Agree w/ M. Though I'd suggest to specifically avoid the Platinum.

For a griddle you want one that is thermostatically controlled. Others, like the burner top that comes w/ the platinum, have uneven heat across the surface and uneven over time unless you constantly adjust the burners underneath. Also keep in mind that a good griddle can also work as a flat top for a number of tasks from sandwiches, veggies and eggs directly on the surface to keeping sauces warm in pans.

In our case we're going from 4 burners and a 12" griddle (Wolf in our current house) to 4 burners and 24" griddle (Bluestar RNB) in our new house.

So not to sound dumb but how do I research for one that is thermostatically controlled?

Providencesparrow to answer your original post, are you asking about a cooktop

To answer your other questions, What type of cooking do you do? What type of cookware do you have? Do you have a budget and does it include ventilation and makeup air if necessary. How wide will your cook/rangetop be?

I would probably look at the burners first. What does the term "open" burners mean? The term "open" is used rather loosely to market different aspects of different brands. Before the mid 1980s, all burners were "open". Spills went down through the burner tray into the stove. A burner with a sealed burner tray and a cap over the burner ports was invented to make cleaning easier because it kept spillovers from clogging the burner ports and going down into the stove. You then had open vs sealed burners. Residential prostyle ranges were introduced shortly after that by Viking. As more brands have been added there are so many variations marketed and sold under the term "open". It was given almost a mystical connotation of increasing the power of the burner and you just weren't a cook if you didn't have them.

You can look at these characteristics to get an idea of what would work best for you and the way you cook.

BTUs- a rating for how much heat a burner produces. Also look at the BTU rating on the low end for simmer.

Capped vs uncapped This is sometimes what people mean by an "open" burner, one that is uncapped. A cap causes more flare of the burner on highest heat. This can be a lot on something like a 5 Star or less on something like Wolf that has dual stacked burners. If you stirfry a lot, you would want an uncapped burner so the high BTU heat goes straight up to the middle.

shape-star, ring

This is a picture of capped burners on top (Thermador star burner L and Wolf on the R )

You can see how you get more dispersal of heat with a star or triple ring if the pan matches the burner size. If you use big pans, you might be better off with more flare bringing the heat halfway between the center and edge of the pan. Most people have to pick a set of burners and they won't be ideal in all situations. You have three opportunities to apply even heat to whatever you are cooking. The first is the source of heat which is a limited configuration. The second is your cookware which is much easier to change. If you want even heat, choose a material that conducts heat well like heavy aluminum or copper and the burner shape won't matter. It is the interface of heat to food. If you love cast iron or enameled cast iron, which tends to hot spot more, the BS burners as long as it is fitted to the pan are a better choice. If you have clad cookware, it varies depending on how much copper or aluminum is in the pan. The third opportunity is adding a liquid around the food like oil or even water.

An open burner tray comes off or breaks down for cleaning. They usually have a pull out tray underneath. Sealed does not come apart. Look on YouTube to see how to clean a BS or Capital. An open burner tray, contrary to what you might read does not allow more oxygen to get to the flame. People have strong opinions about which is easier to clean open or sealed burners.

There are burners that have open burner trays and capped burners. There are burners with a sealed tray but uncapped. The term semi sealed is sometimes used for something like an American Performer that has an uncapped star burner but the tray fits close to the burner to catch spills. It lifts off for cleaning though.

Part 2 griddles. With a built in griddle, most people will pick the burners and then you get whatever the griddle is, but if you pick the griddle first, here are some considerations I posted recently. It compares Wolf and BS but also add on griddles. There is more to it than a thermostatic control. Look below at how these two griddles are heated. While these two griddles are made of steel, built ins can be made of many different materials. This is a really good site with great info on cookware. It is important to understand what the heat transfer properties are because a griddle is a big space.

https://www.centurylife.org/a-no-nonsense-guide-to-cookware-materials/

Aluminum has better heat transfer properties than steel. Some griddles have electric elements. Some have a chromium "infused" surface that is supposed to be depending on the manufacturer like nonstick or at least easy to clean. I have seen lots of complaints about that. Do not buy a built in with a nonstick coating because we know what happens to that. Looking at a built in make sure it is truly thermostatically controlled if that is what you want.

Sometimes you can find this info in the use and care manual but you might have to call the manufacturer to get this info but ask

-what material the griddle is made of and how thick

-any surface treatments and how to clean

-size-usable sq inches

-the source of heat

-is the griddle truly built in or an overlay

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-There are several differences in Wolf and BS griddles but both are thermostatically controlled. The Wolf on their website is either 1/2” or 3/4” rolled steel depending on where you look. The BS has been reported on this forum to be 3/16” or 3/8”. Both can be seasoned like cast iron. BS also has their own add on griddle available but it is porcelainized cast iron which cannot be seasoned and they recommend taking oven cleaner to it when it gets cruddy. The thicker plate takes longer to heat up and adjust if you need to but has the potential for heating a little more evenly.

The other difference is that Wolf has an infrared burner that heats over the entire surface.

This is the burner with BS

Even with the thicker plate and infrared burner, Wolf warns the griddle is hotter towards the back.

You can also consider an overlay griddle. Some people like a built in because it is more stable and with the thermostatic control, it is more consistent in that If you set it for a certain temperature, you will get that every time and continuously as you cook, but there are advantages to an overlay too.

Your burners can be always there to use. You can take the griddle off to clean or put away. This may be an important benefit for a 30-36" rangetop.

You can use different metals for different purposes. Aluminum conducts heat really well so it heats evenly. You can buy an overlay that is coated to be nonstick or uncoated. The uncoated one can season but not as quickly as the steel. They are pretty inexpensive.

http://royalindustriesinc.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_22_48

These are steel add ons which season like the Wolf and BS and hold a lot of heat, but can hot spot or create zones of more and less heat which some people like.

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChefKing/Griddles.htm

This is is more of a fitted add on.

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChefKing/Broilers.htm

Consider how much space you need. A built in is typically about 11x22 so 242 sq. Inches. My aluminum add on is 15x23” so about 345 sq. inches. Some add ons cover 4 burners.

An an add on allows you to have a lot more heat if you need it. You can have up to 2x 22-25K burners or 2x15K, compared to 15K total for a built in. There was one poster here that stir fried on his griddle.

There are lots of choices but no one universal best.

I have an overlay over two burners and I don't have any trouble adjusting the heat. It is just like adjusting a pan. I know what the heat will be by looking at the flame. I love my aluminum griddle for grilled sandwiches. Because of its large size it can hold a lot and everything cooks pretty evenly. You can get a nonstick griddle as an add on for eggs or pancakes because when they go bad, they are inexpensive. Other people find the thermostatic control to be the most important feature.

Consumer Reports has online ratings and recommendations for electric and gas cooktops. You can join for just a month (or a year): https://www.consumerreports.org/join . After selecting products you like, I'd read anecdotal reviews from sites such as Home Depot and appliancesconnect.com. What's clear is that you don't have to buy an expensive, fancy-pants brand to get a good cooktop.

Thank you all so much for taking time to educate me! Clearly I have a lot to learn before choosing! I greatly appreciate such a thoughtful reply Wekick!

To answer your questions- I am considering more of the rangetop appliance. While funds are not limitless I am willing to make this my splurge item. I am accounting for vent needed and already have makeup air in the specs.

I do cook from scratch daily, and breakfast items too which is one reason for the griddle. I counted and came up with three times in the past week I used my cheapo griddle, so feel like this might be worth looking into.

My main cookware right now is a modest but faithful steel cuisinart set. I do some cast iron and enamelware but struggle with it on my glass top electric range.

Thank you all! I so appreciate it!

From what you have said so far, I think you'd be extremely happy with a 36" Bluestar rangetop. I think, in another thread people were wondering, why the griddle is in the center. And I think I have figured it out. One of the big selling points of the Bluestar burners is that you can use round-bottom woks on them.

It's quickly become one of my favorite cookwares. A wok has super fast response time, because of the thin steel. Centering the heat in the middle allows for great temperature control as you move food in and out of the hottest zone. The high walls reduce splatter and make clean up easy. And the big volume gives a lot of options when cooking for any size party. Also, properly seasoned, a carbon steel wok is a breeze to clean.

But a 14" wok has a lot of overhang on the sides. With a 30" range, that's not a huge problem, as there is dead space in the center between the four burners. With a 36" range, all six burners are right next to each other, and the wok would extend over the adjacent burners. Replacing the two center burners with the griddle is a great compromise.

N.b. you can configure the burners at will. This can either happen in the factory (making this a custom order that costs more and takes longer) or your dealer can do it at install time (a quick change that shouldn't cost more than ~$100 per burner). I think the default configuration of two 22kBTU burners, one 15kBTU burner, and one simmer burner isn't too bad. But I personally didn't have much use for a simmer burner. I use the oven for slow and controlled simmering. So, I decided to turn my simmer burner into another 15kBTU burner. I have been very happy with this configuration. I don't have a griddle myself, as I didn't have space for a 36" range, but if I did, I suspect that the griddle could also do double-duty as an impromptu simmer burner, when needed.

If the griddle is really important to you, you could upsize it to 24". That would make it more useful as a place to keep pots that are simmering or that just need to be kept warm. But then you have to go to a full 48" for the rangetop. That makes everything more expensive, and it takes up a lot more space, as your hood would now have to be at least 54". It's also a little more awkward, as your main burners are now separated by a lot more space; so, using multiple pots at the same time would be more difficult.

In the end, as in every kitchen, it's a compromise that only you can decide based on your personal priorities. Personally, if I had the space, I'd pick the 36" rangetop combined with one CSO wall oven and (depending on space and budget) another regular oven or speed oven.