+1 what Mark said. Induction cooktop, bosch dishwasher, double oven, pantry or island microwave ref. Use the rest of the money family vacation...

I have a 30" Bluestar RNB. The two front burners go up to 22kBTU, which is extremely useful. They also hold a wok without requiring a wok ring (useful for both Asian and western cooking, where the high sides eliminate a lot of splatter), and most importantly, these burners heat a wok from the bottom rather than the sides. This makes a huge difference in usefulness.

During our remodel, we were forced to use the old Viking range in our in-law kitchen. From what I can tell, it has burners that are more similar to what you'd get in a Fivestar. I hate cooking on that stove. And that's me using polite language. The uneven heat distribution is aggravatingly annoying. I would never have bought that stove if it hadn't come with the house.

Yes, the rear burners on the Bluestar are less powerful. That's why I replaced the simmer burner with a second 15k burner. In practice, that's really all you need. Super high-power searing/frying is extremely valuable. But it is not something you do for hours on end. It is something you do when you are actively interacting with that particular pot; it's not something that you could leave unattended. And that therefore typically happens on the front burners. I can't recall a single situation where I felt starved for high-powered burners.

It really depends on your cooking style. I find that even the 22kBTU burners regulate down very well, and I can thus use them for simmering. So, I don't really miss my simmer burner. And if I need to slowly simmer for extended amounts of time, I'd much rather use one of my ovens anyway. But I can understand why opinions can differ and why Bluestar's default configuration includes a simmer burner.

N.b. ordering a customized model takes a long time and is expensive. It is often a better idea to change the burner configuration after the fact. Buying a conversion kit for the extra 15kBTU burner should only cost on the order of $100 and is an easy DIY project (or your dealer might volunteer to do that for you).

The only thing that stands out to me is that you need/want a 64" fridge/freezer, yet only one oven and one dishwasher. With a fridge that large I assume you often cook at home and/or entertain a large group of people.

A Speedoven is not a bad idea, as it uses space more efficiently than buying both a microwave and a another wall oven. And that's exactly why we did get the Miele Speedoven.

Having said that, if I was optimizing my budget, I would buy a Miele CSO before checking whether there is money left for the Speedoven. A combination steam oven is a game changer. I have been using it so much the last few weeks and I love it. It works great at high-temperature steam cooking (i.e. above 212°F). But it also does an amazing job at low-temperature steam cooking, where it makes for an extremely convenient alternative to a traditional sous-vide setup. I have now used both modes and I am absolutely sold on this appliance.

If there is a Miele Experience Center in your vicinity, ask if you can take one of their cooking classes. It's a great introduction to why a combination steam oven is such a fun tool, and how it differs even from regular ovens with steam injection.

If you have the option, get the plumbed model instead of the non-plumbed. The extra convenience means you'll be more likely to use it regularly.

The BS and 5 star are very different burners, just about opposite on the spectrum.

You can use a ring burner and most people do but to even the heat out you need good heat conductive cookware like heavy copper or heavy aluminum. There are a few lines of cookware that have a thick enough layer of heat conductive metal sandwiched with stainless steel that work well too. I make caramel fairly often on my ring burners and you cannot stir it so it is a test of how well the cookware transmits heat. The star burner disperses the heat more evenly so you can get more even heat with poorer conductors of heat like cast iron, steel or stainless steel that does not have any or enough aluminum or copper sandwiched in. In order to take advantage of this, the pan must be sized to the burner. If you have noticed electric ranges apply heat very evenly to the bottom of the pan but are sized too.

The 5 star is a very wide burner, especially on high heat. It might help to look at a video to see this.

https://youtu.be/8QntcF-x1v8

compared to BS

https://youtu.be/MZdZxyOUX58

This is because the 5 star is capped so more flare on high.

Some manufacturers control the flare by having dual stacked burners, like Wolf, Monogram and a few others. This gives two different ranges of heat so eliminates some of that flare. With all the burners the same, you might be lacking a place for smaller (< 8" diameter) pans.

I use really wide pans a lot and I think the 5 star burner would be too wide for me.

When you say KA microwave oven combo do you mean a microwave over the oven or a speed oven?

@wekick Microwave over the oven is what I need. hmmm....I am beginning to think I need to go with BlueStar

@M Thanks for the feedback on BS simmer burner. Will check it out the conversion option. Are you suggesting a speedoven to replace conventional and microwave ovens?

I'm assuming the KA is a mircowave over the real oven, otherwise there's no traditional oven.

I would not want a microwave/oven pair, as it means that if either breaks such that you can't repair, you likely have to replace the whole set. I would do a good oven (probably Bosch or Miele) with a basic microwave above or elsewhere in the kitchen. You could get the basic Miele oven with knob (Direct Select, I believe they call it) controls for $2,700. A Panasonic built-in microwave is about $250.

That said, if you can find room in the budget, I'd probably put a Miele CSO above the regular oven and put a microwave drawer elsewhere in the kitchen.

I'd do the following:

Frigidaire all fridge all freezer - $4000 (this pricing seems high - I just purchased the Electrolux version with trim kits for $3550, and my quote for the Frigidaire pair with trim kits was $2550).

Rangetop - $3500 (well, I'd put in a Bosch induction cooktop for $2900, actually)

Vent-a-hood 42" $1,500 (I'd probably save money here with a different brand)

Bosh dishwasher $1,000 (could save money here, as well, with a lower-featured model)

Miele convection oven with DirectSelect $2700

Miele CSO (not plumbed) $4550 (plumbed adds $300)

Basic Sharp Microwave Drawer $900 (if you have a place for it you could do a built-in microwave for $250 to save)

Following.

We are In very similar position.

Current choices:

36” BS RNB rangetop

42” hood tbd

30” benchmark speed/micro

30” benchmark convection oven

Still struggling with fridge. Leaning towards 36” SZ BI. Want internal water. It’s amazing how few single door 36” fridge have internal h20 Other than the built-in/integrated.

We are also debating whether to go for a cheaper freestanding fridge and spend the $$ on a CSO. The Bosch CSO has A good price but too small.

@Kristin. Thanks. A huge help. Can you say where I can buy the Frigidaire pair for $2,550? That's an amazing price.

I see a huge benefit in having more than one oven. If that's in the budget, absolutely go for it. I also strongly recommend a CSO and I feel less clear on the microwave. So, I'd pick one of the following three options, depending on money and available space:

1. Combination steam oven only. It's the most frugal option, and it actually works for most cooking needs.
2. Combination steam oven plus a wall-oven or range. Many people find that they don't need a microwave. Some people legitimately have a need for one every so often. If so, get a counter-top microwave and either place it in a cabinet or in the pantry.
3. Combination steam oven and SpeedOven. This combination saves space, but costs significantly more. It also leaves you without a full-size oven, but that might not be as important as you'd think. It gives you two ovens, and it provides access to a microwave, if that's important to you.
4. Combination steam oven, range, and SpeedOven. This is what we ended up doing, as the kids insisted on a micro-wave, we didn't have another good space, it didn't make a huge difference in the overall budget, and we already had a range that we were re-using (yeah, for three ovens! No need for a dedicated warmer drawer!).

As you can see, we picked the "get everything" option. I am happy with our decision. But if it hadn't been for the kids, we would have completely skipped the microwave and picked just a wall-oven or range and a CSO.

For my $15,000 I got:

Bluestar wall oven

Wolf Induction cooktop 36"

Vent a Hood 42"

Miele dishwasher

Rachiele copper sink 42"

Mobile baking table 70x30

A bit of leftover change (for an Ankarsrum and KoMo grain mill)

Masti - we're going through Ferguson, and because we're doing the full kitchen we're getting the builder's discount, which varies from item to item (10% on Miele, a lot more on other things). I put the list price in my post for other things, but we're definitely paying less. There are some other pretty significant discounts for doing everything through them, at least in our experience. I know people have had mixed experiences with Ferguson, but ours has been fantastic.

For my $15,000 I put in a Miele DW with self opening when dry, a Bosch 36" integrated fridge, a Bosch 800 36" induction cooktop, a Sharp drawer MW, a Bosch 500 convection oven, a Zephyr range hood, 2 garbage disposals and LG large capacity washer/dryer.

If I had it to do over, I'd probably go with the SZ fridge because of the ice maker in the Bosch. It jams up towards the back. Otherwise, I love how my fruits and veggies stay fresh for over 2 weeks.

Also I love my induction cooktop and there is no way I'd go back to gas again. The cooking is more precise and the cleanup is so much easier. A spritz of windex and a swipe with a paper towel and my cooktop is clean again.

Here was our list:

Capital Culinarian 36" range ~$6000

Used SZ refrigerator/freezer $1200

POS Kitchenaid dishwasher $700 (an error!)

Countertop microwave $250

used 42" ss hood and remote blower $300

Kitchen cabinets were essentially unused "used" cherry cabinets a few years old torn out to install a "white" kitchen-- included a $1200 faucet, good quality sink, trash compactor that we gave away -- all for $2000

The rest of our $15000 went on spending a month in Florence to recover from the building process. I wish we had had room for a second oven,

I recommend all Bosch appliances.

(I have a current client that works there)

i would re-think anything Frigidaire, sorry

here's our list from 6 years ago:

Frig: Liebherr 36" FD fully integrated, paneled

Cooktop: Miele 36" induction

Ovens: Miele speed over & Wolf full size (stacked)

DW: Miele - Diamante Plus Series ( i think that one is discontinued)

speed oven eliminates need for MW - it does it all, extremely well!

extremely pleased with every one of our appliances!!