When it comes to choosing a commercial range for your kitchen, the choices seem endless. Why is one range more expensive? Where do you start? Commercial ranges come in many shapes and sizes and are manufactured by different companies like Vulcan and Wolf. You can get a
standard oven, convection oven or space saver oven, and with as many or as few burners as you need, with or without a griddle. There is a variation to fit the needs of any commercial kitchen.

Heavy Duty vs. Restaurant Duty Commercial Ranges

Hotels, hospitals, schools, institutions and some high volume restaurants use heavy duty commercial ranges. They have higher energy output and shorter cooking time. Most restaurants and chains can get by with a high quality, restaurant duty commercial range. They can usually accommodate a salamander broiler or cheesemelter.

Heavy Duty Commercial Ranges

Heavy Duty commercial ranges are durable ranges with larger gas valves to allow for easier combining of other components. They can be batteried together to create large units for high volume kitchens and
are built to withstand intense use. They do cost more both up front and in service fees. The higher energy output also means higher energy costs.

Restaurant Duty Commercial Ranges

Restaurant duty commercial ranges are suitable as free standing models with BTU and power levels close to the heavy duty standards, but for an economical price. They cost less and have lower service fees, but they are more costly to install and are not built to withstand intense use as well as the heavy duty commercial ranges.

Commercial Range Configurations

Just about any mix of open burners and griddle tops are available for commercial ranges. Convection ovens can also be added to the standard oven base.

Open Gas Burners for Commercial Ranges

The top choice for most professional kitchens, open gas burner commercial ranges provide instantaneous heat that is easily controlled. Look for easily removable top grates, a wide range of flame heights, ring or star burners, individual pilot lights for each burner and consider the BTU rating.

Griddles for Commercial Ranges

Instead of a burner, you can choose a griddle for the top of all or part of your commercial range. It is a flat metal plate made of steel, cast iron or aluminum and food is cooked directly on top allowing multiple food items to cook simultaneously. Look for a large grease trough for easy clean up, manual valve controls for user regulated temperature control, thermostatic controls for accurate temperature control and a non stick or well seasoned surface.

Other Considerations When Choosing a Commercial Range

Sold as options on most commercial ranges, casters are highly recommended for easy clean up and service. Also, if you will be using your range at an elevation above 2000 feet, be sure to note that while ordering. Gas valves must be adjusted to account for higher elevations.

As with any gas appliance, be sure and include a new AGA commercial gas flex hose. They are designed extremely heavy duty, usually with a brass quick connect. Standard, plumber supplied home-type flex hoses are not designed for commercial applications and are not NSF approved.

Vulcan ranges make cooking easy

Vulcan ranges are perennial favorites among the restaurant equipment products at ShortOrder.com. Vulcan produces a wide variety of ranges, ovens, steam tables, fryers and griddles, but it’s Vulcan ranges and Vulcan ovens that people think of first, and that’s where Vulcan made its solid reputation for durable, reliable, well-designed restaurant equipment.

Medium-duty and heavy-duty Vulcan ranges are the bulk of Vulcan’s offerings in the range category. The distinction between these Vulcan ranges is capacity - the heavy-duty Vulcan ranges feature more BTUs, more customizability, bigger work surfaces, and integration with other Vulcan products.

The Endurance Vulcan range is a new concept in ranges

A Vulcan range that’s been getting favorable reviews from executive chefs and other restaurant equipment experts lately is the Endurance medium-duty range. The Endurance range is a sophisticated, easy-to-use Vulcan range (gas-burning) with a variety of impressive features that you’d expect to see on a heavy-duty Vulcan range.

For example, the Endurance Vulcan range, like the Vulcan G36L-1-NAT, delivers a remarkable 32,000 BTUs to the stovetop without hotspots - ordinary burners only reach 26,000 BTUs. The Endurance range’s patented high turn down ratio burner system guarantees you focused, controlled heat where and when you need it. The oven, which can reach temperatures of 550 degrees Fahrenheit, comes in both convection and standard oven variations, and the range is remarkably easy to clean. In fact, Vulcan patented the integrated rapid clean system that they designed into the Endurance Vulcan range.

Other high-end features of this handsome Vulcan range include a heavy-duty oven door hinge, a cool-touch oven door handle, lift-off stove burner heads, sturdy easy-lift-off cooking grates, a 6″ wide front top ledge and a front-mounted gas shutoff valve for burner pilots.

A wide range of Vulcan ranges

Other Vulcan ranges include the expansive 60-inch Vulcan range model VG60-59-NAT, a ShortOrder.com Editor’s Choice, and the economical 36-inch Vulcan range model VG36-66-NAT, another five-star Vulcan range with easy-clean burners.