[Shop-talk] Sub Zero (Was- Freon Leak detectors)

[Chris Kantarjiev]

I don't know anything about high-end refrigerators, except that there's a SubZero model where you 
can separate the compressor and tuck it away to remove the noise from the kitchen.

The difference between a commercial range and a home range, even from the commercial manufacturers, 
is striking - and not just in cost. Manufacturing quality is certainly a big part of it, as others 
have mentioned. Beauty of finish just isn't a concern for commercial stuff.

But the big difference is the amount of heat you can get from a real commercial range. Go to a 
restaurant with an open kitchen and look at how they cook: the flames are either off, or on high. 
There's probably one burner that is specifically set up to simmer. One burner from a commercial 
stove can provide as many BTUs as all four on some home ranges! It enables/requires a completely 
different style of cooking - and perhaps different cookware.

A friend put a commercial Viking in his redone kitchen and loved it. The city made him put in an 
extra large exhaust hood. He wanted to put in a Salamander, too (he's a bit wacky), but he would 
have had to upgrade the gas service to the house, and put in an even larger exhaust...