Gas Cook top Questions

[Gary KW4Z]

First the problem. I have a GE Range with a small simmer eye in the back that will not light for anything. The electric starter is indeed sparking the lighter for that eye. Every part is on it correctly but it will not light for anything. If I put a match or lighter beside it no problem it lights right up but the sparker will not light it off.

New purchase question. We are building a new home in Alabama and will be putting new appliances in the kitchen. We plan to use Gas for the Cook eyes and electricity most likely for the oven. What is the We are thinking also about a commercial type Range (as in Viking etc) because we have heard that they heat up a lot quicker and cook better. Something about higher BTU elements. What is the best combination of cook top eyes or burners in a Gas stove top? I've seen some at Lowes or Home Depot that say they have ONE burner that is 16,000 BTU for quick heating. What can one expect from a commercial unit and I have also heard that you have to take extraordinary (aka expensive) measures to vent that type of cook top.

[Dave Bugg]

Cooking is done by the individual, not the stove. A good cook can turn out food just as well from a camp stove as from a commercial stove. BTW, Viking, etc ARE NOT commercial ranges; they are merely styled to mimic real commercial ranges.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The gas, eveidently, is not reaching the sparker. Look to see if there is supposed to be a shield of some sort behind it that may have been pushed aside in cleaning.

Are you talking about a real commercial unit or one that has been modified for home use? The real commercial units are not well insulated and need more clearance around them to meet code. Yes, they do get hotter but they require move ventilation. Your homeowner's insurance may have restriction on them also. Some will have six burners of 30,000 Btu each. Imagine the venting needed if you cranked that up. You'll need larger gas piping and regulator for that.

There are ranges, as you saw, that have one or two larger burners. They are good for getting a large amount of water boiling, but not needed for normal cooking. They often don't do well at very low simmering, thus the combination of sizes.

Do a Google search on the rec.food.equipment newsgroup and you will have all the information you could want.

[Joe]

It's a jungle out there with all the BS amd hype about appliances. $600 vacuum cleaners that do best cleaning out your wallet and $1500 washing machines that look like they belong in a bordello in Nevada. Do yourself a favor and start with Consumer Reports to cut through the crap and find out which appliances will do what you need, not what you think you want. The fewer frills, the better the price. A good fridge or stove should last you 20 years, and if you buy overdone feature laden fads they look dated long before their time. Of course, if you are really wealthy and and need to look trendy for your peers, then go for the stainless steel, granite, gargantuan multi-burner monster types. Whatever, a good balance is always cost effective. HTH

Joe

[Tim Smith]

In article ,

Then how come restaurants don't use camp stoves, which are much cheaper?

[Dave Bugg]

For the same reason you use a table saw rather than a handsaw. It ain't the tool, it's the craftsman.

[George]

Not really relevant since the OP is buying this for their house.