I'd budget $1,000-$2,500 for a 42" hood, appropriate for a 36" range/cooktop, depending on the appearance you want and if you have a "grill" in your cooktop. The griddle is likely less of an issue than a grill, as it tends not to generate much less steam, smoke, or airborne oil. The three makes you mention are all good ones. I have heard that Wolf makes a semi-open burner which may perform better than their sealed burner. I haven't looked in detail at the open-burner Wolf pieces to comment more than that. will I notice a cooking difference? For me, cooking performance is paramount. The difference between the BlueStar we now have and most of the other ranges I have worked with (including several pro-style ranges) is very tangible. The heat uniformity, low simmer, and controllable sear make a huge difference. Some things are less tangible, but meaningful to me, such as the handles not getting as hot on the BlueStar from "heat overspill" than on many other ranges. The 11" burner spacing (front-to-back as well as side-to-side) makes it easy to have a 12" frypan and an 8" saucepan on at the same time and not smack them into each other. The Wolf and American Range should also provide a very tangible cooking difference compared to the "premium" consumer-style lines, as well as a few of the appearance-oriented pro-style ranges. The ease of cleaning of the BlueStar is a big advantage for us as well. I'm not a big baker, but I can see the difference between the BlueStar oven in the uniformity of my wife's cookies (even without convection or rotating the pan) and those from "box-store" ovens. (I can't say if the BlueStar oven is significantly better than similar pro-style ranges.)

Peppi, it's very simple and I don't have an exact recipe. We went to Ruth Chris Steak House and commented on how we liked the sauce/gravy served on some meat that DH ordered. I don't remember if it was pork or beef. The server proceeded to tell us that she really shouldn't tell us how it was done, but it was heavy cream, slightly thickened, add a small bit of beaten egg and loads of white pepper. So I guess the secret is to figure out how much of each ingredient, plus I think there was something she didn't tell us. Anyway, no matter how simple, we loved it and I make it now and the small amount of egg makes a difference in taste..

Don't be taken by the fifth burner. At 30", you'll likely never be able to use more than 4 at a time. Also, you mention a new hood. Do you have a ventilation system with make-up air? If not, there is a limit to how many BTUs you want to have. The Jenn Air 30" Pro-Style dual fuel range with multi mode convection has a lot of what you are looking for and is under budget. The Wolf, well the Wolf is like the adult version of the Jenn Air. All of its burners are dual stacked 20K burners and the broiler is IR. It is over budget, and there were issues at one time with the blue porcelain interiors chipping. I don't know how those were resolved, or whether they are ongoing. These are sealed burners whereas the BS and CC are not. This one will definitely need a hood with MUA. I used to research this stuff until I was blue in the face, hoping to find the best option, trying to figure out which would be the best one for me. Half of the meals I've cooked in my life were in rental apartments or in friends' homes. The truth is that a great range makes life easier than a crappy one, but OK appliances are usually just fine. You don't want one that needs to be repaired often. In my case, I don't want one that will need a ventilation system with MUA. My sincerest advice is not to break your budget, but to find something that is reliable and close enough. You're not choosing a spouse (something I also haven't done).

Kelly, you said you can make changes? Can you extend the pantry wall toward the exterior? I used the original plan for this variation, but it puts both the clean-up zone and the cooktop on the back wall, similar to darbuka's kitchen. A kitchen that size can support the addition of a prep sink, so I centered one on the island. The fridge is recessed into the pantry, making it possible to have a full-depth model without taking up as much aisle space. Dish storage is to the right of the DW, extending into the pantry if necessary. On the other side I put counter beside the oven, for landing space, but it could double as a coffee station. The cooktop would still be farther than the NKBA recommended max of 9', from the fridge, but that's better than 14'.With the ovens on the back wall, cooktop closer to fridge:Fridge on left, dish hutch on right: And here's a quick idea using the second plan you posted: