Delighted Wolf range owner here, AND I cook & entertain a LOT. I've had mine since 2005, a 30-inch DF range. It has performed flawlessly for the past 5 years without a single problem of any kind. Love using it, love the results from the oven (both baked goods & roasts), and have no regrets about this purchase. I'd do it again, in a heart beat. I suggest you search the threads on the Appliance forum for info on Wolf, SZ and other brands you're interested in. There is not a single perfect appliance out there....someone will pop up who has had difficulty with some aspect of a product. Although, in all honesty, I don't recall reading on this forum about any problems with the Wolf DF range. Your wife should figure out how she cooks and what she wants in an appliance, then make the commitment. For me, this is my last move, and I'm going to live in this kitchen for decades, so the Wolf, with its excellent performance and sterling reputation for customer response was an easy decision for me to make. When I spend several thousand dollars on a range, I want a range that will work consistently, and if there are problems, I want an immediate, corrective response that truly resolves the problem. Wolf & SZ have had that reputation for years and years. I also love the SZ650 refrigerator, also purchased in 2005. Again, not a single problem with it, ever. It is THE BEST refrigerator I've ever had, and I've had many brands. My "must have" attribute was a refrigerator which would consistently keep fresh produce fresh for the longest period possible, as we eat lots of fresh fruit & veggies. The SZ is absolutely fabulous in this area. Again, I'd re-purchase this product in a nano-second. Take the time to read the threads. Look at what people report they really like about the various appliances, and decide if these qualities are important to you. Look at the problems that are frequently reported for certain brands, and decide if that is a problem for you. Only you can set your priorities for consideration. Good luck...the appliances are such a critical purchase -- unless you have a kitchen that is more for looking than cooking.

I've got a 36" RNB. It has 2-22k, 3-15k and 1 simmer burner. Having used this range for a little over a year, I will say that I love the heat it puts out and also the burner arrangement. For your application, I would check to see if Bluestar will allow you to change at least one of the 8.5k burners to a 15k burner. If so, I would switch out the rear middle burner to a 15k.

Why not just go for five? I think 6 is more than most people need (even though this is what I'm getting!). But, I think five would be great if it is in your budget. When cooking for several people, I have had my 4 burners going (that is what I currently have). If anything, it gives you more space.

Just wanted to check back in with an update. Still in the process of changing our recirculating hood over to a vented hood. That said, I was a little confused because our salesperson told me that the Bluestar range burners came in only one set configuration. I reached out to Bluestar directly and a rep emailed me back:Thank you for your interest in BlueStar. You are able to customize the burner layout on most of our ranges, but you are a little limited on the 30” models just due to the number of burners. With the 30” Platinum Series model you can add an additional 25,000 BTU burner to the front if you like. Due to the heat produced by these burners we require they be located in the front and not on the back of the unit. If you like you can also go with all 18,000 BTU burners on the unit. Each time a burner is moved or upgraded there is an upcharge that your dealer can definitely price out for you. If you should have any additional questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you, Matthew Schutte BlueStar Digital Marketing So just for anyone following this thread who is in the market, you CAN customize which BTU burners you have and where you want them (with some safety limitations.) Oh, and homechef59, tried your hollandaise in the blender recipe a couple of times. Got to say that I prefer the stove-top way that I do it. Clean up feels equivalent for me (pot and whisk vs. blender and parts). The blender hollandaise for me is a little thin. I like my hollandaise a tad thicker and when using only residual heat to thicken the hollandaise, there's no way for me to make it thicker. Also, when I do it on the stove with the exact same ingredients, the stove-top version tastes richer. I assume that is because some of hollandaise evaporates when thickening on the stove versus just using the residual heat of the melted butter in the blender. Agree to disagree, but it was fascinating experiment! I appreciated the tip! I will report back once the range is in! Thanks everyone!