I'm somewhat at a loss for words on this, because I haven't yet divined why Gagg would require a griddle plate for updraft ventilation but not for downdraft. Maybe I"m mis-reading griddle plate and what they want is to limit rising heat to avoid overheating _their_ pop-up overhead device. A normal hood at 30+ inches above the burners should not have a heat problem. I wouldn't use a naked back wall with a griddle, though. Tile or stainless steel would provide some safety margin. All that aside, hot cooking effluent rises at a significant velocity. To capture and contain it it with a down draft system is difficult and requires far more air flow than is likely to be present, or even feasible given the aperture sizes in the photos. Turbojet acoustics would follow. The pop up unit gets above the cooking (only one side at a time), but from its apparent size will have poor capture, and then the diversion to down flow via a very small duct will greatly limit the air flow rate. . The NuTone 10-inch fan placed in the wall above the cooking zone performs a kind of side-draft function. I would expect it to be better, but far from ideal. A lot of rising effluent will pass it, unless it is inside of some kind of overhanging hood. Note that without any filtration, the outside wall will be "washed" with greasy smoke and moisture. An overhead hood with mesh or (preferably) baffle grease capture that exhausted through the wall to an exterior fan would be preferable. A modest exterior fan (of the "upblast" style (but not restaurant size) mounted horizontally) would keep the effluent off of the exterior wall. kas

Well ours is without question made of 304 stainless. But honestly I don't really see a problem using 430 SS either, depends on the way it was built as in some cases the 430 is better because it holds a weld better and can bend to certain specifications better without cracking. A range made of 430SS inside your house is not going to rust anyway, that is pure nonsense. I DO however think that 430 SS could have more adverse reactions to acidic type foods such as say Tomato Sauce or Lemon juice Vs 304. maybe if you sat it in a corner of an abandoned house for 30 years maybe, but if you use it everyday in a house with AC it is not going to rust, but it very well could have more staining with acidic foods. I think that 304 stainless is critical on a BBQ grill, but not so much on an indoor stove. But I am still glad mine is made of 304 Stainless anyway. But there are many things made of 400 series stainless that work just fine, never rust, one I can think of is most "Food Slicers, Deli meat slicers etc" are made of 400 series stainless. Car exhaust pipes are usually made of 409 stainless because of the better welding and heat resistance. I once had the pleasure of meeting an old guy out in California, he lived in the middle of no where on many acres of land and when I met him I drove through the classic old gate with elk antlers on top and his house was built in around the 1830's, was an old adobe that was built by a Mexican General when California was actually Mexico. House still stands today with the same tile roof, just one addition was added on about 100 years ago but other than that was all original, No AC. He had as his stove a old wood stove that was thickly enameled color of like a seafoam blue/green and all the corners and edges were all Stainless Steel. Had to be a 400 series stainless because I don't think the 300 series was even in use yet. That stove looked like it brand spanking new and at the time I saw it was about 90+ years old. Not a speck of rust on it, of course it was thick as hell but still the surface was still like new. I actually find products "Made in USA" about 75% of the time to be pure crap in every way. I bet 95% of the world views items "made in USA" exactly the way people like Deeageaux does about China. In general about every product I see with "Made in Germany" tag on it is probably about the only one I can generally count on being very well made, I can usually count on a high price for that item also. Most of the working parts in the NXR come from every place except China, it is basically just "Assembled" in China and who better to assemble than those that have been assembling things for decades. Also it is probably the larger brand name companies that are forcing retailers not to carry a quality product that cost far less, that happens all the time in every category of product.

This is an interesting conversation. I, at age 34 currently, have never in my life used gas, and I am an avid cook on my crappy electric coil. I only say crappy cause the thing is FILTHY and disgusting and soon to be swapped out for a smooth top. However, regarding simmering, I have zero issues there, and people are always asking my trick to such great rice, which as you know requires barely a simmer sustained over a duration of time. However, I have a stroganoff recipe that calls for a long and slow simmer and when my friend with gas tried to make it, and said she couldn't because her gas cooktop doesn't allow for a slow simmer - it kept leaning into a full boil no matter how low she turned it. That leads me to believe it's all a matter of experience. There are probably better and worse performing stoves in every catagory - induction, gas, or electric - and that can certainly shape experience and preference also. So this is a case where nobody is right or wrong, and thank God we all have different preferences or else we wouldn't have choices.

I agree. What I meant about watching the pressure carefully is not getting distracted and having the thing blow up! Once you've learned which settings for how long and seen if the pressure will hold steady over a period of time at setting X, it's probably safe to only keep half an eye on. I guess this is something to know: I've found that as something massy heats up the reaction to a particular setting changes. Once everything is good and hot, you can simmer at the just right heat forever and not mess with the temperature. The new favorite saucepan is the Le Creuset 2-in-1. The old favorite pot was the Le Creuset soup pot. I always loved the skillet top of the 2-in-1's, but loved the bowl shape of the soup pot on gas, where the rising heat would heat the sides. That doesn't happen with induction, so the larger, flat bottom of the saucepan is better for getting more heating into the pot and heat going up the sides faster. Because my Le Creuset works fine on induction there was no reason to change. In fact, at the end of the remodel I lucked into a pre-remodelling sale during a national sale at the outlet and got more. With induction, however, one doesn't always need the mass of a heavy pot. Cast iron isn't a great conductor so it takes longer to heat, and doesn't react to temperature changes as fast. I should say that the difference is minor--instantaneous vs. about a second on lowering the setting to keep the milk in a bechamel from boiling. I did that yesterday (actually it was the base for a mornay) in the skillet lid while the rigatoni was boiling in the saucepan. Since you're buying new, try out as many different things as you can. De Buyer, for instance, also makes some large, carbon steel, curved sided skillets, besides the crepe pans. I think they look very interesting. And I love my Demeyere 7 layer clad skillet. My most problematic pot is my Le Creuset enamelled stock pot. It's steel, not cast iron, so thin on the bottom. If I'm making a big pot of sauce or chili or something, I do have to watch that it doesn't scorch. I think I need a smaller, heavier pot, maybe ten quart for those kinds of things. Same stock pot is never a problem for stocks and soups. In summary, sometimes thin is good (omelettes, maybe stir fry), sometimes thick and heavy is good (braises, stews). Get a variety. :)