When it comes to the restaurant kitchen, a commercial stove is like a beating heart making all the delights of preparing incredible food possible. Getting your stove selection right is hugely important to your operations, which is why Eleven36 is on-hand to make sure you can make an informed choice you feel great about that will elevate everything you do.
What do you need to know to get started picking the right one? There’s a lot to think about, but that’s why Eleven36 is here — lean on our know-how and relationships with vendors — and you! — to find the setup that will let you focus on cooking magic.
Choosing Your Signature Stove
A commercial range needs to be able to power your kitchen for hours on end, without shutting off. The ideal commercial stove is durable, easy to clean, easy to use, and able to fit into your space perfectly. Before exploring other features of our high-performance stoves, start with the question any kitchen planner would ask: electric or gas?
Let's Get Electric
A commercial electric stove can be a boon to your business. These stoves offer precise temperature control, which helps when preparing foods that require special care. That includes sauces like hollandaise or béarnaise that require low and consistent heat to prevent curdling. Or meals like risotto, which require a gradual cook to achieve a creamy consistency. A number of other dishes cook particularly well on commercial electric stoves, like eggs, oatmeal, rice and grains, and sous vide preparations, like certain cuts of meat, fish and steak. At Eleven36, our goal is to get the exact electric stove into your kitchen that will help you take your menu and your operations to the next level.
If you’re cooking up a storm in your kitchen, a commercial electric stove might be preferred over gas, as it may have fewer ventilation requirements, depending on your jurisdiction, and has a lower risk of combustion-related accidents. They’re also easier to clean, generally, because they don’t have burners or other gas-related pieces. But an electric stove can also incur higher energy costs, and if your restaurant, hotel or food service business prepares food at high heat, as with wok cooking or searing, you might be better off with a commercial gas stove. An electric stove also takes a little longer than a gas stove to heat up and cool down. At Eleven36, we are transparent about the pros and cons of each option — what makes sense for one restaurant won’t make sense for another, which is why we savor the opportunity to get to know our customers.
Now We’re Cooking with Gas
Gas stoves are a favorite among commercial kitchen chefs and cooks. They heat up and cool more rapidly, achieving higher heat outputs than electric stoves and providing more control. Stir-frying, cooking on a wok, deep frying, searing, flambéing and blackening are all cooking techniques that benefit from gas stoves. Aside from supporting quick heating changes, a commercial gas stove can also be set up for outdoor cooking, particularly when propane-powered. They keep cooking when the power goes out, too (and save money compared to electric stoves when the power is on). Many chefs prefer commercial gas stoves, too, having been trained on them — another potential consideration for your business.
The downsides of gas stoves include potential safety risks of gas, a need for careful ventilation, and potentially more complex maintenance needs. At Eleven36, we can pair you with the gas stove that best matches your needs, and we will be by your side to help you with product support long after the first flame is lit.
The Cool Kid on the Block — Induction
Do you have a small space for cooking, or are you simply sick of sweating in the kitchen? Induction range tops work by using electromagnetic fields to heat cookware directly, offering rapid and precise localized heating. As they do this, their surface remains relatively cool, improving kitchen safety and energy efficiency — and keeping you cooler in turn. They heat up very fast, and are efficient for tasks like boiling water, searing and sautéing. Be advised they only work with certain types of pots and pans — your cookware must contain magnetic iron or steel for the cooktop to work. Talk to our experts here at Eleven36 about your menu needs and we can help determine if this option is operationally sound for you.
Breaking Down the Benefits of a Commercial Stove
What’s for dinner? Or lunch, or breakfast? Before you choose a commercial stove, think about your dreams for your food business.
What kind of dishes are you making? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, all of the above? Are you baking or roasting frequently? Depending on the techniques you want to use, your equipment choices will differ. How complex is your menu, and how likely are you to have multiple burners going throughout the day? Will you be needing an oven, or is more storage preferred?
Ranges get us excited at Eleven36 because they can do all of the following things and more:
- Boiling and simmering
- Searing and sautéing
- Grilling and griddling
- Frying
- Braising and stewing
- Wok cooking
- Baking and roasting (with ovens)
- Holding dishes at a consistent temperature
No two restaurants will use a commercial stove alike, as the options of what you can do on a high-quality stove from Eleven36 are limitless. And there are even more ways to stretch the benefits by exploring how big and powerful you want your stove to be.
Commercial Range Accessories
Beyond burners, accessories can make your commercial range the ultimate tool in the kitchen. At Eleven36, we love accessorizing and helping you put together the perfect stove for prime time.
Griddles
Griddles are smooth, flat cooking surfaces, often made of steel or cast iron, that are used for cooking items like pancakes, eggs, and burgers. They come in different sizes and can be heated by gas burners or electric elements — so found on commercial gas stoves and electric stoves alike.
Warming Rack
A warming rack, also known as a plate warmer or shelf, is an accessory found in some commercial ranges and ovens. It is typically located at the top of the range or oven and is used to keep cooked food warm until it's ready to be served. These racks help keep plates and food at a consistent temperature without drying out — making sure your guests get their food served with the proper quality.
Drip Tray
A drip tray, or a drip pan, is a removable tray located beneath the burners or cooking surfaces of a commercial range. It collects drips, spills, and grease that may occur during cooking, improving safety of the cooking area.
Salamander
A salamander, also known as a broiler or overhead grill, is a specialized component found in some commercial range units or found above them. It is a powerful heating element that emits intense radiant heat from above. With a salamander in your commercial stove, you can quickly brown, melt, gratiné, and finish dishes on their tops. They're especially useful for melting cheese on dishes like au gratin potatoes or browning the tops of casseroles. Chefs can also adjust the distance between the food and the salamander to control the intensity of the heat applied.
Looking Under the Hood
Beyond gas or electric, commercial ranges come in a wide variety of sizes, with different base configurations (oven and ovenless), depending on what you are looking for. You have multiple options for the surface type, too, from open burner to hot top or griddle top. Figuring out the perfect commercial stove of your dreams can be quite the mix and match operation, and Eleven36 is here to help piece together what you need and find the stove that fits that.
At Eleven36, we have deep knowledge of the products we sell based on our trusted, rock-solid relationships with our suppliers. Contact us so we can share what we know about specific products with you — and empower you to find an exciting and reliable solution for your kitchen, not just a stopgap. Let’s connect and get your kitchen cookin’.