Lighting Burners
All burners are ignited by electric ignition. There are no open-flame, “standing” pilots.
Surface Burners/Automatic Re-Ignition
To light the surface burners, push and turn the appropriate control knob counter clockwise to any position. This
control is both a gas valve and an electric switch. Each burner will ignite at any “ON” position with the automatic
re-ignition system. If the flame goes out for any reason, the burner will automatically re-ignite if the gas is still
flowing. When gas is permitted to flow to the burners, the electric igniters start sparking. You should hear a
“clicking” sound. If you do not, turn off the control and check that the unit is plugged in and that the fuse or circuit
breaker is not blown or tripped.
Within a few moments, enough gas will have traveled to the burner to light. When the burner lights, turn the burner control to
any position to adjust the flame size. Setting the proper flame height for the desired cooking process and selecting the correct
cooking vessel will result in superior cooking performance, while also saving time and energy.
VariSimmer™
Simmering is a cooking technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just barely below the boiling point of water.
Simmering ensures gentle treatment than boiling to prevent food from toughening and/or breaking up. The size of the pan and
the volume of food can have a significant effect on how high or low a flame is needed for simmering. For this reason, Viking
range and rangetop burners are engineered with a VariSimmer setting. The VariSimmer setting is not just one simmer setting, but
provides a variable range of simmer settings. This variable range of simmer settings allows you to adjust the flame height to
achieve the best simmer depending on the type and quantity of food being simmered. It is this ability that makes the VariSimmer
setting the most accurate and trustworthy simmer on the market.
TruPower Plus™ Burner
(where applicable)
Certain model ranges are equipped with a TruPower Plus 18,500 BTU burner in the front right burner position. This burner is
designed to provide extra-high heat output, especially when using large pans, and should be used for boiling large quantities or
if you need to bring something to a boil quickly. While the TruPower Plus burner has the extra power needed to bring large
quantities of liquid to a boil rapidly, it is also able to be turned down low enough to provide a very low and delicate simmer
making this burner the most versatile on the market.
Operation
8
Surface Cooking Tips
• Use low or medium flame heights when cooking in vessels that are poor conductors of heat, such as glass, ceramic, and
cast-iron. Reduce the flame height until it covers approximately 1/3 of the cooking vessel diameter. This will ensure more
even heating within the cooking vessel and reduce the likelihood of burning or scorching the food.
• Reduce the flame if it is extending beyond the bottom of the cooking vessel. A flame that extends along the sides of the
vessel is potentially dangerous, heats the utensil handle and kitchen instead of the food, and wastes energy.
• Reduce the flame height to the minimum level necessary to perform the desired cooking process. Remember that food
cooks just as quickly at a gentle boil as it does at a rolling boil. Maintaining a higher boil than is necessary wastes energy,
cooks away moisture, and causes a loss in food flavor and nutrient level.
• The minimum pot or pan (vessel) diameter recommended is
6” (15 cm). Use of pots or pans as small as 4” (10 cm) is possible
but not recommended.
Heat Setting
Use
Simmer
Melting small quantities
Steaming rice
Simmering sauces
Low
Melting large quantities
Med Low
Low-temperature frying (eggs, etc.)
Simmering large quantities
Heating milk, cream sauces, gravies, and puddings
Med
Sauteing and browning, braising, and pan-frying
Maintaining slow boil on large quantities
Med High
High-temperature frying
Pan broiling
Maintaining fast boil on large quantities
High
Boiling water quickly
Deep-fat frying in large utensil
Operation
*Note:
This information is given as a guide
only. You may need to vary the heat settings
to suit your personal requirements.
Surface Heat Settings*
