Consumer reports examined dual-fuel ranges and found them not worth the extra money, overall. They recommended going all gas or all electric, depending upon preference and availability of utilities/prices. All gas is typically the most economical, if you have natural gas available where you live. On the contrasts between Bertazzoni and Bluestar, we have had some great discussions here. I am familiar with both because they both offered reasonably priced ranges in the 36" size we were looking for. I was sorely tempted by the Bertazzoni range. In my opinion, from the perspective of simple loveliness, the Bertazzoni range is the winner, hands down. It is an example of perfect proportionality, clean, modern, lines, and quality construction. They also have a good reputation among owners and have few drawbacks, a smaller-than-American-expectations oven being the chief detraction. The older Bertazzonis also had some kind of idiosyncrasy with the knobs that some did not like, but I think they changed that. In any case, you will likely really enjoy a Bertazzoni. Unless you are a Bluestar person. Bluestar people are folks who gravitate to restaurant ranges. The whole top of the Bluestar, minus the stainless front driprail and the peripheral trim, is made out of coarsely enameled cast iron. It is REALLY heavy. Pot-bangingly heavy. If something spills or boils over, it falls right down on the burners and from there down to a huge drip tray that you line with aluminum foil and clean out once and awhile. You can put the entire top of the range in the dishwasher if you want. I even run the burners through the dishwasher, ignitors and all, when I feel like it. I think the Bluestar is not as lovely as the Berta. It is more stodgy and muscular, and I don't think it has the elegance of finish one will find in a Wolf or Capital. But if you like cooking on big fire with open burners and a cavernous oven with the hottest broiler you have ever seen, then you should look at a Bluestar. So you can tell my Bluestar bias, I hope, and temper this recommendation with your own requirements and priorities, which may be markedly different from mine. But if I were looking for a range right now, I would be keeping an eye out for a deal on a 36" Bluestar RCS that I could upgrade one burner on to Ultranova BTUs. That is exactly what I did and I couldn't be happier with the result.

response to pacwest cook's American vs BlueStar wall oven post and an earlier post about American Range vs BlueStar ranges It is obvious that pacwest cook's comments in both instances are simply attempts to boost American Range sales; probably by an employee in American's distribution chain. I seriously doubt that BlueStar copied the wall oven design of a much lesser player in the pro-style cooking arena. The comment about BlueStar's burners being all the same size (range comparison post) missed the point that the number and location of burner ports vary according to the BTU output of the burner, so smaller pots can be placed on lower BTU burners without the flame creeping over the sides. I'm guessing that pacwest cook will also favor us with the results of his or her "research" on various other kitchen equipment, including dishwashers, refrigeration, coffee makers, etc whenever someone inquires about any brand against which he or she competes.

Reflecting on what gtadross said about sizing a hood, I recall that the general rule of thumb for matching hood capacity to gas burner cookers is to have a hood capacity of 1 CFM per 100 btus of the rated capacity of the burners. IIRC correctly, the GE Cafe dual-fuel's five burners are: 20k btu + 17k btu + 9.1k btu + 8k btu + 5k btu. Add that up and divide by 100 and you get 591 CFM. IIRC, the BlueStar ranges straddle this figure: the RCS model with 15k burners and a 6k simmer burner equates to a 510 CFM vent capacity where the RNB with three 22k burners and a simmer burner would be about 700 to 800 CFM under this rule of thumb. Seems to me that you've pretty much got the same hood requirements regardless of whether you get a Blue Star or GE Cafe. At this point, somebody is likely to suggest an induction range. (For electric ranges, the rule of thumb is 100 CFM per lineal foot of stove top which, for a 30" ranges, translates to a minumum of 250 CFM of hood capacity. ) I suspect that you've already considered that option and rejected it. If nothing else, I'm guessing that, if you really like the Blue Star ranges, the aesthetics of induction ranges won't appeal to you. (I mention this from personal experience of stove shopping a year ago where one of the considerations for me was that I did not care for the appearance and touch-pad controls of the induction ranges that were in my price range.) Still, if you haven't considered induction, there are a couple of good choices in the price range you seem to be talking about. Beyond that comment, it seems to me that there are two different considerations in addressing hood sizing and your kitchen's need for venting and make-up air. (a) code requirements which only some places have adopted but which your contractor must follow if your locality has adopted them. Some folks may view these requirements as a bureaucratic game of regulatory over-reach, the rules of which can be flouted with impunity. and (b) Practical safety: You cannot flout these with impunity. So, how tightly is your house is buttoned-up? Do you have gas-powered fixtures (water heater, furnace) and/or fireplaces/woodstoves from which your hood may backdraft CO? Btw, I'm using "CO" as the abbreviation for carbon monoxide, not Colorado. I did recently see a couple of rangehoods that seemed large enough to backdraft a state, though. :>) Anyway, if you have all electric heating or a large and drafty house or if your other gas fixtures have their own make-up air, or if you live in a warm climate where windows can always be left open, then you may not actually need an in-kitchen MUA system. It happens that, in my (very-cold climate) house, the water heater and furnace were isolated enough down in the basement that their MUA systems cost me than less $200. The take-away for me is that fixture-MUA can take care of any potential back-drafting without the difficulties and expense on adding MUA into the kitchen. However, this is very much a YMMV kind of thing. For me, the main consideration is that physics (e.g., air flow) and chemistry (e.g., the toxicity of CO) cannot be evaded the way that building code requirements can be disregarded, Now, as gtadross's post implies, most localities will allow you to install a BS range without any vent hood at all. But, doing the hood later raises some practical questions. Can you later install a hood yourself? If not, and you have to contract the work, then any competent contractor is going to have to address the regulatory and practical MUA considerations then. It will be more expensive later. Just my 2 cents worth. This post was edited by JWVideo on Sat, Nov 2, 13 at 15:20

There should be no yellow at all with natural gas. First, make sure that the burner venturi tubes are centered, straight, and fully engaged over their brass orifices (pushed as far as possible toward the front of the rangetop). Also verify that the orifice fittings are not loose on their threads. Next, you will need to adjust the air shutters on those burners to increase the air in the air/gas mixture until the flame has no yellow at all but still does not separate from the burner surface when on high. Check the manual or online videos at bluestar.com for this adjustment procedure. It is very easy to do (or you could call your installer back and get them to do it).