When choosing your kitchen appliances, you have a few different options on how your cooking appliances are set up. Your options are to do a wall oven and cooktop, or a freestanding range. The main difference between the two options comes down to price and your preference. A cooktop and wall oven will give you more flexibility depending on the layout of your kitchen. You can pick and choose where you want to put your cooking appliances. A range will give you flexibility in size, but not space. As mentioned, a big difference is price. The two options will come down to how much you want to spend on your appliances. Here are some certain models and details about the differences between the two.
Cooktop and Wall Oven
Splitting up your wall oven and cooktop will give you a lot more flexibility in your kitchen. Depending on the layout of your kitchen, this may be the best option for you. If you are planning to have an island in the kitchen, you may want to put your cooktop there. This will let you cook and entertain your guests since your back won’t be turned toward your guests. Another advantage is that you can pick and choose the size cooktop that you want. If you do more stovetop cooking, you can get a 36” cooktop over a 30”. The SGSX365TS is a 36” Thermador cooktop. This cooktop has five star burners and a total of 58,200 BTUs. The extra low setting on this cooktop has five precise settings that will hold food without burning or scorching them. For example, you can have the low setting click on for seven seconds, and click off for 53 seconds. The star burner will give you an even cook because of the shape. This burner will heat up your pots and pans evenly. The 36” has continuous grates so you can slide your pots and pans easily across the burners. A cooktop gives you the flexibility to basically put it anywhere you want in your kitchen.
For wall ovens, you can choose between single, double, and combo units. If you do less baking rather than stovetop cooking, you may want a single wall oven rather than double. You can choose if you want to put your wall oven underneath the cooktop in the island, or somewhere in your cabinetry. Thermador offers a 30” professional oven, PO301W. This wall oven has 13 heating modes with true convection. It also has a seven minute fast preheat and a fast two hour clean mode. Or, if you are the opposite and love to bake, you can get the same model in a double wall oven. The PO302W is a 30” professional double wall oven. This offers the same features as the PO301W, now it just has two ovens. This option allows you to pick and choose the size of both appliances depending on your cooking needs.
Another aspect you need to keep in mind is the price. A cooktop and wall oven are going to be more expensive. Also, when it comes to replacing the appliances, this option is a lot more complicated. Every brand has a different cut out space. If your cooktop breaks in 10 years, more than likely there is no cooktop that will replace it with a perfect fit. You will either have to cut the countertop, or have a filler piece to fill the hole.
Ranges
This option will give you everything you need in one spot. Ranges can also be flexible with your kitchen designs and how you cook. If you prefer a 30” freestanding range, GE’s JGB700SEJSS will be perfect for you. This range offers five burners, a 5 cu.ft. oven capacity, and a storage drawer. This is going to be a standard option that is the most common. If you do a lot of cooking though, you may want to think about stepping up to a 36” range. Thermador’s pro grand commercial depth range, PRG366JG, is $7,699. This range will give you six burners, and a bigger oven. This oven is 5.5 cu. ft so you can fit more pans. If you wanted an even bigger option, you could move up to a 48” range. JennAir’s JGRP548WP is a 48” gas range with a griddle and is $8,199. The cooktop has six burners with a griddle, and two ovens. Your bigger oven is 4.1 cu ft. and the smaller oven is 2.2 cu ft. Choosing the range option will have all of your cooking needs in one spot.
When looking at price, a range is going to be less expensive than a cooktop and wall oven. This is also going to be easier to replace down the road. You do not have to worry about cut out sizes when replacing a range. You will simply slide out your 36” and replace it with a new one.
Basically, the option comes down to which style you prefer better. If you entertain a lot, you may want to put your cooktop in the island. If you do a lot of baking, you will probably want the double wall oven over the single. A range may be the option for you if you want your oven and cooktop to be together. You can choose between 30”, 36”, or 48” depending on the size of your kitchen. No matter which style you choose, the appliances are going to look great in your kitchen.