I like the dual fuel; gas ovens are hard to control. I can’t comment on this brand, however.

Have you investigated the induction stoves? Touted as better than gas or electric, that will be my investment, should I move.

My parents have an older 36" all gas Viking range. The complaints are the large oven takes a very long time to preheat and the oven gas burner igniters fail after a couple years use and need to be replaced (to the tune of several hundred dollars). There is also no self-cleaning feature on the all gas.

Don't know if dual fuel solves these issues but it's something to investigate.

If the reason for even making this extravagant purchase ,and I use that word only because you say you don't cook, then don't make the purchase ...... side - by - side ovens is the only way to go...not top & bottom but if you have the space, the only way to go is side-by-side and then maybe you might like to cook again. A SMART kitchen is one you design with you in mind !!!! elevate your dishwasher so you don't have to bend over or stoop built-ins only with no bump-outs (sinks and refrigerators). jenn-air makes an over-the-stove hood fan that also includes a commercial shelf to keep cooked food warm with built-in infrared lights in the hood fan. you can remodel a kitchen now and it will be outdated before you are through with your remodel. DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND THEN REAP THE REWARDS....

We have the Viking 36" all gas range and a 24" Viking electric oven as well. You don't need dual fuel in the Viking range if you plan to have an electric oven. Beyond single vs. dual fuel, the key difference (besides price) is that the dual fuel has a self-cleaning feature.

Conventional wisdom says gas ovens are hard to control but if you read reviews and research, you'll find there is no difference in performance. Viking, however, gets terrible reviews

If you are getting a second oven, really no need for dual fuel. However, as beautiful as this stove is, please do more homework on the brand.

gas creates more pollution than electric. and the sticky residue is hard to clean

Beautiful color, but is it what YOU really need? Or will a simpler oven do? I know, gourmet kitchens inspire me to cook, alot! But I am not a gourmet cook, either. But if it makes you happy, why the heck not?. Life is short.....Happy Cooking!!!!!!!

Several people mentioned a lack of self cleaning and this is NOT true. There are two Viking gas ranges, one with self clean and one without. The VGSC is the self clean model.

http://www.vikingrange.com/consumer/product/products/cooking/freestanding-ranges/professional-ranges/custom-gas-self-cleaning-sealed-burner-ranges/30--sealed-burner-self-cleaning-gas-range---vgsc

I would suggest inquiring with whoever you are buying the range from how they feel about their local Viking distributor...there are good ones and bad ones. The local Viking distributor is responsible for stocking parts and servicing the units in their area so this can change your experience with Viking dramatically!

As far as the differences between cooking with gas and electric I personally think that you have a great opportunity to have the best of two worlds. Gas has higher inherent humidity to the heat which is why you want to cook anything with a crust in them, just like Ironwood said. Electric ovens are known for their even heat.

I hope this helps!

If you entertain and cook for large groups yes to duel fuel. It sounds like the second electric may be sufficient for your needs. Check out Wolf and Thermador.

My experience having lived in tons of different rentals, some with gas only and some with electric only is that they are different and you have to get used to the differences. A mediocre gas stove/oven tends to be better than a mediocre electric. However, once you learn the quirks of your oven, you will have no problems.

I doubt you need dual fuel, but I'd read reviews of you model, general articles about gas vs electric and the fine print.

Most of my married life I always had and continue to have 2 stoves , I use the gas one all the time now , 2 stoves sure come handy when cooking for a crowd , I have a gas and an electric range and never there was one moment when I felt sorry about having them ,first if there is a power failure gas is always reliable ,it never goes out I use a match to light it :) when there is no automatic ignition working , on a few occasions we had blackouts and if I didn't have gas I couldn't have made supper . It cooks and bakes properly and so does the electric . A stove is an investment that most of us use everyday and good stoves like anything else of quality will last you for many years ,so if your heart is set on one of these stoves get ,the only thing that I would consider is the colour of it ,I love it that for sure but in time we tend to change our taste and decor in the house ,, if you are a type that taste and change decor frequently then don't get a blue one ,get a white one instead . I was looking at Elmira retro stoves a while back they are a beauty my favourite was the red one :) but no I didn't get it..

wouldn't want this range even if I liked to cook. a kitchen should be as comfortable as your slippers. dream kitchen would have side-by-side ovens. refrigerator drawers, extended under cabinet vacuum sweep, flip a switch and sweep crumbs into the vacuum vent....all gone... 2 elevated dishwashers, no bump outs to make me have to maneuver my kitchen like Lombard street. then i'll have a cook and bottle washer....I'm not kidding...lol

Modern gas ovens are not at all difficult to work with. If you plan on having a second smaller electric oven anyway, I'd save the $2k and spend it somewhere else. I have two gas ovens (one is convection) and a gas hob and wouldn't have it any other way.

I have the 48" Thermidor like this and to save a little I got the single fuel. We did our remodel 5 years ago. I regret not spending the extra for the dual fuel I have another electric oven that gets most of the use as I don't love the way the gas baskes

Skip the dual fuel and go all gas. Skip the Viking, too. I have one and they are not as reliable as they should be. Check out BlueStar. It's another high end range, but less expensive, gets great reviews and comes in lots and lots of colors too.

Are you going for Viking because you want brand recognition in your kitchen (for possible resale later) or because you think it's the best? If the former, then yes, most people who want kitchens for show will be happy to see Viking and probably will assume they want duel-fuel even though they hardly ever use the thing. If the latter, then do more research - when I have spare time I hang out on a cooking and foodie forum called egullet, and there have been some very good threads there and on similar websites about the various high end brands for ranges, and Viking pretty rarely comes out on top these days when reviewed by people who actually really do put the appliances through their paces.

And if you just want something nice to cook on but aren't worried about brand recognition for resale OR super high end performance, then there are a LOT of mid-to-high options that are perfectly decent for all but the seriously seriously picky home chef.

One thing I will say I always look at closely no matter the brand, though - the shape of the grates the pot is to sit on over the gas burner on the stovetop. I swear some are designed by people who have no idea what shape a pot even is - if you try to put anything other than a HUGE stockpot on any of them, if you don't get it lined up exactly right, the pot is not properly stable. This is not a useful feature in a thing where you are creating lots of hot stuff that when tipped over will not only make a huge mess, but probably burn someone. So when we're ready to redo our kitchen I'm already planning on taking my most used small saucepan to make sure it sits nicely without having to be positioned just so.

Oh, I wanted to add also - have you looked at a Viking in person? I went to a home show with a friend and was pointing out all the high end brand names, and he thought the knobs on the Wolf and Viking both felt kind of cheap for the calibre of appliance it was supposed to be. Since that's the kind of thing that would niggle at you every time you used the stove, I'd check it out in person for sure. (To be fair, my friend is kind of a snob about such things, but once he pointed it out I did agree that they did feel a bit cheap compared to the rest of the build quality.)

Hated my Viking appliances. I had the complete kitchen set: gas range, oven, electric wall oven, dishwasher, fridge and microwave. Had problems with every component. Parts tend to break before other brands and are super expensive to replace.

I splurged, had to have this same blue Viking range. Ours is dual fuel with sealed burners. I use the convection feature all the time, it's the absolute best to cook potatoes, roasts,etc extra quickly. can't imagine how one cleans a range without the self cleaning feature. That said, after seven years, I've come to loathe cleaning the top burner area of this thing. The blue shows every crumb and grease smudge, the cast iron grates are discolored and worn out, same with burner caps. Also I hate how small the window is, you can't really see the food through it anyway be its tinted. If I could do it all over again, I would get something different. Have a friend with a wolf? Cooktop. It's so much easier to clean than mine!

Reading reviews on new high end gas vs duel fuel range is that people who have DF love them and people with gas love them. We ended up getting the all gas wolf range and love it. We cook a lot, bake bread, grill indoors 3 times a week. Saved a few thousand on the range cost and another 1500 on the electrician bill. Put the money you save into 2 dishwashers!

Colleen, what do you like about the Wolf all gas range? Have you used the broiler?

Whenever I think about major appliances I think about future repair bills. It seems to me that Dual-Fuel is more complicated so there's more that can go wrong with it. Ditto all the electronic digital displays that are on every appliance these days. Do you really need that timer that you're going to spill sauce on and heat up to 425º every day? You've got to watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk2TfF1M4r8

I need an oven that accommodates full size baking sheets. Need electric for the oven, gas would be nice for the range, but the important parts are :large enough for the baking sheets, and hopefully self cleaning. Our kitchen was destroyed in a flood, need new appliances, counters, cupboards, floors. :(