I’ve noticed a disquieting trend where ranges and tops, which once had 15,000-18,000 BTUs per burner, are gradually featuring products with 30,000 BTU burners.
30,000 is a staggering measure of heat.
Let me digress for a moment. I’m a voracious reader of chef/restaurant cookbooks – can’t get enough of cooking in the trenches, where every dinner is viewed as a battle to victory. When you read enough of these, you sense a common theme: burns.
“We're burned and cut all the time. So, chefs probably have a pretty high pain threshold," says chef Nicole Gossling of Bolsa. "Chefs just get down and dirty." (Dallas Observer, May 6th, 2010.)
Not something the cooking shows describe in great detail, but most chefs describe the scars as typical war wounds. These are the professionals who talk about getting hurt, not the average consumer.
Now back to our residential ranges: Careless cooking in homes is the number one cause of fire. These aren’t ranges you set your food on and walk away. They’re instant 3rd-degree-burn hot, and it only takes a less than a minute for your oil to start smoking.
Here’s another thought: I was in a forum where a young professional was discussing how she regretted her pro-style range in her new kitchen after she had children. Our family lifestyles are such that we live, eat, and play in our kitchens -- quite a different scenario from restaurant cooking. Should there more educational disclaimers on restaurant-style ranges?
For the foodie and serious cook who understand this serious heat, fine. For the consumer who’s after “bigger, stronger, faster”, I wonder: how high will one day be too high?
