I would love to see an IR picture of the Culinarian griddle. Not going to keep me from buying it, but it always helps to know how something works to be able to cook best on it ;)

Russ

No we did not use the convection, my thoughts here are the blown air acts as a convection system. I intend to make some more cakes with the convection to see if any difference is noticeable.

I am not a big fan of convection for cakes especially in gas ovens which already have more air movement so more drying, unless you turn it on after the cake has set for browning. It has the potential to change the dynamics of heat to the cake with more from the top and the sides and most recipes are developed with the heat coming from the bottom. Cake strips are often used to slow heat transfer from the side to keep the top level. The increased air movement will also be drying so can cause the cake to prematurely set. That being said, some people use it and say it works so that would definitely depend on the fan speed and is why some ovens have a slow speed for baking and fast for roasting. I think cake mixes might be a little more forgiving than a from scratch recipe.

If there is no difference between using it and not I would wonder how much air movement you have with the fan.

Well I will try it again open minded :) but my results so far have been much different. Still very tough to see the benefit over a $50 lodge griddle on the burners and our outdoor grill.

That being said we would still by the Platinum again because of the Power oven and nice looks. Only thing I would change is to not bother with the 25k BTU I would order smaller burners, good cooking has nothing to do with the extreme heat, no problem to sear meat at 18k BTU, this reminds me of the megapixel wars in digital cameras, there was basically no correlation between more pixels and image quality but human nature is to assume more is better...and marketers know that

As part of our on going testing of the Platinum range, this afternoon we cooked 8 cakes at the same time and a batch of cookies on a full sheet pan

As you can see in the cookie pictures we used a full sheet of parchment paper. Matt1223 posted pictures in a different thread showing his parchment paper on fire which was not acceptable in any way. As we can see in the two pictures above the new shield that has now been fitted to all PowR ovens does not even brown the paper.

As for todays baking while it might not be acceptable to all its perfectly fine for me.

Hey Trevor

as always, your posts are terrific and exceeded only by your customer service.

One question I'd like to ask, an an RNB owner, is whether you can use the interchange grill/griddle on the RNB, and if so, whether you think the "mere" 22k burners would be strong enough to achieve good results with grilling.

Also, if the answers are yes, would the interchange unit work only if the burners are lined up front to back? I ask bc my RNB has three 22k burners, but they're all on the front row of my 36" range. I'm hoping that the grill/griddle can be positioned sideways as well as front to back.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I don't know if they would work side ways, your problem would be that Bluestar wont sell you an interchangeable grill griddle. People with Platinum ranges and range tops can purchase extras but even they need to supply a sales receipt and a unit serial number. Sorry :(

Hi Trevor

Thanks looks like some great baking!

We have been very happy with our Platinum baking performance. It is great that the oven maintains its temperature when opening/closing the door due to the quick re-heat. The parchment paper fire and oven rack melt down only happened once and now we keep clear of the back of the oven so have not had another flare up. I am assuming we can get a shield retrofitted from Bluestar just haven't had time to do that yet.

Our disappointment was spending $8k on a stove and having to deal with what I consider an amateur engineering mistake not to shield the open oven flame. Hopefully Bluestar can take this as constructive feedback to do more testing prior to product release, still glad we chose it over a Wolf.

Thanks Trevor. I guess that ends my quest.

Maybe bluestar will see an opportunity and allow the unit to be sold to RNB and RCS customers.

mattc1223.... I would for sure make contact with your retailer and have them request a retro fit.

George..... I think many industries do the same thing ... BMW ,3,5,7, series as an example, I guess the more you pay the more you get.... RCS, RNB and Platinum

I agree Trevor. It's just that the platinum was not available when I bought my RNB 3 years ago. Would be nice to have that grill/griddle feature though.

I agree Trevor. It's just that the platinum was not available when I bought my RNB 3 years ago. Would be nice to have that grill/griddle feature though.

@trevor. It was my assumption that this grill/griddle was the weak spot of the Platinum. Since it and the oven appear to work quote well, is there any advantage to the Culinarian over the Platinum (besides self clean and rotisserie)? Also, can the burners be rearranged so that the 2 22K burners or a 22K and 25K are at the grill/griddle location in the center?

Malba you can arrange the burners in any location. I think its a wise move to try to balance the burners front to back for the grill / griddle. The CC vs BS has been a long rolling question for 5 years now. When you look at the features, fit and finish, looks of both brands you really can narrow it down to which one fits best you.

Perspective: I had the need to cook SOMEthing.. so today it was fresh buttermilk biscuits. I need to make more as we ate a ton of them.. lol. I got up at 6am and decided I needed to bake.

This is perspective..... if I can do these on a 300 dollar electric coil stove that does not even have a light inside.. imagine how much fun it will be to do it on ANYthing else I could possibly buy... gas... electric.. induction.. LP.. NG...

Dinner tonight will be the chicken fried steak with corn and mashed potatoes and gravy made from scratch.. and tomorrow.. we add sausage to the gravy for biscuits and sausage gravy :P

How does the platinum oven work for baking things in a high sided pan where one would want the top browned (ie. lasagna). Is there a top heating element in addition to the fan in the back?

So here's the results of pancakes cooked with the same procedure as the bacon above.

I considered a Capital range, which looks like quite a fine stove too, but all that stainless is like kryptonite to me.

Just to maximize the chances of igniting a full-on flames & troll session in this thread, I'll also note that I seriously considered an induction deck (I'm definitely a fan) instead of the Blue Star. I would very much like to have one of Cooktek's wok hobs, which would allow me to get the kind of power I'm looking for without the problem of poor heat distribution batter that hampers the BS Platinum's 25K power. However I couldn't pack enough induction cooking surfaces into the area I had to play with, and even if I could I'd have to get more cabinetry to match what we've already got, and then replace the vent hood with something wider, which would have caused more cabinetry problems. No intention of voluntarily going down some open-ended rathole of kitchen remodelling, god. Plus I really doubt I'm going to be able to push an induction unit out to a 20-year lifespan, even if I somehow manage to avoid smashing the ceramic top by whomping a pot full of 20 gallons of water down on top of it.

Nice biscuits Russ! I turned out many fine batches in our old gas stove as well. The Bluestar oven is much better, to be sure, but I've never really had big problems on low-spec ovens, as long as they heat relatively evenly and keep temp relatively stable. Probably moving into the holiday season I'll appreciate the size of my new oven; you can get 6 half-sheet trays in at once!

malba - the only heating element in the platinum oven is the heated blower in the back... except the wicked broiler up top, of course.

It works well for casseroles in my experience so far - it isn't really a convection setup (there's a separate control for the ovenwide convection fan). I haven't yet whipped up lasagne with bechamel on the top, but I have done a couple of batches of stuffed shells, and I had no problem with browning cheese on top. Just cook it in a moderate oven, and then bang it up to say 450 at the end. You'll hear me arguing that fast preheating is not a feature that matters in the real world... I don't see a lot of consumer demand for avoiding the drudgery of preheating an oven while mixing cake batter... but fast responsiveness to changing thermostat set temp (which the Pow-R-Oven definitely has in spades) really does mean something, like in the case you're talking about.

If that's not good enough, you could also bang on the broiler at the end to brown the top. You'd want to have the casserole on maybe the middle rack position (that broiler is a beast) and watch it like a hawk, but I imagine it would give you great control. I'll try it out for you when I get a chance; we're big fans of lasagne al forno.

I want to know how anyone gets even heating out of the Platinum PowR oven. It may heat up fast, but it still requires a minimum of 30 minutes to heat the walls enough to have even heating. For breads and cakes it was fine, but with commercial sheetpans it scorches everything in back where the burner is, or with longer preheat just browns it more. If you rotate the pan the oven cools while the door is open and the back side by the burner is guaranteed to burn. I wound up buying 3/4 size sheetpanns to help with this. I am still trying to figure out a way to put two pans in at once and get even heat. So far the convection helps a little, but it still is a pain to deal with.
The other oven which is just a normal bottom heat oven works better. The stove top is fantastic for very high heat and I do use it on full blast, but the PowR oven is a gimmick and really overall has inferior performance to every competing oven. I put the griddle in storage as soon as I got the range, I also think it is mostly a gimmick. Two cast iron griddles are much easier to deal with an zero hassle to put on and remove. For people who don't use all the burners (my stove is 48 inch and I use the whole thing) the griddle might be nice. I would still buy this range for the very high heat burners and they are hands down the best burners I have ever used in my life, but I am baffled why they installed the PowR oven. For people who like to bake tons of cookies for Christmas and such they will be very frustrated. If you ever want to increase the heat while something is baking, just don't, everything in back will burn.

sounds like the rnb is the way to go then. I was hopeful about the POWR oven feature, but if that's no good, I'm not sure the $1,000 is worth it. 22,000 BTU open burners are still incredibly powerful.

I use the 25k burners on full blast frequently, so I am happy anyway, but if you are a normal person I think the RNB will make you happier. Customer support has been great and I would buy from them again. I put the griddle on and started to use it, works great. I have not had the problems others have reported. There are only two of us since my son and daughter-in-law moved out and the griddle is perfect size. For large numbers I liked the 24 inch griddle with salamander I had on ly old Wolf range. The RNB I believe has a 24 inch griddle option.

DeforestLiz, would you want to sell your grill/griddle rig, since you’re not using it?

Sorry, I am using it now since there are just two of us, but I would look on Ebay or just buy a large griddle. I am sure Blue Star would sell them, but likely for too much

No problem. I thought you were talking about the reversible grill/griddle that only comes with the platinum model. The one that has that rectangular frame and the nifty heat deflectors for when you want to transform two burners into an indoor grill. For a griddle, it’s easier to just use a lodge cast iron or some other apparatus.

You can buy the griddle on the bluestar site. Go to resources, then parts. It’s $850(!) though. I understand it will fit the rnb.

I ordered the platinum. 🤷‍♂️

Thanks Benji. I tried last year and it asked for my serial number to see if it was a platinum and I have the RNB. Maybe they changed their rules to start making more money.

But does anyone here have it? If so, how do you like it? Was wondering about the grilling aspect. Does it actually grill food nicely? Does it create grease everywhere?

How much grease goes everywhere depends on how much you cook with and how powerful your hood is, not the griddle. For grilling I prefer to cook outside, but I think it would work well, but also make a mess. I don't deep fry for the same reason, too much mess.

Would love any reviews on the current Platinum range. I’m planning to order the 36”. Are you happy with it? How about the oven? I’m also ordering the electric wall oven so any reviews on that are also appreciated. Thanks!!

I love my range. I had a problem with the airflow being regulated properly and they took care of it with no cost or hassle. The oven is not really for full sized sheet pans because of the PowR oven burner that scorches everything in back. I have had better ovens and if you do large volumes of baking and won't use the extreme burners for very high heat, get the less expensive model. I bought 3/4 sheet pans and the air flows properly with them so I use them. The advertising that full size sheet pans fit is false, yes, you can get them in, but they don't bake evenly. Their marketing people claim no oven does not require you to rotate the sheets. This is BS as my last range took full size sheets and baked evenly as did the Viking and the Wolf I owned previously. OTOH the burners are the best I have ever used and exceed every expectation I had. I do use the full power as I used to cook commercially. I would for sure buy the range again. Their customer service is very easy to work with unlike American Range. Think of it as being the range version of a Lambourghini, power beyond what most people will ever use. Cooking feels like the culinary Autobahn with no speed limit. Most people do not realize that one reason restaurant food tastes so good is cooking very fast at extremely high heat.

If you get it, make sure your hood is powerful enough and has proper airflow that is up to code.

Thanks so much, deforestliz. Great info…I’m primarily getting it for the burners. I’m not a huge baker but do want even temps for some baking and lots of roasting. I’m also getting an electric oven. I was planning to get the blue star, but am now thinking about switching to Miele. I don’t need bells and whistles, just reliability.

I had an electric wall oven in my last house that had problem after problem and is the reason I will never, ever, buy from American Range again. One of the repair guys told me that due to Energy Star requirements they are no longer dependable. If you can find a high end used over from before Energy Star those ovens are better. The Blue Star is fantastic with the proper pan size. Very even with or without convection. The only problem came with full sized (restaurant) baking sheets. I have the 48 inch and the decond over does not have the PowR feature and bakes well with cakes and such. I also bake less, but do like to do large volumes at Christmas. The PowR is good with meat and such.

I’ve had my 30” platinum for 2 months.

The good:

incomparable burners.
Sexy
Restaurant quality wok cooking.
Searing post sous vide is a delight with crispy skinned ribeye in 25 sec a side.
PWR oven is amazing and maybe they fixed the problems, because it roasts veg better than any oven I’ve owned.
Oven heats up incredibly fast.

The bad:

Burners are too hot. Simmering on the simmer burner is like medium low on a typical gas stove. I read it’s adjustable. Will update.

Requires a 1000 cfm, proline quality hood.

Came with some scratches on the front lip, but they are going to happen anyways.

I really love this range and would strongly recommend.

The problems with the PowR burner only come up for baking with full sized commercial sheet pans, for roasting it works great. The air does not flow properly around a full sized sheet pan and the radiant heat from the PowR burner scorches everything in the back of the pan close to the burner. Blue Star claims the oven works with full sized pans and it does not, but most owners will not be bothered as they are not used to commercial cooking. I was a chef so I am used to commercial ranges. If you are using 3/4 or smaller sheet pans there will be no problem. A regular home sheetpan is about 1/2 size.

To reduce the heat on the simmer you have two options. You can lift and twist the grate to move your pan further from the flame. The salesman showed me that one. You can also use a simmer plate on the burner. For people used to commercial ranges this is not an issue. I have made a hollandaise over an open flame, not for beginners LOL. I cook on very high most of the time. I am a huge fan of crock pots for long slow cooking.

There is a third option to reduce the burner - it's a simple adjustment.

We've had our 30" Platinum for 3 1/2 years - DH loves it and since he's retired he now does most of the cooking . We've haven't had any issues with it. He did adjust the simmer burner a little, but that was simple He loves Wok cooking and started baking bread and rolls too. Since we were used to having double ovens we also installed a 30" Thermador electric oven but use the BlueStar unless we have company and need another oven.

Can't decide between the Platinum and the RNB. I'm a serious foodie and baker. Is the Platinum oven that much superior?

I have found the platinum oven inferior for things like cookies because a full commercial size baking sheet scorches in back by the PowR burner. I had to switch to 3/4 size. The oven does bake very well where there is enough airflow so bread and roasts do fine. I have two ovens on my range and for things like muffins I prefer the regular bottom heat oven. Some things like Angel Food cakes and popovers require bottom heat. The only reason to buy Platinum over RNB is the extremely powerful range top burners which are the best I have used outside a restaurant and I use them on full blast. The PowR oven is a gimmick and does not perform as well as the regular Viking, Wolf and American Range ovens I have had in others houses which easily baked a full size sheet pan of cookies. Blue Star says you just have to rotate the pan half way through. My other ovens did not require this. With a 3/4 size pan it is not necessary. You have to decide what your priorities are. The burners are fantastic, even heat, just fabulous. If you do a lot of baking get the RNB and don't believe the hype.

I ordered a RNB for our vacation place and it will be installed in 2 weeks. We have the Platinum at home along with a Thermador electric wall oven. We bake in the Platinum but only regular size cookie sheets. I'm looking forward to comparing the two.

I cooked professionally and like to do ridiculous quantities, for normal people I doubt it matters as much. A big part of why restaurant food tastes good is extremely hot burners. Please post a comparison

Anyone do pizzas with a pizza stone in their platinum?

I use a pizza steel. Preheat 1 hr 500 degF, then drop the pizza on the steel and switch on the broiler. not too bad. the IR broiler element is great

We use a pizza stone in our Platinum oven and often just leave it on a lower rack when we're roasting or baking. DH spoke with our BlueStar rep about leaving it inside and the rep said that it wouldn't hurt and since it retains heat it might help radiate heat.

I have and it works great for that.

Absolutely do not buy a Bluestar Cooking Range. If you are into cooking, at all, you will be dissappointed. We have to rotate food when baking to prevent overcooking on one side, rotate burners for the same reason, etc. These are not made for people that cook. They are cheap Viking knock offs. You can pick the color you want on your range, and that's about the only positive thing about these units. Customer support is also very bad. Spend a little more and save your future self from many headaches.

Also do not recommend a Blue Star. Had a Lacanche for 11 years and loved it. Moved to a new home with a 36" blue star and it is really terrible. The burners flame out, the oven is 36" wide but not that tall making it a pain to put dutch ovens in it and out, takes FOREVER to heat up, roast veg just don't turn out that well (typically undercooked), it's hard to get a low simmer. Yes, the burners are powerful but they have no meaningful range and the power isn't necessary. My Lacanche made great stir fry. Also have to rotate food more in oven to prevent burning. Some of these problems may be oven size and not blue star specific but I've cooked on other 36" ovens in rentals long ago and didn't have as much trouble with the oven. It seems to be made with solid materials but the putting together of those isn't that well done. I'm glad I got a Lacanche all those years ago when we remodeled out first kitchen. Our new home wasn't as lucky. Missing my Lacanche Volnay.

If you are having trouble with the Blue Star it may need to be recalibrated by a good tech.

A good tech should be able to service your Blue Star Range and make it work properly. That doesn't sound normal. When I first got mine I had problems and the tech fixed them. High power is not useful to most people, but I have moved again and miss it badly. I need to remodel and get a new range in. I agree on the oven problems, very sad.

Deforestliz, I think your right. this morning turned oven to 500f to preheat and after timed 30 minutes, my oven thermometer reads 330f. interested if this unexpected based on others experience. (I am not actively trying to dislike this range and it seems others really like theirs. i just want it to perform!)

Christy, that is completely unexpected, something is wrong and needs to be adjusted. I used my oven that hot and had no problems at all. When I make pocket bread I use the oven at highest heat.

I do not recommend Blue Star Rangetops. We had ours installed with a new build. It has a grill. NO WAY will that grill cook a steak. The flames are way too puny. Meanwhile the burner next to it almost explodes with flames when turned on. We thought maybe the valves got mixed up in production. We cook our steaks on that burner on a frying pan. We have had servicemen come out 6 times. It's been a year and no one can boost the performance of this useless grill. We are using the vendor where we bought it as liason but tried to reach out to Blue Star personally, to no avail. In addition to that the Blue Star blower rattles. No one has been able to fix that in over a year either. Very disappointed in the Made in America product. It might as well be China for all the quality and customer service we've received.