I could go on and on about everything wrong with Dacor and have on this forum, but my experience was three years ago and maybe they are better now. I had the Discovery wall oven and the ER36D range. I would also be aware that sales incentives can color the opinion of some sales people. Before you buy, check out the reputation of the store where you would buy your appliances. Check online reviews and BBB. Anyway after we got rid of our Dacor appliances(they bought them back), we thought maybe BS and drove 250 miles to look at them but my husband did not like the fit and finish and they were having problems with the doors and ignitors at the time. We decided to go with the Wolf DF with a sealed burner. I thought we were settling at the time because I wouldn't have the 22K burner. When I got the range, I loved it. It has plenty of heat for the type of cooking I do -searing steaks and the occasional stir fry. The simmer can keep a pot of mashed potatoes on all burners indefinitely. It is often said the flame on the sealed burner spreads but I have not problem making caramel in a 7 inch pan. The semi sealed burner on Wolf AG is different and I haven't cooked on it. If I did a lot of stir fry and high heat cooking where I wanted a more central high heat and that were the most important consideration, I would think about the culinarian and if the simmer wasn't low enough use a simmer plate. I still like the BS shape of the burner for even heating. I don't think there is only one good range but each has features that might suit your style of cooking. The oven in the Wolf DF is great because you can manipulate the heat from the top or bottom depending on what you are baking/roasting and you can use the convection only mode if the oven is really filled up. I've never had to though as it bakes very evenly on the conv bake cycle. I also like the cool doors, with the grands running around plus I don't want to stand in front of a hot oven and the self clean. The AG ranges have the infrared broilers but we grill outside 95% of the time so this was not a feature that was important to me. I know you didn't ask about Wolf DF but since you were considering Dacor DF, I thought I would mention it. Good luck with your decision. deeageaux- "You can argue how much better the Culinarian cooktop is but I don't think anyone can serioiusly argue that the Wolf/Monogram is as good or better" Yes, you can. They are very different and not everyone has the same priorities when choosing a cooktop or range.

All things being equal, I would go with a 48" AG over a 36" DF in an instant. What do you sacrifice going from DF to AG? Self cleaning? (I must admit that I have not closely followed the AG vs. DF debate, as my contractor didn't wire with sufficient juice for DF and I was happy enough with the AG offerings to not gripe about it). The grill vs. griddle wrinkle complicates matters. I absolutely love the griddle on my 48" AG DCS. It was really a pleasant surprise, as I had never done much cooking on a griddle (and what I had done was on an over-the-burner griddle). My only complaint is that it's too small. If I had it to do over, I would go with the 24" griddle that DCS offers -- I just didn't expect to use the griddle as often as I do. I had a range with a built-in grill for about a year. I used it maybe twice. Of course, that may have been a function of the fact that I had a gas grill outside, about fifteen steps from the range. On the other hand, I use the griddle almost every day, and I've never used a grill -- inside or out -- anywhere near that often.

"Skinsloe I was recently in a Wolf showroom and asked about the chipping issue. They said it was a problem several years ago when the interior was outsourced which is no longer the case." That has been their mantra for many years and yet this issue has been reported on this forum with the new M series oven that was designed to deal with this issue. If you buy the Wolf, get the longest extended warranty you can and make sure there are no exclusions on the enamel. Check it periodically wiping the bottom with a damp white paper towel looking for chipping. Most ranges chip later than the wall ovens so can be out if the two year warranty and more over the heating element. Never use the self clean. I have used the Wolf dual stacked burners for years and never have had any issues with the lower ports getting clogged even with spills but it could happen. "Julie B I do a lot of baking, and the BS is a pure gas oven, so has a moister heat which isn't ideal for baked goods." I know this is conventional wisdom but it is a little more complicated than that. The gas flame of an oven does release water as a byproduct of combustion, but because the combustion requires more ventilation, this moisture along with moisture from what you are baking/roasting vents out. This is superficially drying to what you are cooking so promotes the Maillard reaction so faster browning which is better for roasting and even some baking. Electric ovens although the heat source is dry, hold onto the moisture from what you are baking so can promote starch gelatinization which is important for the first part of baking with things that need to rise. Some bread bakers use a cloche in a gas oven during the first part of baking to keep humidity around the bread. You might want more browning on some items you bake after the rise is complete. I read that one baker opens the oven (electric) briefly to let steam out and then turns the convection fan on to add more drying and browning. I do this for cakes and muffins. Most cookies would bake well in a gas oven or electric with convection because there is less concern about starch gelatinization. It would be the same with pies with these two ovens. I actually like an electric oven with an open element on the bottom for pies because it browns the bottom of the pie better, especially with a clear PYREX pie dish. Most higher end ovens have the hidden bottom element. I have a recipe for an upside down apple pie that I made for years but doesn't work on my newer ovens because of the hidden elements. A couple brands have the element under glass but have other issues, for me, that would rule them out. Some electric ovens have a very tight temperature range but I haven't noticed it making that much difference from other ovens, gas or electric that I have had over the years. The bigger difference in some electric ovens is the ability to use modes with heat coming from the top, bottom or back, variable fan speeds and the number, direction and position of fans like the fan towers in in the Wolf M. It can be hard to get all of this right though and you are relying on a computer board to coordinate all of it. You can bake with either but it might require some adjustments in your recipes. Overall I prefer electric but others with gas like it.

A few thoughts: - In addition to pancakes, steaks, and other griddle things we use ours as a warming plate and pseudo french top. This works great for both cooking and keeping things like sauces warm. We've currently a Wolf 36" AG w/ 12" griddle + 4 burners that we've been very happy with. Will likely do a 48" AG BS w/ 24" griddle + 4 burners in new house. - A built-in thermostatically controlled griddle is massively easier to use than a plate on top of burners. - We've not found cleaning a problem. After use we scrape it with a spatula and then wipe some peanut oil on after it cools but is still warm. This has worked well for 15 or so years. It's a bit of a splotchy bronze patina but works great. My wife will sometimes put the SS cover on it. - If a second oven is the key driver then think about an AG range + separate electric oven. Gas and electric cook different and we're glad we have both. The wall mount oven is also at a more convenient height that lessens stooping. - I am very much function over form. Our kitchen is primarily a workshop. Bad functionality will frustrate us far more than bad aesthetics. OTOH, a kitchen that looks like it functions good and is well used has it's own aesthetic appeal.