I think your present Bluestar choice is fine. A good way to sample induction is to get a small 120v portable unit and a few pots all for perhaps $200. Doesn't take up space when not needed and can be very handy.

I would encourage you to get a portable induction unit to test it out before you make such an important decision. A portable induction unit will serve you well during the remodel phase when your kitchen is out of commission too, so don't think of it as throwaway money or anything.

I myself thought I "had" to have gas. We realized that anything we do that NEEDS gas, can be done outside on the grill. I prefer induction for energy efficiency and child safety reasons (plus heat responsiveness that is faster than gas!). So we are getting a Viking 24" griddle (VGGT240) with a 30" Miele induction next to it. The "30 inch" induction is actually 31.25" wide. I plan to leave 1" gap in between the two appliances so I will have 56.25" wide cooking space that I will vent with a 60" hood.

If you put induction on the island, keep in mind you will also need venting on the island. Island venting is more expensive than wall venting. Plus the sum of two vents is more expensive than one, partly because of the HVAC cost to install the vents.

Whether you have the 60" bluestar or the 48"+induction, I believe you need a 66" hood, not 60". The general rule of thumb is you need 3" overlap on each side. Especially since you said you often have all six burners going, you will really NEED that 6" overlap.

I also don't know if you can really install the 12" induction unit butted up right next to a free standing bluestar range. I would expect you need at least a sliver of counter on the side for the induction to be installed into. Does that make sense? So maybe a 48" bluestar + 12" induction will actually total more than 60" because you'll need some space in between.

Also, I don't know the specs on the bluestar but most ranges sit slightly above the counter top. That would really make your induction feel cramped, to have an obstacle (your range) on the side which limits your motion. The bluestar might not do that -- just check first.

One benefit for me with induction is that I don't have to deal with the height of cooking grates. My cooking height is at 36" with the Miele induction. My current range, the grates put my cooking surface height at about 37.5". I'm short so it's hard to see into the back pots.

I hope this helps and gives you food for thought. It's a tough decision. I had my heart set on a lot of things and as I step back and really think through things, and gone out and touched and felt appliances and started to get a clearer visual of my future kitchen -- I've had to emotionally let go of a lot of things that I thought I wanted. But the final result is I am even HAPPIER. :)

Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about venting on the island. As for the portable, that was my direction before I looked at the built in - then I got tempted. We are not remodeling, we are building new.

The Blue Star is not the range, I am getting a cooktop. I have an ear balance disease that occasionally flares into vertigo. When it does, bending over is not an option for weeks without triggering the vertigo, so wall ovens are the way to go for us. Probably a blessing, or I would be having to make decisions involving the American hybrid, the Lacanche, heh, heh.

Good call on the hood, sounds like I should go that way.

So, here we are at getting the induction next to a 48" or getting a portable induction and going with the 60". I'm not real concerned about counter space between the Blue star and the induction - the carpenter is a genius and we have plenty of space on that wall. BUT, still concerned about whether I will like it.

Maybe I should get the portable and assume if I adore it, I can always get a bigger portable down the road.

Yes new build, not remodel - sorry, oops!

My point was less about if you want 12" built in induction, versus a portable hob, and more so: you should try a portable hob now, because you might want more induction and less gas in your kitchen. I have read a LOT of threads here from people who put both gas and induction in their kitchen, or radiant electric and induction in their kitchen. The threads always end up the same way -- the new homeowner loves the induction and that is always the first burner/hob that gets used. They regret that they spent the money on the other appliances and wish they had just gone all induction.

So: I suggest no matter what, you get an induction hob and play around with it. Keep in mind that proper induction units can boost to 3700 power or so, and I doubt the portable models go that high. THEN decide if you want even as many as four gas burners. There are modules you can get for 4 gas burners.

If you are REALLY sure on wanting mostly gas as your primary fuel, then don't bother with my suggestion -- but I don't think you're REALLY sure as you did start the thread, after all :). But if there is even a little doubt in your mind, I suggest you try before you buy... you might end up ditching the gas altogether.

Or at least that's what happened to me. I had been sure that I wanted 6 gas burners with a griddle. Then I went to 4 gas burners, a 12" griddle, and 12" induction. After a lot of epicurean soul searching, I realized the only reason I wanted gas was because I was in love with the look and wanted the griddle (for my husband, who loves a griddle). And my husband really wanted at least 18" for a griddle. I was hard pressed to come up with a reason to get gas. A lot of reading here and all I could come up with was: it's soothing and comfy to cook over an open flame; you can look at the flame to see how high your heat is; and you can char peppers over an open flame. I thought about this and realized I have never actually charred a pepper on my range -- just enjoyed knowing that I *could* if I wanted to.

That is my journey to deciding no on gas (though the griddle plate is gas powered!).

I went with induction and the only thing I thing I'm missing is the griddle for pancakes, big morning breakfasts, and multiple toasted sandwiches. Induction for the most part suits may way of cooking, but as noted above I've never actually charred a pepper.....

Went through the same decision process. We are getting a 48" BS (maybe switching to a Wolf AG, not sure yet), and getting a diva 12" to go next to it. We end up with 6 burners which is great, and total flexibility in cooking methods.

I have heard great things about induction, but I am not ready to give up gas (ie wok cooking), I also think the induction is such a home run for some things (ie boiling water, slow simmer, safer when teaching kids to cook), that I would not want to sacrifice that either.

Get both.

My preference will always be gas when it's possible. In addition to my primary home, I have a holiday home in Hawaii. It's a condominium where gas isn't an option. I replaced the Viking smooth electric cooktop that was there (which I absolutely hated!) with a Wolf Induction model. It's a big improvement, but I'd still rather have gas.

Part of the preference is due to gas being what I'm more used to. Just a glance at the flame size and I have a sense of the heat level.

The other thing I'm not wild about on smooth tops of any type is that pots tend to slide around a bit. This is particularly annoying when I'm trying to whisk in an additional ingredient. I only have two hands, so if one is stirring and the other is pouring, the pan tends to move around because I can't hang on to it. This drives me nuts.

The other drawback to induction is the limited choice of pan materials. I like to use different types of pans for different things. While this is a minor drawback, there are plenty of good induction compatible pans available, but even so, for some things copper is better, other times I prefer glass or ceramic, and sometimes aluminum. With gas, any will work, and I don't have to think about this.

That being said, as you mentioned in your original posting, induction doesn't generate as much heat in the kitchen. In Hawaii, that's a big advantage. Induction is also very responsive, but it's still not as intuitive as just glancing at the size of a flame. Overall, I'd still much rather cook on a gas cooktop.

We have both!

DH wanted gas, I was really intrigued by induction, & we both were disgusted by conventional electric burners.

Initially I thought we could have the best of both worlds by selecting modular cooktops, but none gave us all the power we wanted for every module. So, we moved on to the idea of a rangetop rather than cooktop, because we wanted the continuous grates over the burners for large pots & pans.

I still did not want to abandon the idea of induction. We bought a countertop unit to try, a Sunpentown Mr. Induction. What fun! While this unit is nowhere near the power of a built-in unit, it can go anywhere. We now use it for tabletop sukiyaki & as a portable burner.

We ended up choosing a DCS all gas 36" range, and flanking it with a Gaggenau single burner 3500 watt induction cooktop (15" wide) and a Gaggenau teppanyaki griddle/grill cooktop (also 15" wide). The induction burner is our most used burner -- it can boil a big pot of water for pasta in about 6 minutes. DS loves it because there is no flame. DH is happy because he has his gas rangetop, plus we have an enormous oven for entertaining & big projects.