Sear, stir fry, boil, coddle and simmer with abandon
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Over a year ago, we completed an addition and renovation of our home. Part of the work was a brand new kitchen. After spending countless hours online researching cooktops, followed up by numerous visits to appliance stores to see the top picks in person, we chose the Miele KM3474 Natural Gas Cooktop (it also comes in a model for LP gas).
There were several criteria that I had when I began my search for our cooktop:
- at least one wok burner (generally a burner over 15,000 BTUs - to use a wok properly requires high heat);
- a deep pan for catching liquid from boil overs;
- sealed burners - less maintenance and easier clean up;
- a continuous surface so that heavy pots could easily be moved around;
- logically laid out controls for the burners (always select the correct knob without thinking)
Pretty much any cooktop with a deep pan comes in one of two finishes: stainless steel or a colored porcelain. The other option is glass, but then you're looking at a flat top with no pan. The only downside that I have seen with stainless steel is that it tends to discolor around the burners requiring intensive cleaning if one wants to maintain the spotless look of a new cooktop.
The Miele KM3474 Natural Gas Cooktop comes equiped with the following burners:
- 5 completely sealed burners
- (2) 15,300 BTU Double inset super burners
- (1) 12,000 BTU Super burner
- (2) 9,000 BTU High-speed burners
The low setting for most burners is adequate though I have not melted chocolate to see if they can get low enough without burning it. Miele also sells a simmer plate (essentially a metal disk) to ensure an extremely low temp. If you do require low cooking temperatures, a double boiler will be more than adequate to guarantee the low temp.
The controls are conveniently located at the center front of the Miele KM3474 Natural Gas Cooktop. The arrangement of the knobs leaves nothing to the imaginination when selecting which knob to turn to ignite a desired burner as they are arranged in exactly the same pattern as the burners.
The build quality of the Miele KM3474 Natural Gas Cooktop is immediatly apparent - even the knobs are solid stainless steel. I expect decades of delicious meals to be prepared on it.
One other thing to keep in mind, is that having a cooktop that can produce a lot of heat (and hence sometimes a lot of smoke too) - it's very important to have very good ventilation above the cook top.
Having used it for over a year, I can say that I'm very happy with the Miele KM3474 Cooktop and would buy it again.
Last edited on Sep 26, 2008
Miele Cooktop - Gas 36 in. KM3474 is recommended by vytas
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