Commercial gas cookers for catering

How to choose a commercial gas cooker

Choosing a professional gas cooker comes down to five decisions, in this order: whether it sits on a bench or stands on the floor, how many burners you need, whether you want an oven underneath, what energy that oven runs on and how deep your cooking line is. Each product page shows the power per burner, total power, dimensions and weight, and includes a table comparing that cooker with similar models in the catalogue.

Countertop or freestanding cooker

A countertop gas cooker is a module without legs or cabinet: it sits on a bench, a neutral unit or a cooking block. In our catalogue it is between 240 and 364 mm high and has 1 to 6 burners. It is the option when furniture is already in place or when the kitchen is built in modules.

A freestanding gas cooker reaches the 850 mm working height and already includes what goes underneath: gas oven, electric oven or open cabinet. All the freestanding models in this section have 4 or 6 burners.

How many burners you need

• 1 or 2 burners. A support cooking point next to the griddle or fryer, or a counter that only heats. from 40 cm wide.
• 3 or 4 burners. Short menu, set lunch menu or café cooking on site. Widths from 692 to 1,310 mm depending on the series.
• 6 burners. Continuous service and several dishes at once. It is the format of all our 1.10 and 1.20 m freestanding cookers with oven.

The number of burners is not enough: what matters is the power of each one. Two six-burner cookers with the same dimensions can total 33 kW or 42 kW, depending on whether they have 5.5 or 7 kW burners.

With or without oven

The freestanding cookers in this section come in three configurations:

• With oven. Chamber under the hob, with runners for three levels of GN 2/1 on most models. The published chambers range from 540 x 695 x 320 mm to 1,000 x 700 x 300 mm.
• With open cabinet. The space underneath is left open, with no oven or doors, for storing containers. This is the configuration of the 6-burner cookers with open cabinet.
• Oven only. The 1.20 m cabinet with gas oven has no burners on the hob: all its power, 12.93 kW, is the oven's.

Gas oven or electric oven

The difference is not one of quality but of installation and how the power is read.

• Gas oven. A single supply for the whole unit. On these models the total power already includes the oven: a cooker with 42 kW of burners and a 6 kW oven totals 48 kW. The gas ovens in this section are 6, 7, 8 and 10 kW.
• Electric oven. It needs a 400 V supply as well as gas. Here the two figures are not added together: the burners use their gas and the oven its 5.3 or 6 kW of electricity. The catalogue includes static electric ovens and ovens with upper and lower elements adjustable separately, as on this 6-burner cooker with static electric oven.

Power: what the kW mean

On a gas cooker it is worth looking at three different figures:

• Power per burner. What each burner delivers. In this section: 5.5, 5.8, 7, 7.15, 8.65, 8.74 and 11 kW, and 18 kW on the wok burners.
• Burner power. The total for the hob, from 5.8 kW on the one-burner model to 54 kW on the six-burner 900 series models.
• Total power of the unit. If the oven is gas, it includes the oven; if it is electric, it does not.

Some burners are double crown (8.65 and 8.74 kW in our catalogue) and others are modulating, with a range that goes down to 1.5 kW on the 5.5 kW burners. Before ordering, check the power available from the gas supply at your premises.

Depths and 600, 700 and 900 series

The «series» of a commercial cooker is its depth, and that determines whether modules line up with each other. These are the depths in this section:

• 450 mm. Countertop range, with 1, 2 and 3 burners of 5.8 kW, for bars and narrow counters.
• 600 series: 587 and 664 mm. Countertop modules with 1 to 4 burners, with individual cast iron pan supports, and the 1.20 m double crown 3-burner version.
• 700 series: 714 and 730 mm. The most common depth for cooking blocks: 4- and 6-burner countertop models and 1.10 m freestanding cookers with gas or electric oven.
• 900 series: 900 mm. Greater depth, higher power and the largest oven chambers. Here you will find the 6-burner 52.45 kW cookers and the 4- and 6-burner cookers with 7 and 11 kW burners.

Mixing series in the same line leaves the front out of line. If you are building a block, choose all the modules with the same depth.

Woks and gas radiant griddles

This section includes two ranges that are not conventional burner cookers:

• Wok cookers. Vertical flame burners of 18 kW and 335 mm diameter, which direct the heat to the centre of the pan. There are two-burner 36 kW and three-burner 54 kW versions, the latter 730 or 900 mm deep.
• Gas radiant griddles. 10 mm cast iron plate with removable central ring: in place, the surface is continuous; removed, the pan sits over the flame. The 70 cm countertop griddle has 40 dm² and 9 kW; the 80 cm freestanding model has 50 dm², 12 kW and a 7 kW gas oven underneath.

There is also a 4-burner cooker with central griddle, totalling 28 kW of burners, 5.5 kW of griddle and a 6 kW gas oven in the same module.

What to check before buying

• The gas at your premises. Our cookers are supplied set up for propane-butane and come with natural gas injectors. Tell us which gas you use.
• The supply power. Compare the total power of the unit with the power you have contracted or installed.
• The actual width and depth. They are given in millimetres on each product page. Also measure doorways and corridors.
• The 400 V socket, if you choose a model with an electric oven.
• The support height, if you choose a countertop unit: it needs a bench, neutral unit or block at working height.
• Extraction. The hood and airflow are calculated on the total power of the cooking line, not just the cooker.
• Weight. It ranges from 12 kg for the one-burner model to 173 kg for the 6-burner cooker with extra-large oven and grill.

Frequently asked questions about commercial gas cookers

How many burners do I need for my kitchen?

It depends on how many dishes are being cooked at the same time in a service, not on the number of covers. A short menu can usually be handled with 4 burners; continuous service with several pots and sauces at once calls for 6. For occasional support next to the griddle or fryer, 1 or 2 are enough.

What is the difference between a countertop and a freestanding cooker?

The countertop cooker is a module that sits on a bench or unit and is between 240 and 364 mm high. The freestanding one already comes at the 850 mm working height and has an oven or open cabinet underneath.

What do 600, 700 or 900 series mean?

It is the depth of the unit. In this section the 600 series covers depths of 587 and 664 mm, the 700 series 714 and 730 mm and the 900 series 900 mm. Modules in the same series line up with each other.

Does the power on the product page include the oven?

If the oven is gas, yes: the power of the whole unit includes the oven and the product page gives the breakdown. If the oven is electric, no: the gas kW of the burners and the electric kW of the oven are separate figures and are not added together.

Can I use these cookers with natural gas?

It depends on the model. Where the product page says so, the cooker is supplied set up for propane-butane and comes with natural gas injectors. If the product page does not specify it, ask us before buying. The conversion must be done by a gas installer.

Do they have a safety valve and thermocouple?

The burners on our gas cookers have a thermocouple, and the models that also have a safety valve and piezo ignition state it in their technical data.

Which oven suits me, gas or electric?

The gas oven needs a single supply and its power is included in the unit. The electric one also needs a 400 V socket and, on the models that state it, lets you adjust the upper and lower elements separately.

Are there freestanding cookers without an oven?

Yes. The open cabinet versions leave the space underneath free, with no oven or doors. In this section there are 4- and 6-burner models with that configuration.

What is a wok cooker and how does it differ from a burner cooker?

The wok burner has a vertical flame, 18 kW and 335 mm in diameter, and is designed so the heat reaches the centre of a wok pan. A conventional burner spreads the flame under a flat pan support.

What tray sizes do the ovens take?

The ovens on our freestanding cookers with a published chamber take three levels of GN 2/1. The exact dimensions of each chamber are in the technical data on the product page.

Can several modules be joined in a single line?

Yes, as long as they share the same depth. Several countertop models have a cover-strip alignment system to join other modules in the same series.

Can the pan supports go in the dishwasher?

On models whose enamelled cast iron pan supports are individual and dishwasher-safe, this is stated in the technical data on the product page.

How long does shipping take?

Shipping takes 3 to 5 days. If you need a specific date, write to us before ordering.

Are professional gas cookers the same as professional gas burners?

Yes. «Professional gas burners» is another name for commercial gas cookers: all the models in this section, countertop or freestanding, are gas burners for professional use.

Can I get advice before buying?

Yes. Tell us the space available, the gas at your premises and the supply power and we will tell you which models in this section fit.