerous.
MoreCushing4thePushing
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I got a 48" range, but everything listed below would be on the 36".

1. The star burner. It really does provide more surface coverage when heating the pot/pan.

2. The Extra Low Simmer. The burner can cycle on/off to get an incredibly low simmer. No way you'll burn your food, and you can hold a precise temp when waiting to serve. A 36" should have this in all burners, so you can hold the temp for multiple dishes.

3. The extra high burner. You'll probably have one. Honestly, all burners are going to burn hotter than a range you would purchase from Lowe's/Home Depot. One burner will be exceptionally hot. If you think you'll need more than one, go with the Blue Star mentioned above.

This is not a complaint, but that large oven on a 36" will probably take a while to pre-heat. We have dual fuel, so maybe it's just because the oven is electric that it takes longer to heat. Not sure if you are going all gas.

ETA: 4. The burners are raised, so it's easy to clean underneath/around them.
MAS444
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On my second 36" blue star and love it. Only complaint is the "simmer" burner doesnt get low enough.
Aggies76
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Thanks everyoneā€¦ this is the stuff I need! It will take around 8 months for us to get a thermador. We do have a working range right now, so I need to decide if it is worth the wait.
1988PA-Aggie
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As a cabinetmaker, I have done my share of kitchens. While Thermador has come a long way in the last 10 years, especially their features and their overall 'look', Wolf is still the preferred brand. Probably 10-1. It could be because my preferred appliance place has a larger repair demand for the Thermador? Not tremendous, but Wolf's, with perhaps less features, have less to go wrong with them?

My 11 yr old Wolf just recently had its first issue, oven igniter crapped out. I ordered the part, got a new burner unit too, replaced both for about $125, it took 30 minutes, very easy repair. Likely good for at least another 10.

One note regardless of brand: If you are (likely) increasing your btu output with the new range (all gas?), you need to check your gas line size (and not just the last 4' of flex). While you will never use the oven and all the burners at once, too small of a gas line may create a burner ignition problem, especially if the oven is in preheat mode. The difference/capacity between a standard 3/4" and a 1" line is more than you may think, roughly 80%.
Aggies76
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Good info! Thanks so much.
Whens lunch
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My wife is the primary used of our 48" Blue Star. She loves that thing.

They come in a ridiculous number of colors. Ours is deep maroon that matches the veining in the granite. Brand new in the picture. Excuse the mess and the lady in the background with the laundry basket.

Aggies76
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Beautiful range
Whens lunch
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Thanks. The 36" models look great, too. I mentioned they have a lot of colors to choose from. If I remember correctly, if you give them a sample, they will paint it that color. We went back and forth on the hood. We had planned on a custom wood hood, but ended up going with a Blue Star hood painted to match the stove.

Ours is several years old. I don't know what they're like now, but keep in mind this is a straight gas stove. The only electric things on it are the igniters. No self-clean, no programming, not even a clock/timer.
Aggies76
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Whens lunch said:

Thanks. The 36" models look great, too. I mentioned they have a lot of colors to choose from. If I remember correctly, if you give them a sample, they will paint it that color. We went back and forth on the hood. We had planned on a custom wood hood, but ended up going with a Blue Star hood painted to match the stove.

Ours is several years old. I don't know what they're like now, but keep in mind this is a straight gas stove. The only electric things on it are the igniters. No self-clean, no programming, not even a clock/timer.
We will also be going all-gas which means no self-cleaning. I don't mind the no frills because it's what we have now.
Hodor
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vmiaptetr said:

I got a 48" range, but everything listed below would be on the 36".

1. The star burner. It really does provide more surface coverage when heating the pot/pan.

2. The Extra Low Simmer. The burner can cycle on/off to get an incredibly low simmer. No way you'll burn your food, and you can hold a precise temp when waiting to serve. A 36" should have this in all burners, so you can hold the temp for multiple dishes.

3. The extra high burner. You'll probably have one. Honestly, all burners are going to burn hotter than a range you would purchase from Lowe's/Home Depot. One burner will be exceptionally hot. If you think you'll need more than one, go with the Blue Star mentioned above.

This is not a complaint, but that large oven on a 36" will probably take a while to pre-heat. We have dual fuel, so maybe it's just because the oven is electric that it takes longer to heat. Not sure if you are going all gas.

ETA: 4. The burners are raised, so it's easy to clean underneath/around them.


I had a 48" Thermador in my last house (installed in 2015 or so), and didn't like the star burners, though they were the main reason I bought it. The flame wasn't evenly distributed around the star, with the points sending more gas out, and sending more of the flame out wide than I'd hoped. On the highest setting, it sent a lot of heat past the edge of even my largest pans, and would heat the handle a ton as a result.

The cooling fan for the oven was super loud, and I hated that. Took forever to cool down and turn off after cooking. The in wall ovens at least aren't as loud now - not sure about their ranges.

Currently building, and we're putting in a Thermador in wall oven with one steam, one standard (loved the steam oven I had on the old one). We're doing their induction cooktop in the island, because my wife really wanted to put a cooktop there, so I acquiesced.
htxag09
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Regardless of brand, all I know is after 2-3 months of cooking with our 36" fisher and paykal, I'll never willingly go back to a 30" cook top.

Wife's already saying if we ever move to/build our dream house she wants a 60"!
evestor1
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We have a 60" wolf and I can't imagine not having one.


That said - wish I had thermador.
MoreCushing4thePushing
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The 60" range. The true distinction between the haves and the have nots.

ktownag08
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Lead times now are insane for ranges.

Seems I can get Fisher and Paykel relatively quickly, and Blue Star will be a bit longer. Posters still happy with those?

Thermador is 12+ months so it's out.
htxag09
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ktownag08 said:

Lead times now are insane for ranges.

Seems I can get Fisher and Paykel relatively quickly, and Blue Star will be a bit longer. Posters still happy with those?

Thermador is 12+ months so it's out.

We're happy with ours. Way more btu output then we need. Biggest "complaint" is learning how low, medium, etc output compare to our old box store stove top.

Considering the price, we would rather a thermador or wolf, but couldn't wait. Zero regrets wirh the f&p, though. Will be hard for us to ever go back to a 30" box store rangeā€¦..
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