Bluestar RNB Range - How is the griddle?
justanothercook
6 years ago
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Mistman
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Bluestar RNB vs RCS: Griddle & BTUs
Comments (3)I have a 36" RCS. I have a Lodge griddle that fits very well over two burners and is easy to use and clean. We don't use a griddle that often so this works perfectly for us. If you use one all the time though, having an integrated griddle might make you happier in the long run. As for the 22vs15k burners, if you don't cook a lot of meat (and it sounds like you don't) then I think you'll find the RCS has plenty of power for you. We had 12k open burners before we got the RCS and the difference is immense, so whether you get the RCS or the RNB you will notice a huge difference in the power of the burners. We do eat fish, but we don't eat red meat and dh eats chicken rarely, so for our type of cooking the RCS has plenty of power. Pan searing fish is wonderful on these burners. Sautéing, braising and caramelizing are all a breeze. We also do a lot of stir frys (no meat in them though) and they come out great. My guess is that the thin slices of meat you would use in a stir fry would sear and cook perfectly fine. 15k open burners put out a lot of heat!...See MoreZephyr vs Bluestar insert range hood over Bluestar RNB rangetop
Comments (13)I don't have any experience with the Bluestar insert, but we did have a Zephyr. Below is the text of my post from another thread describing our experience. In a nutshell, we got rid of it and put in a remote blower. If there's ANY way for you to get the fan out of the kitchen, do it. I can't comment on those specific models, but we had a Zephyr Monsoon II model AK9346AS installed about a year ago and it we found it to be impossibly loud. Their literature says the sone level on low is 3.5, which, based on this chart, is about 45 decibels. I downloaded a decibel meter to my phone and with the phone sitting on the stove 35 inches below, the noise registered 80-82 db. That's MUCH louder than advertised, and we found it very uncomfortable and annoying--couldn't hear the Sonos speaker 12 feet away or anyone talking in a normal voice, and there was a sigh of relief whenever we turned the fan off. We eventually decided to switch it out and install a Wolf liner (with variable speed knob), an inline silencer, and 1400 cfm Abbaka roof mounted blower. It's quieter on high than the Zephyr was on low. The three pieces are a more expensive proposition (even if we hadn't made the Zephyr mistake), but the result is so vastly more pleasant that I still smile when I turn on the fan. In a nutshell, if there's any way you can listen to the Zephyr and Best, preferably in a similar setting, do it. Don't trust the literature....See MoreBluestar RNB griddle material?
Comments (28)Opone, I didn’t say better. “Better” is such a relative term. It all depends on what is important and how you will use it. I much prefer an add on griddle, although not one like the Platinum. If even temperatures across the surface are your goal, I would be looking for something aluminum. See the article on cookware for engineers. Of the built in griddles, Thermador has a cast aluminum plate and a six pass element. The plate is covered with a nonstick material but does allow for easy replacement. It is ridiculously expensive though. I love my overlays because they have about 50% greater area on a two burner size than a built in. I can use bare aluminum or nonstick aluminum or steel. I mostly use it when I am cooking large amounts of something. I can pick the griddle up and put it in the oven if I want to. Temperature changes are much quicker with aluminum. http://royalindustriesinc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_22_48&products_id=82 Some people like the Chef King which is steel. It seasons a little easier than the aluminum. Some people like zones of heat for holding areas. Other advantages to an overlay are- There is a lot more available heat. Some people use it to stir fry or just want higher heat. The heat from 15-25K BTUs in 2 burners is a lot more than the usual 15-18K on most 2 burner built in griddles. You are able to use all of your burners as burners if you want to. You can control each burner separately. You can clean it in the sink. They are very inexpensive to buy or in the case nonstick, replace. If you are looking for “even temperature over time”, the built in griddles all fluctuate by coming on and off. An add on griddle has constant heat once it is adjusted. I don’t know that this makes much difference in actual cooking. The thermostat does allow you to set the same temperature repeatedly. “the open burners on the RNB are better than those on the Wolf.” Open or sealed burner trays aren’t really performance issues, just cleaning preferences. It is other aspects of the burner that determine the performance. The differences are that BS star burner keeps the flame more to the middle by not having a burner cap, allowing the flame to go in more of a straight up direction. The star design with the ports along the side keep the flame in the foot print of the burner a little more. This is good if you stir fry or need high heat in the middle. The star disperses the heat a little better if you use cookware like cast iron or steel that doesn’t conduct heat very well. If you have copper or aluminum, the cookware evens the heat out. I have Wolf burners and they work well for me because I use big pans. I’m using highest heat on the widest pans so I like the flare as you turn the heat up. Some gas burners get super wide though so you have to see how they are. Wolf keeps the flare from getting too wide with the dual stacked burners. I have been stir frying more lately and it has been pretty good for that but I move my wok around a lot. Wolf has the reputation for great service but that has not been my experience and they continue, over the last 10 years to knowingly sell ovens with the blue interior that chips. BS has been good and bad....See MoreHow much to sell used Bluestar RNB 30 range for?
Comments (1)Look on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other craigslist ads (beware, craigslist has become a scammers heaven) and see what others are selling it for and price it accordingly.... if you price it and it’s not selling, you’ve priced it too high......See Morecobalt21
6 years agoPhan Flyer
4 years agoM
4 years agojustanothercook
4 years agoAndy Long
4 years agoMistman
4 years agoAndy Long
4 years agosjerin
4 years agoMistman
4 years agoAndy Long
4 years agoM
4 years agoMistman
4 years agoTBL from CT
4 years agoMistman
4 years agoTBL from CT
4 years agoJanelle McDonald
2 years agoopaone
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoJody Dietz
2 years agoStacy W
2 years agoopaone
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agolarakaty
2 years agoJorge Chagoya
10 months agoM
10 months ago
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