Jacobsfamily: Yes, the Bluestar oven works great for Jewish holidays. It is like the old-time pre-computer ovens, and indeed the Bluestar has no computer electronics. There is a light next to the oven temperature dial that glows when the oven is heating and turns off when it is not. You can raise the temperature when the light is on and lower it when the light is off. On yontefs we keep the oven on and also the simmer burner. Last Shavuos we kept the oven at about 200° just for reheating but we went through all our food so we also baked a chicken at 400°. We used the burner to cook fresh vegetables and to reheat soups and stews. A couple of things to be aware of : 1) The Bluestar doesn't have a Sabbath mode because it doesn't need one -- the misnamed "Sabbath mode" is a result of trying to deal with computer electronics that digitally control temperatures and turn ovens off after 12 hrs. 2) Because of the way the Bluestar is wired you need to have the burner(s) you plan to use already on before yontef begins unless you cut power off to the range (unplug it) -- but then, although you could turn on more burners by igniting them from a flame (without triggering the electronic ignition), you couldn't use the oven. My husband has toyed with the idea of having an electrician friend separate the wiring and make the burner circuit separate from the oven, but I'm fine using one burner and the oven... and it would almost certainly void the warranty. TeacherSuzanne: I do not have a grill. I do know that the Wolf grill works differently than the Bluestar. The Wolf is either on or off; the Bluestar has an adjustable temperature. Try asking on the Bluestar thread or start a separate thread about grills. Have success, Ellene

clinresga: Thanks for all the info and good things to think about. I am glad to hear that you like the Fantech silencer. Our attic should easily be able to accomodate its size. Do you know if they reduce the effective CFM of the blower? (I hope to get off another project today and start calling various companies to figure out what we need). We will be using a custom surround - truly custom in the sense that our contractor/finisher will make it for us in any fashion we want. We haven't yet settled on a specific design, but it will be made of wood, painted the wall color and we'll probably try to make it "disappear" as much as possible. Ha! Given the nature of this project (restoring a 1920's remote fishing resort - off the grid and way in the middle of nowhere), we are working with a contractor who does beautiful work and can pretty much make anything out of any material. (You should see the cabinets he's made that look like they've always been there, the rock fireplace surround he built that is a deadringer for the 1924 one that came off in the 1970s, etc. He is a true artisan.) So for the range hood, we are constrained by the location of the refrigerator on the one side, and the size/depth of the range. I believe we will have a maximum of 43-44" for the surround (the stove is 40" wide and sits about 32" off the wall). It sounds like MA might be my first call if they can make a custom liner that is the right width and extra deep. We did hear back from the stove restorer, and the burners have a total of 72K BTUs (12K each) and the ovens have a total of 40K BTUs (20K each). I still think the FDK10 will work for us if we get to that level of pinching pennies, but we'll have to run the numbers to see! In another post, I saw you mention that you have a wall control for the blower and lights. Did that come with the MA? Or is it manufactured by another company? Are the blower and light controls on the same unit?

After much research, I just ordered the Best by Broan liner for inside of my custom hood. Will order a Broan blower (either inline or exterior. Appliance salesman and contractor will work together to let me try inline first, and if it doesn't perform well enough, get the exterior.) Link to the liner is below. Best by Broan is Boran's upgraded line. This was a really important decision, so I would've paid anything. I looked at every high-end brand, and found that the Best by Broan was the only one that met my specific needs. I chose it because: 1) The option to attach to an inline (this goes in the attic) blower, or an exterior wall or roof mounted blower. These 2 blower options allow for quieter operation, and, especially in the case of the exterior blower, more CFMs for greater smoke capture and removal. 2) The size. 58"+ is 18" wider than our 36" Wolf with griddle. It might be overkill, but ours will be mounted higher than the ideal 30-36", and I wanted the extra width for capture. 3) The baffles. Easier to clean than mesh, like the look, and GWers explained that baffles are probably quieter than mesh. They also explained that the wider the baffled liner, the quieter, b/c the air can rush into more baffles at one time. This was another reason I chose the 58" width. 4) 4 fan speeds, 4-level lighting, lights and controls are well laid out, like the four 50w halogens. 5) The wall switch option. It's important to note, if you want a wall switch to operate your blower, that some brands either don't offer one, or the wall switch actually disables some functions (like multi-level lighting) once it's installed. This was the case with a basic Broan, which is why we chose instead the Best by Broan. 6) During decision time, the Broan/Best by Broan tech department was really helpful, knowledgable, and available. Good luck, and try posting in appliances, too. Those guys are incredibly knowledgable and helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Best by Broan Liner

I know this is old, but one thing to consider with anything you buy, What and who is available locally to fix them. I can tell you many tech wont work on Stuff from I have a Dacor fridge I love. Had a few problems over the years. But thank goodness it was made before Crapsung bought them so I can easily buy Whirlpool parts locally. I mean sure you can buy the latest and greatest Crapsung or Lots of Garbage(LG). But when you need to buy a part for them, expect to wait for an order with no information on how long it will be to for your parts to get here, plus they are expensive parts. If you want something that will last don't buy all the features. It may be cute and fun that your fridge has a little tv screen and can connect to internet. When that cute screen breaks be prepared bust out about another 2k to fix it. If you buy simple appliances they are simple to fix.