Question about Viking Stovetop for new Tokyo apartment

My wife and I are moving apartments in Tokyo - going from the 25th floor high rise place we've been in to a 4th floor penthouse with much more space and some grass and trees on the roof!

The kitchen has a Viking stovetop (see photos below) and i was wondering who uses one similar to this? I am particularly interested in the griddle pan and grill features. It looks like the cooking juices and fat fall directly through and are captured in a slide out tray below with detachable pans for cleaning. That looks simple enough IF the juices actually flow into the trays. Anyone have any experience cooking/cleaning with these? Are they greatest since sliced bread or a cleaning nightmare?

The other good news about the apartment is we can have a grill outside - so if the stovetop grill is a hassle I have other options.

Thanks

Tokyo stovetop.jpg

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Tokyo Kitchen 2.jpg

John, when we did our kitchen remodel, I looked at the Viking and determined it was a cleaning nightmare, even with the juice catcher. You still have splatters going down into the under parts. I don't know how your Viking is, however. My Dacor has a solid, porcelain floor. All I do is remove the three large grates and swipe the residue up.

Beautiful, modern kitchen you are getting. May I ask what is behind the frosted looking glass doors to the left of your refrigerator? Are there enough cupboards for your needs?

interesting you should mention cupboard space - it is a little light. The whole island in the middle is drawers. The frosted glass is more shelf space but they are glass shelves and feels kind of weird for piling up your everyday dishes or bags of rice...we shall see. There are other closets right next to the kitchen for storing bigger/lesser used items

[Jenise]

John, I had a Viking six burner in our previous home, have an old Jenn-Air in this house whose indoor grill I use all the time, and will be putting in a full Viking range with grill in the next few months. I'm quite sold on both Viking and indoor grilling though I haven't used a Viking grill per se yet. In fact, as old, noisy and cantankerous as this Jenn-Aire is, it's good enough to make me wonder how I ever did without an indoor grill and also good enough to have demoted the outdoor grill to very occasional/warm weather use only. You'll probably find the same.

And oh yeah, it's a bit of a pain to clean but I only have to clean it after something particularly greasy or sticky, which the majority of foods we grill aren't.

Congrats on the new apartment, looks great. That's a lot of high end appliances. Who made the hood? Love the looks of it.

My wife and I are moving apartments in Tokyo - going from the 25th floor high rise place we've been in to a 4th floor penthouse with much more space and some grass and trees on the roof!

Anyone have any experience cooking/cleaning with these? Are they greatest since sliced bread or a cleaning nightmare?

John,

I'm kinda thinking if you can afford a kitchen like that in a Tokyo penthouse the least of your worries would be cleaning the range.

My wife and I are moving apartments in Tokyo - going from the 25th floor high rise place we've been in to a 4th floor penthouse with much more space and some grass and trees on the roof!

Anyone have any experience cooking/cleaning with these? Are they greatest since sliced bread or a cleaning nightmare?

John,

I'm kinda thinking if you can afford a kitchen like that in a Tokyo penthouse the least of your worries would be cleaning the range.

Dave

That's somewhat fair point - I have some "assistance" keeping the place clean - but still don;t want a cleaning nightmare on my hands!

John, I had a Viking six burner in our previous home, have an old Jenn-Air in this house whose indoor grill I use all the time, and will be putting in a full Viking range with grill in the next few months. I'm quite sold on both Viking and indoor grilling though I haven't used a Viking grill per se yet. In fact, as old, noisy and cantankerous as this Jenn-Aire is, it's good enough to make me wonder how I ever did without an indoor grill and also good enough to have demoted the outdoor grill to very occasional/warm weather use only. You'll probably find the same.

And oh yeah, it's a bit of a pain to clean but I only have to clean it after something particularly greasy or sticky, which the majority of foods we grill aren't.

Congrats on the new apartment, looks great. That's a lot of high end appliances. Who made the hood? Love the looks of it.

Jenise - not sure who made the hood - I just assumed it was Viking and part of an integrated setup. Will let you know officially when we move in - should be around November 1st

A friend of ours has the Viking with griddle pan and never uses it after the first time trying to clean up after using it. FWIW we have the Viking 6-burner model and love it, and both our friend and we prefer to grill outdoors as nature intended LOL!
As you have an option, I suggest you do your grilling on the roof garden and if the weather doesn't cooperate, an occurrence more likely where you are than here in L.A., then I'd look into the various stand-alone indoor grillers available and there must be plenty of them in Japan, and buy one for your kitchen. Assisstants or not, whomever is doing the cleanup, dealing with that griddle is a pain and time-consuming.

I am down in Yokohama. Most places I am looking to live in are about the size of that kitchen. Heck, you even have an oven(not a part of a traditional Japanese kitchen). Until I am over coveting what you have I am not going to respond further.

[quote="Shel T"]A friend of ours has the Viking with griddle pan and never uses it after the first time trying to clean up after using it. FWIW we have the Viking 6-burner model and love it, and both our friend and we prefer to grill outdoors as nature intended LOL!quote]
Shel, I bought a griddle pan for my 6 burner Dacor cook-top, and like your friend I grilled on it once. Forgot what type of meat I did, probably steak, but the fine greasy mist went all over my stove. We have a deep patio with an overhead roof. Our large grill is tucked into a corner with a huge vent hood over the top. We grill in all sorts of weather, and it keeps the mess outside. Actually you grill with the hood down so the only mess is inside the grill. Gene cleans it well ,twice a year, and cleans the grates every time we use it, so upkeep is minimal.

Yes Karen, grilling and barbecuing are outdoor sports and both of us are fortunate to live in areas where it's possible to grill and BBQ all year round. don't think I'd want to try it in 2 feet of snow when grilling indoors starts looking really good!

Aw c'mon, Shel! You just have to be dedicated. My wife's family lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin and my father-in-law routinely grills outdoors with a couple of feet of snow on the ground.

('Course, it's easy for me to talk about that. )

Hey Mike, LOL, happily "undedicated" in sunny Calif. and not a millimeter of snow in sight! And to all those fending off frostbite and hypothermia in order to get that outdoor grilling and BBQing done, Gawd bless 'em all, as you sure were right that talking about it is a lot more fun than being there!

I am down in Yokohama. Most places I am looking to live in are about the size of that kitchen. Heck, you even have an oven(not a part of a traditional Japanese kitchen). Until I am over coveting what you have I am not going to respond further.

Eric

You should know that we have been in a smaller place in Tokyo for three years - and that was with three teens and their band of large and noisy friends.....so the extra space is welcome.

There is nothing traditional about this apartment at all - very much an ex pat set up. The neighborhood around it is cool with lots of interesting things Japanese

[Jenise]

You should know that we have been in a smaller place in Tokyo for three years - and that was with three teens and their band of large and noisy friends.....so the extra space is welcome.

So is the wine cooler full yet? I'd kill for one that big.

So is the wine cooler full yet? I'd kill for one that big.

Jenise

We don;t move in until November 1 - so not yet. I did a quick look the other day and I would say it holds 100-120 bottles

[Jenise]

So is the wine cooler full yet? I'd kill for one that big.

Jenise

We don;t move in until November 1 - so not yet. I did a quick look the other day and I would say it holds 100-120 bottles

That'll get you through a few months. Do you keep a locker there, btw?

That'll get you through a few months. Do you keep a locker there, btw?

Jenise

I don't keep a locker. It's interesting - I used to be insane about wine storage conditions - now I'm not so sure. I have been "muling" 2-4 cases back from my cellar in CT a few times a year when I'm back in the US. I keep that wine in my storage room on the 15th floor of our building. That room is dark all the time but temp is high - probably about 70 in winter and 75 in the summer - but steady and no temperature swings.

In general I've been bringing back some of my hardier wines because of the storage here - but I have to say I don't notice any major impact. I'm sure as I've read they are maturing faster but since I'm drinking them al within a year or so I'm not sure that matters much. It's not as much fun to hang out in my storage room as it is in my cellar, but otherwise......