I'm also looking at the Bertazzonis. Although, I don't know if I'd compare them to the Wolf & Viking. I think the Bertazzoni would be compared to more of the European ranges like La Cornue (the oven size is just a little smaller) whereas the NXR range would probably be more comparable to the Pro ranges like Wolf, Viking, Thermador. I'm having the hardest time trying to figure out what to go with. I fell in love w/ the Berta and when I saw an NXR in person it didn't do much for me. The oven size is definitely larger in the NXR but Berta owners posting here don't seem to have any complaints about the oven size. I do a ton of roasting so that's why the oven size has been my only concern. I've seriously thought about sticking a turkey in my roasting pan and bringing it to the store :-) Have you looked at the new XT's? I believe they come with a temperature gauge on the front and are supposed to sell around $2700 ($2900 LP). I'll be ineterested in seeing the feedback you receive as well! Here is a link that might be useful: Berta XT specs

I don't have a gas stove so I've never tried this but I read that you put a little ammonia in a plastic bag with the grates, seal it up and let sit over night. The fumes from the ammonia is what does the cleaning. It is suppose to wipe of easily according to what I have seen and read on line. Google ammonia, plastic bag, and stove grates and lots of info pops up.

Some people make their cooktop choice based on performance, not ease of cleaning. We did - we have one in the mid-range - gas burners with more BTUs than a normal household model, a bit less so than a true restaurant model. We're very happy with it. As others have said, cast iron grates can be wiped but really need no cleaning. The burner pans underneath can use attention from time to time, but the best way to keep those clean (on any stove) is to avoid boil-overs. While I haven't tried an induction range, I very much dislike the traditional electric ones. Heat control is too difficult, pan scorching and boil-overs are too common.

I made the dough using my whole wheat recipe, which uses 1 cup of semolina flour for three pizzas (I have dough for the third still in the fridge and will use it tonight), and this gives it a chewy texture, but it was still thin and crisp. On Saturday, we adjusted the choke on the burners so that the low setting is as low as possible for all burners plus the oven, but last night was the first time I baked. I turned the oven all the way up, but the highest temperature I got (according to the oven thermometer I just bought) is 475 degrees. I consider this marginally acceptable for pizza. I did parbake the pizzas at 350 degrees for five minutes with a small amount of fresh mozzarella on them and then added the toppings. The first one has tomato slices (which I sprinkled with dried oregano, even though I also have fresh oregano), basil, and more fresh mozzarella (no salt - the cheese has plenty of salt). After it was done, I added a small amount of Parmesan. The pizza took 15 minutes to get done, and I used the convection setting and checked it every five minutes. I don't think it should have taken that long, but Kevin loved the results. I liked it, but I thought it came out better when cooked on the BGE. Still, it cooked very evenly and came out crisp, which is what I wanted. There is no char on it, but I will not be able to get that with this oven - I will need to use the grill for that. I did use a pizza stone, which I think is 15-1/2" deep - I will measure it later, but it seemed to take up almost the full depth of the rack. The second pizza has pasta sauce, basil, thinly sliced mushrooms, mozzarella, and Provolone cheese, and it also took 15 minutes to get done. I kept the pizzas fairly simple so that I could get them in the oven quickly. We have not eaten any of the second one yet, but the first one I cut into eight pieces; Kevin had four, and I had three. My pizza screens are 15-3/4" to 16" diameter and just barely fit in the oven, but they fit. The oven racks are 16" deep, which I knew before we got the range, and I am okay with that. I did not want the range protruding any further into the kitchen than necessary. One slight drawback - the oven puts out warm air in the front, meaning that it would be somewhat uncomfortable to use the cook-top while baking. It did not heat up the kitchen significantly, however - less so than cooking on the top. I was very glad that I did not add any salt to the tomatoes, as the pizza came out salty enough just from the cheese. I did add cayenne, however, but no black pepper.