Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
jirka09

Need help deciding on a 30' all gas range

jirka09
11 years ago

I am trying to choose a new range, I want to go for a more pro range, but I am on a budget ($3500)

right now it is between:

American Range ARR304

Thermador PR304GH

DCS RGU305

These are all gas, sealed burners.

I'm hoping that I will get better results with higher heat, searing broiling, etc. and that one if not all of these would do the trick. This purchase is for me, not for the resale value of my home. Although looks do come into play, I want performance.

I am an avid cook and baker, anything I buy is bound to be better than the "Sunray" that is sitting it my kitchen now (It does have open burners, though).

My wish list, not in order:

simmer,

broil like a pro (or almost)

enjoy smooth oven racks

have continuous cast iron grates (a must)

not too hot oven door

convection fan

I'm curious about open burners, will I be missing out if I get sealed ones?

Do these pro ranges need tuneups like a car?

I have never had a range break down on me, but then I have never bought one, either.

I am looking for additional shared opinions. I have combed this board, it's been helpful and confusing at the same time.

Thank you!

Jirka

Comments (10)

  • acw6455
    11 years ago

    Thermador. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 48" thermador rangetop and 4 wall ovens! AMAZING!
    Simmer- checl
    Broil- checl
    Smooth oven racks- Not the best, but never a problem!
    Not too hot oven door- my oven door doesn't get hot
    Convection fan-yes!

  • cooksnsews
    11 years ago

    Sealed burners have taken a real beating here on GW by all the open burner fan-boys. I too, wondered if I hadn't missed out on something after I installed a DCS AG. Then those same fan-boys posted Youtube videos of how "easy" it is to clean their cooktops, which absolutely convinced me I had made the correct choice.

    Firstly, all sealed burner ranges are not created equal. I'm willing to admit that there likely are ones that distribute their flame pattern up the sides of pots, and cook spills/overflows into carbonized cement on their burner decks. But I don't have one of those. I have a DCS. It has two sizes of burners - 17.5K BTU, and 12.5K BTU. My smallest pot is 6" in diameter and the flames of the smaller burner stay under its base, even on max. My other pots/pans are 8" or larger, and I use them on the larger burners. All burners are capable of very low simmer - perfect for rice, sauces, or holding extras for 2nd helpings. I mostly clean the deck with a damp sponge. Sometimes I need to use a plastic scrubby first, and very occasionally, something requires scouring with Bar Keeper's Friend. The burner heads come apart really easily, but I've seldom needed to do so to clean up.

    The oven has an infra-red broiler, convection fan, and rolling racks. I've never noticed how hot the door gets, but I'm sure I'd have burned myself often if it overheated. I'm not the only DCS owner who posts here, and we are all very happy with our ranges.

  • abh2
    11 years ago

    Another vote for the DCS. I am a new 30" all gas owner and have been blow away by it's performance. The simmer is unbelievable .. I can walk away even garlic and not worry about it burning. When you need to boil fast you can do that too on any burner. Love the easy glide racks and the halo lights which tell you when a burner is on. And the best thing is the infrared burner..... it inspired me to make a roasted chicken the first time and it was truly restaurant quality, crispy on the outside and so tender and juicy on the inside. I also find that the 5th burner is very convenient. When we bought 3 months ago we were debating between this and Wolf and our sales person said the DCS was the best bang for the buck.

    Good luck with your decision!

  • weissman
    11 years ago

    I've had a DCS all gas range for 10 years now and am very, very pleased. The simmer on all the burners is incredible and I get sufficient high heat for wokking on the the 17.5K burner as well as on the 16K burners (mine is an older model which has 4 16K burners and 1 17.5K burner). Also, it may be a matter of opinion, but I find the sealed burners incredibly easy to clean and I hate cleaning. And the broiler and oven are great.

  • Nunyabiz1
    11 years ago

    If you are really on a budget you could shave $1500+ off that $3500 and buy a NXR from Costco.
    Has a great simmer, can melt chocolate on a paper plate.
    Has a infrared broiler
    Oven racks of very heavy duty stainless, smooth as any regular rack that doesn't have rollers.
    Has 2 heavy cast iron grates, one for each side covering 2 burners.
    It is a convection oven.
    Oven door is barely warm after more than an hour at 400+ degrees.

    All stainless.

    Same burners as a Wolf

  • eandhl
    11 years ago

    Another happy DCS owner. You can't beat the dual stack simmer on all of the burners. Ditto what the others have said.

  • oceangirl67
    11 years ago

    A lot of happy DCS owners, but are we talking about "DCS" or "DCS by Fisher & Paykel"

  • tyguy
    11 years ago

    I'm gonna suggest a bluestar rcs. Having owned both open and sealed burner I would say both have pros and cons for cleanup but if you don't want to do a lot of maintenance the bs will patina nicely and look good, and I don't think the same can be said for sealed units. Performance on the high end would be better. On the low end the 15k (which is the max you get on an rcs)simmer pretty decent and the dedicated simmer is ultra low. You should easily get an rcs for under budget. If you live in canada or near the canadian border you could pick one up at costco for about 2-2.5k. The only thing missing on the rcs that you request is continuous grates. On the rcs they cheap out and you get a stainless filler piece for between the burners, but the cast iron filler piece that comes on the rnb is probably a very cheap part to buy from bs. The other units on your list I think are all pretty decent and very comparable to each other (bs being on its own) but I'd probably go thermador because it has somebrand recognition and a very large service network.

  • cooksnsews
    11 years ago

    My DCS is about 3.5 years old and is a F&P one.

  • jirka09
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for all of the input.... I was actually leaning toward the American Range, but now with all of the DCS love, I'm not so sure : /
    Glad to know it's a good range. I was attracted to those burners too. I don't think there have been many positive reviews here on the DCS, at least I could not find them.
    Is there an issue with F&P?