I tried to edit my post but don't know how!

I wanted to add that we are a family of 6. And we entertain/ host parties and get togethers at least once a month. Plus I host all the family events.

townlakecakes: That's one of reasons I like the Blue Star, It literally has knobs to turn it on and a light. No other electronics or anything! I will look into the one you suggest. Thanks

Redsilver: I don't think I can convince my husband to let me order in every night! Ha ha.

No, and your family would not like the food as well as what you cook yourself ...within a week or 2 .. LOL.. Check those commercial ranges. At one time, a commercial range meant....little or no insulation around the oven area. That meant: A very hot kitchen. Often, that is why they are thinner walled them home ranges. Now, I have not shopped for a range in a while, and when I do, the most important thing to me is the heavy quality of the oven racks. I cannot stand an oven where the rack sways beneath the weight of a 12 lb turkey in a roaster, or an iron skillet full of cornbread.. :D So, that is what I would focus on: the quality and quantity of the insulation around the oven, and the quality of the oven racks. Once I know that my kitchen won't be 100 degrees if the oven is on 400 baking a pizza..and the rack is up to the challenge of baking several roasts or a turkey without being permantly swayed, than just making sure there is no plastic on the backsplash! I want to be able to clean that stove top and backsplash if its' electric, so that it shines. Plastic and and ranges are NOT compatible. Twice now, I have owned a range that cannot be cleaned of splatter grease without damaging the physical appearance of the appliance. AND there is not a darn thing the manufacturer can do about it.(or will)...

We purchased a home two years ago, and gutted the kitchen a year ago. Our countertop and appliances were chosen with much guidance from this site.

Love our soapstone countertops (Belvedere) from M. Teixeira. Totally carefree. As for appliances, so glad we chose Miele Combi Steam Oven and Miele convection oven. So easy to clean, and they cook wonderfully. We also chose a Thermador 48” rangetop. For the type of cooking we do, we really didn’t need the power of open burner oven brands, and the Thermador star burners are much more effective at heating the center of a pot or pan, than the Wolf round burners.

The 42” French door SubZero fridge is the cat’s meow. Just fantastic. Expensive for sure, but well worth the price. In our last house, our 36” over/under SZ lasted 30 years, and was still going strong when we sold the house. Oh, and btw, SZ has the best customer service, if you need it. Hasn’t been necessary for the new fridge.

As for a dishwasher, the Bosch 800 series came highly recommended, and has not disappointed. It cleans beautifully, and is very quiet. A red light beams on the floor to let you know its on. I love the top silverware drawer.

Our microwave is a large GE, which we chose not to make look built in with the GE built in kit. Instead, our contractor built an enclosed shelf with our cabinet material. He slid the microwave in. It looks built in, w/o paying for the kit.

Hope this helps...

After tons of research, we went with a 48 inch Bluestar range top with 2 ovens from Miele, one of them being a steam oven. We have a 36 inch integrated refrigerator that is total refrigerator. We have 2 freezer drawers with ice maker in the island. We have little use for freezer and lots of use of refrigerator. We also have an extra refrigerator with freezer space in basement. We went with Bosch for dishwasher. We get our kitchen gutted and remodeled in January. So I can't talk about performance yet.

Stacie has not responded to my post or Townlakecakes about the hood. It doesn't seem she realizes that it needs to be a major part of her budget, and needs to be well thought through in advance. The exhaust duct out of the house needs to be correct, the size needs to be correct (54" wide for a 48" hood), and for a 48" Bluestar range, she will need a major amount of cfms. It doesn't seem she realizes how powerful the Bluestar is, how many btus--if she did, the hood for it would be at the top of her list.

Many people opt for a 36" range or rangetop instead of 48", just because of the expense and difficulties of exhausting a 48" range. Others do the research and make the expenditure for the hood requirements of a 48" powerful range. You should take this into consideration.

IMO SubZero is totally overrated a 48” gas range is not even needed in most restaurants and the ventilation system will not only be noisy but cost at least as much as the range. I run a catering biz from my home with a 36 “ all gas range and double electric wall ovens . I have fridgedaire all fridge , all freezer with built in kit and I would never buy anything but a Bosch DW. I have had all those appliances for 11 yrs and not one service call. I honestly in all those years never wished I had 2 more burners . I like both gas and elecetric ovens because I like some things baked better in gas like bread and pizza.

Stacie,

I have 22 in my family that come for dinner on average once a month, and at Christmas the number with add on often gets close to 30 for a sit down dinner. Added to that we have 2 vegans and 2 vegetarians in the mix, so often have to make extra dishes to accommodate them. Our family is only 4 but with everyone so close, having 6-8 on a weeknight isn’t unusual, and really doesn’t take much more space than 4. I also bake wedding cakes. So I had major requirements for cooking, but a relatively small budget. I gave up a horrible 36” cooktop and we now have a standard 30” gas range and a 30” wall oven. The only time I wish I had more ovens is cooking Christmas dinner. If I need an extra burner I either use my instant pot (has only happened once) or I have the option of the induction plate we used during our remodel.

Since you seem to have a much larger budget than we did, a 36” range would be a good option, because it makes the middle burners actually usable.

Not that any of us are actually trying to talk you out of a 48” range (I don’t think) we just all want you to have the best kitchen you can get and think you should really consider whether you need to almost double your cooktop surface.

As to the hood, if you’re looking st Blue Star with analog controls, you can’t really go wrong with that. The Victory hood was the only analog one we found in our price range, size, and quality that matched our needs.

Red silver, Wolf and BlueStar are not commercial ranges. They are prostyle. They are designed for home kitchens. Any gas range is going to put more heat/humidity into the kitchen because it has a lot more ventilation than an electric range.

If if your kitchen is big, you might need a 48" to look right. I have a 36" range and use my six burners plus I bought a couple of induction plates.

Wolf vs BlueSta, it really depends on how you cook, cookware etc Do you want all burners? Grill or builtin griddle? The built in can be 12" or 24". You can get overlay griddles. There are advantages to them too. Wolf has the best built in griddle--thicker and has an infrared burner which heats more evenly. The burners on BS are star shaped so better distribution of heat for cast iron, enameled cast iron or steel pans which do not conduct heat very well. If you use heavy copper or aluminum it won't matter as much. The BS has higher BTUs, but there is no burner cap so the flame goes straight up. If you use a wok or stir fry, this is good. The Wolf is capped so the heat spreads as you go to highest heat. I use a lot of wide pans, copper and aluminum so this works fir me. Wolf has a dual stacked burner so that you can get very low BTUs for simmer.

BS has an open burner tray, so that it disassembles for cleaning. There is a pull out tray to catch spills. Wolf is sealed.

The ovens are different too. The BS holds a full commercial tray(or two half trays in the 30").

look at the racks and height for usable space. Look at the broiler size too. Make sure you have good service available in your area.

Miranda33 So sorry I didn't respond quick enough. As I said I have a lot of kids :) I am not really worrying about the hood and exhaust, that's my contractor's place to tell me what I need. And I don't think I can pick out a hood until I know what type of range I am getting. We have a very open floor plan with large 12 foot sliders and many windows in the kitchen. My contractor is very experienced with installing these types of ranges so I trust he will guide me to what we need.

Townlakecakes Thanks for the ideas. I am going to look into the 36 inch. But then I would have to reconfigure my whole layout. I have some 36 inch drawers on each side of my range and it would look weird to be the same size as the range? I have lived with our current kitchen for the last 7 years, all ORIGINAL 1974 GE electric cooktop and electric oven! So its so exciting to think about having this big nice kitchen! And its super scary to make these choices.

JF I think I am leaning towards just going for it! Hopefully this will be the last major kitchen remodel I have to do!

Wekick I feel like the 48 would look more balanced in the area but I will also consider a 36 and map it out and see how it looks. We do want griddle since we do breakfast a lot... and tortillas.

Darbuka I think the only decision I have made is the Subzero!! When I look at the other options, its really not that much more! And seems to be much better quality!

Thanks so much for all the input! It is really helping!

I am not really worrying about the hood and exhaust, that's my contractor's place to tell me what I need.

In my opinion, that is a mistake--for the reasons I stated earlier, that the hood exhaust is a very expensive part of the appliances purchase, and has significant impact on the rest of your kitchen. But that is only MHO, and it's your kitchen. Is your contractor purchasing the hood, and you are purchasing all the other appliances?

At least, please, ask your contractor about the exhaust duct that goes from the hood to take the air out of your kitchen. Ask him what diameter is that duct, and how many bends it has, and let us know - this is regardless of what range you choose.

Whatever you do get a Bosch dishwasher; even their most basic model ( which I have) does a great job and is water and energy efficient.

Agree with Michael on the micro drawer. I REALLY dislike mine (Sharp). Having to wait for the opening/closing drawer is a pain and if you want to open it while the drawer is in the process of closing, you have to wait until it closes all the way and THEN you can open it. It’s also very difficult to clean the roof of the interior (requires getting on the floor and even while there on your knees, it’s still difficult). Also, I’m only 5’2”, but it feels too low and close to the floor and you cannot view your food while it’s cooking, which is important sometimes. Melting butter for instance...it’s nice to be able to keep an eye on it....but you have to do more than a 90 degree bend at the waist to view inside the oven and if your using a solid non see through glass dish, you’re completely out of luck. I’m glad I have an additional microwave that’s at eye level.

Sometimes because of the kitchen layout and design a microwave drawer is really the only viable option, but I really don’t care for mine at all.

Miranda33 I'm curious. What is the difference between a 48 inch with 6 burners and a 36 inch with 6 burners? Why does the 48 require so much more hood/ ventilation than a 36? If they have the same amount of burners and same BTUs?

And I totally agree about the drawer microwave! We stayed in a vacation home that had one and it drive me nuts! I do not have the patience for them! Ha ha.

Stacie....Maybe I’m not understanding your question, but the 48 inch will have a small side oven (so 1 1/2 ovens) and room for a grill or griddle on the top...here’s an example of a Wolf 48 inch. From the left side of the griddle to the end where the four burners are is 36”.

The griddle or grill and small oven put out a ton more heat.

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Nidnay. I was asking miranda33 a question regarding the ventilation and hood requirements. If you read her other comments she said the 48 inch is very difficult to vent so was curious why. I haven’t heard such concern from other people who own 48 inch ranges so I’m trying to understand. I want the 48 inch range so I know what it looks like. I’m trying to decide between the Wolf and the Blue Star.

Is that your range?

Stacie.....got it.

Yes, that’s my range.

I don’t know that it’s “difficult” to vent, but the 48” will have the added small oven and grill/griddle which will put out a lot more heat compared to a 36 with only 6 burners. So you need a more powerful hood/blower for the 48”.

OP, have u consider an induction cooktop? will need less ventilation than a gas range. i would never go back to gas, electric or coil electric-had all of them.

ovens: i have a wolf 30" and Miele speed oven on top, both are workhorses

DW: Miele, love it. be sure to check layout that your dishes and bowls fit. some on here have said that the Bosch layout did not work for them.

Frig: check out Liebherr., quiet and efficient and less than SZ.

get each appliance for your needs. don't worry about matching. function always tops form.

Both sprtphntc7a’s and johnsoro25’s suggestions are very viable options (which doesn’t make your decision any easier)! Even though I have a gas range, induction is pretty amazing and I could have easily gone in that direction myself. And the Thermador with the steam oven and warming drawer was a top contender when I was deciding on my range. If your brain isn’t completely fried by now, you might need therapy when you come to the end of all this :)

What can you cook in that small oven? I have a double oven, with a single (full-width) rack in the top oven, and we almost always use that for speed of heating and efficiency. But I'm not sure the tray of fishsticks would fit in the skinny oven... :)

ACM.....you’d be surprised how much you can fit in it. Especially for the holidays, it’s a great place to bake rolls along with other trays of various kinds of foods (roasted veggies, mac and cheese, extra stuffing, yams....etc. etc. etc.!). Each rack easily holds a full sized glass lasagna pan as well as 8x8 glass Pyrex....and there are three racks, so really lots of room.

You could easily fit several boxes of fish sticks if that’s what you like to eat :)

I’ve had GE, Wolf and Viking. None of them holds up to my BS for cleaning and heat. I’ve had a 20 qt stockpot simmering for two days right now and could adjust the simmer to an amazing degree.

Mine is a 48” rangetop with double BS French door wall ovens. Frankly I only need one because they’re so big inside. One oven fits what took me two ovens from the other mfgs and it’s the same size 30”.

My only regret is having two ovens instead of one since I’ve haven’t touched the gas oven yet due to going keto. I haven’t made bread since it was installed so the poor thing is neglected.

For fridge, I had the large SZbuilt in and it was meh and overpriced. For this house I went with separate freezer/fridge and couldn’t be happier. It stores so much more than the SZ and cost a fraction of the price. It also is incredibly efficient. Takes two days to defrost a frozen meal if I just throw it in the fridge.

If you read her other comments she said the 48 inch is very difficult to vent so was curious why. I haven’t heard such concern from other people who own 48 inch ranges so I’m trying to understand.

What I said was: ”it needs to be a major part of her budget, and needs to be well thought through in advance. The exhaust duct out of the house needs to be correct, the size needs to be correct (54" wide for a 48" hood), and for a 48" Bluestar range, she will need a major amount of cfms. It doesn't seem she realizes how powerful the Bluestar is, how many btus--if she did, the hood for it would be at the top of her list.” You didn’t like that message—fine.

While you have “not heard such concern from other people”, it is a frequent topic on the Kitchens and Appliances forums. Do a search for a poster called Kaseki for an education. I repeat, a Bluestar range has a lot more power than other ranges.

A hood should be 6” wider than a range. A 54” hood will be more expensive than a 42” hood. You don’t believe me about the 6”–fine. Ok then, a 48” hood will be more expensive than a 36” hood. If that is inconsequential to you—fine. The larger hood will need a 10” diameter exhaust duct. The smaller hood will need an 8” diameter exhaust duct. But many contractors install a 6” diameter duct regardless. It’s easier and cheaper for the contractor, and most homeowners aren’t knowledgeable enough to ask about it. You don’t believe me—fine.

What do you think the consequences are of an exhaust duct that is too small? Since you are sceptical of what I have been saying in this thread, I’ll assume your sceptism will make you feel that you don’t have to answer that question.

I hope you remember the advice Miranda tried to give when the day comes that you turn on your hood to use while cooking on your Bluestar. You’ve pushed back, I’m out.

I wanted to add that we are a family of 6. And we entertain/ host parties and get togethers at least once a month. Plus I host all the family events.

I think these oversized appliances are overrated. I grew up in a family with five kids and a couple elderly relatives -- my mom fed nine people most days, and she did it with a 30" range. We were also the hub for family events. Today I cook for large groups regularly, and I make wedding cakes -- again, on a 30" range.

Redsilver: I don't think I can convince my husband to let me order in every night! Ha ha.

I think the point was, Consider the large amount of money you'll be tying up in these oversized appliances.

What I said was “it needs to be a major part of her budget, and needs to be well thought through in advance.

Yes, oversized appliances will require a floor that can support their heavier weight, unique electrical hook-ups, specialized venting, and more floor space.

Keep in mind, too, that once you go with these oversized items, you cannot "downsize" to standard sized items -- or, to say it better -- you cannot "downsize" to standard sized items easily. Your cabinets will be fitted around them.

Whatever you do get a Bosch dishwasher; even their most basic model (
which I have) does a great job and is water and energy efficient.

That's the one I've chosen!

I eschewed the range idea and went for a Bluestar wall oven and Wolf induction cooktop. After two years, it's been a good choice so far. Not bending over to get things out of the oven is really great and the lack of kitchen heat from the induction cooktop is a boon in three digit temperatures. Because the 30" wall oven holds a full size sheet pan, I can bake a dozen of my "take to work" loaves of bread at a time.

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Maybe I’m missing something but some of the posts I’m reading here are making statements that just don’t line up with manufacturers recommendation or price reality.

Patricia Colwell Consulting stated that a ventilation system will cost at least as much as the range itself. That is not even close to what I have found. I have a 48” Wolf duel fuel range that requires 1100 cfm. The blower we purchased has exactly that....it was $1300, so certainly not even close to the cost of the range itself. Our range and hood/blower is on an outside wall, so it is a short run (less than a foot) to exhaust everything to the exterior. Even if you add in the cost of the make up air system plus the cost of he decorative hood itself, we’re not even half way there in price. Where are you getting these numbers from??

Also, maybe Bluestar is different in its requirements, but for the 48” duel fuel Wolf range, the duct size requirement and the hood size width required is not what was stated here either. Here are the requirements from Wolf.....

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Mrs Pete I too have been feeding many people with an old 1974 GE electric cooktop and 1974 electric double ovens. Point is I want to upgrade. I also used to ride in the back of a pick up truck and I now make my kids wear seatbelts.

Nidnay See what I was talking about? I was not understating. Thanks for clarifying.

Jerry Your kitchen is great! Looks very functional! And your bread looks yummy!

The info posted by nidnay is very generic and looks to be for any range or cooktop of any size and power. I looked up the BTUs for your basic Wolf gas range. The lowest BTU output of the 48” ranges is 132,000. Minimum CFM of the vent hood is 1320 for a standard size kitchen. An XL room could require more, and that’s assuming 8” ducts, and doesn’t even account for the length of the ducts, bends, or the cap, all of which add a minimal amount but do need to be considered.

It isnt *difficult* to vent a 48” range, but it does need to be considered and it’s quite a bit different from your average 30” stove and hood.

If your GC isn’t accustomed to installing professional style appliances, he may not be aware that the 6” duct that’s normal in your average home will need to be changed to 8” (or better, 10”) We have all seen many many many posts about contractors that do not, in fact, read the specs on the equipment they’re installing, or make assumptions based on what they usually do, or do it the easiest or cheapest way, or won’t admit that they don’t know, or any number of reasons why the end result is problematic. How many pics have we seen of vent hoods with flexible dryer hose, which is not just against code, it’s a huge fire hazard.

An educated consumer gets the best results because they can see when something is being done not to spec, or not to code. Low CFMs will lead to a hot smelly kitchen coated in a fine layer of grease particles. High CFMs but small ducts will make an already loud hood sound like a jet engine. High CFMs with no makeup air can cause carbon monoxide backdrafting in your home. The newer and more energy efficient your home is, the more this applies. Here’s an article.

https://www.pvhvac.com/blog/install-range-hood-read/

Anyway, if you think a 48” is for you and you will totally use that griddle a few times a week, go for it! But please don’t ignore your ventilation. If makeup air is required it will need to be dealt with before the walls are closed up, not when the appliances go in. If you must leave it up to your contractor to figure it out, please ask your contractor what his plans are before it’s too late.

townlakecakes.....no, that info was not generic but came directly from Wolf/Subzero’s ventilation guide and listed specific range and cooktop models .....here is the link..... https://www.subzero-wolf.com/-/media/files/united-states/product-downloads/sub-zero-wolf/misc/ventilation-guide.pdf

The 3 pages you posted do not address any specifics. The link you’ve just given, however, does. It does the very helpful job of giving you choices for your 48” hood to match your 48” range. It still doesn’t say anything about makeup air, except to contact a qualified HVAC professional, which is the point that I was making.

townlakecakes....well, I do see specifics in what I posted. You mentioned in one post that for a 48” commercial range (assuming you meant “pro” range) that a 54” hood was needed but Wolf does not require this (maybe you were referring to a Bluestar range, I don’t know). The info i posted from Wolf gave measurements for hood height and width (wall hood mount sizes for their ranges should be at least the size of the cooking surface). They also gave sizes for island hood installs as well as specifics for duct diameter in relation to duct length. That seems fairly specific to me.

Townlakecakes Thanks for being so concerned. I no doubt will be very involved in the hood selection because I am super crazy and OCD when it comes to planning :) But as I stated before, I cant even begin to think about my hood/ ventilation until I have selected a range. I am in very beginning stages. We have general layout, now I'm thinking about appliances to make sure our lay out works and we won't start demo until January. And my contractor is very familiar with installing this size range in homes. Including his own that he just finished. And I use my portable griddle at least 2 times a week now so I think I would use the griddle on the range much more!

Glad to hear it Stacie. Sounds like maybe you got one of the good contractors out there. I look forward to seeing the finished product!

Townlakecakes. Trust me. In a week or so you will see my post asking about hoods :) once I figure out the one I want! Thanks.

Gen H Your island is beautiful!

Jerry, that wall oven is amazing!!

Don't forget when you get a high heat output cooktop, you need a stainless backguard to go with it. Most cooktops are sold with "island" kits, not the backguard needed.

Lucky Duck, get the cooktop and ovens you want. Life is short. If you get a bit more than you need.....who cares!!!!!

Following. What happened to Stacie?

Hi Kathi. Yes. stainless steel all around.

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Shannon Just changed my name. Didn't realize I was using my first name.

Kathi Thanks! I needed to hear that! I was kind of caught off guard by some of the aggressive answers.

Can someone speak to the griddles on their range/rangetop? I have been considering appliances not based on the number of burners, but the inclusion of a griddle. How are these cleaned? I am anticipating more than pancakes and tortillas. Animal proteins make quite a different greasy mess, and I want to be able to thoroughly and easily clean a griddle. I took a brief look in a modest price range and saw one that had a non-stick surface. That would never hold up in the long term with my cooking. I want a scrape-able heavy duty surface with a receptacle to collect the debris. Any thoughts?

Beachem, which separate fridge and freezer did you select? Were there others you considered? I have a full size freezer in my basement which is used as much as my fridge and would most certainly utilize your configuration in my kitchen. Thanks!

You might want to check reviews of Blue Star's griddle here. I think there are a fair amount of happy customers. Are you sure you could not do with a regular griddle you fit over two hobs? That is so much easier to clean ;-) The Demeyere plancha is really great.

I suggest going for high quality appliances if possible - it's worth it. Meile of Futuro Futuro are both excellent brands. I've had my 48'' range hood for a couple years now and it works great - I'm sure it can be made to fit your range too https://futurofuturo.com/range-hood/48-positano-wall/