Wow, thank you soo much for all of your expert advice! To clarify a little more. I only cook for my family of7 during the week (besides for a once a week lunch on campus for 25 or so:) But the thing is I've been doing this for 10 years with only one little residential range so I don't think i need a serious upgrade to a commercial. Maybe. But I don't know if I want to go the whole fire hazard, high cost ventilation, no wood cabinets nearby etc route. I've got 5 little ones running around me all the time! As far as the religious configurations, yes Chef Dupre you've got me, we run a Jewish Home Away from home on campus here in UVa--but the pilot light would not be a problem on sabbath. But the more high tech ovens do have a Sabbath mode that would be helpful as well as a self-clean which is very useful around Passover. The bottom line is I'm not ready to put a commercial stove in the middle of my new homey kitchen. So you'd recommend putting two 30nchers next to each other before the 48inch? Or a double wall oven and professional cooktop. I do have to admit I love the look of those professional ranges... Thanks for letting me talk things out here and any more advice about brands and experiences would be more than welcome!

Proline are rock bottom priced Chinese made hoods that use 430 SS instead of the much more common and more expensive 304 SS. 430 SS uses less nickel therefore is a little darker and more prone to rust. You need a 60-66" hood with at least 1200 cfm. You will not find another company that sells cheaper. Maybe a new Chinese company selling something equivalent. In 2010-11 about 10 people on GW purchased Proline Hoods. Five were satisfied including one that was very satisfied and posted on every thread that mentioned Proline extolling the virtues of the hood. About three were unsatisfied with the lights. Either they were too dim or would not turn off. One got a free circuit board but got the run around about getting reimbursed for labor. Two had major problems. Not getting the right parts and another(if I remember correctly) too many holes drilled into the hood and duct cover. One complained to the better business bureau and the BBB closed the case with an unsatisfied rating saying the company never answered. This person would also post in any thread that mentioned Proline. The other just grew frustrated and posted so again and again. Eventually, people on here stopped buying Proline. But if you want something of better quality and reputation with the correct size and cfm you will have to spend significantly more. Do you want two remote blowers or just one for the outdoor hood? Fantech budget but kinda noisy remote blower. Probably not a good idea if you have neighbors close to your property line. Abbaka considered the best remote blowers. You have to maker sure blower is compatible with hood. If it is single speed I don't think they make those anymore. 3 Speed or Variable speed.

Yes, you sure can run a stove off of a 5 gallon tank of propane. Many natural gas stoves can be converted to propane gas simply by changing (sometimes adjusting) the individual burner jets. Keep in mind that in some situations you must use a "LOW pressure" pressure regulator for use on the LPG bottle. The outlet pressure from the 5 gallon bottle to the stove burner is important to obtain the correct operation of the stove. However, I would suggest you consider using a "HIGH pressure" burner like the ones in the link below. There are several models that work well for cooking steaks. The Cadillac burner pictured below is one type of burner that I have and often use. It has lots of BTUs which I use for stir fry and cooking in large dutch ovens or stock pots. A Wok will fit too into that burner. You will get close to professional tasting stir fry foods because of the high heat capabilities. Suggest you get the stand too to put this stove at about knee height. I also have the Super Cooker Propane stove. This portable stove is real good for blackening steaks, deep frying, and boiling seafood in large stock pots. Notice the large size of this burner......great for heating large skillets evenly. The pressure regulator that comes with this stove works well. However, I use a better (IMO) adjustable High pressure regulator with my stove to get an even higher BTU output when I need it yet still maintain a barely simmer flame when I need that too. This stove works great and one that I highly recommend. This is coming from a guy who does a lot of cooking outdoors often in huge batches....... Dan Semper Fi-cus Here is a link that might be useful: Portable Propane Stoves

Our Viking cooktop only 6 years old failed. Some burners wouldn't ignite. Some didn't register that they were lit and kept clicking ad nauseum. I found Viking completely uninterested in standing behind their product. They crow on their website that they acknowledge their previous models had issues and have now improved due to Viking being acquired by a new corporation. But when I called to ask what specifically they had done to make it worth my while to invest in a new Viking cooktop no one could tell me anything other than they were now owned by a new corporation, and by gum that meant something! When I asked if they would be willing to offer me a replacement unit, or pay to upgrade the defective electronics, or at least give me a discount on a new model, they declined on all counts. I told them I would be happy to relate my experience with their company online — good or bad — and so that's what I'm doing. I ended up going with a DCS CDV-2365H and I love it — SO much better than the Viking. Build quality is great. High output burners. Incredibly low simmer on all burners. And it was $700 less expensive.