The Blue Star grill is 15,000 BTU, the Capital is an infrared ceramic grill @ 18,000 BTU & the Wolf is also infrared ceramic @ 16,000 BTU. The Capital & Wolf use gas to heat a ceramic surface so that one is cooking via infrared as one does with charcoal. From the pictures on Eurostoves, I don't think that Blue Star uses the same infrared ceramic for the grill. Trevor? When I bought the house (built in 1992) I live in now, there was a Jenn-Air downdraft cooktop with a grill on one side with only two burners on the other side. I got another double burner cartridge and got rid of the grill ASAP. But that was the older type of electric grill. Charcoal is definitely not an option. I wouldn't want to deal with the mess. We will have an LP connection on one of our decks for a larger grill when we want to entertain. And I can see that a grill on my range would not be worth very much if I wanted to use it to cook for a crowd. I just would like some feedback from folks with infrared ceramic grills or the Blue Star type on how well they think the grill would accommodate grilling just for two people. Of course, the websites for the manufacturers make it sound like the grills are easy to clean. I will have good ventilation so that I will be able to do the recommended burn off. Is cleaning one of these grills much harder than cleaning an outdoor gas grill? The Blue Star that I have been able to see was not working. I don't think I would need to use the grill & griddle simultaneously, but I do have room for 48" if that would be the best configuration. Yes, I don't meet many Jo Ann's especially with the space on the middle. Of course, I've never been sure if my 1st name is Jo & my middle name is Ann or if my parents named me Jo Ann & forgot to give me a middle name. Do you have a middle name? Thanks - Jo Ann

It is tough picking out a new range. I am looking for a third range in the space of 7 years to fill the space in my kitchen. One thing I like about the prostyle ranges is the depth that allows the use of big pans. The Pro Harmony is cabinet depth so you lose this benefit. The burners on all prostyle ranges are wider sealed or open, so you will have small pans enveloped on high heat. Most come with at least one small pan burner though. My current range is a Wolf DF with sealed burners and I like the burners. I can use a 7 inch, shallow sauce pan on the burners and it will heat evenly but the key is having cookware that is heat conductive. For smaller pans, I use the small pan burner. In evaluating a burner, look at the BTU range high and low to evaluate the heat you will use. To compare apples and oranges you need the actual BTU number not "140 degree simmer". Next look at the burner configuration. Star shaped burners have the burner ports spread over a greater area. Some have the ports oriented in such a way that when you turn the heat up the flame flares to the side of the rays. This keeps the foot print of the heat about the same but in order to take advantage of that you will have to size your pans to the burner. This is useful if you cook with pans that have poor heat conduction like cast iron or thin metal. Other burners have the ports oriented toward the outside. When you turn them up they will flare more toward the outside, expanding the heat foot print. This is good if you use bigger pans. Sealed and open will do that but the amount of flare depends on the way they are engineered. If your pans conduct heat well(thick aluminum or thick copper) you will maximize the usefulness of any burner. There are all kinds of videos on youtube and if you can't see a range in person that will give you an idea of the size of flames in relation to your pot and you can also find videos about what is involved in cleaning the burners. They are all different. Some are marketing videos so you have to take with a grain of salt but you can see the burners in action. The reason I am getting rid of my Wolf is that the blue enamel started chipping at 4.5 years old. They won't give me a price to fix it but only that the labor starts at $800. In light of the ongoing issues with Wolf Blue enamel and the fact that they will only warranty the repair for a year or maybe even less I don't want to reinvest. The AG range does not have the blue enamel though. One thing to consider is that someone related on another thread that they talked to Wolf and Wolf now will only warranty the interiors of their ovens for 60 days. The actual wording of the warranty does not mention porcelain interiors but only stainless so not sure how they can do that. I liked the AP too but they do not have any warranty on the interiors or glass of their ranges so that is a deal breaker for me given the history of revolving appliances in my kitchen.

There are several options that are all related. Smeg, Bertazzoni, Fisher Paykel and Verona are all built in northern italy and will share many features and even some components. I happen to like the Smeg since it is 6 burners and the door feels a little heavier on our floor model. They will cook pretty well, but many of the burners are on the small side. The burners also use a Thermocouple, meaning you will have to hold the knob in for 1-3 seconds when you light it to make sure the thermocouple hits temperature. Otherwise the valve will close and you will have to start over! The over budget choice would be the Capital MCR366. That unit should come in around $3999 and it is a Pro range (all large burners, infrared broiler, etc). Depending on where you are located you may be able to get a discount on it as well.

"The enamel chipping has been well described due to frequent use of the high heat self-cleaning function." i don't think anyone, including Wolf, knows why the enamel is breaking down and I can't think of anyone who has had the issue, who has blamed it on cleaning too frequently. The chipping has been talked about on this forum for the last 10 years and if Wolf could fix it, surely they would have. Some have speculated it might be from any use of the self clean. It has shown up after only one self clean. I only used mine 3 or 4 times in 4.5 years but it did show up after the last clean. Some have never used the self clean though and had the enamel degrade. "f you're going to use that function frequently and not take the time to clean out minor spills on a regular basis with simple methods like a sponge and mild soap and water, then you shouldn't buy this wonderful range." So you blame the customer for an obvious manufacturer's defect? The manufacturer designed this range with self clean so you should be able to use the self clean whenever you want to. What usage pattern do you define as frequent? How many times should you be able to use the self clean? How many times is too many? How do you explain the people who haven't used the self clean? Nothing in Wolf's use and care manual mentions this or gives any such restrictions or warning. The interesting thing is that we stay in beach condos where the self clean is run almost every week that they are rented, on very inexpensive ovens and they have been fine over the years we have stayed there. Over many years and ovens, I have never had an issue with the self clean degrading enamel. I never gave it a thought. Surely an oven at Wolf's price could at least meet the same level of functionality as an inexpensive brand. Anyone who is considering Wolf products with a blue interior should read the comments posted here themselves to get an idea of how these problems develop. There are law suits over this. I would agree the oven bakes well and I loved it for the 4.5 years that it was intact and posted on this forum about how great it was. A champion of Wolf I was. I was quite shocked and dismayed when it happened to me. Even more so when I experienced the "superior service" from Wolf. The kicker is they don't even stand behind a replacement liner IF you choose to pay their unknown price to repair. The warranty on the new part is for one year. Real confidence on their part. If someone does want to buy this oven, I would not run the self clean at all even though some still have the problem without running it. Periodically wipe a damp paper towel over the bottom looking for tiny blue shards hopefully finding any damage before the warranty is gone. Buy the longest extended warranty you can without exclusions on the enamel. Consider the Wolf all gas if you want Wolf as it does not have the blue liner.