Well shorty, it sounds like you have the perfect set up for your particular needs. Pro-style ranges aren't for everyone, but they do throw considerably more heat than a standard range, and many cooks like that and they plan their ventilation accordingly.

When I buy prime NY strips at Costco, and it is winter and I don't feel like grilling outdoors, I can easily cook them indoors by a combination of oven roast on low temp (partially cooks the meat and more importantly dries the exterior surfaces) and then finish with a wonderful pan sear with my ''professional style'' Capital Culinarian. If I'm adventurous, I will make a quick pan sauce while the steaks rest. My hood keeps up, there are no flames, and I don't have a big mess to clean up afterward. And the steaks are freeking fantastic - great sear on the outside, wonderfully pink and juicy on the inside. I certainly am not disputing your experience, just sharing mine. Jon

I'm looking forward to great pan seared tuna and great broiling on my Blue Star, but honestly, during the warm weather I will still use a cedar plank on the Big Green Egg for salmon.

Hey Jon, I never thought about "precooking" meat at low temps before searing -- thanks, I learned something!

High powered ranges required efficient vent hoods with good capture and some oversize th hoods slightly for this purpose. There was a famous pic posted some years back by femmelady, whose husband had a set up with a 48" range plus a 24" wok stove next to it. He was grilling and you could actually see the trail of smoke going right up into the Vent a Hood which was mounted very high because he was tall.

Some people double up on the vents under a single canopy. There are different solutions. But with high powered ranges it's essential to have an efficient vent hood and to use it.

Where I live people do use recirculating hoods which catch some material. Even still you can smell what's been cooked for hours if not days afterwards.

We don't have Costco anywhere nearby so when we do ribeyes they are a major investment. For me, that means trimming very well and letting them dry out at least overnight on a cake rack, unwrapped and pre-seasoned to tighten up. The dryness helps them sear very well whether they are cooked indoors or outdoors and the interior marbling keeps them moist.

The traditional way with large cuts is to sear first and then finish in the oven (indoors). Moist meat won't sear and the browning reactions are what add such amazing flavor.

I'm with the OP on our gas Weber which cranks right up to 600 degrees and does an amazing job on the thick ribeye., Some people might have huge kitchens with big set ups that can duplicate that indoors, which is great, but there inevitably is a mess and spatter to clean up so I take it outside.

I have a pro-style range (20-year old Dynasty/Jade Range), but rarely use it for searing meat, since we don't eat that way. But I do find the extra BTUs really grand for all kinds of other cooking. I would never have a lower BTU range, if I can help it, even with no desire to sear slabs of meat. Even browning onions is a drag with a slow burner. Everything seems to cook more easily on my range. And I love my double ovens!

I don't have a vent, yet, (the stove was installed in a temp location, where it's remained for two decades), but plan to have one in the new kitchen. For all this time we've just opened the window behind the range as necessary. (Truth be told, there was one time when I tried a very high heat roast chicken recipe - that time we had to open all the doors and install fans to remove the smoke. Since it was also January in northern NY, it was a memorable evening!)

My range actually has a gas grill element that i have never used, not once. The clean-up required for it would be such a pain, I found out after I took delivery. After a few years, I had the grill elements capped and installed a slab of granite over it, so now I have a landing space on the top of my range, which turned out to be very convenient.

L

There was an earlier thread on Professional vs Professional Style, which concluded that a true professional range had issues in a residential environment -- including the construction requirements, and even some possible code issues preventing their use in a residence.

So why "professional style"? I don't like the word "style" in that phrase because it implies that it's about the look. I prefer the word "professional capability." And for me it's not just about the high BTUs on a burner -- it's just as much about control, i.e. with a flame that goes smoothly from a low simmer to a high sear. That's what sold me on the "professional style" burners like the BlueStar. I can even see the actual difference in the design of the burner that lead to improved performance. And in a "pro style" rangetop, cleanup is easier then putting that burner on a drop-in cooktop. And there's more room for big pots on the "pro style" rangetop. Honestly, the style isn't thrilling to me -- but the capabilities are.

That's also why I'm personally having a harder time justifying spending lots of money on an oven. I am finding it hard to believe that $2000 ovens don't cook properly. I don't know what is so hard about making a box that holds a temperature and doesn't break down. Again, the styling isn't the issue -- I just want it to work right.

(And, FWIW, I also use a variety of cooking modes, including a couple of outdoor options like a Weber Grill and a smoker. I really get annoyed at poorly designed tools, which is why I ended up with the Weber gas grill over other, lower cost options. I'm also rebuilding my smoker with modifications to help it hold temperature, more evenly distribute the smoke, and provide proper airflow to the firebox... things which would make my ~$150 smoker cost $155.50 if the manufacturer had done them in the first place. Sigh...)

"I've never understood why the former is of any interest at all (especially if you're paying a big premium for it). Might as well hang a $5000 check on your wall for all the good it does you."

The 'pro style' ranges typically come with higher powered burners (a few over 20,000 BTU).

"Professional is a whole different story. And most of us simply don't have the ability to set up anything really professional in our homes. Most of it isn't very attractive. Has only basic features. And needs a lot of extra architectural/construction stuff (like fire-proof walls - commercial vents - auto fire extinguishers over ranges - etc.)."

The biggest issue with with a real professional range is that they are not 'zero clearance' to flammable surfaces.

Auto fire extinguishers are not required, nor a commercial vent (and there are plenty of vent hoods with remote blowers available anyway).
Drywall is not considered combustible, so the clearance can still be zero.

It all comes down to cooking style and what you want to be able to do.

Try fitting a full sheet pan in anything but a pro or pro-style oven.

I have a 1400 cfm Tradewind liner over my 36" Caldera gas cooktop and my Miele builtin deep fat fryer.

We have perfect capture with our setup and we are glad we do. We have high heat cooking almost every night. DH does wok stirfry and we use the deep fat fryer to make the kind of restaurant fries mentioned above.

If you cut the potatoes and then soak them. Pat dry and precook them at a low temp. You then cool them and store in fridge. When you are ready to eat them you finish frying at the higher temp. We learned this from our DS1 who is a chef. The fries are incredible and the partially cooked ones keep quite well in the fridge. This is how most restaurants do them so that the prep is completed and the finish is all that is needed. Very crisp and light.

We use our Lodge Logic cast iron grill pan all the time for very high heat grilling of steaks, fish and poultry ....chicken and duck. The vapors pull right up into the hood as mentioned above. There is nothing to wipe up but the cooktop and it only takes minutes due to the great design of the Caldera and the very easy stainless steel surface.

In conclusion I think that it is very possible to have " professional" outcomes without spending a fortune . The Caldera is very very reasonably priced and the Tradewind liner also we very reasonable and extremely easy to clean . No HOGS in my house :)

Miele for calamari :

( see the steam )

Finished :

Ribeyes...note the steam rising...perfect capture!

Fried chicken :

Finished :

Whole setup 54" hood with baffles/1400cfm remote blower:

Please don't show nice lookin' deep fried stuff. I haz pounds to lose, not gain :)

OT...

Sayde & Robyn,

If you want to try the oven first, pan sear last technique, try something like this...(four servings)

Buy two really thick steaks, about 1 lb each. Cut in half vertically to create two equal size steaks. Remove excessive fat along the outside edges. (Note - for Rib-Eye, you may need to use twine to help hold shape) Pat steaks dry, then season each with kosher salt and cracked pepper. If necessary, use your hands to shape steaks so the are even in shape and thickness. In an oven preheated to 275, place steaks on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet in the middle rack position. If you like medium rare, 20 to 25 minutes ought to do it. (Robyn - at this low temp, there is very little smoking.)

When finished in the oven, pan sear in vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. 1-1/2 to 2 minutes ought to do it. Because the steaks are thick, you may wish to use tongs to hold the steaks on their sides to sear the sides (hold the steaks side by side).

Use the wire rack and a foil tent to let them rest a bit when finished (to capture the juices, you may wish to place a plate or something under the rack under the steaks). Use the browned bits in the pan to make a sauce if you wish.

Robyn - in your other post showing pix of your kitchen, I notice you have an OTR Microwave with vent. That certainly explains your concerns about generating smoke in the kitchen. Yes, I have a strong hood (1200 cfm Modern-Aire) so that is a big difference.

Sayde - you are going to have so much fun with your BS!

Jon

Jon -- I gotta try that technique! Ever do that for fish? I've done tuna and salmon using the opposite technique -- pan sear 1st and then stick in the oven for a few minutes, depending on the desired degree of doneness. (For tuna that means close to zero minutes, of course :) )

Jon -- I gotta try that technique! Ever do that for fish? I've done tuna and salmon using the opposite technique -- pan sear 1st and then stick in the oven for a few minutes, depending on the desired degree of doneness. (For tuna that means close to zero minutes, of course :) )

Here is a link that might be useful: CC Spec Sheet

I think I have gotten some good service/use out of my Monogram range, with grill. It sears a mean steak, after a 20 minute preheat. the preheat is less critical w/chicken breasts, but I've found I like chicken better in the oven; 23 minutes at 450 (turning once) gives a much moister outcome than the grill. Better still is outdoors on charcoal, truth be told.
The burner/grate design allows me to use my wok, and the ultra-low simmer guarantees perfect rice. It pleases me, as simple a cook as I am.

"Robyn - in your other post showing pix of your kitchen, I notice you have an OTR Microwave with vent. That certainly explains your concerns about generating smoke in the kitchen. Yes, I have a strong hood (1200 cfm Modern-Aire) so that is a big difference."

That's correct. For most of the stuff I cook - I can sear off on the range - and - if necessary - then finish in the oven (e.g., everything from duck to a pork tenderloin to short ribs). We're warm most of the year - so worst comes to worst - I open the windows and sliding glass doors to clear the air. But with those high fat steaks - that's a whole 'nother level of smoke. I guess for those in warmer weather places - we come to depend on our grills most of the year for that type of cooking. I know there are people in Michigan who grill outside when it's 20 - but you can count me out on that :).

Those fryers look like fun - but I'd probably look like a blimp if I could fry like that at home. My fry treat of the week is one fried chicken leg at Golden Corral (with a lot of southern veggies). I do eat at much better restaurants than Golden Corral - but I like that I can get one - only one - fried chicken leg there.

FWIW - I'd say my most favorite thing to cook (and my husband's to eat) is pasta (with a nice salad). You don't need a really high grade kitchen to make great pasta. OTOH - when we try to make the pasta itself at home - the high humidity is often a problem (you need tons of flour to counteract the humidity here - and it's always a big - albeit delicious - mess). Robyn