If you do some reading and some search tasks here on the various brands you're looking at you'll be able to formulate answers to many of your questions here.

I'm not saying that for any other reason than there's info in depth on the various threads (re the wall ovens in particular) and no one could adequately summarize it all.

I did my reading and many questions were not answered definitively. I would definitely appreciate input to my particular configuration reflecting the most current models available.

I have:
Miele H4880BP (?) 30" master chef. Super quiet, it's great but I don't use it that much since I have an advantium 240 as well.

Miele steam oven: I have one. It's' great. I use it more and more.

Forgot one thing:
Why not induction? I've got the Miele induction (36") and it's awesome. I'll never go back to gas. I've put a miele da409 above it.

I've got a toddler and everything is safe. Induction is great. So much power... and so much control!

I been very impressed with my Bluestar 30" RNB range, especially wokking, broiling, and baking. It has actually improved the quality of my cooking. To answer your specific questions:
The oven is extremely quiet. Even the convection fan is quiet... but I don't think you'll want to custom panel it to conceal it... maybe a custom color?
Yes, the broiler is hot enough to sear meat (top rack position). But I think most Bluestar users are searing steaks on the stovetop and finishing in the broiler or oven.
Yes, you can broil with the door closed -- I do.
I have no experience with the salamander, but the broiler is outstanding.
The door handles and knobs on my range do not get hot in normal use. The door gets hot but not hot enough to burn. The vent piece under the door gets very hot -- any toddler would draw back from it, as well as the door.
A 42" 900 cfm vent hood sounds more than adequate. Many have recommended the 27" deep hood over 24" if you do a lot of smoky cooking (wokking or if you have a grill).

Mart, I'm glad that you're happy with your induction cooktop. I am intrigued by the technology and, given unlimited space and money, would seriously consider a single induction hob (like cpovey's setup) in addition to my 2 Bluestar ranges (strictly kosher kitchen). But please don't overstate the safety of induction. In induction cooking, food, syrups, oils etc still get dangerously hot, the pots still become hot from the food, G-d forbid one could still get seriously burned or scalded, and you still need to teach your precious children kitchen safety.

Run, RUN, no really RUN AWAY FROM DACOR AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

...lol...

My experiences can be found in the Dacor oven quality concerns thread, so you can read all about it there, but I will not buy another Dacor appliance because of my experience. They have done a lot to compensate for their QC issues, but still it's more than a customer should be expected to put up with.

Shimjm,

Have you looked at a 36 inch induction? I bought a small portable induction unit just to see how I would enjoy cooking on it. Well, I am in the process of figuring out how to rid myself of my Wolf range. I see no reason to use gas any longer. And with induction you don't need 900 cfm to clear the air. I would highly recommend (considering the price point of most of your appliances) looking at induction. As far as safety, do a double wall unit and replace your lost cabinet space under your induction cooktop.

Bon appetit.

Villandry -- can you tell us the brand and cost of your small unit and what you use it for? I'm hoping to switch out my smoothie eventually and an auxiliary burner would be great.

It must be something if you're thinking about getting rid of the Wolf. Does seem more efficient though I wonder about energy consumption.

Rococogurl,

I bought a Viking unit. Which obviously is repackaged. It is only 110v but I am extremely impressed by the technology. And I can only imagine what is must be like to have a true induction cooktop. But there is a lot of factors in getting rid of my gas range.

First, I detest the amount of noise from my VAH. Which was required to remove all of the excess heat. Even on low the noise is unbearable. Everyone in the room says "ahhhhh" when I finally turn it off. I am hoping to find a nice vent that does what it needs to and is quiet.(maybe wishful thinking)

Second, the top of my stove is always a greasy disaster. I am a very tidy person but cleaning that thing is really a task. Therefore, it never gets cleaned enough.

Third, I cook a lot. In the summer, I am always turning up the A/C, opening windows to fight the heat coming from the stove/cooktop. It is wasteful and needs to stop. I believe the new electric ovens are more efficient than gas(an assumption on my part). Clearly they heat up faster and are more accurate.

Does water boil faster on gas or induction? Personally, I don't care. I think that test is somewhat of a red herring. The objective of induction is efficiency. If it takes an extra 5 minutes for a large kettle of water to boil, so what?

Just a little side note. What cookware works best on induction? My cheapest. I have two black steel frying pans that absolutely smoke my Bourgeat on induction. Maybe I could sell them to pay for my remodel?

I am deep in the process of a complete home remodel (including kitchen) and am also comparing different ranges. I noticed that ellen613 also has a kosher kitchen and was wondering whether the ovens on the Blue Star ranges were usable on Jewish Holydays?

thanks!

ellen613 - I am seriously considering the blue star. I have read nearly everything on the blue star but I cannot find much on the grill. Do you have one? I am looking at a range top with a grill since I am going to do double wall ovens. Can you help me out with this information? I am comparing the Wolf 36" with grill and the bluestar 36" with grill.

From my experience, I would stay away from the Dacor oven also. I've owned the Dacor Millenia for about 1 1/2 years now and the electronic control boards broke twice! The electronic membrane in the front shorted and had to be replaced at 9 months. The repair man told me it would have cost $600 to replace had it not have been under warranty. At 13 months, the electronic control board died and had to be replaced. This was not under warranty and cost me $400!

I did try calling Dacor if they offered extended warranties and they just shut me down. I will never buy another Dacor product.

It is kind of ridiculous when you pay $2000 for an oven you think is top quality and it ends up not being reliable. Especially, when you have labored over preparing 2 apple pies from scratch with company coming over for dinner in about an hour. And the darn thing decides it will break down at that very moment!

I did find out find my repairman that Dacor decided in 2003 that they would change there warranty period from 2 years to 1 year. I can only wonder why.

Okay, enough of my rant on Dacor.

I also own the KitchenAid architect series refrigerator. I've had it for 2 years now and love it. It somehow manages to keep my produce fresher longer than our previous refrigerator.

Good Luck on your decisions!

Jacobsfamily: Yes, the Bluestar oven works great for Jewish holidays. It is like the old-time pre-computer ovens, and indeed the Bluestar has no computer electronics. There is a light next to the oven temperature dial that glows when the oven is heating and turns off when it is not. You can raise the temperature when the light is on and lower it when the light is off. On yontefs we keep the oven on and also the simmer burner. Last Shavuos we kept the oven at about 200° just for reheating but we went through all our food so we also baked a chicken at 400°. We used the burner to cook fresh vegetables and to reheat soups and stews.

A couple of things to be aware of :
1) The Bluestar doesn't have a Sabbath mode because it doesn't need one -- the misnamed "Sabbath mode" is a result of trying to deal with computer electronics that digitally control temperatures and turn ovens off after 12 hrs.
2) Because of the way the Bluestar is wired you need to have the burner(s) you plan to use already on before yontef begins unless you cut power off to the range (unplug it) -- but then, although you could turn on more burners by igniting them from a flame (without triggering the electronic ignition), you couldn't use the oven. My husband has toyed with the idea of having an electrician friend separate the wiring and make the burner circuit separate from the oven, but I'm fine using one burner and the oven... and it would almost certainly void the warranty.

TeacherSuzanne: I do not have a grill. I do know that the Wolf grill works differently than the Bluestar. The Wolf is either on or off; the Bluestar has an adjustable temperature. Try asking on the Bluestar thread or start a separate thread about grills.

Have success,
Ellene

Thanks Villandry for the explanation.

You might look into the Miele hoods. Expensive but very quiet. Also Zephyr. I've seen certain brands work and it's suprising how quiet they are. I wouldn't buy one again without actually hearing it in someone's house though.

I will never purchase another Viking product after the experience with my oven. Eventually do plan to switch out the smooth top to induction but there's no need right now. My Viking hood also is noisy and so/so on the efficiency. Not bad but I can't recommend it.

Very happy with my new oven (Miele) which doesn't heat up any faster than any others necessarily but which has been super to use. Between that, the microwave and the bbq I don't do much stovetop in the summer.

For the occasional pasta I must admit it takes a a lot of time but switching out to stainless pans with copper-sandwich bottom pans has helped. Those can go in the dw, which is great. My only issue with the induction is that the old pans (Le Creuset and all) are heavy though steady. I hang on to all the old things as I find them better, on average, than the new.

Thanks for your perspective and good luck with the reno. As time goes on and I keep reading posts here and elsewhere I find that the choices get fewer and fewer, which makes it easier somehow.

Rocco,

The renovation is going to be awhile since I am waiting for the new Miele 30 inch.

I agree about Viking but this is not a Viking product it's a relabel.

Not all induction ready pans are heavy. Try some black steel. They are cheap and durable. Treat them like cast iron.

Sorry Shimjm, we hijacked your thread. I will stop now! ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel

Thank you Ellene. All of your information is very helpful. I love everything about the Blue Star except the fact that is not self-cleaning. But, you can't have everything...

villandry-- Thanks. Know those well -- had a few of those since the 70s, actually bought them in Paris. I use the paella sometimes and, of course, the crepe pans. Right now, I'm very enamored of the ss pans with the copper sandwich bottoms. Those work great on my smoothie and go into the dw. I got the Sitram from Amazon at great prices.

I'm backing up what shivastrava had to say: RUN RUN as fast as you can away from Dacor. We bought a dual fuel Dacor almost 4 years ago and have lost over 1 year of use due to faulty electronics/very expensice touch pad replacements. Dacor reps. were more than useless - they were downright annoying.

I hope I'm not jumping from the frying pan into the fire - but - thinking of buying a 30" Blue Star convection. The main appeal? It's all gas w/no electronic touch pads (crappily assembled in China?) to break.

Are there any other simple, all gas .. no electronic touch pads .. out there .. that are less expensive than Blue Star?

I have a new 48" Bluestar w/grill just installed but have not had enough time to actually use it.

We have a Prestige ventilation unit. It is very quiet but it is expensive. I think it is worth the cost.