Home chefs ready to step up their game can check out Hestan‘s latest cooking appliances for the design and performance features in its restaurant equipment. Hestan brought new contemporary designs to KBIS 2019 in Las Vegas, including luxury outdoor grills and commercial-level stainless steel refrigerators, but the emphasis was on high-end cookers, especially its customizable ranges and rangetops.
At KBIS 2018 last year, Hestan showed gas and full-size induction cooktops that communicated with Bluetooth-equipped Hestan pots and pans to maintain exact temperatures, 325 degrees, for example, instead of approximations such as low, medium, and high.
For 2019, Hestan morphed its commercial cooking appliances into customizable indoor cooking suites for home chefs. Ranges and range tops in Hestan’s line come in a variety of sizes, and other options involve single or dual fuel sources, the number of cast iron burners, and griddles of two sizes with single or multiple heat zones.
The Napa Valley culinary firm emphasizes custom cooking configurations with multiple Hestan products. According to the brand’s website, “The Hestan team spent years working alongside America’s most celebrated chefs, reinventing their kitchens with award-winning innovation. Now we’ve reimagined yours. More power. More control. More inspiration. Hestan was built to meet the needs of the most demanding chefs. And we count you foremost among them.”
Highlight Features
When you mix and match Hestan ranges and rangetops, look for cast-iron grates, multi-zone griddles, and a surprising mix of cooking modes. Standout features include Hestan’s CircuFlame center power burners, simmer flame, PureVection convection systems, and MarquiseDisplay.
The CircuFlame power burner heats up to 30,000 BTUs and is the same burner used in Hestan’s commercial cookers. The CircuFlame burner is available only on the 5-burner range and rangetop models. The other gas burners on Hestan cookers have a dual-flow burner system for high temperatures up to 23,000 BTUs and a continuous 500 BTU simmer flame. Controlled simmering is often a challenge for lesser burners with temperatures that vary widely, making it hard to cook delicate sauces, for example.
The PureVection feature alternates and controls convection cooking modes by adjusting heat and air circulation levels. PureVection has different settings for conventional baking, broiling, roasting, and convection baking.
Hestan’s MarquiseDisplay is a digital display embedded in oven door handles. The display shows cooking mode, precise cooking temperature, and the time.
48-Inch Dual-Fuel Ranges
Four or five gas burners, 12-inch or 24-inch infrared gas griddles, and two ovens highlight Hestan’s 48-inch Dual Fuel ranges. If you choose a five-burner system, which includes a CircuFlame center burner, the 12-inch griddle has a single heat zone. Four-burner ranges include a 24-inch griddle with two independent heat zones. All models have PureVection technology with nine cooking modes in the larger oven and MarquiseDisplay in each oven handle. The smaller companion oven combines broil and bake elements and a convection fan to support seven separate cooking modes.
36-Inch All-Gas Range
Hestan’s 36-inch All Gas Range is available in a 5-burner configuration with no griddle or with four burners and a 12-inch single heat zone griddle. The 5-burner version has a 30,000 BTU Circuflame power burner. The 36-inch all-gas Hestan Range uses PureVection technology for nine cooking modes.
36-Inch and 48-Inch Rangetops
Hestan’s 36-inch and 48-inch rangetops are similar, but not identical, to the new ranges described above without the single or double ovens. When you choose one of these rangetops, you have to consider overall width, the number of burners — which means whether or not it will include the center CircuFlame Power Burner, and whether to have a 12-inch or 24-inch griddle, or do without a griddle. If you want a griddle and the CircuFlame burner, you have to go with a 48-inch model and can only have a 12-inch griddle.
Drawer Microwave
The 950-watt Hestan 30-inch Drawer Microwave has a 1.2-cubic foot capacity. The oven can be installed under wall ovens, under kitchen islands or peninsulas, or integrated with standard cabinets.
Convection Microwave
The 900-watt Hestan 24-inch Convection Microwave has a 1.5-cubic-foot capacity and combines microwave and convection cooking. Use convection cooking to roast, bake, brown, and microwave for fast cooking and reheating. The oven has a ceramic turntable platter you can move to the table for serving.
