I'm glad I found this post. I am also concerned with the amount of heat on the exterior sides of my 30" BS oven so much so that last night we decided to purchase an infrared thermometer and hit the sides with it - the temperature ranged from 145degrees to 240degrees- I think that is wayyy too hot. One side of my range will be exposed and the other next to a cupboard. Since my granite is not on yet, we removed the adjacent cabinet and the wood was also extremely hot- wondering if this is going to ruin our custom drawer fronts since they are adjacent to the range. Any info will help.

I purchased two basic 30" Bluestar ranges on special sale, for $1750 each, for my sister and her best friend about a year ago. They do a lot of wok cooking, roasting, and very little baking. One is a DIY, the other less so, and yes, they've had to replace most of the igniters. They are also chefs, and accustomed to taking extra care with professional equipment. Verdict? You might as well take their right arms off at the elbow than get them to switch ranges! Foremost on their list of "pros" is flame and temperature control, specifically high heat wok cooking. Both claim professional results, as confirmed by many on this site. If you are crazy for Asian cuisine, you've found your mid-priced range. My sister, Ann, also loves the broiler, which gives her meats the sear she loves to put on her dinner table. They do not recommend any professional range to beginners, unless you are willing to go to cooking school, and I agree. I chose to go with a little Capital 24" range, which I hope to have up and running soon. I am more of a baker than a wok wizard, and not much of a housekeeper, so sealed burners (easy cleaning) and precise, even oven heat steered me towards Capital. The Bluestar's open burners are the secret to high output flame control, but they don't wipe clean the way sealed burners do. My sister says it's no problem at all, especially for her new best friend... Research shows the designers at Bluestar and Capital have historically produced commercial ranges only, making inroads into people's homes just for the last few years. The reverse can be said of residential brands such as Kitchenaid, Whirlpool, Thermador, etal. I think it's important to remember the difference, since form follows function in so many of our choices. Commercial ranges have less to do with stylish appearance than durability, high heat, and precise control, all of which comes with costly maintenance (including replacement parts and repairs), and of course, astronomical prices. That said, the Bluestar is a very stylish package that satisfies in both commercial, and residential, applications.

If you do a search you'll find people on here who say the BS door is so hot if you touch it you'll burn yourself, and others who say the opposite. Barry makes a good point about the other things in a kitchen that can cause a burn. I've posted this before, but I'll do it again. I've had a BS RCS for over 2 months now. The sides of the door where the vents are get very hot. Touching those for a few seconds could potentially cause a burn, if you held your hand or other body part against it for at least a few seconds, and probably it would take longer than that. Not a likely scenario. A brief touch will not burn someone. And not much of the sides are exposed though, so unlikely to be an issue. But the door itself, nope. My door doesn't get that hot. Mine gets warm. The glass part gets warmer than the door but I've held my hand against it for several seconds before it's uncomfortable. I had a Viking range before this one and the door, the oven sides and the struts that attached the oven handle to the door got really really hot, painfully so if you touched them more than briefly. I raised two kids with that range, and no burns whatsoever. Kids learn quickly not to touch things. I wouldn't worry about the BS door at all. Get the range you like.

Hi all - sorry did not see the earlier comments. marc_miles35 - we put our steam oven below our counter top, where some might put a microwave or freezer drawers. It works great for us there. cltran333 - no issue for me mixing brands in my kitchen. I have the Viking French door over, Wolf cooktop, Wolf steam oven, Subzero integrated fridge, a Subzero drink fridge and a Bosch dishwasher. They all look fine together. More importantly, they all work/function they way we intended and suit our needs. Best of luck with your remodel project.