We replaced an 18-year old 30" wide Jenn-Air electric downdraft cooktop with this Jenn-Air 30" wide gas downdraft cooktop.
A Tribute to Builders and Jenn-Air: Before getting into the cooktop dirt, I feel a need to bestow a compliment to the home builder, who paid a few extra dollars 18 years ago and ran a gas line to our cooktop area. Without this extra effort we would have faced another $400 cost in piping gas to the cabinets. I also feel a need to compliment Jenn-Air for maintaining the exact dimensions on the exhaust outlet which allowed me and our plumber to simply drop in the new cooktop without even a single modification to the house duct. I think it says a lot about discipline in the home building field and I appreciate their efforts.
The Choices We Faced: We absolutely wanted a downdraft cooktop. This can be done either by buying a cooktop with integral downdraft mechanics, or by buying a separate pop-up downdraft unit and non-downdraft cooktop. The latter solution is usually more expensive since the downdraft unit alone is about $650 for a quality 30" wide unit. Add in a quality non-downdraft cooktop and the total cost for parts would be about $1,300 to $2,500.
There are five US Branded manufacturers that make integral downdraft cooktops (Jenn-Air, GE, Maytag, Whirlpool, and Kitchenaid) and their products are priced from about $500 up to $1,500 for 30", 4-burner units. It is generally a better deal to find an integral unit for cost/quality, and for minimizing installation costs.
Jenn-Air with integral blower was our choice based on past product satisfaction and value. The model being reviewed comes in three variations: all black, frost white with black grates, and black with stainless steel accent bands on the front and rear edges of the floating glass top. We chose the latter, with stainless steel accent strips (even though it was $100 more than the all-black model, which seemed steep to us but it did help match the unit to our other appliances.) The list price on the SS unit is $1,399. There is one negative review here at epinons on the non-SS model but the issue can hit any of the three variations... that writer said they received two distorted glass tops (stuck up from the counter) before getting a good unit. So, beware of that.
Other Factors: Jenn-Air also offers a slightly lessor model (around $950 at Lowes, etc.) that fits nearly flush to the countertop and has the knobs set off to the right edge. This unit is 34" wide due to that arrangement, the burners are not as powerful (or as low a flame), and the grates are not as beefy as are those with the reviewed model. Based on these issues we spent a little more on the next model up. However, this slightly lessor model would be a very good looking fit in a kitchen design seeking to achieve the minimalist look. On this one I did notice negative reviews so read and heed.
All About This Model:
This is a 30" wide, by 21 1/2" deep 4-burner gas w/ downdraft blower and ducting.
Cutout dimensions are 28 5/8" w by 19 15/16 " deep.
The unit requires a gas outlet, a 110VAC outlet, and 5" metal duct to outside the house.
Burner outputs are 15,000 BTU, 10,500 BTU, 9,200 BTU and 5,000 BTU. Note that the 5,000 BTU burner may be turned down to 900 BTUs on lowest setting. Also note that the high output burner is nearly equal to professional range outputs and is 2,000 to 3,000 BTU more powerful than most other residential cooktops. Also note that the burners are "smart" in that they will reignite if they blow out. And last, the burner head has gaps in the gas outlets so that all of the flame BTU is directed at the bottom of the pan and not at the grate itself... very smart, less wasted energy, and saves beating up the grates.
Weight is 80 pounds.
Cooktop material is black ceramic glass with small grayish speckles and a slight embossed finish.
Grates are continuous, heavy cast iron with baked porcelain finish.
The grates consist of three pieces; left, right, and center.
The five control knobs look like brushed stainless steel but the light weight tells me they're aluminum.
The exhaust duct is adjustable 90 degrees, from direct rear cabinet exit to direct floor of cabinet exit, and anywhere in between. Simply loosen the four chromed nuts inside the air intake cavity, fit the exhaust to the duct, and tighten the four nuts before installing the filter.
The Art of The Cooktop: This is a beauty on any counter. It provides pro-quality output without the clunkyness of pro-style units (a look that I like, but not for our kitchen). The grates present a very artful optical illusion in that they appear to be arched (like a turtle's shell) from left to right sides and from front to back. This interesting look is achieved by gently arching the center grate (covering the downdraft section)to peak in the middle. The left and right burner grates also have a fool-the-eye arch but it is not the part of the grate structure that supports the pans. Very, very, creative work. I hope you have a chance to see one of these in a showroom as the marketing photos do not do it justice.
Having a high-output burner is a delight - gets big pots of water boiling very fast, and allows one to properly sear meats, vegetables, and fish (the salmon comes out beautifully!). Having a very low output burner allows one to melt chocolate or hold sauces without the need for a double boiler. This cooktop is a joy to cook on!
The two-speed downdraft unit works very well and is quieter than our old unit. No complaints at all.
Clean up is easy; simply set aside the grates, wipe with a damp sponge, scrape with a plastic spatula for encrusted things, and polish away the water spots. Jenn-Air provided a sample of non-abrasive cleaner and tells us not to use an abrasive tool to clean. As with any glossy black surface, this does show dirt fairly quickly, but it also cleans up perfectly which is something stainless steel units do not do so well.
Options: Jenn-Air offers a wok ring for about $70.
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor. 5 years on parts (including ceramic glass top if broken due to thermal stress).
In summary, this is a very nice product with a somewhat premium price. There is simply nothing I would change. Is it worth the $500 or so over and above the available lower-end downdraft models? Make your own decision, but for me, any product that gets used as often as a cooktop, offers high utility, and has an artful presence, is easily worth the extra money. On a pennys per day basis, it's peanuts.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1,000
