bluestar vs american range wall oven

13 years ago

I have been on this site and others researching both. we are expanding our kitchen and going through the dilemma of picking out appliances.

We initially wanted a 36 gas range and I was all but sold on Bluestar until i researched more and discovered the 36 inch oven takes over 30 minutes to preheat. I confirmed this by speaking with Bluestar directly. this is a major turn off for me. I then found the capital Culinarian and was interested in that but see its not yet available and still in prototype phase so i am concerned with buying anything so unproven yet.

So now we are thinking about changing our config a bit and getting the 36 inch bluestar range top as we like the open burners. Then we will get two 30 inch single wall ovens, one gas, one electric to have the best of both worlds.

The only problem is there are not many choices in gas wall ovens and it seems we be narrowed down to American Range and Bluestar. Viking has a terrible reputation lately and scares me a bit so although I like their wall oven config over the others I have to rule them out for reliability.

My concerns are - preheat time and broiler space.

Does anyone have these wall ovens in gas and or electric and can they comment about them on any and all aspects from use to reliability to heat dissipation in room etc

thanks

Bacci

thanks

Featured Answer

burgers

13 years ago

Really? Viking has a terrible reputation for wall ovens? I've heard good things. What specifically have you heard? I'm in the market for some wall ovens myself, and having a gas option sounds great. I'm also looking for a steam oven. I've been comparing Miele (no gas option for wall ovens -- that I know of) and Viking, and curious about what others have to say.

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Comments (9)

baccigalup
Original Author
13 years ago
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/viking.html

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0914305529847.html

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/345161

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/412763
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Induction would be your fastest boil most likely but there are other pros and cons to it. The term “open burners” has been used in an ambiguous way by manufacturers. It has to do with the burner tray. Before the mid 1980s all burners were open. A sealed tray was developed to keep food from getting down in the works of the stove. All three manufacturers you listed make a version of “open burners“. Some manufacturers say the open burner gets more oxygen, generating more heat. Nope. The oxygen is mixed in the Venturi tube. Open vs sealed is a cleaning preference. Viking d-5 open burner, gap between tray and burner cap This is their oldLet burner but you can see the gap better than the drawing. BlueStar open burner Open around the star American Performer is really a semi open burner in that the tray is all one piece and lifts off. It does still have a pull out tray below. BTUs are the amount of heat given off by the burner, but it also matters how much of the heat gets to your food. This is dependent on the burner configuration, the materials the cookware is made of, the size and shape of the pan and even what you are heating. The d-5 “open burner“ and the BlueStar sealed burner would probably be very close in function. They both have burner caps. This one thing can affect performance more than anything. This can cause the burner to flare on highest heat. The amount of flare varies a lot manufacturer to manufacturer. It all depends on how it is engineered. The AP star burner and BS star burner are uncapped so the flame goes more in a straight up direction. You really have to see the flame in action to see how much flare the BS sealed burner has vs the BS Star And see how it works with your pans. If you have wide pans, you will capture more than with 6” sauce pans, but the number of people using sauce pans on highest heat is probably small. You didn‘t mention anything other than boiling water but the importance of the star vs ring burner also depends on what type of cookware you have and what type of cooking you do.
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burgers
13 years ago
Thank you so much for those links, baccigalup! I see what you are talking about now. I'm sorry I can't help you with your search, but thanks for helping with mine.
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bgbg2500_yahoo_com
13 years ago
I also am trying to determine which gas wall oven to buy. American Range has a large-4.7 cubic feet wall oven-but the company has yet to return my call re installation & other concerns.
My friend has the Viking 30" gas wall oven & loves it.
Anyone have this American Range oven?
Thank you very much!
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burntfingers
13 years ago
bgbg, did you make a decision on your wall oven? If you're still thinking, I visited the AR factory showroom and got their entire catalogue a few days ago. They offer a double oven combination - one gas and one electric - that looked interesting.

If you've made your choice and now have the oven - what did you go with and how do you like it?

I'm also trying to choose. I like Bluestar everything, but I've found that (much to my surprise) electric ovens bake better. The Viking 5302 ovens are also in my mix - anyone have any insights on these ovens?
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stooxie
13 years ago
Interesting. I just timed my Bluestar V1, large oven on the 48" range. Got to 377 in 17:10 at which point it clicked off. Gas came on again at 27 minutes and went off at 31 minutes. So that's just two full cycles in 31 minutes.

So my BS oven seems to work just fine. Perhaps Bluestar was quoting the time for the first two cycles? I just stick my food in after the first one, I've checked the temperature 1000 times and I see no evidence to suggest I shouldn't.

The next cycle started at 41 minutes (came on at 365 degrees) and clicked off at 43:30 @ 377 (temp rose to 386)

So when set to 375 the oven maintains the temperature by being on about 2.5 minutes out of 13. I find that to be pretty efficient.

Hope that helps.

-Stooxie
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User
13 years ago
I can only say I am impressed with the American wall ovens, I don't own one. I'm familiar with their freestanding ranges and they are very good.
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segue2000_yahoo_com
13 years ago
For three years I've been wanting to replace an almost 20 yr old, white, 30" gas wall oven (Magic Chef - no longer available). This one has a large microwave oven above, as part of the unit. The controls share the same panel. This is purely a cosmetic choice, preferring stainless. Both work perfectly. Does any mfg also have a microwave option?

I haven't been able to compare pricing on Blue Star and American Range. It looks like Viking runs about $3300. There is also a VEBIG30SS Verona Stainless Steel 30" Gas Wall Oven for about $1800. Of the four, which is the better buy?
cooks1818
13 years ago
Hi Everybody!I am updating my kitchen & I also have an ancient Magic Chef gas wall oven-works like a champ & E Z to clean but it is time to replace- Hubby says just put in a 48" range but these are huge $$$! Also there seems to be no clear leader in quality.
I only have gas & no 220 line so I have to choose between all gas range or wall oven-there is space only for one of these. Love the huge American Range 30" wall oven with french doors. Anyone have this? Blue Star gas wall oven looks good also. I would like a wall oven I think but perhaps the range is more cost effective when considering purchasing a drop in 48" cooktop plus oven? Thank U!!
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bluestar vs american range wall oven

burgers

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bluestar vs american range wall oven

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baccigalup
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