Great Looking Professional Range
Pros:
High heat cooktop, Variety of colors besides stainless
Cons:
Oven keeps breaking
The Bottom Line:
Looks great and works great, but only for a short while. Consider Wolf or Dacor instead.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
All my wife ever talked about was how much she wanted a professional range, especially the best available, Viking.
Viking ranges come in 3 sizes, 30 in, 36 in, and 48 in. Because of the size of our kitchen, we could only use a 30 in. We purchased a green stove with the high warming tray and the matching Viking hood, which came to approximately $5200.
Because of the high heat cooktop, a high volume hood is required, one of at least 600 cfm (cubic feet per minute). The hood has easily removable filters that can be cleaned in the dishwasher, dimmable spot lights,a heat lamp for keeping food warm, and a varible speed blower. Because the motor and blower are built into the hood, the hood is very noisy when using at high cfm.
The stove comes with a warming shelf that is attached to the stove and is about 12 in. above the back of the stove. The high warming tray is 24 in above the stove. The warming tray works by channeling the hot exhaust from the oven up to the hood. The hot air keeps food warm. A wok ring is available separately for about $50.
The cooktop generates a spark to light each of the burners, so there is no standing pilot. The cooktop comes apart easily for cleaning. Under the burners is a crumb tray that is easily removed for cleaning.
The oven has 2 lights that give great illumination. The oven also does convection cooking, which does work quite well.
Now for the problem with the unit. Viking uses something akin to 'glowplugs' to light the oven. This consists of 2 electric elements that warm the thermocouple and ignite the burner. Even when working correctly the oven takes almost as long as an electric oven to reach temperature. This is the part that breaks down approximately every 2-3 years, depending on use. Replacement cost is $125 each.
