One Hot Cooker
The inexpensive Praktfull commercial-style range does everything the high-end ones do.
BEST BUY | Terri Brandmueller is a fierce recreational cook who entertains with complete confidence. Never one to shy away from a complex dish or a complicated technique, she once hauled home an entire suckling pig to roast in her scrappy old oven just because it was one of the cooking items on her bucket list. For most of her life, she has managed to “be a good cook on some pretty marginal stoves,” she says, “but I’ve aspired to having a nice one.”
Brandmueller got the chance to install a dream range last fall when she renovated her Vancouver kitchen, but she suffered sticker shock when she saw the prices. The freestanding Wolf 36-inch duel fuel range was nudging $12,000; Kenmore’s version was $6,000. Even her least favourite range, a G.E. Profile, was around $2,500 at The Home Depot.
But then there was the freestanding Praktfull Pro A50, IKEA’s Canadian entry into the commercial-style range market. Priced at $1,999 and billed as a 36-inch multifunctional cooking centre, it had the look she was after, plus all the bells and whistles: five burners, with four different BTU ratings for precision cooking; a large oven with modes from conventional thermal, convection and true convection to convection broil. Brandmueller could feel herself falling in love — with one reservation: “With the price so much less than other ranges like this one, you had to wonder if there isn’t a quality issue.” Research on the Internet turned up little more than a few grumps on www.ikeafans.com complaining that the oven was not self-cleaning, a feature Brandmueller says she wouldn’t use anyway.
With her Praktfull range in place for six months now, Brandmueller remains smitten with the product, which was made in Italy by Whirlpool. Favourite features? “I use the burners every day. If I want to get something going really fast, then I will start it on the middle burner then move to the side burner with the lowest BTUs to simmer.” She also loves the convection oven. “The oven in my last house was thermal, and cakes came out lopsided. The first time I made a Venetian wine cake in this one, it rose perfectly.”—C. Rule
Check out the Praktfull Pro online at www.ikea.com.
Photo: Courtesy IKEA Canada
Carolann…..I have been enjoying SO MUCH . my frugalbit with my coffee each morning. That does sound like a delicious treat which it is amongst my morning emails of financial and research news and the odd tag humor posts by friends. It is a great looking page…..Congradulations on your website!
I am especially enjoying your journalistic style, a pleasure to read, informative but cleverly edited with a sense of wit and humour. I am now putting on my thinking cap for frugalbits and I think I have one. It comes with a story that will materialize on Allen’s birthday Wednesday and deals with an old Vancouver business. Will call you in a weeks time. Cheers, Evie
Thanks Evie, I appreciate your kind words of encouragement—and I look forward to hearing about your idea!!!
I just installed my Praktfull range with the matching back splash and hood. I got the hood just before New Years when it was on sale for $399 rather than $999. So $2450 for the entire thing. It looks incredible and is just as good to me as any Wolf or Kitchenaid. I’ve been cooking like crazy on it and it fits our small kitchen so much better than a traditional American styled range. Thanks to the European design we got a bigger 36″ range that makes our kitchen feel even bigger and more roomy than a 28″ range. I managed to find the last stainless steel Praktfull in the US. I had it shipped up from Tempe AZ to Seattle. Worth the $150. It is made in Italy by Fratelli Onofri which is owned by Whirlpool (which is owned by Electrolux a Swedish company, go figure…) If you want the black version, Ikea has it for $1799. A real steal.
Wow! What a story. I have an OLD Viking range and it continues to work just fine—but it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles the IKEA range does. If my workhorse ever crashes, I’ll be be on to the Praktfull in a New York minute.—EiC
I am sold on this range and plan to order in the next couple of weeks. But I have not been able to find out where to find the installation requirements (like gas supply size and electrical ). Ikea website has no way to contact them and ask for a spec sheet.
Thanks for the review. I have heard good things about this product.
I have the most difficult time understanding how to run this oven. Anyone can help me with this. I feel like everytime I cook something it take 2 as long. I think I may not be using the correct function, and I even looked up the ikea and they don’t match. Help!
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