Best Professional Style Ranges of 2024
Pro stoves will bring fun and excitement to cooking at home. Check out the top picks for pro cooking this year.
What is a Professional-Style Range?
A professional-style range, also known as a pro-style range is a stove that is designed to look and perform like the ranges you might find in a commercial setting or restaurant. Your decision to purchase a pro-style range will likely come down to your kitchen design, ventilation or ducting ability, and your budget.
Sealed Burner vs. Open Burner Pro Ranges
Sealed Gas Burner Ranges
Sealed burner ranges are more common. The cooktop under the gas burners is a solid surface. This means that any boil-over or spills will be contained under the burners on the cooking surface. Sealed burners are known to be easier to clean.
Open Gas Burner Ranges
Open burner ranges are more popular in commercial or restaurant settings. There are a select few open burner ranges available for residential use. Open burners are great for achieving high cooking temperatures for searing and stir-frying. Since the space under the burner is open, the flame is exposed to more oxygen creating more heat.
Pros and Cons of Pro-Style Stoves
Cons
Professional-style ranges are not an ideal fit for every consumer. Whether it's ventilation, space constraints, or budget. Let's discuss the drawbacks of opting for a pro-style range.
Ventilation Limitations
Professional-style gas and dual fuel ranges have high heat burners. These burners are so powerful, that they can create excess heat, smoke, and cooking grease. If you are unable to vent your range outside, opting for a professional-style range isn't a great idea.
If you have a microwave above your range, you should be careful when buying a pro-style range. Some pro ranges have really powerful burners. Over time, the high heat from the cooking burners can break the control panel on your venting microwave.
There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you cannot vent outside, consider a professional-style induction range. Some manufacturers make ranges with lower burner power, so you can still get the look, but you won't get the ultra-high temperatures of the super-powerful pro ranges.
Pro Tip: If you can't vent outside or have a microwave, consider an induction professional-style range!
Space Constraints
Pro-style ranges tend to have smaller oven capacity than regular freestanding, front-control, or slide-in ranges. The concept is counterintuitive, but if you were to look at the average oven capacity on a 30'' regular range vs. a pro range, you would notice a considerable difference.
Modeled after restaurant ranges, pro-style ranges also don't have a drawer underneath the oven. In a small kitchen, going with a pro range you will lose that potentially vital storage space.
Budget
Professional-style ranges are considerably more expensive than regular freestanding or front-control ranges. However, pro ranges are better built, better performing, and better looking. Your decision might come down to how long you want to stay in your home and how much you love to cook.
Pros
If you're designing a large sprawling kitchen, or if you LOVE to cook, you will appreciate the size options and functionality of a pro range.
More Size Options
Although standard ranges are 30" wide, you will find pro ranges built-in 36", 48", and even 60" wide sizes. The larger pro ranges (48'' and 60'') will have multiple convection ovens, great for large-scale entertaining.
High Quality Parts
When you buy a pro range, you will find that the cast iron grates and burners are heavy duty and you will have one or more high-heat power burners. The burner "real estate" will also be larger, so you'll have more space for large stock pots and pans.
In the oven, you will notice the grates are much heftier and stronger than you will find in most residential stoves.
Extra Modes (When You Want Them)
You probably won't find as many features and modes as you will with lower-end ranges. However, app-guided cooking and other downloadable modes are getting more popular with the wifi-connected pro ranges.
What I love about this is the extra modes are not overbearing. Your stove will simply look better. You probably won't see a pizza button on your pro stove. But if you are wi-fi enabled range, you could access a multitude of pizza recipes.
Amazing Rebates and Promotions
Pro Tip: Although professional-style ranges are more expensive than regular ranges, you should explore the rebates and promotions associated with buying a pro range. Depending on the range, you might be able to get a great rebate or even a free appliance when you buy a pro range.
