34 FER FOCUS 35 Getting Within RANGE Not all ranges are created equal. Here s why you might need a heavy-duty model, and what to look for when you re setting specs. By Michael Sherer, Senior Contributing Editor What s a kitchen without a stove? The versatility of an open-burner cooktop makes it perhaps the most commonly used form of cooking in the world. Add an oven underneath that cooktop, and you have one of the most standard pieces of equipment in foodservice kitchens. But not all ranges are alike. The range of ranges, if you will, is quite broad, but generally falls into three categories light duty, medium duty and heavy duty. These go by various nomenclatures, such as café, restaurant and hotel, which can create some confusion as to exactly what you re getting. Again, in general terms, these names would correspond with light, medium and heavy duty. But that doesn t mean you have to be a hotelier to need a heavy-duty range. Nor does it mean that you have to settle for a light-duty range in your café or bistro. Simply put, you need a heavy-duty range if your operation meets one or more of the following criteria: your kitchen consistently produces a high volume of food; your operation invests in equipment intended to last a long time; menu items require a degree of customization on the cooking line; and/or chefs cook in an open kitchen in front of customers. In this article, we focus on heavy-duty, gas-fired models Bright orange, vibrant blue, intense red, calm aqua, Hestan ranges are available in 12 custom finishes. Heavy-duty ranges should be your choice if your kitchen will be on display or you need the range to last up to 20 years with heavy use. Photos by Kelsey Wilhm Photography
36 FER FOCUS 37 iron, cast steel or stainless. stockpots, you ll often find burners in those sections run- planchas, griddles, broilers, etc., and electronic ignition on All of these materials are very ning closer to 40,000 Btu/hr. Some manufacturers give you open burners. These systems use electronic ignition to light durable and long lasting, but the option of five burners on a 36-in. range top, with either a pilot, which in turn lights the burner, but shut off the stainless is the easiest to clean. two large burners in back and three sauté burners in front pilot to save gas when the set temperature is reached. Knobs are metal, not plastic, or four sauté burners surrounding one large and attached with set screws so power burner. they don t come off easily. Sealed burners have bowls that surround Oven interiors on high-end, the burner, making spills relatively easy to heavy-duty ranges are stainless; clean. Caps on sealed burners can pop off for others feature interiors with all cleaning, and manufacturers design the bowl surfaces covered with porcelain, to allow enough air to mix with the gas. a material that s relatively easy Open burners allow more air to get to the to clean and holds heat well. burner, makers say, which provides an up- One range maker even covers draft of heated air below the cooking vessel, (with oven bases) as they re the Burner configurations the outside surfaces of the oven box with porcelain. (Porce- allowing chefs to cook faster, but ports may most preferred among operators. often will offer four lain is glass, however, and can crack, which is why stain- get clogged more easily by food spills. These Built To Last regularly-sized burners with a fifth larger less may be the preferred oven lining.) On less expensive and less durable restaurant ranges, only a few oven interior burners also can be taken apart for easy cleaning. The big difference among the burner for stockpots surfaces might be porcelain, and some models use only Virtually all open-burner ranges have some various categories of ranges is in either in the center aluminized steel inside ovens. sort of crumb tray below the burners to catch construction. Heavy-duty ranges or in the back row. Ovens on heavy-duty ranges also are typically insulated, spills, so they re not much more difficult are built to take the heavy load Photo courtesy of something not often seen on lighter-duty ranges. And oven to clean than sealed-burner ranges. Again, and constant abuse from high- American Range. doors use heavy-duty, counterbalanced hinges. (It s no on higher-end ranges these are stainless for volume kitchens. A good quality surprise in many operations that someone from the clean- easier cleaning and greater durability. heavy-duty range starts with a welded frame and body con- ing crew will use an open oven door as a footstool to reach Burners inside the oven also operate at struction using heavy-gauge steel. You ll find 14-gauge steel hood filters!) higher Btu rates on heavy-duty ranges. De- typical, with some makers using even thicker 12-gauge steel. Anything made with 16-gauge or higher is likely a Now You re Cooking pending on whether you specify a standard or convection oven in the range base, ovens medium- or light-duty range. Performance is likely the main reason your chefs and cooks operate at anywhere from 32,000-50,000 Btu/ Those heavier gauges provide a solid foundation for the will press you to invest in heavy-duty ranges versus res- hr. A few makers use cast iron H burners; at oven box and the cooktop, and the extra heft is evident in taurant ranges. When it s busy behind the line, they want least one uses a U-shaped tubular burner said the slightly oversized dimensions and weight of heavy- a range with the power to sauté; sear meats, poultry and to last longer because it s made of stainless. duty ranges. Several manufacturers make ranges in all three seafood; and bring sauces or water for pasta to a boil very A note about firing up all those Btus. Pilot categories, and one says the weight difference between its quickly. lights that burn con- medium-duty and heavy-duty ranges is at least 60 lb. As with any gas-fired piece of equipment, the more Btu tinuously are passé Front gas manifolds Heavy-duty ranges also include more stainless through- you bring to the party, the higher the heat in most cases. on heavy-duty ranges allow you to incorpo- out due to its durability, cleanability and resistance to Burners on a heavy-duty range top typically run from about for the most part. A rate the heavy-duty corrosion and oxidation. Plus, stainless looks good. On 30,000-40,000 Btu/hr. with most operating around 32,000- few basic models may range into a suite higher-end models, for example, you ll find that the sides, 35,000 Btu/hr. That compares to burners that reach up to still have pilot lights or cookline. Photo front, back, bottom, plate shelf and back riser are stainless, 24,000-30,000 Btu/hr. on restaurant ranges. for the oven or shared courtesy of Garland. along with parts such as burner boxes, aeration bowls, Burner sections are usually 12-in. or 18-in. wide. So, burners, but you re pilot tubing and tips, and even oven interiors and tubular a standard 36-in. range can either have six burners on more likely to find electronic auto-ignition burners. 12-in. centers or four burners on 18-in. centers. Since the pilots for hidden burners and thermostati- Depending on the make and model, grates may be cast larger burner area is for larger pans or sauce pans and even cally controlled range-top equipment such as
38 FER FOCUS 39 Electronic ignition, both for hidden (under hot tops, tion is to have chefs test your offer open-range cooktops with batteries to power the elec- for example) and open burners, can be one of two pans on different ranges. tronic ignition, eliminating the need for electric service. types, piezo or electric. Piezo ignition uses a spring-loaded ham- Fabrication signatures of heavy-duty ranges include Something s In The Oven (But make sure you have backup batteries!) Standard on virtually all heavy-duty range ovens is a flame failure shutoff. This safety device shuts off the gas if a pilot light can t mer to strike a piece of metal knobs and cast iron Manufacturers give you a choice be reignited, preventing the possibility of fire or explosion quartz, generating an or stainless grates. Photo of a standard or convection and saving energy. electric charge that sets off a spark (think of how courtesy of Vulcan. oven in the range base. Most operations use range ovens to The Gang s All Here butane lighters work). Cooks manually turn a knob finish cooking items seared Plate shelves on Another feature found on all to a set point or push a button to trigger ignition. The or sautéed on the range top. the front of stoves heavy-duty gas ranges is a front advantage is that it doesn t require electric service, but Convection ovens tend to cook typically range in gas manifold in addition to the they can be unreliable. Electric ignition uses your elec- faster due to active airflow depth from 3-in.- rear gas supply connection. And tric service to send current to what is basically a spark through the cavity while stan- 9-in. Photo courtesy most manufacturers will put plug near the burner. dard finishing ovens burn a of Jade Range. either connection point practi- Fuel Efficiency little hotter than a typical baking oven. Though those numbers may appear to suggest that Typical output for standard heavy-duty ranges offer performance at the expense of ovens ranges from about 35,000- low gas mileage, manufacturers have found ways to 45,000 Btu. One maker s stan- make them more efficient. Like recent iterations of the dard oven puts out 50,000 Btu Ford Mustang that remain quick on their feet while and has a temperature range up offering great fuel economy, burner design and bowl to 650 F. It s obviously intended design that allows air to mix with gas can help put more and fuel and combusts it as it passes through ports af- as a finishing oven. Convection ovens have a lower Btu out- heat into the pan. And special features such as electronic fects how efficiently the fuel burns. The ante for any range put, ranging from 30,000-33,000, though one is as high as ignition, shared pilot lights and electronic auto-ignition burner is 40% efficiency. But some manufacturers have 45,000 Btu, again, meant to be a finishing oven in addition pilots help save more energy. upped that to 45%. Doesn t sound like much, but it means to baking or roasting other items. Burner design for example, how a burner combines air you re getting more Btu from the same amount of gas. Some makers convection ovens do have a blower wheel When you spec a range, be sure to look at how you ll and fan motor, but don t provide even convection heat. If a use it. The size of your sauté and sauce pans, for example, convection oven is really what you want, look for models and how fast you want to that include baffles and vents to even out the distribution Oven interiors will be heat them will determine the of heated air. These models also will likely have two-speed stainless or porcelain over style of burner you want. The fans; the lower setting speeds cooking of delicate items stainless and on some circle of flame on one burner meringues, seafood, etc. without disturbing them too models, you can insert might travel outside the di- much or drying them out. pans lengthwise and ameter of a pan on the range On 36-in. ranges, ovens are typically large enough for full widthwise. Photo courtesy when turned up high, wast- 18-in. x 26-in. sheet pans. You also may want an oven large of Imperial Range. ing heat energy. Whereas a enough to put sheet pans in either front-to-back or side-to- different shape or size might side. put more of those Btu directly into the pan s base. Depending on the model, ovens may be fired by a pilot One maker uses photos of laboratory scorch patterns light or electronic ignition. Remember that models with to show how its star-shaped burner transfers heat more electronic ignition require electric service in addition to evenly to the bottom of a pan than some other burners. The gas. To get around this, some lines offer piezo ignition best way to know for sure what works best for your opera- (which, again, requires no power source) and some models
40 FER FOCUS 27 cally anywhere you want it on the range, on the front, side, back, you name it. The purpose of the manifold is so you can string several ranges together in a cooking battery. The dual connection points mean that you can also configure equipment back to back in a cooking island or what s often called a hotel suite or Waldorf suite. To make it even easier to create and assemble cooking batteries or suites, heavy-duty range makers manufacture a variety of interchangeable tops and bases that can be assembled and customized for your operation. Tops include thermostatically-controlled griddles, planchas, charbroilers, French tops, hot tops and even fryers. In addition to ovens, bases can incorporate dry or refrigerated/frozen storage in addition to or instead of an oven, depending on the width of the range you spec. (Some makers offer a half-size oven, too.) Most manufacturers can make these specialty tops in 12-in. segments, so you can spec almost any configuration you want. A couple of manufacturers make all these pieces modular, making customization and assembly even easier. Look for the same things in these tops that you want in an open-burner range Btu output for quick searing, cooking and fast recovery, durable construction and ease of cleaning. Compare makes and models carefully. If a French top is really important to your chefs, for example, they may prefer a model that heats to 950 F over one that heats to only 850 F (French tops typically graduate from 950 F+ in the center to as low as 350 F to 200 F on the outer edge). If you cook a lot of items on a griddle, you ll likely want one that s thermostatically controlled, keeping the entire griddle at a precise temperature. If only a few menu items are griddled, then you might save money by specifying a manual griddle with knobs that adjust the flame level under each section of griddle. What Else To Consider? Don t forget that the devil s in the details. Work with your consultant to determine whether you need and what the right sizes are for things like the Ranges can be stainless plate shelf on the front ordered with a wide of the range (which can run from assortment of tops 3-in. to 9-in. deep depending on from classic burners to French tops, flue riser heights, back guard, the model and what you want), planchas, grills and shelves and adjustable legs or griddles. Photo courtesy of Southbend. With so many of you now casters. preparing food in open kitchens, you also want your cooking battery to look good. If a virtually all-stainless range (or cooking suite) isn t good-looking enough, cooking-suite makers offer a wide range of powder-coat colors and trim styles. What s all this going to cost you? While a restaurant range might only cost $1,200-$1,500 upfront, you ll pay up to $6,000 for a base heavy-duty range, and it s possible to go as high as $10,000 for a really custom job. The difference is that a restaurant range might last only three or four years in a high-volume environment. A heavy-duty range will last 20 years or more with proper care and service. Finally, as always, compare Burner design is warranties and a major point service networks. of differentiation Some makers among makers. offer a limited Pictured: a starshaped burner from three-year warranty on parts the Montague Co. and labor. At least one manufacturer guarantees its products for four years with a lifetime warranty on stainless rod grates, welded-steel frames and the brass burner heads on its sealed burners. fer HEAVY-DUTY RANGE... GALLERY AMERICAN RANGE MEDALLION SERIES American Range s Medallion Series 34-in.-wide, 6 open-burner range sports stainless front and sides and your base options include a standard oven or convection oven. The 30,000-Btu/hr. burners have lift-off heads; easily remove the cast-iron grates over each burner section. A 1-piece aluminized steel drip tray covers all burners. The 40,000-Btu/hr. oven sports a piezo spark ignition and a porcelain-lined interior. The oven thermostat ranges 150 F-500 F. This heavy-duty range comes with a 1¼-in. front manifold for unlimited modular design and an adjustable stainless front rail with a maximum measurement of 7 5 / 8-in.D. Other range options include hot plates, griddles, broilers and French tops. americanrange.com GARLAND MASTER SERIES/ U.S. RANGE CUISINE SERIES Garland s heavy-duty ranges are ideal for fine dining or high-volume operations. The ranges feature 6 24,000-Btu Starfire burners (35,000-Btu on 17-in. burner), 1-piece stainless drip trays, cast-iron top grates, porcelain-lined oven interiors and piezo-electric oven ignition. Front, sides and 7½-in.D-plate shelf are all stainless. Both Garland s Master Series (34-in. platform) and U.S. Range Cuisine Series (36- in. platform) can be customized into batteries or suites. Units include a variety of range tops (including induction); bases with standard or convection ovens, storage and refrigeration; over- and under-fired broilers; and fryers. garland-group.com
42 FER FOCUS 43 HEAVY-DUTY RANGE... GALLERY HESTAN FREESTANDING RANGE Hestan s 36-in. freestanding range is available with 4 or 6 30,000-Btu CircuFlame sealed burners with cast brass lift-off burner caps and base for easy cleaning. Each burner is fired with a single point re-ignition direct-spark system that will continue to spark until the burner flame is lit. CircuFlame burners can produce power as high as 30,000 Btu/hr. for searing and broiling and as low as 1,500 Btu/hr. for simmering, a 20:1 turn-down ratio. Heavy-gauge welded construction is clad in all stainless, including polished stainless grates. A fully-insulated standard or convection oven comes with U-shaped tubular, stainless, 40,000-Btu burner. Five-position rack supports hold sheet pans without an oven rack and a counterweighted door hinge has hydraulic soft-opening capability. The modular top and base can be customized to create cooking suites and batteries. hestancommercial.com IMPERIAL IHR-6 HEAVY-DUTY RANGE Imperial s IHR-6 (IHR-4 shown) 36-in.-wide, heavy-duty range comes with 6 35,000 Btu/hr. open burners. The burners boast an anti-clogging feature, making them 21% more efficient, according to the manufacturer. Remove and separate the cast-iron burners for easy cleaning. Measuring 12-in.W x 14-in.D, the wavy grates raise pans and create more heat transfer than direct metal-to-metal contact. Choose from a 40,000 Btu/hr. standard oven or a 35,000 Btu/hr. convection oven both are porcelain-lined and can accommodate sheet pans front-to-back and side-to-side. The convection oven comes with a ¼-hp blower motor to cook products quickly and evenly with less shrinkage. imperialrange.com JADE TITAN The Titan heavy-duty gas range comes with 6 35,000 Btu/hr., cast-iron open burners constructed with 2 pieces and porcelain coated for easy cleaning. The range is 100% welded with a 14-gauge stainless frame, sides and front and 12-gauge bottom. The steel open-burner top grates have a lifetime warranty. The all-stainless oven interior has removable sides and bottom for easy cleaning and a fully welded stainless, sealed oven door; temp range is 150 F -550 F with a 35,000 Btu oven burner. Racks are chrome-plated and curved and welded to eliminate sharp ends. Also all-stainless: infinite-control burner gas valves, burner hangers, internal gas tubing and pilot tips and tubing, 6-in. plate shelf and crumb tray/spill pan below the open burners. Unit is 36-in.W x 38-in.D. jaderange.com MONTAGUE LEGEND Range tops feature 3 12-in.W x 31-in.D open burner tops with heavily-ribbed castiron top grates; 2 large-diameter 30,000 Btu/hr. lift-off star burners; automatic, standing pilots; and drip pans below. Ovens feature a front-vent design that delivers consistent baking temperatures (low to 500 F) throughout the porcelain-lined interior. Standard ovens, 6-in. deeper than convection ovens at 28 1 / 2-in.D, include a 40,000-Btu cast-iron burner and accept pans length- and width-wise; convection ovens also have a 40,000-Btu burner. Racks and guides are nickel-coated and the counter-weighted door seals tight without springs or a gasket. Range is constructed of satin-finish stainless, front and exterior bottom; other surfaces painted black with electrolytic zinc undercoating. montaguecompany.com SOUTHBEND PLATINUM SERIES 36-IN. RANGE The Southbend Platinum Series heavy-duty range is designed to withstand all the rigors of high-volume kitchens. Model P36A-BBB is a 36-in.W sectional range with 6 35,000 Btu (natural or LP gas) patented clog-free burners on top of a 45,000-Btu convection oven base. The convection oven base comes standard with a standing pilot light and thermostat range of 175 F-550 F. Standard features include a heavy-duty stainless door handle, porcelain enamel interior and 3 oven racks. Plus, the unit comes with a 5-in.H flue riser, 6-in. stainless adjustable legs and a 3-yr. parts-and-labor warranty. southbendnc.com VULCAN 36-IN.W RANGE WITH STANDARD OVEN Vulcan s V6B36S heavy-duty gas range is 36-in.W with a standard oven. Solidly built with a MIG-welded base, this model sports a stainless exterior, crumb tray and burner box. Modular construction allows easy installation and connection to additional units. Six 33,000 Btu/hr. V-series cast-iron burners feature lift-off burner heads for easy cleaning. Heavy-duty, cast-iron burner grates are separate from aeration bowl for easy cleaning. The standard oven puts out 50,000 Btu/hr. The heavy-duty oven door has counterweight door hinges; oven interior is porcelain over steel. Options include a proprietary infrared broiler; PowerFry3 high-efficiency fryer; and available later this year, a new composite griddle plate. vulcanequipment.com