willtv, no need to Hot Rod your Easy-Bake it has already been done. Look ma, no bulbs! Some worried the federal phase-out of 100-watt incandescent bulbs would cause a perhaps unforeseen demise: the Easy Bake Oven. Without the powerful wattage, how would budding bakers turn out their (admittedly gooey) goods? First introduced in 1963, the iconic play appliance allows kid chefs to bake real cookies, cakes, and other confections, originally relying on a 100-watt bulb as the heat source for its easy baking. But the more energy-efficient bulbs, like fluorescents and LEDs, aren't hot enough to do the job. Hasbro answered this with a total redesign, its 11th since its 1963 debut. "This gave us a reason to do it completely differently," said Michelle Paolino, a vice president of global brand strategy and marketing at Hasbro, according to a USA Today report. The bulb has been replaced with a heating element similar to a traditional oven. But the most apparent change to young cooks is its look, sleek and purple with Atomic-Age curves. (Parents are most likely to notice the price increase � now $49.99, up from $29.99.)

Oh I've been checking out all the cooktops! I'm driving everyone on my family (and the appliance stores nuts because I can't make up my mind). Drop in, rangetop, double ovens, Miele, Capital, cheapy, expensive... I love a great deal, and those Miele ovens sure were, but if they don't work, that won't help. mojavean - thanks for the electrical info. I called the power company, talked to an electrician, talked to the Miele store guys... sounds like these older Chef ovens they still have for sale for super cheap, are only 208V OR 240V (sold out of 240V) and that the newer ovens allow you to adjust depending on what your service is. For the older ones you have to match your service. So running too much power into the oven could cause some problems. Same as having not enough power, the oven won't be running at full capacity. The guy at one of the local appliance stores told me 208V was for Canada, so I just took his word for it. I did a little online research and from what I gathered from most of my sources so far, it sounds like it is not a good idea to run a 208V designed appliance at 240V. http://applianceguru.com/forum9/9262.html riverspots... I did look at wolf and dcs, but I've crossed them off my list (can't even remember why as I've gone around in circles so many times). I think the Wolf seemed expensive, was closed burner and I didn't love the look or configuration (I do like the look of the rangetop though). The DSC drop in doesn't put out enough heat, though I like the configuration of having the largest burner in the middle. pvrick and amcook - how's the cleaning on the drop in bluestar? You take off all the grates and burners, then "pop the top?" How much time does this take? And does stuff get baked on inside? How's the stainless steel holding up on the cooktop part? Still look nice? Sounds like Capital may not come out with an open burner drop in for awhile yet. I'm debating the rangetop, but man $$$, should just buy a range at that point! Here is a link that might be useful: more 208v info

I've had a cooktop and now have Wolf rangetop. As mentioned, the knobs on a cooktop take up cooker surface space. AND the knobs require constant cleaning because they're always collecting spatters and dust. Vs the rangetop where the knobs are on the front of the appliance & w/ the Wolf, tucked in under a ledge (don't know about the BS). We've been using the Wolf for several months and I've yet to clean the knobs! The Big Factor that pushed me to a rangetop was Cooker Surface Real Estate. I'm a stovetop cook primarily, have a garden and do some canning. With the rangetop, I can fit two large canners, front to back. Have a 36'' 4 burner rangetop w/ center griddle so, theoretically, I could fit a large pressure cooker or water bath canner on every burner. So far, I've had only two going at one time with the other burners occupied (lids on one and large stockpot of pasta sauce or tomatoes on the other.) I've not had any regrets yet about chosing the griddle over a 6 burner cooker. Griddle, when not in use, makes a good landing spot for utensils, etc. A drop in cooktop has a more streamlined look and the countertop is continuous unlike a rangetop that slides in and you have the space between the appliance & counter that can be difficult to keep clean. I've not had much problem with that...counters are temporary. When I get real counters, I'll look into those little bridge strips that fit into the seam to prevent crud getting trapped between. If you're just a casual cook, probably none of this matters but, since you're looking at hard core appliances like BS, I'm assuming that you're a pretty serious about cooking.

So, time to chime in here. I went with the Blue Star 36" induction cook top 2 years ago. Looks great, LOVED the knobs, worked fantastic... for about 18 months. I'll note that unlike their other products it only has a 1 year warranty. First, the two rightmost burners started indicating they were overheating when the central burner was in use (and the rightmost were not). I reset the system at the breaker per the manual and it rand great for three weeks with a hitch, then the central and right top burner cut out entirely. Three days later they came back, but wouldn't heat above level 7 (out of 10). I had (or so I thought) the good sense to get an extended warranty, but after getting a service guy out here the warranty company informs me it will cost more to fix than I paid in the first place, so they're going to cash me out. Blue Star may be good in other areas (no experience here), but based on my experience with this one, I don't think they have enough time making this product to reach their usual degree of reliability. Addendum: looks like Blue Star (when I bought it) had a narrower cut out (18") than anything currently on the market, including their own product. At least it looks like they're learning from past mistakes...