When you're choosing a range for your dream kitchen, bigger — and more expensive — isn't always better.

If you've watched a renovation show on HGTV or flipped through design magazines at your local home improvement mega-mart over the past few years, you've seen endless reiterations of the same look. Dark granite countertops, clean lines of cabinetry and the ubiquitous six-burner "professional-style" gas range are all the rage. The heavy grates, chunky front-mounted knobs and stark stainless steel range exteriors evoke the no-nonsense, high-volume bustle of a restaurant kitchen.

Or at least that's the romance. In reality, the luxury appliances in retail showrooms are modeled on the looks of their siblings in commercial kitchens, but they have been modified for home use. Most offer insulated ovens, electronic controls and devices such as timers that are not found in the original models.

These additions push the price up considerably, with 36-inch home models from manufacturers such as Viking, Wolf and Dacor starting around $6,000 or more.

Ranges with double full-size ovens and up to eight burners reach into five figures.

According to some experts, these luxury appliances are far from a necessity. And in many cases, they're overkill.

"We've tested a lot of those ranges," said Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports. "They really haven't performed better than ranges that cost a fraction of the price. We're testing for boiling, simmer, broiling, baking — the things people really use these ranges for. We haven't really found they are worth the extra money just for their cooking prowess."

Steve Swayne, regional technology leader for North America cooking for Whirlpool Corp., said shoppers tend to fall into two camps. "You have the people who want the look, that heavy feel and higher output burners available on a pro-style range.

"And you have the general population, the home enthusiasts who like cooking and don't need something big and massive to feed their family. It's not a showpiece."

Swayne points out actual commercial models, with their high-output burners, are designed for a different style of cooking.

"The pro-style equipment takes after what they put in restaurants," he said. "Rest- aurant ranges are meant for attended cooking. The sous chef sits there, where his whole purpose is to watch after the four saute pans he has going.

"The home cook has something in the oven, the phone may be ringing, and there may be children running around. ... The home enthusiast relies more on, 'Hey, there's a really low setting and I can leave it alone for a while.' "

CASH-STRAPPED

"The huge stainless range was definitely a big trend," said Michael Robinson, director of communication at Factory Direct Appliance. "In years past, we dealt strictly with home building and getting new appliances to furnish them. Now our business is more remodels, and when you go to a 36-inch range, it's not a small step up — it's a big step up. Now it's about dollar value, and money just isn't there the way it was before the recession."

He says his company is selling more ranges that fit the standard 30-inch hole that has dominated the market for decades. "Stainless is still the most popular color out there," he said, noting new products such as the GE Cafe line are copying the professional look on a smaller scale.