Phyrephox, We are wrapping up a total kitchen remodel. I had an old mid- 1970's electric range that came with the house. I had toyed with the idea of having a dual fuel range. I wanted an electric oven because I like to make cheesecakes and pies. We already had the 220V outlet and had previously ran a T for a future gas range in 2005 when we switched from an 1940's oil furnace to a new high-efficiency gas furnace. I found an amazing deal on our local Craigs list for a NEW 30 inch GE Profile dual fuel range. It had been purchased as part of an auction lot from a kitchen remodel company that suddenly went out of business. It must have been displayed in a model kitchen vignette. It was a few years old, but never used! It carried a full warranty by GE. It was white, which is exactly what I was looking for. I bought it for $1,000! It was missing the internal probe, which I probably would never use. It also was missing the instruction booklet which I got from calling GE with the model and serial numbers. The range got hooked up just in time for Thanksgiving. I cooked a turkey breast and it did superbly. I have since baked casseroles, pizza, cookies, and lasagne. No cheesecakes just yet. The oven seems to bake about 25 degrees too cold. (My neighbor bought a brand new GE Profile Dual Fuel about the same time I did and her oven does the same thing) I just adjust it accordingly, either by increasing the time or upping the temp. The cooktop is great. I really like cooking on gas better than electric. Heats up so much faster and much more immediate temperature response. I am having a little learning curve on the pots to burners choices. I am using my favorite 25 year old Reverware copper clad. You do have to match more burner size to pot size, but I'm getting the hang of it. I find I am able to cook most things on a lower setting on the burners at about 2,3,or 4 setting. Most of the time I use the medium and large burners from my everyday cooking. I use the X-large burner for large pots and pans and to boil pasta water. I have had great success using a 10.5 inch stock pot on it. The simmer burner I use for small pots, and light simmer for small batches of soup. I like the electronic controls on the oven and it is easy to use. Cleaning the cooktop is easy too. I'm a "wipe up after you cook gal" so cleanup has been fine. I love having a window on the oven, something I never had before. I like to watch things cook and not have to open the door to do so. I haven't tried the convection bake yet. So far I am very, very happy with this range. I also like the styling of it, it kind of has a rounded vintage look to it which goes well with my bungalow vintage kitchen. This post was edited by NWRain-Gal on Thu, Feb 13, 14 at 3:28

You need a 36 inch hood for a 30 inch range.

Mine, over 30" induction cooktop, is a 36" Kobe in the CH191 series. It has max 720CFM, although the long run and multiple turns in my duct means the effective CFM is less. I usually run it on the second lowest setting anyway. It's quiet and easy to clean, and the corners are curved so no one can impale his head by accident. Mine has halogen bulbs, but I understand that they come with LED now. I thought ventingdirect.com had pretty good prices, although others have found even better deals on other sites. I think I read that there is a more affordable Kobe-made hood sold at Costco. Maybe the Brilla? Marcia's right - it's better to have 36" hood over 30" stove. But if you aren't changing the cabs and you're replacing a 30" MW, I don't know that you can avoid having 30" hood. Not the end of the world. Still much better than OTR MW. There are more discussions of hoods over on the Appliances forum. Try googling "gardenweb hood recommendation" or something similar.

Usually the diameter of the hood matches the range and the cfms required are determined by a formula (there was a chart here with that info long ago -- anyone have it?) that calculates the length of the duct run, room size I believe and one or two other factors. Getting it right is not arbitrary or merely a matter of opinion. An overpowered hood sucks too much air out of the room and becomes inefficient. Going too wide risks ventilating your counters. A good quality, efficient hood with cfms appropriate to the range type will be optimal. Femmelady's kitchen shows that perfectly. She has a pro range with an indoor grill plus a 24" wok stove next to it. I think they went with a 900 or 1200 cfm VAH and a photo she posted showed it drawing out the grill smoke -- even installed extra high as her husband is tall. Here's a link. Surely there are enough hood styles that one can be found to look good with the cabinets. I'd be much more concerned with technical issues, a good brand and proper ventilation calculus, especially if you plan to go with a high-powered range and one of the monster gas ovens. Here is a link that might be useful: femmelady's hood install