So glad you posted this thread Seaside. I've got my heart set on the American Range french door wall oven, and I'd like to hear current feedback as well. Good luck to us both!

I'm also glad you posted this. I have pretty much narrowed down my choices to a Bluestar, American Range, and DCS. But here in Chicago, the one store (Grant's) that carries American Range doesn't have any in stock and probably won't have any for a few months. While there are plenty of places to buy American Range on-line, I'd like to see one in person first. So, in addition to general impressions, I'd love to hear about buying experiences from anyone in the greater Chicagoland area.

I will likely get a 30" range or 30" rangetop.

We have a 36" American Range that we've been using for about a month. Here are my initial observations:
1. The oven is BIG.
2. It takes a long time to preheat.
3. You can get a full sized commercial cookie sheet into it--so it's great for knocking out a batch of cookies quickly.
4. I have a Breville Smart Oven that will hold up to a 9x13 pan. Whenever I have something that will fit in the Smart Oven, I use it. (It takes about 2 minutes to preheat). The Breville is my second oven.

Thanks Vickimp-

Do you like cooking on the stovetop?

Is it easy to clean?

Did you get a color panel and are you happy with it?

Thanks,

Seaside

I do like cooking on the stovetop. I had a very old 4 burner electric Jenn Air before, so having 6 burners is wonderful. It is easy to clean--as you probably have noticed, everything under the grids is smooth stainless, so there are not many nooks and crannies to worry about. Regarding the performance of the oven--I did make some cookies the other day and used the full size commercial cookie sheet. I used the convection feature and noticed that the cookies at one end of the oven were definitely browner than the others. So, not as evenly cooking as I would have thought....

I'm renovating my kitchen and after much research (Viking, Wolf, etc.), I've narrowed it down to American Range or Blue Star. American Range has the huge benefit of sealed burners, so I've decided to buy the 36" gas only range. I've read that no matter which brand you buy, stay clear of grills indoors for safety reasons. Now my challenge is to find a vent hood with 900 CFMs that doesn't look monstrous. Any recommendations?

emcgyr - I'm curious what you thought the big benefit of sealed burners are.

(I understand the pros and cons of each. I'm just asking what was factor pushed you one way or the other.)

The benefit of sealed burners for me is that I can clean them easily.

My thanks to you all!

I would still love to know if anyone has a grill on their AR and how their experiaence has been with it.

emcgyr, you mention safety issues--what are they? The link brought me to Liberty Mutual, but I did not see anything about indoor grills.

Many thanks!

SeaSide

Seaside-

Glad you posted this -- happy to give my opinion. I've had an American 48" range, with GRIDDLE -- not grill, for 1 year and 3 weeks. Here's my take:

-- I *love* this range. The amount of heat put out by the burners is insane. I actually have to warn friends who come over to cook that "high" on this range is not what they're used to -- that they'll burn their food if they're not careful. Before I bought it I thought I didn't care how hot it got, but it actually speeds things along quite nicely. Water boils much faster, browning kicks in earlier, room temp ingredients come up faster. It's great.

-- Go for the 48" not the 36" -- the 2nd oven is great. Not for being a 2nd over but for being so small. It heats up faster and uses less gas so for small jobs it's great to have.

-- Skip the griddle and get the GRILL. I had a griddle on my old Thermador range and used it maybe twice in 5 years. My wife and I use the griddle all the time. Sometimes multiple times a day. Off the top of my head we've used it for fried eggs, bacon, sausage, zucchini, lamb chops, steaks, hash browns, sausage, 10 other veggies I don't recall, french toast, browned onions, browning bread... but you know what? I don't think we've made pancakes on it. Honestly, if we could do it again we'd get the 4 burner with the extra-wide griddle.

-- I think one reason we love the griddle is that it's seasoned from shiny stainless steel to a uniform black. And we like it that way because it means we don't have to scrub it spotless after every meal like we do our All-Clad. Just a quick scrapedown with the spatula and a wipe with a paper towel or sponge.

-- Service has been excellent. Nothing has broken but there were a few minor issues when it was delivered (long was bent by installer, one burner wouldn't light.)

-- If you haven't gotten your hands on one, the build quality is excellent. Much better than Bluestar. (I'm not trying to bash bluestar but the one's I've seen have sharp edges and rough aspects that just don't seem... safe?)

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Peter

-Peter

Thanks Petestein1-

So, you love your AR and like a griddle over a grill. That's great to know. I'm beginning to feel very confident about going with AR. If 48" will fit in my layout I think I will go for it and cut back on the budget elsewhere if necessary.

I *still* would love to hear from AR owners with a built in grill to see what their experience has been like. I loves me a nice grill up, but it's not great outside in February in New England!

Thanks,

SeaSide

Hi:

Here's an update that might be interesting for some.

Here is a link that might be useful: Psient: Update on new American Range

I am wondering if the wall ovens from American Range are better than their freestanding models. I am not going to buy the freestanding because of the issues that seem too consistent among owners. Does anyone have any input about the American range wall ovens? I really want gas convection but am limited in choices. Help!