It sounds like a Verona would be perfect for you. The oven size is not as small as you may think- interior DIMS on the dual fuel model are W25"x D15.5" x H13". The RED, or BURGUNDY- as Verona calls it- is gorgeous. It is a professional quality Italian-made range at a fantastic price point. The Convection fan is great for even baking and heating. Service is provided through a nation-wide network of qualified European appliance experts and all parts are housed in the NY warehouse. Best of luck with your decision.

I can answer the BS oven door question. My 36" BS RCS was installed two days ago (haven't used it yet, hopefully this weekend). During the burn off of the oven (high temp is 450 F for an hour) I checked how hot the oven door got, as that has been a big issue noted on these boards. On my range, the SS part of the oven door did not get hot, just a bit warm. The glass on the oven door got hotter but not that hot. What did get quite hot were the sides/edges of the oven door. I could touch the side but not for long. Definitely quite hot. Not instant burn/scald though. There are vents (or look like vents) right there so it makes sense that those areas heat up a lot. Your kids would have to press their hands up against the 2" side of the door for several seconds for it to affect them negatively. More likely a kid running around will touch the front of the door and that is not a problem, on my range at least.

We are renovating our not-large kitchen and have settled upon a 30-inch slide-in range to get better pot capacity on the stove without moving to a 36 inch. I hate to cook - really, I dread it - so I'm thinking that a true pro-style (wolf, viking) is just not worth the $$ or hassle of maintenance. The Kitchen Aid range seems sturdy, but I haven't seen it perform. I've also heard that there is a KA Pro style range, that might or might not be worth the extra $$. Today, we saw a Kenmore range that seems perhaps the teensiest bit nicer than the KA ... but again, not sure on performance. Any feedback? Any other brands or styles I should be considering? Also - worth it to get dual fuel or just gas? Will I hate cooking less? (one of the things I hate is that my gas oven never seems to cook things in the time the recipe says, and yes I have an oven thermometer)

If oven consistency is what you need, avoid the LG. Our neighbor, a semi-pro baker, had one and had nothing but problems with it. Turns out the heating element in LG ovens is located in a weird spot, which causes hot spots and cool spots. Like stuff was burnt on one side and raw on the other. She had techs out and both said it was working as designed, but they weren’t designed very well. She ended up selling it and getting a GE and is very happy. We also have a GE and like it.