The Wolf and Thermador are closed burner systems. The Bluestar is an open burner system. There are fans of both styles. The open burner system is more like a professional kitchen experience. The closed burner system is more like a home experience. Wolf used to make an open burner model, but they no longer make it.

My preference is the Bluestar, but I have a professional background and want the performance it offers. I really like the burner configuration. I've ordered the 36" Bluestar and am reusing double Thermador electric convection ovens. I'll wait until those die before replacing them.

How do you plan to configure your rangetop? Did you want a griddle or grill? You might consider a rangetop with separate ovens. The small oven in a 48" range is not really usable. The separate option also allows you to mix your fuels without any issues. You could also consider a steam oven or a speed oven, too. The added plus to this plan is you are not wedded to entire unit if something goes wrong with one part of it.

I was in the market to purchase a new range recently and had to decide between open and sealed burners. I was looking at Wolf, Viking, Thermador, all sealed burner ranges. All good high end performers (somewhat debatable) but I ultimately had to go with an open burner range for my cooking style. I come from a semi professional cooking background and I am serious about cooking. I decided that the open burner design was a better option for me. My oven takes 30 minutes to heat to 450*-500* mark. To me that's not too bad considering the size of this oven. It fits a full size (18"x26") baking sheet, the convection oven heats evenly and the broiler does a good job. The heat from the door is not an issue for me, warm at best. The kick plate does get hotter but still not in the scalding range by any means, at least not on my unit. For those who are worried about children, keep them away from the stove. Why would you let your small children near a working stove? The range top burners are a pure joy to cook on. If you use a wok you can just remove the grate and set your wok right into the bowl for direct heat, fantastic for higher heat results. I too had some initial questions about how the star open burner compared to the sealed burners I was looking at, no question that the open burner BS is superior to the sealed star pattern on the Thermador. Bottom line, I am very happy with my Bluestar and it's performance. It's a hard decision to make. If you can, go see a Bluestar cooking demo at a local dealer near you. Good luck with your choice.....

Thanks for the response. This really is a tough decision. I am not a professional chef by any means, so would the Bluestar be too much for a home cook? I love to cook and do so often. Would I be out of my comfort zone with the open burners?

As for the configuration of the range top... I'm leaning toward grill but haven't made a final decision. What is your opinion when it comes to grill v. griddle?

I have considered the rangetop with separate ovens and honestly it probably makes the most sense when it comes to functionality. I just love the look of the whole range. In the long run it comes down to practicality though since I will be using them daily.

I use my range daily and it's not too much IMO. I had to go with a 30" range so a griddle was not an option for me. I use a cast iron stove top griddle and it works great for indoors. Bluestar has several options, RCS, RNB, Platinum series etc. Check out the specs to determine your needs. I also have a simmer burner that can go down to 130*. Fantastic. I don't believe you have to be a pro cook to enjoy an open burner BS or any other open burner design (American range or Capital Culinarian). It's so subjective, I do a lot of outdoor grilling too so my need for an indoor griddle is limited. Also, consider a overhead vent that will do a good job, my stovetop can create some good smoke in my kitchen......especially when I'm using my wok.

You might consider the Wolf all gas if it suits your cooking style. I would stay away from the dual fuel due to blue porcelain chipping issues. These three are very different ranges. You night read about capital culinarian too.

From a previous post.

Open/sealed- There are really two aspects to this. Sometimes the burner is "open" around the bottom. This really has to do with preference for cleaning which is very subjective. An open burner tray allows spills to go down in the range usually into a tray, which some cover with foil to make clean up easier. Some like the seasoning that BS cast iron parts develop like a cast iron skillet. Others are "sealed" or "semi sealed" in that there is a tray that keeps spills from getting down in the range. Sometimes that tray is removable(semi sealed) like the American Performer. Spills can just be wiped up. If you can't see the range in person, you can look at videos on youtube to see what is easier to you.

There is also the the burner itself. Some are capped and the flame comes around that cap while some are "open"with no deflection of the flame. That cap might cause more flare but this is mostly on high heat and varies in amount with the way the burners are engineered. Try to see and cook on whatever range you are considering. If you can't, it can be helpful to try to find videos on youtube to see how the burner works. There are open(uncapped) burner ranges in many price ranges from cheap to $$$.

From there, look at the configuration of the burner. Some people attribute some of these features to being open or sealed burners they are really other aspects of the design.
- amount of BTUs, high and low, also consider the ability of the burner to move incrementally through the range. Some want the most BTUs, period. This is great if you stir fry or need to get water boiling quickly. Others consider the performance of the low end of heat to be important.

-diameter of the burner- Prostyle burners are bigger so some companies have a small pan burner like Capital culinarian and Wolf, while the rest are the same size. Others have different sized burners like BS.
- ring(s) vs star shaped vs dual stacked(2 separate burners for higher and low BTUs stacked one on top of the other)

.A star shaped burner might be more even if the pan is sized to the burner. This is helpful if you are cooking with something that doesn't conduct heat well like cast iron or steel. If you use pans that conduct heat well like heavy gauge aluminum or copper it won't matter.

I would consider a range top and separate wall ovens as well. You can pick each component as "best" .

I would look at Lacanche.

Honestly, I like the range top/separate oven option. As far as the grill, I think they make an awful mess. I do my grilling outside. That way, I don't care about the mess. I also have a removable griddle. The only thing I find myself using the griddle for is pancakes.

I just want burners and no other options. I want great ovens, too. I need convection, even heat and a reliable thermostat. I could care a less about modes, convenience settings, etc. I'm a simple girl who has a lot of experience in a variety of commercial kitchens. On and off is all I want.

I went with 48 all gas Thermador because I already have double electrical oven and only thermador has all gas AND self cleaning ovens. So far I'm satisfied.

Have AG Wolf and Capital dual fuel, both with grills (not a Thermador fan). Wolf circular burner significantly less powerful for stirfry and pan broil than the Capital. Definitely prefer grill over griddle; do not find cleaning the grill an issue and when we grill inside it's for a reason and we love it. Bluestar and Wolf (AG, not DF) doors get hot--more of an annoyance but could be a problem. Given the 25K BTU burners on Bluestar and Capital I think it's a wash for the top burners, I liked the Capital's look, oven and grill more than Bluestar, some friends who are superb cooks worship their Bluestars so between the two is probably subjective. One comment: I wouldn't be thinking in terms of whether or not you're a "good enough" cook for a more pro style range; I'd be thinking the other way--you're already interested in cooking and that interest will probably grow: sooner have a range you can grow into rather than one you may grow out of . . . but, YMMV.

We recently got a BlueStar. I loved the no electronics aspect. But it was all gas. One of the cooktop valves leaked upon delivery. But it took up almost a week to figure out that it was the stove. There are few appliance repair facilities that are "BlueStar" certified. So, getting a technician took a few weeks. When he cam, he installed the wrong part. And he knew he did... We discovered this and called back. Waiting another two weeks for the correct part from BlueStar... We finally had the Appliance seller come and get it. The available service techs that are certified to work on them under warranty seem few and far between. I even called the BlueStar rep that works our area, to bypass the appliance company fielding all of my requests. I left VM twice explaining that the range had a leak out of the box... He never called me back... It was dangerous. I had the 48" all gas model. Which I think they all are. I am now having it replaced with an all gas Wolf with the same configuration. The swap out is all happening this week... Will be great to use something that doesn't have to have the gas shut off valve turned off and on after each use...

I'm also looking at a 48", but a range top, with a 30" oven stack with a single convection and a CSO and a warming drawer. I don't want a full range for two reasons--I don't want to cook on the rangetop over a hot oven, and the range top location is visible down my main hall from the foyer--just too much. And as an all-in-one piece, it is more costly to replace.

I enjoy cooking, but by no means am I anything more than a home cook. I hope to cook more once we move into our new home (under renovation) and I have better appliances and a real exhaust fan that can suck the cat out of the house! (So do my kids and hubby!) I am finalizing my kitchen plans this week.....

I was planning on the Wolf 48" for the indoor grill. I love to grill, but living in the north, outdoor grilling is impractical year round so it is important to me to have an indoor grill option. Wolf has the honeycomb infrared ceramic grill where the drippings burn off.

When I read about the crazing in Wolf ovens, I went back to the drawing board to look at other options and I found that the Thermador oven has a rotisserie--a feature I'd love that Wolf does not! Hmmm........and the Thermador oven handles will look fine next to the SZ fridge and freezer....

So, I looked further into Thermador and learned they are coming out with a briquette style grill option on it's 48" in late 2015. If comes out in time, I may consider it. I was not a Thermador fan and not sold on the star burners. But Wolf BTUs are not what BS or Capital are, either. With Thermador, I can have both the indoor grill and a rotisserie. I haven't looked at Capital or BS, but I'm wondering if I should.

My research found that the interior painting on Wolf was outsourced and has now been brought back in-house, and another part of the problem was then thinness of the metal, which I'm told has been thickened. Still, some problems seem more recent so I'm still skeptical. But I still like Wolf--just wonder how much I'd use all the settings. They seem to have done a good job, but I've always been fine with on/off too.

My current range is gas--I hope I'll like electric ovens equally and from what I hear they cook more evenly--i'm concerned about pre-heat times. Any thoughts on electric vs. gas?

Great discussion! Learned a lot about open vs. closed burners. Don't know if it would make a difference in the way I cook?

the big differential for me was both oven self cleaning option. For all gas 48" only Thermador has it .

Yes--self cleaning on the Thermador all gas is attractive--almost makes me want to get a 48" all gas Thermador range AND a single convection oven plus a steam oven. Does the Thermador inject steam like the Miele? I'm still on the fence about the CSO. Any words of wisdom out there?

Last Day with the BlueStar "Leak-Master model 48".

JK, here is some info about gas vs electric ovens I posted previously

These are some differences in the way electric and gas ovens bake/roast. These features can vary quite a bit brand to brand.

-You will commonly read that gas is moist heat and electric heat is dry. This is only if you look at the source of heat without considering what goes on in the oven. Electric ovens hold on to more of the moisture from what you are baking or if you add steam. This actually ends up "moist" heat. This promotes starch gelatinization.This is mostly a benefit for those that want a particular type of crust when baking bread. It also will delay the setting of a cake or things that rise a little giving it a better rise. Gas ovens do not hold on to the moisture very well because they are ventilated much more. Gas actually releases moisture as a product of combustion but it leaves the oven chamber quickly so a gas oven has "dry" heat with more movement of air. Also more heat into your kitchen. Some bread bakers cover their bread to keep the moisture in the first half of the baking process in a gas oven. Some have even tried blocking the ventilation to keep moisture in the oven. This dry heat is good though for the second half of baking because it promotes browning. In some blogs I have read, bakers open the electric oven briefly after a cake has set, to release steam and/or turn on the convection fan. The dry heat of a gas oven is better for roasting as it evaporates moisture and promotes browning. The convection fan will do that in an electric oven. I think this makes an electric oven more versatile.

-Some electric ovens have a very narrow range of temperature. The normal swing is about 25 degrees on either side of the set temperature. I have not found it that important to have the very narrow swing in temperature.
-Some electric ovens have modes with the ability to direct more heat from the top for roasting and from the bottom for baking. The convection fan speed may also vary, slower for baking, faster for roasting. You might also have two fans. Electric ovens also might have third(and fourth) elements called European or true convection which is only in a few gas ovens. I'm This is a benefit when the oven is full in having things bake more evenly. You can't always tell when these elements are being used in a given mode. My Electrolux oven has a little indicator that shows the rotation of the elements but most do not. You can hear a difference in fan speeds. Gas ovens typically have an on and off switch for the fan. I like the different modes but some people do not find utility in them and consider them needless "bells and whistles". They do require a computer board to coordinate them which some do not like because some ovens have had boards that fail in self cleaning. Some also do not like the sound of cooling fans that can run after you turn the oven off These features do have the potential to heat an oven more evenly if they work. I would avoid any new models with these modes until they are proven. Some electric ovens have an "auto correct" feature for convection. It is ok if optional, but I don't like for an oven to automatically lower the temperature for me. This is not always necessary.

Electric ovens are more likely to have self clean. One model of the Capital Culinarian AG has self clean but is $$$. Many people avoid use of the self clean because it seems to be a possible source of problems with computer boards and interior porcelain enamel failure.

Look at the broiler. Some higher end ranges have a infrared broiler that can be narrow, but widths of the broiler can vary.

Look at the range of temperature and how can you use the fan? Some ovens only go down to 225F. Others might go down to 80F for proofing.

I personally would avoid any oven that uses " logic" to maintain temperature instead of a thermostat. Capital does on its electric ovens as does Dacor Discovery ovens. There are threads on this. I would also want a rapid preheat to be optional because I sometimes put food in my oven to start either using the timer or I just want that option.

Wow wekick! You are a wealth of information! Thank you so much for sharing! I probably enjoy my gas range (nothing fancy--a GE profile, circa 2001) because I like roasting. But it sounds like a gas convection oven will given me all the options and then some. The CSO can steam and then roast--the best of both worlds. I'm not much of a baker, but if I'm buying such sophisticated ovens, I may have to give it a try!

wren21--how is your search going? What did you choose?