Wolf appliances: review and lineup

The Wolf 24-inch E Series Transitional Coffee System (EC2450TE/S) is the coffee machine to buy if your kitchen is already Wolf and you want the wall to match. It lists at $4,365, offers 14 beverage options, and runs from an 84.5 fl oz tank, so it installs without a water line. It replaces the legacy EC24. The trade-off is features: there's no plumbed version, no advertised Wi-Fi and fewer published specs than Miele. It's a clean, simple built-in rather than a coffee-lover's showpiece.

The Wolf 36-inch professional gas cooktop (CG365P/S) is the most affordable way to cook on Wolf burners. For about $2,920 list, you get five dual-stacked sealed burners led by an 18,000 BTU power burner, and every burner can simmer and melt. It stands just 4 inches tall, leaving room for drawers below. It's less powerful than Wolf's rangetop and costs about $320 more than Thermador's Masterpiece cooktop, but its low-heat control is the best in this class.

The Wolf induction cooktop (36-inch Transitional Framed CI365TF/S) is the no-nonsense choice for cooks who want strong, flexible induction without a lot of tech. You get five elements, five ways to bridge them into larger zones, a top element rating of 2,600 watts with a 3,700-watt boost, and melt and simmer settings, all in a stainless frame. At about $3,780 MSRP it's priced in line with Bosch and Miele, not Thermador's full-surface model. It skips Wi-Fi and hood pairing, so gadget fans should look elsewhere.

The Wolf 36-inch sealed burner rangetop (SRT366) is the best all-round 36-inch rangetop for cooks who care about low heat as much as high. Its six dual-stacked burners top out at 20,000 BTU, and every one of them can simmer and melt. List price is about $5,390. Rivals offer hotter burners (BlueStar, Monogram) or a lower price (Thermador), but none matches Wolf's control across all six. There's no griddle on this version and no Wi-Fi.

The Wolf 30-inch indoor/outdoor warming drawer (WWD3050O) is the warming drawer to buy if you want one model that works in the kitchen or the outdoor kitchen. It holds 1.6 cubic feet, runs from 80 to 200°F, has four presets with hidden electronic controls and shuts off automatically. List prices run about $2,650 to $3,230 depending on the drawer front. It's smaller and pricier than Thermador's 30-inch drawer, but outdoor approval and Wolf styling set it apart.

The Wolf VS24 is a 24-inch built-in chamber vacuum sealer designed to sit under a Wolf steam or speed oven. Its 0.25 cu. ft. chamber seals liquids, there's a seal-only mode, and it comes with a wine bottle attachment, an accessory hose for external containers and 50 small plus 50 large bags. Wolf lists it at about $3,725 with a panel-ready front kit and about $3,815 with stainless or black glass. It's a strong fit for sous-vide cooks; occasional sealers should skip it.

The Wolf 30-inch Transitional drawer microwave (MD30TE/S) is the one to buy if you want your microwave to match a Wolf kitchen and install flush with your cabinets. It has 1.2 cubic feet, 950 watts, 10 power levels, sensor cooking and a Keep Warm setting of up to 99 minutes. List price is about $2,595. On paper it does the same core job as Sharp's drawer for about $600 more, so you're paying mostly for the Wolf design and flush-inset option.

The Wolf E Series Transitional 30-inch speed oven (SPO3050TE/S/T) is the one to buy if you want a speed oven that matches a Wolf wall oven and is easy to use. It combines a 900-watt microwave, convection, micro-bake and micro-roast and a 1,500-watt broiler in a 1.6-cubic-foot cavity, with 13 cooking modes and an 8-inch color touchscreen. List price is about $3,700. It has no Wi-Fi, and Monogram packs more features for a similar price, but Wolf's design and simplicity win many kitchens.

The Wolf 36-inch outdoor gas grill (OG36) is a well-equipped premium grill, but the first thing to know is availability. Wolf marks it "Limited Availability," and Abt lists it as no longer available, so it may be phasing out. On paper it has two 25,000 BTU grill burners, a 25,000 BTU infrared sear zone, a 14,000 BTU infrared rotisserie and 1,080 sq. in. of cooking area. The roughly $7,805 list price comes from Sub-Zero Wolf's Canadian site in US dollars. Check stock before you design around it.

The Wolf 36-inch gas range with six burners (GR366) is the most sensible way into Wolf. At about $8,620 to $8,955 list, it costs roughly $5,000 less than Wolf's 36-inch dual fuel, yet still gives you six sealed burners, a 5.5-cubic-foot convection gas oven and an infrared broiler. You give up the dual fuel model's electric oven precision, touchscreen controls, Wi-Fi and griddle. For cooks who live on the cooktop, that's a trade worth making. It's also the simplest Wolf range to own, with no screens to fail.

The Wolf 36-inch dual fuel range with infrared griddle (DF36450G) is the benchmark pro-style range for people who cook a lot and bake a lot. It pairs four dual-stacked sealed burners up to 20,000 BTU and a 15,000 BTU infrared griddle with a 6.3-cubic-foot electric oven that has dual VertiCross convection and 10 cooking modes. List price runs about $13,995 to $15,580 depending on knobs, bezels and finish. The trade-off is price: you're paying top dollar, and a 2-year full warranty is merely standard.

The Wolf 48-inch dual fuel range with six burners and an infrared griddle (DF48650G) is the entertainer's version of Wolf's flagship: more burners, a griddle and two electric ovens. Wolf's burners top out at 20,000 BTU, the griddle is rated at 15,000 BTU, and the ovens total 7.8 cubic feet. List price is about $18,180 to $20,155 depending on configuration. The trade-off is that neither oven is as large as the single oven in Wolf's 36-inch model, and you'll need a serious hood.

The Wolf pro wall hood (36-inch PW362418) is the most configurable range hood in our lineup and the natural match for a Wolf range. You choose the blower: 300, 400, 600, 800 or 1,200 CFM internal, or 600 to 1,500 CFM inline or remote. Add a 24-inch depth, an 18-inch height, a heat sensor that boosts the fan above 200°F, two-level LED lighting and stainless baffle filters. One thing to know up front: the roughly $2,585 list price covers the hood shell only. The blower costs extra.

The Wolf convection steam oven (E Series Transitional CSO2450TE) is the simplest way to add steam cooking to a Wolf kitchen without giving up a 30-inch oven slot. It's a compact 24-inch unit with 1.7 cu. ft. of space (1.2 usable), a 40 fl oz reservoir good for about four hours of steam, and steam, convection, broil and slow-roast modes. At about $6,385 MSRP it's priced like a full-size oven, so it makes sense as a second oven for people who will actually steam vegetables, bake crusty bread and reheat leftovers in it.

The Wolf M Series oven is the 30-inch single wall oven to beat if baking is the main event in your kitchen. The Transitional SO3050TM pairs a 5.1 cu. ft. cavity, the largest of the 30-inch wall ovens we cover, with Wolf's dual VertiFlow convection, 10 cooking modes and a touchscreen with 50 Gourmet presets. At about $6,940 MSRP it isn't cheap, and part of what you pay for is the badge. For bakers who want an oven that sits flush in the cabinetry and simply performs, it earns its price.