People can’t stop talking about our flagship appliance, the 48-inch Pro Grand® Steam Range. Since its debut earlier this year culinary enthusiasts haven’t stopped raving about the Ultimate Culinary Center™ and its whopping seven different cooking options.

A lot has already been said about the Pro Grand Steam Range, but we thought it’d be appropriate to bring in one of its developers to talk a little bit more about its full capabilities.

Here’s a Pro Grand Steam Range Q&A session with Phil Springer, Thermador senior product manager responsible for professional ranges:

At 48 inches, the Pro Grand Steam Range certainly stands out, but what would you say truly sets it apart from other ranges on the market?

With seven distinct cooking options, the Thermador Pro Grand Steam Range is the Ultimate Culinary Center. We view it as the pinnacle of Thermador’s kitchen innovation, performance and craftsmanship for the culinary enthusiast. Setting it apart from the pack are those cooking options, which include steaming, convection baking, burner cooking, simmering, grilling, griddle cooking and warming. Plus, its bold appearance helps it instantly become the centerpiece of any culinary-focused kitchen.

How important was it to include seven different cooking options in the Pro Grand Steam Range?

Thermador knows that today’s culinary enthusiast is more discerning than ever before. So judging from the success we had with our built-in Steam & Convection Oven, Thermador’s product development team thought the market was ready for another game-changing concept — the Pro Grand Steam Range. This is a professional appliance that empowers home cooks to achieve their best, whether it’s via steam cooking, baking, precise simmering or simply keeping the family meal warm.

It’s obvious what the appliance can do. So, what can you do to make it more customizable for any particular culinary enthusiast?

By integrating four appliances – a gas rangetop featuring the patented Star Burners, steam and convection combination oven, a full-size convection oven and a soft-close warming drawer – into one, Thermador has provided practically every cooking option available in the kitchen. Customizable options include a griddle or a grill on the rangetop, legs or toe kick and blue and black knobs in addition to the included stainless steel knobs. On top of that, there is a cutting board option, which fits inside the grill or griddle and griddle/grill cover, and low back and high shelf accessories (in addition to the included island trim).

What about cleanup?

The Pro Grand Steam Range also integrates several features designed for easy clean up. The continuous porcelain on the rangetop makes cleaning the cooking surface simple, hidden oven heating elements makes clean up easy with one smooth surface, and other features such as decalcify mode on the Steam & Convection Oven and self-clean mode in the convection oven make maintenance as simple as possible. Additionally, the griddle and grill are removable for easy cleaning and titanium-infused nonstick coating makes cleaning all the more simple.

Can you talk about the Pro Grand Steam Range’s ExtraLow burners?

Thermador ExtraLow feature provides the most precise temperature control available on the market today. It cycles the Star Burner on and off to maintain temperature as low as 100 degrees, which is perfect for simmering delicate sauces or keeping food warm without scorching or stirring. In fact, we demonstrate ExtraLow by melting chocolate chips on a paper plate placed directly on the burner without scorching the plate.

What does an innovation such as the SoftClose door mean to culinary enthusiasts?

The new SoftClose door feature ensures ultra-smooth closing of the oven door. You may have seen similar execution in kitchen cabinetry and drawers. In addition to providing a more luxurious feel to the door operation, the feature also has a practical application for culinary enthusiasts who might have their hands full removing a heavy roast from the oven. They can simply push the oven door close without worrying if the door will slam shut.