Wolf 36” AG range — two questions!!

4 years ago

Hi all

we are planning on getting a 36” AG Woof range.

i have two potential issues:

1) is a 15,00o BTU burner hot enough for a wok pan? i’m trying not to get hung up on BTU’s but people seem to have strong opinions about the amount of heat needed to cook with a wok and i have no experience in this area.

2) Is a 36” gas oven too big to be practical? i really like the look of the range but am worried a 36” oven will take too much time and energy to heat. i don’t really mind the fact that it is gas but am worried avout the size. As an alternative (possibly more $), i could install a 36” Wolf gas rangetop and do a separate 30” electric oven undercounter in my kitchen island. Is this more practical for daily use or am I overthinking it? i also have a Breville toaster oven for reheating leftovers (and also fundtions as an oven since ours is broken). Thoughts?

Featured Answer

opaone

4 years ago

"Can’t imagine not being able to sear meat with 15,000 BTUs!"

To get the best flavor you need to sear very quickly and you need a lot of btu's (ideally > 30k) to do that. When you place the meat in the pan the pan will very quickly cool down and you need the higher btu's to recover the heat as quickly as possible. Without the quick recovery you'll not get the maillard reaction that is critical.

"Maybe try using a good pan like all clad that conducts heat well."

All-Clad is actually not that good (though they do have great marketing) and would be a very poor choice here. Here you need a pan that will retain heat as well as possible and spread the heat out as evenly as possible. A cast iron fry pan would be best followed by a thick disk bottom sauté. The multi-ply in All-Clad is not thick enough to retain heat nor spread it out very well.

"IMHO a good cook can prepare great food on almost anything, you certainly dont need fancy equipment Cooking is an art, equipment is just one variable"

Yes. But they can't make anything on anything.

Some techniques/preparations do require heat or other things that are rare or non-existent in residential kitchens. Part of the secret to producing a great meal is knowing what can and cannot be done well with the available tools. If the tools available cannot produce the heat elements required for something to taste its best then a good chef will not attempt that prep and instead choose something that can be produced well with the tools available.

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Comments (8)

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Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
I have an all gas Bertazzoni with a wok burner and it is awesome . Also a heck of a lot cheaper than and ocver priced over rated Wolf. I have the all gas range and double wall ovens the ovens are electric and of course the oven for the range is gas. I like certain things baked in a gas oven likebread, buns and pizza You need to figure how you cook that is how you choose appliances and they also should not all come from the same maker since there is no one single maker that makes everything well. If you do a lot of wok cooking then you strat there in choosing a range or cooktop This is a huge expense in a kitchen oto get right so really analyze how each appliance works for you. I have the best and KA wall oens A Bosch DW Fridgeadaire all fridge all freezer columns with buit in kit and would never go Sub Zero for those again over rated over priced . A kitchen design starts with the appliances you need .
opaone
4 years ago
Doing Wok properly requires about 40,000 btu or more which is difficult in a residential setting. So considering next best (and more reasonable) options; we want a lot of btu's and we want the wok very close to the flames (not sitting up high).

The best option then is a dedicated wok burner. I believe Wolf, Miele and others have good options.

Next best is a Bluestar RNB. It's got btu's and gets the wok down in to the flames. The RNB is also a much better range than Wolf for cooking in general.

More: https://bamasotan.us/2020/12/the-kitchen/
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Babar
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I just got a 36 inch AG Wolf replaced a Viking range with open burners i was worried going from 15,000 open burners to sealed burners on the Wolf would be a problem but so far have found them to be equal and could not imagine needing higher BTUs

The oven is big and there is just the two of us so i use the Breville often The big oven is great for cooking multiple items which i do often it does heat up to 350 in about 10 minutes.

I also love just starring at it lol

Good Luck
Suzanne Giomi
Original Author
4 years ago
Ha it is pretty. your feedback is so helpful. my salesman told me not to worry aovut BTU’s but so many bluestar owners make a big deal about it.

have you considered getting the wok grate accessory? it has a special shape to accommodate a round bottomed wok and i am considering it. of course its not cheap $85-100…
opaone
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Many tasks and many people at home do not need more than 15k btu's and many people can be totally happy with 12k btu's. Where you need/want higher btu's is for things like wok, sauté, browning a bit of meat or a few other things. You can sort of do these with more limited heat but the results aren't the same. This is why, even with greater than 25k btu's some of our chef friends will not do certain preperations at our place (or at their own home) becuase some things can't be done well at lower temps.

The primary benefit to Bluestar is actually not the higher btu's, though that is a benefit, but the eveness of the heat. The Bluestar burners, like those on commercial ranges, provide quite even heat across the bottom of the pan with slightly more in the middle and slightly less towards the edges. Sealed burners such as Wolf now uses are just the opposite - little heat in the middle and most towards the edges.
Babar
4 years ago
Can’t imagine not being able to sear meat with 15,000 BTUs!

Maybe try using a good pan like all clad that conducts heat well.

i have lots to say bad about Viking but their gas cooktop with 15,000 BTU s is spectacular as is Wolfs gas cooktop same BTUs

IMHO a good cook can prepare great food on almost anything, you certainly dont need fancy equipment Cooking is an art, equipment is just one variable
lucky998877
4 years ago
I have 2x 15,500 BTU double ring burners. I use a carbon steel wok and cook the meats in smaller batches. Make sure that you have a great ventilation system above...it's plenty hot and creates plenty of smoke! I have my 1200 cfm vent on full when using the wok. Sure, I would love to have 1 "super burner" but I also wanted a range that has a real simmer burner for very low...I've been happy with the 1260-15,500 BTUs.