I'll explain my post (the 1st response to OP), but I won't get into a debate over which range is best, because feelings run high among some folks, and I respect everyone's individual preferences. For myself only (I have the 30" Wolf DF range), I never, ever Wok cook, so having instant, high heat flames is not, and never will be, important to me. I sautee all of the time, and the heat produced by my burners more than meets my sautee requirements. Likewise, while people sometimes talk about how many BTUs their ranges produce and how they can bring water to a boil in "x" minutes, that has never been important to me. The BTUs on the range I have are more than sufficient for the kind of cooking I do...which is home variety, often at a gourmet (but certainly not professional) level. I wanted a range that had wonderful low burner output and could melt chocolate without burning, could hold a sauce without scorching, etc. And the DF does that beautifully. I like the fact that 3 of the burners on the 30" range have a high BTU (I think it's 15,000 - but don't quote me), and the one in the back has only 9,000 BTUs for its high heat level. All of that works wonderfully well for the way I cook. So, bottom line, I recognize my needs may not be similar to people who are much more professional in the kitchen, who need a range with a higher level of performance. For my wants the DF range (with its wonderful convection oven, which I truly love) makes me ecstatic every time I use it, and produces fabulous meals.

Well, I've actually spent money on an ebook copy for my Sony Reader, and I'm about half-way through a re-read. The book is a brick, and I was concerned for my wrists. Also, now it's won the Booker, my first edition is worth rather more money, so I'd rather not read that particular copy again! It looks like we'll have a goodly collection for the first - I'll start to think about a few questions to get us started.

I am always curious why people feel so strongly about dual fuel. It just feels like something that is more prone to failure. The appeal of the traditional Bluestar is its very straight-forward and rugged design. It's a true workhorse, and personally I wouldn't pick any other brand; but everybody has different preferences. As for fuel source, it doesn't make a big difference in practice. Every oven needs some adjustments to your cooking technique anyway. And it's a much bigger deal adjusting to an oven that doesn't heat evenly (just to give a common example), than adjusting to a different fuel source. We have a Bluestar gas range, and two electric Miele wall ovens (SpeedOven and CSO). And you know what, fuel source never even is a consideration when I have to pick one or the other. Each one of these three ovens has its own strengths, and I love this particular combination, though. If you have the money and space, I can't recommend it highly enough. Technically, an electrically heated oven has the advantage of higher moisture, which can help with things like baking bread. But that's so easy to compensate for; it's why people love making bread in a Dutch oven. What else do you make where you prefer electric over gas? In full fairness, the Bluestar gas range does have a known downside. It takes a long time to preheat. The upside is that it heats very evenly, is very predictable, and has the most amazingly powerful broiler, second only to commercial salamanders.

I sometimes wonder why so many people want double ovens. Is it necessity or extravagance? My mom had double ovens and a 6 burner stove and 2 microwave ovens, but she was the matriarch of a large Pennsylvania Dutch family. She had 6 children and at when she was the age that I am today (61) I was 19 and still living at home. The oldest 4 kids were married, the two oldest each had 2 kids. My mom watched the younger two grandchildren during the day, picked up the older two from school and made dinner for the family (6 kids, 4 sil/dil, 4 grandchildren, herself and my dad). Some nights we had extra guests, Aunts, cousins, friends. A typical meal served anywhere from 16-25 people and this was 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. She baked her own bread, canned fruits and vegetables in the summer, made homemade jams and jellies, pickles, sauerkraut, pies, cakes, cookies, pastries all from scratch. People don't cook this way anymore. Most of my friends are making dinner for 2 to 6 people daily. I still work every day and cook bigger meals on the weekends that can be reheated during the week. Most days I am simply warming leftovers or making something pretty simple that doesn't take too much effort, doesn't take too long to prepare and doesn't cause a big mess. My typical daily dinners are feeding 1-2 people. My middle sister is our new matriarch and hosts most of the bigger gatherings. She makes dinner for the family 3 or 4 times a year with gatherings up to 40 people, but we all bring something with us so although she will use 2 ovens to make 2 turkeys or 2 hams, it is only on those rare occasions that she needs both ovens and we could probably have two people in charge of cooking the main course if she only had one oven. I am renovating my kitchen and considering a 20" or 24" range because I will get a few extra inches of counter and storage space and I use my small appliances probably more often than my oven (pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, sous-vide). My air fryer lives on my counter - I use it almost every day. I love that I can cook a steak in the sous-vide and know that it will be perfectly cooked if I have dinner when planned or get delayed by an hour. Can't do that with an oven. Made a spiral cut ham with a thickened Monticello cherry glaze in my large sous-vide over the holidays and it was amazingly perfect. The glaze flavoring permeated the meat and the meat was moist and flavorful. Not sure I will ever use an oven again for to make ham. Made a prime rib in the Sous-vide as well - again - cooked to perfection. Seared the outside under the broiler for just a couple of minutes after cooking, so I did technically use the oven as well, but I need more room for my other toys more than I need two ovens.