Viking started making their own DW's this past year. Some people just slap a Viking badge on whatever to make it match :) You might be able to swap the handle if the doors are compatible, but that's a big if. Do a search on this forum to learn more about Viking ranges and especially fridges. If you're doing the remodel for yourself, getting the right appliances for you is more important than the deal. But, yes, you can mix them all. The only people who usually have a whole suite of appliances from one maker are builders who get volume discounts. Most of the makers don't make all kinds of appliances, so they just slap their decor on something made by someone else anyway.

These two entirely different burners. I would consider the features of both and how they relate to the way you cook and the cookware you use to see what is best for you. Marketing may tout certain benefits that are in reality limited or may not have any benefit for the way you cook. Some will say that BS is a open burner and Wolf is sealed but this really refers to two different characteristics of the burner. I think it is better to refer to BS is a open, uncapped burner. Wolf is a sealed, capped burner. Sealed actually refers to the "tray" under the burner. It will determine how the range top is cleaned. In the case of the Wolf range top it is made so that nothing can spill underneath. It is finished in black enamel. It is stationary and cleaned from the top. The BS can be disassembled. Spills go through the top to a tray below that can be covered in foil. The black enamel can be subject to stains or etching over time. The BS "tray" is cast iron and develops a seasoning over time. Another option is something like the American Performer that is semi sealed in that it has a lift off tray to prevent spills from getting to the tray. The tray can be washed in the dishwasher. There are videos that show how to clean the BS on YouTube. People can be very passionate one way or the other about which is the best. The other aspect is whether the burner is capped or uncapped. The advantage here is that the capped burner can cause more flare to the side on the highest heat. The amount of flare depends on how the burner is engineered. Wolf has the dual stacked burners and I thinks that keeps the flare from being too wide on the high heat. They don't try to get too much range from one burner. Another consideration is the shape and configuration of the burner. BS has a star shaped burner. The burner ports are oriented so that as you turn up the burner, the flare goes out from the rays of the burner. This keeps the heat at least from the flame tips in a specific area and spreads the heat over a specific area. This is significant if you cook with cast iron or steel pans that conduct heat poorly. In order to take advantage of this feature, you have to match the pan size to the burner. Wolf has a ring burner. If you cook with a pan that is heat conductive like heavy gauge aluminum or copper, the shape of the burner does not matter as much. The first criteria some consider is which one has the highest BTUs. The benefits for this would be heating large amounts of water a little faster, being able to stir fry larger quantities at a time, faster preheating of a pan for cooking and faster recovery for heat in a pan after adding food. Some people consider the low end of BTUs. Wolf has two burners stacked to give a range of heat, especially the low end. While BS gives the high end range in BTUs they don't give the low end so you can't make a comparison with Wolf. They give a temperature which is a meaningless number. Subjectively people say BS simmer is good but no way to tell objectively. Another thing to look at is the configuration of the range top. BS has different sized burners which you need if you are going to take advantage of the star shapes with cast iron and steel cookware. Wolf has all the same with one small pan burner. People have preferences about that. I would try to cook on these burners if possible. That way you can see how the burners can adjust and what would work for you. If you can't do that there are quite a few videos on YouTube that can let you see how they work. Service can be an issue. Wolf has excellent service for the first two years or for whatever time frame you can get a full warranty. After that you are at their mercy. You have to go with their service so no getting bids. They are pricey too. BS may not have as good as service, but would be easier to fix long term. With just getting the range top you don't have oven baggage like blue chipping with Wolf and any possible door issues with BS. I personally have Wolf burners and they work great for me. I almost never have them going full blast. I sear steaks in cast iron and you can easily preheat that to smoking hot. I stir fry occasionally about a pound of ingredients at time. I use it for canning. I cook a lot with 12-14 inch skillets, so a little flare it good for me. The smallest pan I use on the bigger burners on fairly high heat( highest spread of flame) is a 7 inch pan. I use it to caramelize sugar and it cooks very evenly. It is an old Revereware pan with only about 0.5 mm copper over stainless steel so not all that great but it browns evenly. Anything smaller goes on the small burner I like the burners being the same and that they go super low to hold large pans of food for parties. A LeCreuset pot full of mashed potatoes will not scorch on low. I could cook on either though. If I needed the super high heat more, I would get a BS but I use the low heat more. There are always work arounds for any shortcomings to either. It is important to understand the role of cookware as it relates to getting heat to your food and determine what features you use the most. There is not really an overall better or best but one will be better for you. Understanding Stovetop Cookware

erdman_bd, I'm a former chef myself. I only cook at home, too. You were asking about the Thermador 6-burner range top. It is very different from the 5-burner cooktop. I've had three of these Thermador 5-burner cook tops. Those clickers firing are a little annoying. They cycle on and off in response to how low you want the simmer. It's usually between 30 seconds and 60 second. The burners are anemic and not the star shape of the 6-burner Thermador range top. Don't confuse them. Do not be concerned about servicing of the Bluestar range top. It couldn't be simpler to work on. I've had mine for two years and never needed service. I hear a choir singing every time I turn the knob. While you may need to replace a cracked thermocouple, it only requires a screwdriver. They include two of them in the box. There are videos on YouTube that show you how to do it. Any commercial servicer can work on it. Any basic repairman could work on it. I'm a girl and I can work on it. That's the beauty of it, it's such a simple device. It doesn't need a lot of attention. Those open burners make all the difference in the world. If you can afford a Wolf range top, you can afford a Bluestar. The old Wolf open burner range top was a nice unit, but they don't make it anymore. Take the time and go find a unit and test fire it. I gave up other things in my kitchen in order to get one. I'm glad I did. Don't worry about service. It's a non-issue with a range top. An oven is another matter, but it's not a problem with a range top.

Advantages to an add on griddle -The obvious difference is that you can remove the griddle to clean or store. This may or may not be as big an issue with a 48” range. -You can use different types of metal and surfaces. If you want the most even heating, you can use aluminum. If you want nonstick, they make coated aluminum. They make steel if you want that. There are people that change out the different kinds for different types of cooking. The steel seasons like cast iron. The aluminum is quicker to change temperature up or down. -Depending on what type of add on you get, you can get a fitted one like the person in the first response has or you can get one like Royal Industries makes. It has almost 50% more cooking area than the built in griddle over 2 burners. They are aluminum so that even if you have the bigger size, they heat evenly. . http://royalindustriesinc.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_22_48 Chef King makes one very similar to the Royal Industries but in steel. This is better for zoned type of heat. -The heat is limited on the built in to 15-16K/2 burners. You will usually have 15K from each burner with the add on but it could be more if you have a BS. You can adjust the heat separately for each burner. The speed of recovery depends on how much heat is coming into the griddle, and how fast the metal conducts the heat. With a thermostat there can be a delay on heat coming in because the heat loss has to make its way across the griddle so that the sensor can sense it and turn on the heat. The add on is more of an organic type of cooking like cooking with a pan. if You are constantly turning it up and down you are doing it wrong. Eventually you will get the feel of what the burners do just like with a pan. You could use the griddle for high heat if you want to. Some people stir fry with it. You can put an add on on the burners any way you want to, across the back or front to back. With the Royal industries you can pick up the griddle if you want and put it in the oven. Advantages to the built in -You can set the knob to a setting and get the same heat every time. -Some people want the pro look of the built in In looking at the built in griddles you mention, there are several things that go into even heating. These same things go into the add on griddles. The Thermador has an electric element and aluminum removable plate. It is nonstick so might need to be replaced down the road. Between the aluminum and the heat source, this would most likely have the most consistent in temperature across the griddle of the built ins. The Wolf uses an infrared burner. It has a rolled steel griddle plate. In the manual, it says that one end of the griddle is warmer than the other. BlueStar mentioned has this type of element. It’s griddle is also steel but half the thickness of Wolf so it is more of a zoned heating The application of heat is different with the thermostatically controlled griddle because it comes on and off moving up up to the high temperature and then shutting off and the temperature falling until it triggers the heat to come back on. The heat for the add on is constant unless you change it. The difference is like cooking with an electric skillet or electric burner vs cooking with a pan on a gas burner. There isn’t one best. You have to see what fits with your style of cooking. If you use the griddle and want a built in, I would consider getting a 24”x24” if you get the built in. Measure the actual cooking area of the two burner. Of course you could always add the add on if you need more space. @opaone, Im not sure what the GE has for their griddle but the Monogram has stainless over aluminum so it is somewhat like clad cookware and it does not need to be seasoned although I have seen pictures here where people have seasoned it. This is about the difference in metals and how it effects eveness of heat. http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/120/Common-Materials-of-Cookware Burners are another story. The “best” depends on how you cook and your cookware.