I have the Bluestar RNB, so can't comment on the platinum, but for baking, I think you will do fine with most electric ovens. As to microwave, while the built in look is nice, it can be a pain to replace when the microwave dies. Do a search here and you will see a number of posts on that problem. IMO, the best approach is to have an open shelf in the kitchen for the microwave to rest on, so when it dies, it can be replaced very easily.

As to range hoods, while I would like to say 1200 cfm is what you need and that 900 cfm is not enough, the truth is that the way different manufacturers rate the cfm of their hoods, cfm is not a fair comparison. I would instead try to find out how many watts the hood consumes, then subtract the light wattage , to see how much energy goes to the motor. I bought a range hood that was rated 900 cfm, but the two motors were very low wattage, and barely moved any air at all, yet a prior hood, with a lower cfm rating , had a higher wattage motor, and moved much more air. A real handicap, in addition to the problem in comparing rated cfm's, is that most people buy just one range hood, and actual performance varies tremendously based on how it is installed ( how close is the hood to the range, how long is the exhaust pipe, what is the diameter of the exhaust piping, how many turns, etc ) so that you can't put much stock in reviews by users.

See my recent update here: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5068931/m=3/bluestar-36-rnb-16-months-later

FWIW, we currently have (for about 15 years) a 36" Wolf AG range w/ 12" griddle + Miele Masterchef wall oven + GE Advantium fast-bake microwave. Our new kitchen will have a 48" Bluestar RNB range w/ 24" griddle + Miele Masterchef wall oven + Miele XXL combi-steam + GE Advantium fast-bake microwave.

We cook and bake a large variety of stuff and having both a gas and electric oven has been critical. The Miele is a really great electric oven that we've found worth the cost. It's fairly accurate and bakes evenly throughout its cavity. We're mostly replicating what we have and that has worked well for us though adding a steam oven and larger griddle (that we use as a flat-top).

For range I would do RNB rather than platinum simply for the much better thermostatic griddle.

We are installing a CaptiveAire hood. We currently have a VAH that is loud and inadequate and we know that other consumer hoods like Best will also be inadequate. The difference isn't the CFM so much as these consumer hoods do not have a large enough capture area or containment area so steam, grease, heat and odors spill out from underneath them.

Also, do not neglect to install a proper make-up air system.

Perhaps it is too late now, but in my opinion unless you and your house mates have a high social tolerance for living with a disaster area for months or years, and high financial tolerance for making changes on the fly, demo should not begin until you have a detailed and self-consistent plan that is compliant with all relevant codes and that accounts for every appliance, cabinet, countertop, sink, water line, outlet, switch, light, molding, floor material, etc., including any structural changes needed. Dimensions of everything have to be accounted for. The plan should be vetted in your own mind with respect to efficiency of performing common kitchen tasks in the presence of human traffic flow. It should allow practicable appliance repair. Where not specified by drawings, the plan needs to be finished in your own mind and capable of being understood by those doing the renovation.

Design and build as you go can be ultimately successful -- at least to casual visitors -- but may be fraught with difficulties and unplanned expenses.

Robin - there are Platinum reviews here on this site that are much more recent than 2 - 3 years.

We downsized when we moved and now have a 30" Bluestar Platinum and a 30" Thermador oven with rotisserie and a full size Thermadore microwave above it. The interior of the cabinet is finished so if we ever replace the microwave we can just put a counter top model inside or buy one with a trim piece.

We have baked bread, cookies, tarts, and cakes in both ovens and so far they seem about equal. I am pleased with how accurate the oven temperatures are in both ovens - using a separate oven thermometer. And it is important to adequately pre-heat them.

Thanks everyone for the all the comments! It is awesome that every one loves their Bluestar! I can't wait until I join you all.

barryv_gw and opaone, thank you so very much for the hood advice. It is extremely helpful as I have to research and pick out a hood soon. Getting the right hood is very important to me.

Thanks everyone for all the oven and microwave information too. It will help a lot.

One of the reasons I am leaning towards the Platinum is the removable griddle... currently I have never used a griddle and while it sounds cool, I think there is a good chance I won't use it that often. Having a built in one is just too risky especially because I was only planning on a 36" range...

I do see some recent threads about the Platinum, but not much from actual owners of the range.

maire_cate, I am convinced that you are the only person on Houzz that actually owns a Bluestar Platinum :). Before I posted this, I had read your post where you had just got the range but hadn't tried the oven yet. Thanks very much for sharing your experience. I am glad to hear that it works well enough for you. It is very helpful to hear that it won't be totally just decorative if we choose it. Also your Thermadors look great! How is that that rotisserie? That is a cool feature I may want to look at... Hope your DH is still loving to cook.

kaseki, this is a partial tear down that we have been planning for a very long time. We will be moved out for 10 months. We are choosing things based on the timeline set by our contractor and designer. You don't have to have things like the exact molding, cabinets, floors, or appliances in a plan before you start a project this big... it will take months just for the structural work.

The reasons why the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightening II variants are poster children of overruns in time and cost have their counterparts in the kitchen renovation process. Skipped effort in the front-end planning (called systems engineering in aerospace) along with customer-directed changes have a multiplying effect in the effort required for back-end execution. In the case of kitchens, either the cost goes up or short cuts are taken as the contractor avoids taking a loss.

A design-as-you-go reno is certainly capable of yielding a beautiful and functional result, but one should anticipate cost and time growth unless a lot of margin is already included. On the other hand, with enough reserve funding and patience, design-as-you-go can be as enjoyable as shop-'till-you-drop.

Have fun with your project.

Robin - Since moving in 3 months ago we've primarily used the BS - especially since DH has renewed his love of cooking and that's his first choice. We haven't used the rotisserie because we've been at our vacation home.

We haven't used the removable griddle either. It's still in a box somewhere in the garage with lots of other boxes waiting to be unpacked when we return. It is very heavy!

We went with a 1200 CFM hood. The kitchen is small and we didn't have room for the recommended 3" overlap on the sides and 3" projection on the front. Depending on the design of the hood and baffles I think having the 3" in the front is really important to help capture the steam, odor and grease from cooking.

have fun planning your reno.

Maire

Thanks opaone, you really make that griddle sound amazing....I will think about it, but it is so hard to commit to a griddle built in without having ever used one. I also do large dinner parties and have required more than 4 burners a few times (I have a portable induction I break out), but I guess I could sit pots on the griddle. I could go to a 48 inch as it will only mess up my designer's kitchen layout a bit, but I like the one large oven in the 36". Have to decide before we get the cabinet maker involved next week or two. The kitchen won't be worked on until May or June due to the about of structural work.

kaseki, I just wanted some appliance advice here. If you look at my history, you will see I started posting about remodelling in 2014 and posted detailed floor plans back in Feb 2017, so to call this "design as you go" is laughable. I personally have spent 300 or more hours planning this and around $25k on architects/designers already. We are going by the professionals we hired timeline advice. That being said, we have 95% of everything decided and must figure the last 5% in the next month.... I am just questioning my appliance brand choices... I am sure whether or not I get an RNB or a Platinum won't impact the foundation work or the roof trusses.