Hampton's/high-end ranges?

[Dipesh Navsaria]

I'm looking into replacing our all-electric range with something gas. My
wife loves to cook, so this will be a birthday present to her. (I'm
trying to get it installed and all while we're out of town, but that's a
different story.)

My in-laws bought a dual-fuel Dacor (gas cooktop, electric range with
convection) that they're pretty happy with -- it's kind of the low end of
the high-end models. I'm currently leaning towards that model.

We'll need to put in a ventilation hood, since one doesn't currently exist
and it's on an island in the middle of the kitchen. I'm considering hoods
vs. downdraft ventilation. (A hood is okay since there's no roof above
the kitchen, but it may "dominate" the kitchen. Downdraft can be vented
through the crawlspace and out a window on the crawlspace area.)

So...a few questions:

o Suggestions on ranges? I'm willing to pay for a higher-end model, but I
don't want to spend ridiculous amounts on something pretentious. I'm
looking for good-quality, easy to clean stuff here.

o Suggestions on hoods/ventilation? Keep in mind that I'm trying to do
the install myself (with some help), but if it'll need professional
installers, 'm willing to consider that.

o Suggestions on places to go look at things? I've already looked at a
place near Madison (where my in-laws bought theirs), but anything closer?
Apparently a place called Hampton's is a Dacor dealer. Any experiences
with them?

I'd appreciate direct e-mail, even if you post -- not everything seems to
propogate through to me, for some reason...

Thanks!

Peace and Prosperity,
Dipesh

[Stuart Laird]

In my beautiful old house, with an island cook area, I installed a Jenn-Aire
stove with an electric convection oven and a gas cooktop. I absolutely
LOVED it. (And I really miss it.) The downdraft venting worked great
without demanding a big hood in the middle of the kitchen. Champaign
Appliance carries Jenn-Aire, and while they may not have this model in
stock, they can show you a similar one. If your wife bakes, I urge you to
splurge for the dual fuel. I can't cook on an electric cook top, but I
haven't mastered the art (if there is one) of baking in a gas oven, so the
dual fuel was perfect for me.

$0.02

- Stuart

--
The most dangerous element in any society is ignorance
-Emma "The Red" Goldman
www.laird.com
"Dipesh Navsaria" <navs...@shout.net> wrote in message
news:8h93ho$o9g$4...@roundup.shout.net...

[Harlan Harris]

In article <8h93ho$o9g$4...@roundup.shout.net>,

Dipesh Navsaria <navs...@prairie-net.erg> wrote:
>o Suggestions on ranges? I'm willing to pay for a higher-end model, but I
>don't want to spend ridiculous amounts on something pretentious. I'm
>looking for good-quality, easy to clean stuff here.

They're a bit hard to find, but I highly recommend induction cooktops. They
look like standard glass-top electric ranges, but instead of heating the
surface, they magnetically heat the pan directly! They change temperatures
as fast as gas, but they're trivial to clean up, since nothing but the pan
gets hot, and nothing burns on.

The negatives are that they're a bit pricey, since they're a high-end item,
and that they can only use iron or other ferrous pans. Copper, glass,
aluminum, and ceramics all wouldn't work. Cast iron works, and there are
several lines of pans specifically designed with ferrous cores for induction
use.

I'm not sure where you'd get them.

-Harlan