Hi All! I'm new herer but we're in the midst of buying a new gas range and was told there is a lot of sage advice to be found here. So here's our situation:

We live in a loft with a fairly small kitchen. That's the bad news. We currently have a 30" Frigidaire Gallery freestanding range that's about 9 years old. Sealed burners, self cleaning oven, etc. We hate it. The display on the oven is so faint we're not sure what temperature the oven is set for, and due to the sealed burners we get a ring of fire when cooking with a wok and a big dead spot in the middle.

So we're looking to replace. Ideal list of what we're looking for:

- Open burners or multi-burner(s) that will heat evenly

- Self cleaning oven

- High output burner -- minimum 16K btu with Wok attachment (grate, ring, etc.)

- Good oven settings; clear, bright digital or analog

- Gas oven as we typically bake once a year, if at all

- Convection

Nice to haves:

- Timer/delayed bake -- for those days we want to have slow cooked ribs ready when we get home

- We like the glide-out shelves we've seen on Dacor or Electrolux ranges

- Ceramic/Infrared broiler, though we can live with gas

We like the slide-in design that we've seen, which has the slight lip that overhands the burner area on the sides. We don't like the little space that is there currently -- it seems food just loves to go down that crevice

Limitations:

- 30" space in counter -- small kitchen, so expansion is not possible. We've considered moving, but need a winning lottery ticket :o)

- Microwave oven/hood, recirculating. Definitely not ideal, but with fast paced worklife during the week, having a microwave is a necessity. Allows us to eat quickly during the week. We don't have the counter space to move the microwave oven to the counter or a drawer

- Currently no backsplash, though we are considering adding one regardless. Would prefer glass tile, but may opt for SS behind the range for protection

So far we've looked at a bunch of things both Pro style and consumer. We like the following:

Electrolux freestanding (EW3LGF65GS)-- almost all the features we like. Not sure of quality of build though, and will keep the little crevices on the sides

Jenn-Air Slide-in (JGS8860BDP) -- likewise close, though no glide shelves but has the slide-in overhang

Dacor (ER30G) -- Love the product, no timer though

Dacor (ER30D) -- Dual Fuel, has neat gadget/tilt-out display (yes, I'm a geek!)

BlueStar (30 RNB or RCS) -- no timers, not sure about the racks

So I think it comes down to limitations -- the pro-style have the heating elements I desire but I'm wary of the limited airflow of our piddly little micro-hood. My leaning right now:

Do the backsplash

Go with Electrolux or Jenn-air, as the lower heat output will be less likely to overload the limited ventilation. While I love the pro-style ranges, I don't think they would be able to work in the small kitchen

Glide-out shelves may be an aftermarket option, or an option on newer models this year. Or we can just grease our existing racks more often

Your thoughts?