I had the 48" DCS in my last house. Overall we weren't impressed with the DCS, it needed service a couple of times in the first couple of years (we lived with it for 4). However, the griddle was great, we loved it. It was great for pancakes, toasted sandwiches and reheating pizza! We had the grill, but as vegans didn't use it much, maybe for veggie burgers etc. It did work well and seemed to get as hot as needed. I recently bought the 44" Aga Legacy for my real Victorian remodel. SOOOO unhappy with it that my awesome dealer (Yale Appliance in Boston) offered to take it back (long story). We picked out a 48" Monogram with the griddle today to replace it. We are very lucky that we can move a cabinet and fit the 48" in. I was sold on the Monogram by the chef who works at Yale. He is beyond knowledgable and has no incentive to sell me anything. He pointed out lots of features the Monogram has over the Viking, Wolf etc. I was also shopping ovens, and the size and rolling shelves of the Monogram sealed the deal. GE took the brand back from DCS and really put a lot of thought and engineering into the brand.

The Blue Star grill is 15,000 BTU, the Capital is an infrared ceramic grill @ 18,000 BTU & the Wolf is also infrared ceramic @ 16,000 BTU. The Capital & Wolf use gas to heat a ceramic surface so that one is cooking via infrared as one does with charcoal. From the pictures on Eurostoves, I don't think that Blue Star uses the same infrared ceramic for the grill. Trevor? When I bought the house (built in 1992) I live in now, there was a Jenn-Air downdraft cooktop with a grill on one side with only two burners on the other side. I got another double burner cartridge and got rid of the grill ASAP. But that was the older type of electric grill. Charcoal is definitely not an option. I wouldn't want to deal with the mess. We will have an LP connection on one of our decks for a larger grill when we want to entertain. And I can see that a grill on my range would not be worth very much if I wanted to use it to cook for a crowd. I just would like some feedback from folks with infrared ceramic grills or the Blue Star type on how well they think the grill would accommodate grilling just for two people. Of course, the websites for the manufacturers make it sound like the grills are easy to clean. I will have good ventilation so that I will be able to do the recommended burn off. Is cleaning one of these grills much harder than cleaning an outdoor gas grill? The Blue Star that I have been able to see was not working. I don't think I would need to use the grill & griddle simultaneously, but I do have room for 48" if that would be the best configuration. Yes, I don't meet many Jo Ann's especially with the space on the middle. Of course, I've never been sure if my 1st name is Jo & my middle name is Ann or if my parents named me Jo Ann & forgot to give me a middle name. Do you have a middle name? Thanks - Jo Ann

No problem, kkcooks. I just got back from a road trip myself. I call those disposable pans "foil pans" and admit I probably see more of them from take-out (which usually have cardboard rather than foil lids) than anywhere else. I never thought of using one to "self-clean a charbroiler. I am more inclined to remove an open burner range's drip pan for in-sink cleaning than my wife is and appreciate that the single grates are lighter than the double grates of Wolf's sealed model (which should benefit my wife even more). I liked the simmer burner's central flame and was a bit confused when an appliance store salesperson told me the sealed model's burner gave a better simmer by distributing the flame more widely. My guess is that the difference isn't all that great. I wonder whether the choice comes down to appearance more than function for most people (I think both look fine). Regarding the griddle being "too hot", ibbuzz, I thought more people would have that complaint about the charbroiler. In my experience, both griddles and charbroilers need to be learned. A few uses usually provides all the experience that's needed, occasionally at the expense of some burned items. Just don't cook anything expensive or cook for your in-laws (fortunately, mine are exceptionally understanding) the first time you use them.

My understanding is that the silencer has to go before the motor (i.e. vent liner --> silencer --> motor). It's silencing the fan and motor noise, so it wouldn't make sense to have it after the motor. If you have enough space in the attic to put an inline blower after the silencer, then you wouldn't need an external blower. For us, the silencer barely fits between the attic floor and ceiling, so we had to have an external blower. The contractor was worried it would be loud outside (it's on the slope above our deck) but it's fine.