queensinfo, people have very differing opinions about how important It is to keep their range spotless and what is easiest to clean. Some people are really put off by having to take the range top apart and others feel you can really get it clean by being able to break it down. Sealed burner trays were developed to keep the mess out of the works of the range which keeps it easily accessible. They added caps to the burners at the same time to keep food out of the burner ports. People can give their opinion, but the only way to know what you think is to go if possible and see for yourself. If you can't do that there are a few videos that will give you an idea for these burners. Capital Culinarian BlueStar I would let the cast iron parts season like a CI skillet. Some people put foil on the pull out tray to make it easier to clean. There are also some burners have semi sealed burner trays. Wolf used to make one with capped burners that had a tray that broke down for cleaning. The American Performer has star shaped, uncapped burners with a tray that lifts off and goes in the dishwasher. It would wipe down about like a sealed burner tray in between major cleanings. "Just go to a cooking class or talk to a professional, or serious amateur chef. They all prefer and use (given a choice) open burners. Pshaw I know chefs who have brought commercial ranges into their house and those who did not want anything like a commercial range in their home kitchen. They want to get away from it. I personally am 50/50 on it. Other things than how you clean have more priority to me. When I bought my range, the oven was the consideration so the burners came along. They happened to have a sealed tray and it is pretty easy to clean. Next time though I might get something else depending on what my needs will be at the time. If I were going for easiest to clean as the only consideration, it would be induction.

I see this thread was recently raised from the dead and figured I'll share my $0.02. We remodeled a smallish galley-style kitchen in 2019 including install of a 48" RNB w 12" griddle and matching BS hood. Range was about $10k, hood and makeup air probably another $10k installed. I worked in college as a cook, so I knew I would love the griddle w/thermostat control, and I was right. I heavily debated either 24" griddle or chargrill, but decided to get the 6 burners. I'm happy with my decision but honestly I think I'd be just as happy with one of the other configurations. One thing I definitely don't regret is going RNB instead of Platinum. The 22k burners are plenty hot even for stir fry and deep frying, and the griddle is so good I can't imagine not having it. One other thing... as winter is approaching this year I started thinking about grilling indoors. I was wondering if there is an aftermarket grill grid that would fit above the BS burners similar to the Platinum grill/griddle. After a lot of searching I found Grill Grates, which has a commercial offering that is almost a perfect fit. After a few tests, I can say it works very well; better sear than my outdoor grill, in fact. I can add more details or photos of my setup if you're interested.

We have had the 36" Blue Star range (model RCS36SB) for about 5 years and would not recommend it. The knobs get very warm and we have had problems with the convection fan as well as ignition (gas would build up in the oven while it failed to ignite), both problems required multiple service visits The latest problem, the oven knob broke off and Bluestar said they no longer manufacture the part. Bluestar said they changed from a mechanical thermostat to an electronic thermostat and the ”upgrade” would cost $350 to purchase, not including installation (total cost estimated at least $500). I assume they redeigned the oven knob/thermostat because they had so many problems with the knob, convection and ignition. Even though it was under warranty and the knob broke due to faulty design, the service manager refused to provide a replacement part. I guess you can expect problems to occur with any appliance, but I do not expect them to provide such poor service, especially when they know it broke due to their own design flaw. It takes them days to follow up on service questions. Best to stay away from Blue Star.

This is a city apartment so most heat is provided through steam radiators heated by a huge multi-million BTU industrial boiler in the basement with no furnace in the apartment itself. The apartment has a central air conditioning system with 3 zones and a 2.5 ton air handler for each zone. The other two zones are a/c only, but the kitchen's zone will have an electric heating coil. A 2.5 ton air handler has 30,000 BTU capacity, which according to your chart, is enough to heat 30 degrees at 1200 CFM. The MUA is drawn from a distant exterior vent over 50 feet away from the kitchen zone's air handler through the return air ducting, so the MUA will mix with the rest of the apartment's already heated (or cooled) return air as it moves from the exterior through the apartment to the kitchen zone's air handler. As a result, the outdoor air will be tempered with a lot of 65-75 degree air before it ever hits the handler to be conditioned. As it was described to me, even if the outdoor temperature is 20 or 30, by the time it gets to the handler, we won't ever need to heat more than the 30,000 BTU air handler's capacity.