Cooktop advice 12,000 vs. 15,000 BTU

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mattl

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I replaced my good old Kitchenaid gas cooktop with a shiny new JennAir cooktop. It looks great but that is about all, it's hell to cook on. One of the reasons I bought it was that it had a 15,000 BU burner as well as a very low heat burner. It does cook a bit faster than my old Kitchenaid and the simmer burner is great.

Problem is the layout. the two front burners are close together and the rears are spread out sort of /. The high output burner is front right and the low output is front left. Looked cool in the display room, got a great deal on ebay, but after 4 months I want it gone. If you have a large pot or griddle on the front burner you cannot use the rear burner, and it's hard to use the left front too.

I'm looking at a Thermador, and came across a deal on a display unit. Problem is it has 2 12,000 btu burners vs the 1 15,000 btu burner of the newer model. I'm trying to decide how valuable those 3,000 btus are. My old cooktop was no where near as fast as the Jennair, so I'd hate to trade down.

I like the Star burners on the Thermadore as well as the layout. But I'm open to suggestions if anyone has a gas cooktop they really like let me know, I'll take a look.
 
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3k BTU/h added to a 12k BTU/h burner gives it 25% more power.

I agree with you that different size/speed/output burners simmply reduces flexibility as to cooking-vessel placement.
 
Remember that if you're using propane vs. natural gas, the BTU ratings, especially on US brands, can go way down. One of the reasons I purchased Gaggenau hobs was, with the European and higher end brands, they've engineered them to put out the same energy whether they're converted or not. Big pain in the a@@ with the Gaggenau's, however, is their &^%$#??"!! safety-start system which requires the user to hold down the knobs until the thermostats reads enough heat from the lit burner to leave the gas flow on. I have a 17K burner and AFAIC it still isn't hot enough for me.
 
The sad truth is that the gas burners are 40% efficient at putting heat into the pan. The rest heats the room; you can feel it going up the side of the pot. If you want speed, go with a 3000 or 3500 watt induction unit. Efficiency is right near 100% since the heat is created in the bottom of the pan and very little waste heat comes out of the electronics. The two induction units I have, 3000 watts on 230 and 1800 watts on 120 are so impressive that I use them for any operation that requires high heat. If I need more than the two induction elements, I transfer pans that have been brought up to cooking temperature via induction to the electric resistance coils that I heat up sufficiently to maintain the operation, generally a setting of "low" or less. Boiling water for pasta and building up a head of steam in pressure cookers is the most dramatic demonstration of speed, but even the speed with which a pan of frozen vegetables comes to the boil is noticeable and with absolutely no heat felt around the pan. The control over this power is equally dramatic. They can cook with as little as 1% of power. Generally a setting of less than 5% is great for simmering a cream soup with no boiling, no sticking to the bottom of the pan, etc.
 
I have a 36" Fisher and Paykel gas cooktop with 5 burners. The center burner has 18,000 BTU for wok cooking and boiling large pots of water. There is also a similar model with a 14,000 BTU burner in the center but costs less. I've been very happy with the layout and performance of this cooktop. It replaced a 33" Tappan cooktop that was over 40 years old.
However Fisher and Paykel does not make a 30" model.
You might also look into a Dacor brand cooktop in the 30" width.
 
Tom is absoultely correct. I have a JennAir semi-commercial gas convection range. There is one 17,000 and one 18,000 BTU burner that sit in front, and a 12,000 and 6,000 BTU simmer burner in the back. The heat this stove generates is incredible. If the gas broiler is on, forget it. It's like hell's inferno in the kitchen. It does a phenomenal job of cooking though, everything comes out of it perfectly, but the heat is too much. As Tom said, you can feel the heat coming up the sides of the pots on the cooktop. Plus, the oven has a cooling fan to cool the electronics that blows over the oven cavity, pushing that heat out in to the room to boot.

If you can manage with induction, or even just an infrared glass cooktop, that's probably the best route. Either choice will cut down dramatically on the heat output to the kitchen, though I don't find either one as much fun as gas!
 
Distance yourself

Bigger, clunkier more industrial looking grates are popular. In the process it can lift the pan further from the flame slowing the heating process. Years ago gas ranges had one or two solid steel plates which acted as a heat diffuser and worked wonders on slow simmering and evening our heat for careful cooking of sauces and candies. Some upscale cooking sources sell them and possibly they're available from Jennaire which work just as well at the higher end of heating spectrum. Have you exhausted every effort to get Whirlpool to exchange the unit you have?
 
Well, earlier in life I've used a standard electric and a smooth top. Then late 80's went gas and love it. I would have stuck with the kitchenaid but the igniters acted up and it was too costly to repair. On this unit the burners were is a sort of arc, wider at front.

The bulk of my cookware is Caphalon with a few pieces of Visions, so unless I want to buy all new cookware on top of the cost of the induction top, it's not an option. Have a nice set of Club Aluminum from the 50's but that won't work either. Need to stick with gas.

I really don't have an issue with the heat output in the kitchen, during the summer I'm grilling outdoors, and the rest of the year the added is just cuts down on the furnace running.

I've been toying with trying this unit, though I'd have to do a fair amount of surgery on it since my oven is below. But I'm always up for a challenge...

 
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In addition to the BTU's of the burners, you need to look at where the heat is relative to your pan. Many newer gas cooktops or ranges with the higher power burners have a very large flame spread, i.e. the diameter circle that the tips of the flame form when on high. Many smaller pots and fry pans sit within this circle, threfore the heat tranfer from the flame to the pan is reduced and your wasting BTUs and heating up your kitchen.

A key advantage to the thermodores and some others is the star burner. It gets more of the heat directly under the pan, so even with a lower BTU rating, you may have equal if not better cooking results.

This is the only range or cooktop I will own my entire life, no matter where I move or live I will get one. It does not have sealed burners, so the burners can get enough oxygen to burn hot and the flames are located right under the pot. I have one now and I love it. It does have two 22,000 BTU burners, and one 6000 simmer burner. If you like gas, its the only way to go.

www.bluestarcooking.com

Professional Grade Kitchen Appliances | Performance

BlueStar's best high end gas ranges feature searing BlueStar burners and almost unlimited customization. See why BlueStar appliances are right for you!
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I agree with you on the size of the flame, I always adjust it so it's not going up the sides of the pot. The is one of the things that attracted me to the Thermador.

The Blue Star looks great, but I'm sure it's not in my budget, plus I need a drop in style. But, I did bookmark it for future reference in case I change kitchens.
 
GE Profile

Although far far from glamours...I have used this cook top at a friends house a few times now it rocks... It has a 15,000 BTU burner, a 5,000 btu burner and i think 7500 or so btu burners..It has a very smooth adjustment for the burners.. I loved it.. Wish i could have one.. Its $881.00 at sears

GE Appliances: Shop for Home, Kitchen, & Laundry Appliances

GE Appliances is your home for the best kitchen appliances, home products, parts and accessories, and support.
products.geappliances.com products.geappliances.com
 
The Bluestar drop-in cooktop looks interesting, but I'd want a 22,000 BTU burner to be in the center back - because of the way my kitchen is designed. The cooktop sits on a peninsula and the exhaust hood is most centered over a back burner. With my current Frigidaire "Gas on Glass" cooktop, the most powerful burner is in the center back. And the DCS has the most powerful burner more or less in the center.

What I wound up doing with my Frigidaire was to drill out slightly the gas jets for the biggest burner, and also for the right front burner (which I use the most). I think this boosted the burners a few thousand BTU's. Previously it took forever to get a big boiling water canner to boil on the biggest burner. Now it's a lot quicker. But the burners are still sealed and the flame "bloom" can be an issue.
 
Maybe

Tom's suggestion of a serious stand-alone induction unit might solve the problem for you? I have a commercial one that does 14 Amps at 230V and, wow, it boils a large pot - and keeps it boiling, loaded - faster and better than any other element, commercial or residential I have ever used, gas or resistance electric.

You're not going to get 3.2Kw off of 110V in the US, so if you don't have 240V in your kitchen, you'd have to look at getting a high powered unit for 110V. I don't know the exact comparison charts, but even a 13 Amp, 110V Sunpentown which we have had for three years now outboils anything else in the house when you have eight quarts of water to raise and maintain.

At least with this solution, you could keep the gas range for its other many good features and not have the hassle and expense of replacing it...with another unit which will have its own idiosyncrasies. The heat problem would remain in any case - induction really does make a noticeable difference in the summer. And nothing, not even professional gas, comes even close to induction for the precise heat control you need for sauces. That's the beauty of my 30cm unit - it can raise milk in a one quart sauce pan to exactly 60 degrees C. or boil six liters water and maintain it precisely in a lobster pot.
 

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