Ctycdm is correct: those measurements are for above-the-counter clearances. Blue Star's side clearance instructions have been confusing people for years. There are at least two recent threads that discuss this in excruciating detail. When I get some time later today, I'll see if I can find those threads for you. In the meantime, the 11/16ths measurements refers to the vertical rise of the stovetop above the countertops, not the horizontal distance away from them. You adjust the legs or casters a little taller to make the stove top height a little less than 3/4 inch higher than the counters. You can use IKEA cabinets and laminate countertops without a problem. The 6" clearance is the horizontal distance to flammable vertical surfaces that rise above the countertops. This requirement is partly for those who might want to bury their BS range in a nook with cabinet walls rising right next to stove. (To me, that's like putting range in a closet but apparently some people have that as design preference which is the reason BS tells them the surrounding walls above the burner area should be brick, tile, metal or other noncumbustible covering.) Mainly, the 6" spacing is for people who want to put their stoves against a wall while using island trim (ie., no vent-riser/backsplash) for a sleeker looking range. BS is telling you that your RCS can be butted up against a wall if (a) you have vent-riser trim-piece at the back (a 4" riser is suffficient); or (b) have a noncombustible covering on the wall area that is above the cooktop. Otherwise, if you want to have both the sleek looking island trim and have your stove against a wall, and you don't want tile etc. on the wall, then they are telling you that you must have 6" of counterspace between the back of the stove and the wall. That counter can be any material -- laminate, butcher block, whatever --- as long as the top of the stove is slightly higher than the counter . BTW, if you do opt for a vent-riser on the back of the stove, you still may want a metal, etc. backsplash on the wall. The oven vents out the back through the riser. With a gas oven, you may find stuff condensing on the back wall. A surface covering like tile or a metal sheet or a tempered glass plate will be much easier to clean than a painted plaster or drywall surface. All this having been said, BS is supposed to have good technical support, so you can phone or e-mail them to confirm what is said above. On having a 30" hood above the 30" range: Of course, it is not always feasible to shoehorn in a wider hood, but I assume you're aware that the standard advice here is to go with a 36" wide hood. The reasoning is that the greater width increases capture efficiency which results in a good deal less frequent scrubbing of the exposed sides of the adjoining cabinets where cooking effluent otherwise condenses on its way...

My wife and I are renovating a 700 sq. ft. house. We're thinking of a 24" rangetop and a 24" wall oven. In the Washington DC area the BS deealers are an apppliance store and one kitchen designer who doesn't stock anything. Nobody has an oven. We even tried to get a salesman to give us names of customers so we could ask to look at their's but he wouldn't do it. The factory in Reading PA has a showroom with a 30" oven but it's not connected. If you want to talk to them ask for Monique. She's honest and helpful. I'm looking forward to hot broiler to make black and blue steaks with. I've never seen a salamander but it looks so easy to change the rack position. Oven shelves don't give you such a good choice of heights. If I bought their high splash with a shelf it would perch there nicely without using up counter space and my hood may catch the smoke. It bothers me about wall ovens that you can't vent them when you broil. With an electric oven you have to do it with the door open and a lot of greasy smoke goes into the room. Somebody here told me that with these ovens you close the door to broil. I don't know if that improves the smoke or not. I can't comment on char broilers but all I can think of is my house filling up with smoke. I guess you can see what my obsession is. I'll be waiting to see if you get some info here.

Jacobsfamily: Yes, the Bluestar oven works great for Jewish holidays. It is like the old-time pre-computer ovens, and indeed the Bluestar has no computer electronics. There is a light next to the oven temperature dial that glows when the oven is heating and turns off when it is not. You can raise the temperature when the light is on and lower it when the light is off. On yontefs we keep the oven on and also the simmer burner. Last Shavuos we kept the oven at about 200° just for reheating but we went through all our food so we also baked a chicken at 400°. We used the burner to cook fresh vegetables and to reheat soups and stews. A couple of things to be aware of : 1) The Bluestar doesn't have a Sabbath mode because it doesn't need one -- the misnamed "Sabbath mode" is a result of trying to deal with computer electronics that digitally control temperatures and turn ovens off after 12 hrs. 2) Because of the way the Bluestar is wired you need to have the burner(s) you plan to use already on before yontef begins unless you cut power off to the range (unplug it) -- but then, although you could turn on more burners by igniting them from a flame (without triggering the electronic ignition), you couldn't use the oven. My husband has toyed with the idea of having an electrician friend separate the wiring and make the burner circuit separate from the oven, but I'm fine using one burner and the oven... and it would almost certainly void the warranty. TeacherSuzanne: I do not have a grill. I do know that the Wolf grill works differently than the Bluestar. The Wolf is either on or off; the Bluestar has an adjustable temperature. Try asking on the Bluestar thread or start a separate thread about grills. Have success, Ellene

Thanks crl for the link! The cabinets are standard depth frameless. I don't doubt that moving the stove forward would help, but the stove installation specs said zero clearance. It's already set forward the thickness of the backsplash. It's odd that others are have the same installation (crcollins) with the cabinet door overlapping the edge of the stove, and they don't have this issue. I'm amazed deb's cabinet maker replaced the door. I guess I won't keep my hopes up and contact them as well as Bluestar next.