Over the last few weeks, food cooked on my my Gaggenau-brand stove top appears to take substantially longer to cook. Even simple things like eggs seem to take much longer. But the burners appear relatively normal to my eye, there is no obvious difference in the sound or appearance of the flame.
Is anyone familiar with any sort of issue that could cause gas burners to work at a significantly reduced temperature?
Any insights would be most appreciated.
Try using a lid.
Perhaps your gas company has changed the composition of your fuel. “Natural” gas (and propane) is a combination of several components that the provider can manipulate. Methane is the primary gas in the natural gas mixture, and produces the least btus of all the other fuel gasses such as propane, butane, pentane, etc. Propane in a tank is (usually) not pure propane, but rather a mixture involving another fuel gas.
When providers monkey around with the cocktail they deliver, the energy (btus) released in use varies also.
If the pressure drops, cooking times will increase. The drop may not be all that noticeable.
On the assumption the OP knows how to adjust their flame height, it was stated the flame appears to be unchanged, so low pressure isn’t the likely culprit.
I had a reduction in heat on some burners but there was a corresponding reduction of the flame (when turned all the way up). However, your eyeballs may need to be recalibrated. I would recommend cleaning the burners as a start. I had an appliance guy replace the starter and he cleaned the burners while he was at it, and the heat was back up just like new. Your brand is much higher-end than my GE cooktop but I recommend starting with the easy stuff first.
Maybe he meant atmospheric pressure? Has the OP’s residence recently been transported to a mountaintop? Maybe where he lives is on a convergent tectonic plate boundary, and his home is being elevated by mountain-forming tectonic activity?
If the fuel were burning at a lower temperature it would be obvious: the flames would turn yellow. Blue gas flames are at the correct carburetion (air/fuel ratio) and burning at optimum temperature. Any upset in fuel/air ratio that would reduce combustion temperature would also change the color and possibly produce soot.
Whatever phenomenon OP thinks they’re observing, it’s not “the fire is cooler”.
Well, it could be. See post #3.
I like post’s 3 & 4, a dirty or iced over regulator vent can reduce the pressure.
without a good temp meter like a IR gun comparing the time it takes to boil a quart of water on your stove vs same pan on another similar stove.
Do need more info like fuel and delivery.
Once saw a scout cabin with a Gas Range and all the pots & Pans were blackemed from soot! the Range was connected to a 100lbs LP cylinder and the Range had a Natural Gas orifice!