Several years ago I was looking at restaurant ranges on e-bay. I had worked at my uncle's pizza shop when I was young. I liked the range there because of the large burners for cooking with large pots. We also had a large griddle used for pancakes, eggs, hamburgers and cheesesteaks. I really enjoyed using this griddle when I was cooking. I thought how nice it would be to have one at home. So, for the hell of it, I started looking on e-bay. New restaurant ranges with combination griddle and burners cost about $5.000.00. I figured a good used one would be about $1800.00 minimum. There were very few for sale but there was a nice one with a starting bid of 200.00. That was the opening bid and I submitted it. I knew the auction would end while I was at work so when I got home, I looked to see what it finally sold for. To my surprise, mine was the only bid. I couldn't believe my good fortune. Have you ever heard the saying "be careful what you wish for because you might get it."? The item was 50 miles north of Chicago. That's about 750 miles away as the crow flies. More if you're driving. So I spent an entire day driving out there and back non-stop. The range was in decent condition. It was a top name brand, good quality. I spent 2 days cleaning it. I didn't realize, or had forgotten that restaurant ranges are not insulated the way household ones are so I had to keep it clear of other cabinets, dishwasher and fridge. I also forgot that at the restaurant, the first thing we did in the morning was to light the griddle because it takes at least a half hour to get hot. As a result, I almost never used it. I used the 2 big burners often but did not like the way the kitchen heated up in the summer when using it. So, a few years later, I sold it. Ever since, I've been careful not to talk myself in to buying something I really didn't need.
