You may not be a professional chef, but you like to cook and bake like one at home. If this describes you, having the right tools in your kitchen matters. A high-quality oven and range are at the heart of cooking, so choose carefully when selecting a new model. For the avid home chef, is a professional-style oven and range worth the investment?

A note on appliances: we don't sell appliances at Transitions. We refer most homeowners to KAM Appliances locally, and we coordinate the appliance specs, delivery, and install with whoever you buy through. The guidance below is about choosing the right appliance for your kitchen, regardless of where you purchase it.

Why go for a professional-style oven and range?

If you cook regularly (not just the bare minimum for family dinners), watch favorite cooking programs and want to try the recipes, and entertain often with friends and family, then a professional-style range may be worth the investment.

What is a professional-style range?

Professional-style ranges offer many of the benefits of those used in a pro kitchen, modified for home use. They're ideal for a busy household with an avid home cook. They offer high capacity with multiple burners and greater oven capacity than standard ranges, and typically have attachments like a griddle pan. They're high-powered, with higher BTUs (up to 25,000 compared to 12,000 for basic ranges). They also offer convection fans that distribute heat evenly.

Think of the commercial ranges chefs use in restaurants. They won't make you a great cook, but they give you the tools to carry out your culinary vision. In a busy family household, the capacity matters: cooking large meals without driving yourself crazy.

How to select a professional range and oven

Professional-style ranges typically come in widths from 30 to 48 inches, with some larger. Your space, cooking requirements, and budget guide what size you should select. Larger models have higher capacity for multiple burners, griddles, and more.

Before buying, make sure your power source is configured for the range and oven you plan to install. A professional range also means heavier cooking and more food, which means your exhaust has to be up to the task. If your new range is larger than your old one, you'll need a larger range hood. When upgrading as part of a kitchen remodel, your designer can advise on the best combination of range and hood.

Consider your cooking style. Do you cook meals with several pots going at once? Make pancake breakfasts every Saturday? Bake regularly? Host special meals like Thanksgiving? Talk to your designer about your patterns and let them guide you. How you cook will inform how large a range you need, with what combination of burners and griddles, and how large an oven.

Your designer also helps you determine the space needed. You may want the largest professional range available, but if you don't have the physical space, it overpowers the kitchen layout. Discuss budget too. If budget and space are tight, consider high-end standard ranges that don't quite hit professional capacity but come close.

Talk through appliances with a designer

If you're planning a kitchen and want to talk through whether a professional-style range fits, we'd love to talk.

Schedule a showroom visit at our 5,000 square foot showroom in Norwell. No pressure, just a real conversation about your home.

Transitions Kitchens, Baths & Remodeling
433 Washington St, Norwell, MA
(781) 871-0881