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.

Stay away from Kitchen Aid, they're in denial as it regards issues with their ovens. In 2004 we purchased the Kitchen Aid Dual Fuel Convection range and have regretted the high priced purchase ($2800) ever since. Experienced nothing but problems, repairs have been numerous, the door is still lopsided after repair broke two, can't clean the oven without having to call repair afterwards, and now the oven is once again inoperable. The same problems continue to plague the machine, again and again. As of tonight we've decided to dump the stove. Dinner was burned while the temperature was set to 350 and the broiler engaged. Even with the control knobs turned off the broiler continued and the door locked, which resulted in the food or pot knobs/handles catching fire and necessitating disconnection of power. My eyes are still burning from the smoke. After waiting until the oven finally cooled, we turned power on and the safety lock finally disengaged, but even with the controls turned off the broiler once again turned on. This is not the first time this has happened or the first time this issue has been addressed by repair. Tired of calling repair we learned that sooner or later the broiler won't go on, and all will be normal for months at a time. KA suggests turning the breaker off and calling repair as it is a fire hazard. Been there done that, but after numerous repeated repairs KA still refuses to accept that the unit is a lemon or that they're selling faulty equipment. Now we're out of warranty. Figure that during the first year of ownership KA paid more for warrantied repairs than we originally paid for the unit, and due to repairs we were without an oven for approximately one-eighth of the short life of the unit. KA might look like the one you want, but remember - looks don't always matter.

Thank you all for posting the pictures -- it helps me visualize. The look definitely works for transitional or traditional cabinetry. I'm still trying to figure out if a modern look requires wider. Fouramblues, I asked my architect and GC a few times about whether our city has a MUA requirement. They both said they had never heard of one (and they both appear to be allergic to research). I tried researching myself online without any luck. We live in SoCal (no AC) and leave the kitchen window open most of the year for fresh air, so that is our MUA plan, lol. We also have a 50-year-old house that is not even close to air tight. Secondhalf, is that the Kobe RA-02-1? Are you satisfied with the finish? I was considering the 42" 1000 CFM version of that hood. I could only find 1 Kobe hood in a local store. It was a different model (pyramid with straight corner instead of beveled) and there was a visible seam all the way up the "corner" where the front panel overlapped the sides panel (i.e., the pyramid part was made with 3 pieces of metal instead of 1). Is that how your hood is constructed, or is the lower part seamless? Also, how much space do you have between your uppers and the hood? GreenDesigns, I thought I could offset size with higher CFMs. Would I be better off with a 42" 715 CFM hood? One hood in my budget that I find aesthetically pleasing (other than the mesh filters) is the Zephyr Venezia. I'm not sure I will ever use the grill on the range, as we grill outdoors year round. I only bought that model because it was a floor model at 35% off. If I had realized what venting my "bargain" range would cost, I would have skipped it. Now I wish I had bought induction, as it would have been cheaper to replace all my pots and pans if I could use a simple 600 CFM hood.

I love your current kitchen so much I just want to come to your house and chain myself to your cabinets so when the demolition crew shows up, I can scream "NO!!!!!!". If you like the cabinets and if they are still in great condition, why change them all? Of course, it's your decision and I won't hunt you down if you decide to make a total change. But be aware there is a market for used vintage cabinets in good condition so, if you do decide on a to-the-studs remodel, please have those cabinets carefully removed and either donate them to something like a Habitat for Humanity store or sell them. The RetroRenovation.com website is one place to visit and post about them where you might find exuberant buyers. And, of course, Craig's List. So I came up with a plan with minimal changes, allowing you to keep most of your cabinets. Notes on the plan. It should get bigger if you click the photo so you can read it better. Basically, the only thing that changes is the stove wall. You could easily have a good cabinet maker make the additional cabinets you need to match the current cabinets. You may, however, need to paint all the cabinets to get a good paint match if just painting the new cabinets doesn't result in a good match. I didn't figure out how far down you can shift the stove but it looks like you could get a good 12-20" of extra prep space there. That increase should give you a nice prep corner with enough space to spread out. I would keep the charming countertops you have for all but the stove wall and splurge on counters that are cooking/hot pot friendly on that wall. Stainless would be great there and will really compliment what you currently have so it doesn't look odd or like a thoughtless add-on. Soapstone would also look great. Since you're done doing a lot of counter, these higher-priced tops would still be a minimal expense. The yellow is for a cart idea, similar to what MamaG came up with, but not inside the bottom of a wall cabinet. It is simply there so it can be moved to block access for visitors. A flip-up counter can be installed that hangs down the side so there is a place there for chairs and for someone to sit and visit with you while you cook and have a place for their coffee, appetizer, dessert, etc. It can also be used to help with food service at the table for items that might not fit on the table with people eating there. You say you like the peninsula because it does provide that barrier and place to sit but, really, it is the only real obstacle you have to an efficient kitchen that feels spacious. Removing it and just moving the stove down as far as possible to the end of that wall, even to the edge of the wall, should give you good prep space and make your kitchen far more enjoyable to work in. Anyway, just a thought, if you want to preserve what you have and just improve it. Of course, a good, well-designed and executed to-the-studs remodel would also be super-awesome. I just wanted to give you an alternative to consider.