I have a single griddle in my Bluestar RNB36. The SS cooking area (inside the raised lips) measures 11in x 18 in and I feel it's too small because the perimeter stays a bit cooler and the actual usable area is about the same as a large frying pan. The 24 inch griddle would be much more preferable. Also, because the plate is so thick that it takes at least 20 minutes to get up to temperature, so, for me, it is useless. I need to point out that I'm not a big griddle chef and have only used it 3-4 times in the 3 years I've had it--mainly because it takes 20 minutes to heat it hot enough for 5 minutes of cooking pancakes. In its defense, it may take this long to get up to temperature because my husband insists on setting the knob thermostat at 350, so it never gets up to temperature (I check with an infrared thermometer). I'll crank the knob all the way up and he turns it back down; if I can keep him away the time to heat it may not be so bad. (he also turns down my burners when he thinks I'm not looking--perhaps he thinks I'll burn the house down?) This is my first range griddle, and my expectations may have been unrealistic. I LOVE the 22k BTU burners and how quickly they respond. My unprofessional guess is that the Culinarian griddle will also take a long time to heat up, and griddle chefs may already know that. When we were deciding on the configuration of the BS, we decided to go with 4 burners and a griddle because I did not think we would have a need for more burners. I thought I could always supplement by buying a free-standing induction burner for parties,etc., but I haven't needed it yet. I'm sorely tempted to replace the griddle with two additional burners, but the stainless grill cover actually makes a very nice, smooth landing area for pots, bowls, etc. and spills are very easy to clean.

A friend shared this with us regarding BS: Griddle Temperature-will have three areas of different temperatures to allow for optimum griddle cooking (***Always allow for 30 minutes pre-heat time for optimal use***) 12” griddle -center will be the highest temp (Control Setting) -outer sides will be slightly lower temp than setting (20-25°) -front portion will be lowest temp from setting (30-40°) 24” griddle (2) griddle burners are located slightly to left of knob placement (on standard 484G configuration) -outer sides and directly in middle of griddle plate will be slightly lower temp than setting (20-25°) -front portion will be lowest temp from setting (30-40°)

I guess it boils down to what kind of ovens you want. I don't think Wolf has a stand alone griddle or opaone on the other thread could do that. If you buy BS range(s) for the burners and griddle, you get their ovens which are gas. For some people this makes no difference and they even like the simplicity. Others like electric ovens for the flexibility and control. With the gas ovens, you choice is whether you want 2 30" ovens or a 24" and 36" oven. The big difference aside from money would be with a 24" oven you have one oven that heats up a little quicker but it would not hold a full sized commercial sheet or two half sizes side by side like the 30" or 36" does. You might want to compare the size of the broilers.

I have a 12" on my BS. I too like making breakfast but do many other things on it as well. We probably use it on average 3-5 times a week, sometimes more. I've wondered about a 24" griddle but seem to get by fine w/the 12". When it's just the 4 of us I can do 8 pieces of french toast at a time, usually only 6 pancakes. It will do 8 burgers depending on size. I use an oven as a warmer if doing large breakfasts. One thing about using a griddle, say you want to make pancakes. So you turn it on when you start the batter, it will be close to ready while the batter is resting for a minute or two. Pour your cakes, flip, turn off griddle and serve. Your only using it for like 4 minutes total. When doing multi batches it will be on longer of course. W/a 24" I think cooking would be over almost before it began :) Another interesting thing about the BS thermostatically controlled griddle. Say I want to heat up tortillas or even make a few pancakes quickly. The griddle takes probably 15 minutes or more to evenly heat up to temp, probably 20 for good measure. However during the heating process the griddle gets very hot w/in the 1st 5 minutes, plenty hot enough to cook up some pancakes or heat up tortillas, it will then cool down before igniting again, while it's in this mode things don't cook well and you'll need to pretty much wait until the griddle is fully up to temp. But there's a 5 minute window where it will hit the desired temp (~400) or close enough to it to get some quick cooking in. I throw burgers on in this quick heat mode, by the time the temp is dropping they're ready for the cheese, then I cover w/a baking tray to finish melting the cheese. I've found most griddle items are pretty quick to cook so a lot of the cooking is done within the 1st 10 minutes of turning it on. If I'm doing a scramble w/tators and sausage I turn it on before I start prepping so it's evenly heated when I'm ready. Cleaning a built-in griddle take a bit of time. Unfortunately the best time to clean the messiest messes are when it's still hot so you have to do it right away (and hold up dinner a few minutes). Like I mentioned I had my griddle put on the right hand side next to the counter, staging things on the counter is nice and the spatter from the griddle only hits the 2 adjacent burners, not all of them. If I'm cooking something that will spatter a lot I usually cover the adjacent burners. If my griddle has stuff stuck all over it I'll plug the drain hole w/a paper towel and pour some water on the griddle and use a bench scraper to get everything off the surface. You have to be careful not to burn yourself w/the steam, letting it cool a little helps. Usually the water will mostly evaporate while scrapping. I then use a wet paper towel under the edge of the scraper. Then a couple dry ones and light spray of cooking oil wiped completely off with another dry paper towel and it's done. I like to keep my griddle clean and seasoned.