A commercial range is a piece of cooking equipment that includes separate areas that cook using gas, electricity, or induction.

A range is the combination of a rangetop and a base. The rangetop is what people think of as a stove. A rangetop can be configured in a variety of different ways to cook food with burner grates, griddles, hot tops, charbroilers, or other accessories. The range base is many times a type of oven but can also be a refrigerator or storage cupboards.

Many times, the term stove and range are used interchangeably. Most manufacturers call stoves “rangetops” and the combination of stoves on top of ovens “ranges.” Someone working in a kitchen environment, or in the repair service industry, may also refer to ranges as stoves.

The individual areas that heat up on a range are called burners. A burner is used to heat up cookware. These burners can be flat, closed surfaces or raised, open-flame surfaces. Burners can heat via gas, electricity, or induction.

Companies, such as Electrolux Professional and Masterchef, provide commercial ranges in heavy-duty and restaurant grade.

There are two types of gas used in commercial ranges, natural gas and propane, or LP.

Weighing less than air and dispersing upward, natural gas comes to a range from a pipeline. The gas and electric company normally supplies natural gas. It comes into the building through a pipeline.

Liquid Propane

Also called LP, liquid propane weighs more than air and remains down on the floor with a gas leak. Propane is supplied to a building through a pipeline that leads to a propane tank on the property. This tank will need to be refilled.

Commercial ranges come in two different grades.

There are restaurant grade commercial ranges and heavy-duty commercial ranges.

Restaurant Grade Commercial Range:

Also known as mid-size commercial ranges, restaurant ranges are best-suited for smaller restaurants. These restaurants would normally have less than 150 seats. Many times they can be found in church kitchens, shelter kitchens, schools, and mom and pop diners.

Heavy Duty Grade Commercial Range:

Heavy-duty commercial ranges can withstand more use, offer more heat power, and front gas manifolds that allow for batterying of equipment. It is recommended that they be purchased for restaurants that have more than 150 seats. These are more suitable for large facilities like correctional facilities, hospitals, cafeterias that are producing many meals in a day, and big restaurants.