Best and Worst Pro-Style Ranges From Consumer Reports' Tests
Cook like a celebrity chef with top models from our extensive lab tests
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If you’re considering a high-end kitchen remodel, you’ve probably already considered a pro-style range as the centerpiece. But the stakes are high when shopping for a pro-style range. That’s not only because of the steep prices—some cost upward of $7,000—but also because nobody wants to spend $50,000 or more on a dream kitchen only to discover that the shiny new pro-style range takes forever to boil a pot of water.
As a group, pro-style ranges notoriously look better than they cook. Many of the models in our ratings can’t bake evenly and struggle to simmer water. For the models currently in our pro-style range ratings, their Overall Scores go from a high of 76 all the way down to 33.
How We Test Ranges
Our testing procedures call for a healthy mix of carefully calibrated tests and hands-on baking to get a feel for what a consumer would experience at home. We measure how fast the biggest burners heat water and how steadily they simmer. We record temperatures throughout the oven cavity and confirm results by baking cookies and cakes and analyzing the evenness of the color when they’re finished. (Here at CR, we bake an average of 200 cookies per month.)
The market for pro-style ranges has been dominated for years by brands including Viking, Wolf, Thermador, KitchenAid, Dacor, GE Monogram, Kenmore Pro, Jenn-Air, Miele, and American Range. But recently we’ve seen a new subclass of pro-style range emerge. There are brands competing to bring pro-style to consumers at a more reasonable price, often with 30-inch models under $3,000. We test these models as well, from the likes of Smeg, NXR, Bertazzoni, Thor Kitchen, Kucht Pro, Haier, and Verona.
If you’re wondering whether a pro-style range is right for you, start with our range buying guide. CR members can read on for three of the best pro-style ranges from our ratings, in both 36- and 30-inch widths. Plus, scroll down to the end for a glimpse of two pro-style models to avoid.
Best 36-Inch Pro-Style Range
Best 30-Inch Pro-Style Ranges
Two Pro-Style Ranges to Skip
These two ranges can be found near the bottom of our pro-style range ratings and aren’t worth the money, according to CR’s experts.