Pete C. wrote:

<snip>

> The key difference between true professional equipment
> and professional style equipment is that the true professional
> equipment isn't generally insulated and won't meet residential fire
> codes with flammable cabinetry in close proximity. Professional style
> equipment will be insulated to allow flammable cabinetry to surround
> it.
>
Which is one reason why one could buy an actual used professional 6-burner
gas range for a hell of a lot less than the same thing fitted for
residential use.

> True professional equipment typically has higher gas or electric
> requirements than what is available in most homes and as a result
> can't operate in a typical residential environment without electric
> or gas service upgrades. Professional style equipment will be
> designed to fit within residential limitations and as a result
> usually won't have the BTU capacity of true professional units, even
> if they look cosmetically similar.

Exactly, and since I am limited to LP--no gas lines out here--one of the
things I need to tease out is what the true performance of various units is
when limited to that fuel. One can read burner specs all day without finding
some real life comparative information about how they actually perform, in
the manner of Consumer Reports. Unfortunately, CR only tests a few models,
and half the time the model in question is out of date by the time one is
looking to buy.

> The bottom line is that the professional style appliances are
> generally comparable performance wise to the upper end normal
> residential appliances and the difference is mostly cosmetic and of
> course the expensive foofy brand nameplate. Where the real
> differences are is between the low end appliances and the upper end
> appliances. Don't expect much from a $500 range, but also don't
> expect to find much functional difference between a $2k range and a
> $4k range.

That is the impression I have, but it is not backed up by any experience. My
neice has a DCS range, and it's great. But so is my mother's dual fuel
Bosch, which I *think* is probably significantly cheaper. But I haven't
tried cooking in a wok on either one, just as an example.