I've been following the previous cooktop thread, and also doing some
research in preparation for buying a new gas cooktop. The one I have
now is an O'Keefe and Merritt 4-burner, circa 1957 (?) It is a PITA
to clean. It has one high-power burner, I've no clue what are the
BTUs on that baby.

From what little online research I've done (and I'm about to embark on
an in-person research expedition to the local "established in 1937"
appliance store), it would seem that cost goes up significantly for
cooktops that have a 15K BTU burner. Aside from wok cooking for which
I can understand that big fire power is desirable, is there a
compelling reason to spend the extra dosh to get a CT with a 15KBTU
burner? Or would something in the 11-12.5K range do me just ducky?
All of the medium price-range cooktops I've looked at with less than
the 15kBTUer have low simmer burners (and that strikes me as an
advantage that every cook here would enjoy!), closed burners (hoooooo
boy, does that seem like a huge advantage to me after cleaning my
present cooktop for 10 years!!!), and continuous dishwashable grates.

So. What say ye? Is 15K BTU overkill, or absolutely necessary for
any cook worth her salt?

TammyM, not looking to spend money unnecessarily!