Tired of spending hours preparing that multi-layer cake recipe only to have your masterpiece become a sloping mystery dessert?
Before you hang up your chef’s hat, consider whether a commercially designed oven would improve your culinary skills. If not, at least your kitchen will be a visual treat for friends, neighbors and relatives.
Many consumers are turning to commercial-style ovens to avoid culinary disasters or to improve their cooking abilities. Others want to create a kitchen that will be the focal point of the house, whether they cook or not.
“It has that appeal of warmth and solidness” said Jan Selby, a spokesperson for Aga Cookers Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Aga-Rayburn, based in Shropshire, England. “We are all so busy, yet at the same time we all want to come back to the home as the center of family activity.”
The trend toward using commercial-style ovens, with stainless steel exteriors, heavy knobs and an overall industrial look, typically is seen in custom housing because of the price range. A consumer can spend $4,000 to $15,000 on an oven designed for the would-be chef.
“In the majority of homes in the middle to upper-end price range people opt for more commercial-style ovens,” said Scott Renken, president of Greystone Builders and Architects Inc. in Highland Park, whose houses range from $600,000 to $2 million.
“I think it’s the looks, the aesthetics, the heavy-duty nature of it,” he said. “They will virtually never wear out for the life of the home.”
Commercial-style appliances can fit with several design themes. While some combine the clean lines of stainless steel with similarly designed contemporary cabinets, others pair them with ornate traditional cabinets with lots of molding. “People seem to fit it into several designs, whether it’s French Country and a very traditional look or a contemporary look,” Selby said. “It seems to fit with the retro look because it has very clean lines on it and it has chrome and color.”
While the word “commercial” can be interpreted in several ways, it typically refers to appliances that have a higher capacity for heat, are larger and heavier than traditional appliances and have more advanced features. “They’re more heavy-duty and they offer certain options: infra-red cooking or a griddle, the convection oven option,” Renken said. “They’re more sturdy and well built.”
Commercial ovens are designed to allow heat to move around the oven more efficiently, to retain heat more effectively and result in food that is more flavorful. Most cook with convection or radiant heat and have two or four oven cavities. Convection ovens circulate heat around the food, usually with a fan. Radiant heat is transferred from the walls of the oven to the object inside.
The advantage of having several oven sections is the ability to cook several parts of a meal at the same time. This helps save time and allows two people to use the oven simultaneously.
The separate ovens also segregate cooking odors. “You can cook two things with very different flavors and you don’t get a crossover of flavors,” Selby said.
Aga cookers use radiant heat for their two- and four-oven models. Each oven has a different temperature range. In the four-oven model, for example, the ovens are set for roasting (425 to 450 degrees), baking (325 to 350), simmering (225 to 250) and warming (125 to 150). They are priced from $8,400 for the two-oven model to $12,000 for the four-oven.
The Aga cookers also are left on continuously. “When people first see an Aga and see it’s on all the time, they think it’s very inefficient, but it’s really more efficient than most appliances,” Selby said. “It generates heat when needed. If you compare it to a hot water heater, you have stored water that’s hot and a pilot light when you need it.”
Those who make convection ovens say the advantages include shorter cooking times and evenly distributed heat. “Instead of the air being stagnant, the air is constantly moving,” said David Carr, senior product manager for Thermador, which is one of the brands made by BSH Home Appliances Corp. of Huntington Beach, Calif. “Normally the (time) savings are found when cooking things for longer than 45 minutes — a roast, for example.” Thermador convection ovens are priced from $1,689 to $3,759.
Commercial ovens are available in a variety of sizes. “If you want a great stove you’ll want a 48-inch with six burners, but oftentimes because of size constraints we’ll put in a 30- or 36-inch stove,” said John Dalbis, owner of Showcase Kitchens and Design in Geneva.
They also are sold in many colors — red, green, yellow or black. Some consumers will add a red oven to add a little design flair to the kitchen or buy a model with colored knobs to add a touch of color. “Some people like them in various colors, but most prefer the stainless-steel look,” Dalbis said.
Ovens are sold in wall-mounted models and models that sit on the floor and are placed along the main countertop area. A wall-mounted oven often is easier to use because you do not have to bend over to access it, Renken said.
Ovens that are placed along the countertop often have a range on top with several burners. This design is preferred by those who want several features in one area of the kitchen. “Functionally, the disadvantage is that you have to bend over for each oven,” Renken said.
Many consumers select ovens with ranges that are 48 inches wide because those include several features, Renken said. “In the old ones, four cooktops was fine, but today people want six burners or four burners with griddles or grills.”
Griddles, which have a flat surface suited for cooking pancakes, are more popular because they are easier to clean, he said. “A grill is like an outdoor barbecue; it has slots and grease drips down and it’s harder to clean. “
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Allison E. Beatty is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions or information regarding new home buyers’ product and design choices, write to Choices c/o Chicago Tribune New Homes Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
