Try cooking your bacon in the oven. Go to a restaurant supply store and purchase a cooling rack that will fit on a rimmed cookie sheet,put bacon on it and cook at 400-425 until done. The grease drains away from the bacon while cooking and it also does not shrink as much as pan frying. Even easier: Cook bacon in oven on rimmed cookie sheet as above. When done, remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Then place something 1-2 inches tall under one side of the cooling rack, so that all the grease runs to one side. When cool enough to handle, remove bacon, then pour the grease into you collection system (whatever you use). This way, there is no cooling rack to clean, it cooks just as well, so it's even simpler!

Our rangetop has the same power on all burners, so I'm not limited by the number of BTUs I want...Only by what else I'm using on the stove at the time, and what I'm cooking. If there's nothing else, and the food is not spattery, I might run it side to side on the front half. When I do steaks on the grill side of the pan, I like to run it back to front or keep it on the back burners. If I'm using other burners, it depends on the size of the other pans, how many, and how much attention the food in them needs where I place everything. The things that need the most attention...additions, stirring, flipping, etc....get the easiest to reach locations. Things that spatter stay at the back when possible, so I don't have to wash the floor! Hope that makes sense.

Oh Man, this input rocks ; -) I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it!! We are sitting right now brainstorming on this knotty subject. It's good to hear that the bridge burner is making you all somewhat happy. I am seeing that the 8000 btu is an issue and I can see why. When I sear on my griddle/grill I crank up the two burners and even if it is a bit uneven on the heat distribution I am burning around 19,000 btu (two 9,500) so yeah 8000. That is something to think about. I mentioned I have been in this kitchen for a long time, I didn't mention the heavy use it gets. We have 4 full time adult residents, and most weeks we have at least one more person for 1 or 2 nights. When college is on break extra children and their room mates put us to 6 or 7. Over holidays the count climbs right up to 12. It isn't unusual for us to seat 16 for a holiday meal and I have done buffets for up to 30. For all that it is small it is pretty functional. That long run of counter allows me and my favorite sous' (the Spouse ; -) to really rock and roll in there. We call it the kitchenette two step. I run the DW almost everyday. That stays. I don't see the trade off for a 24" range giving me much advantage. The 6" cabinet gain would not be worth it, for me at least. We are looking hard at the undercounter wall oven and the countertop stove, but wall ovens have some issues; size mostly. You pay alot for SQ footage in those things, for what you get!! The spouse is looking at the Wolf M and saying it would fit. I know about the chipping issues. ARRRGH, The input about the replacement griddles is great to have. I had wondered about the lightweight alum with the non stick... Not surprised to hear it gives up pretty fast. The only non stick I really use is egg and omelet pans. If I could find cast iron with nice slopey sides for sliding omelets out I would prolly ditch all the non stick. Anyone have a bridge burner with enough BTUs to make them really happy? I have read about replacing burners, is that an option for the bridge (I would guess not, but you never know) How about countertop stoves with the 5th burner? anyone have a model they like? Again, can't tell you how much I appreciate all this!!

All hood filtering, whether meshes, baffles, or VAH sling designs, can only remove part of the grease aerosol particle spectrum. This part is that of the larger diameter particles, with decreasing performance through the mid-range. The rest is hoped to be discharged into the atmosphere, but there will be some collection in ducting depending on various factors. The only system I know of that can handle the entire spectrum is the intense UV approach used above commercial perforated ceiling collection designs. Hence, discharge into an attic not only subjects the attic to grease, water vapor, and odor, but could potentially be a fire hazard. Is there a reference somewhere in which VAH specifies that attic discharge is allowed? Earlier, the value 90 was raised. That may have been a misapplication of my expressed opinion on the flow rate (cfm) desirable per square foot of hood aperture to ensure that the 3 ft/s rising effluent from hot sources (griddles, woks, etc) is assured of containment by baffles and meshes. Rules of thumb such as cfm per BTU/hr or cfm per foot of hood edge are derived from various assumptions about the nature of the cooking field. kas