Hi, all,

I'm finally ordering my Viking range top, and would like to benefit from the
collected wisdom here, if you don't mind! First of all, it seems the "range
top" is the better choice over the "cook top" because you get 4-15,000 BTU
burners instead of that wierd configuration with four different sizes of
burners. And, sealed burners have to be easier to clean than open burners -
I hope they work as well!

My main question is, does anybody have the grill option? On the 36" and
larger ranges, you can replace two burners with an indoor grill. I'm just
wondering if anybody actually uses those things, and if they work well
enough to trade two burners for one.

Thanks in advance for your help, folks!

--
EZ in St. Louis

jay wrote:

> IMO the open burner unit is better. You can actually get it
> completely clean and use oven cleaner as needed. The drip pans can
> go into the dishwasher.

Thanks, Jay. Good to know. Wish I could actually see one of each in the
flesh so I could compare.

> The 4 - 15k BTU burner unit is better than the one with the mix of
> different BTU burners. If you don't want 15k turn it down.

That's kinda what I thought.

> I have not had the grill option but I know that it needs some very
> good ventilation. I would definitely like the grill if it had the
> griddle plate option..easier to clean up. The grate/grill will
> require some serious clean up after each use.
>
> This unit will have 4 burners and the grill/griddle instead of six
> burners. Some folks will never use six burners but I do fairly often.
> If you need extra cooking space you can use the griddle to some
> degree like a large burner.

Actually, I've never needed more than 4 burners, so I'm kinda leaning toward
the 30" range. If there were overwhelming opinion about getting the
grill/griddle, I might spring for the 36" and get it, tho.


--
EZ from St. Louis

On Thu, 10 May 2007 15:27:30 GMT, "EZ" > wrote:

>My main question is, does anybody have the grill option? On the 36" and
>larger ranges, you can replace two burners with an indoor grill. I'm just
>wondering if anybody actually uses those things, and if they work well
>enough to trade two burners for one.

I have a 48" cooktop with a "double grill". It's an electric cooktop
by Thermadore - it's old and irreplaceable, but I love it anyway. In
fact we're using the grill as I type.

I traded in two burners (I think) to get it... I have 4 now, but I
would have had 5 or 6 (I forget which) burners if I didn't take the
indoor grill option. What I don't like is that I only have one "big"
burner, but I've adapted to the configuration.

--
See return address to reply by email

On Thu, 10 May 2007 19:31:05 -0700, sf wrote:


>I have a 48" cooktop with a "double grill". It's an electric cooktop
>by Thermadore - it's old and irreplaceable, but I love it anyway. In
>fact we're using the grill as I type.
>
>I traded in two burners (I think) to get it... I have 4 now, but I
>would have had 5 or 6 (I forget which) burners if I didn't take the
>indoor grill option. What I don't like is that I only have one "big"
>burner, but I've adapted to the configuration.

I am coming over to your house to cook and grill when I get back to
living in the bay area. Even before, if I get a contract there...

Get ready, baby!!!!!

Christine

On Thu, 10 May 2007 22:34:19 -0400, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 19:31:05 -0700, sf wrote:
>
>
>>I have a 48" cooktop with a "double grill". It's an electric cooktop
>>by Thermadore - it's old and irreplaceable, but I love it anyway. In
>>fact we're using the grill as I type.
>>
>>I traded in two burners (I think) to get it... I have 4 now, but I
>>would have had 5 or 6 (I forget which) burners if I didn't take the
>>indoor grill option. What I don't like is that I only have one "big"
>>burner, but I've adapted to the configuration.
>
>I am coming over to your house to cook and grill when I get back to
>living in the bay area. Even before, if I get a contract there...
>
>Get ready, baby!!!!!
>
Bracing self.... think of "Tigger", folks - she's a lot of fun!

LOL


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See return address to reply by email

"jay" > wrote in message
...

(snip)
> I have had both. The sealed burner unit unless it has changed has an
> aluminum base (it looks like SS) that is HARD to clean. If you use oven
> cleaner on the aluminum it ruins the finish and there is virtually no
other
> way to get them shiny clean. You need to like that burned on look if you
> choose this one.

I finally went back to the store yesterday and checked out both types of
burner. You are absolutely right. The Viking sealed burners have an aluminum
base that's shined up to look like SS. It is obvious to me that after the
very first spill, that base will look dirty forever.

> IMO the open burner unit is better. You can actually get it completely
> clean and use oven cleaner as needed. The drip pans can go into the
> dishwasher.

I saw what you meant here. The treated cast iron cap covers both types so
you don't see the burner very much at all. But the whole top of the open
burner style comes apart - the round drip pans under each burner, the long
black covers, everything except the burner itself. With the sealed burners,
I'd be making several trips back and forth from the sink, scooping out stuff
that boiled over or spilled, instead of simply taking the range parts off
the range and throwing them in the dishwasher.

> The 4 - 15k BTU burner unit is better than the one with the mix of
> different BTU burners. If you don't want 15k turn it down.

The salesman I got yesterday was actually the department manager, and knew a
whole lot about Viking and its history. He said that although Viking makes
superlative products, the cooktops with the mix of burners aren't much more
special than similar units from other manufacturers. The range tops with the
15K burners are the real Viking product. I could see where he was coming
from.

> I have not had the grill option but I know that it needs some very good
> ventilation.

No kidding! The salesman said the grill needs a 1,200 cfm exhaust hood. I
thought mine was pretty good, at 360 cfm, but it's definitely not good
enough for an indoor grill. The guy even said that with a 1,200 cfm fan, you
must open a window, or some folks have had their fuses sucked out of their
fuse boxes! Sounds a bit extreme, but so does a fan that's 4 times stronger
than the one I have.

He recommended 600 cfm just for a regular Viking range, but I'm thinking I
won't have all 4 burners on full blast at the same time often enough to
replace my brand-new range hood anytime soon. I always have the window
that's only a few feet away that I can open up when I turn on the exhaust
fan, and I should be just fine.

Many thanks for your comments, Jay. I've made my decision to get the range
top with 4 open burners, skip the grill, and now it's just a matter of
waiting for it to arrive and get installed!

EZ