I've been designing my kitchen in an old house and have looked at different several range options because of challenging design issues. I'm not real clear about your layout with the pennisula and the offset of it from the corner. Ideally, you should have a minimum of 18" counter space on one side and 12" on the other. I've decided to put my stove where the sink is and put the sink in an island. Don't get a commercial restaurant range what ever you do. They are not made for residential use and pose greater clearance and ventilation issues. They aren't self cleaning. It is code for GAS TOP cooktops (check your county or state) to have 6" of non combustible material the back and sides of the stove top, whether there is a wall at the back it or not. If you have no wall behind the range and no wall within 6" of either side, you could get a slide in range with pop-up hood (ventilation) Thermador makes a good one, but not cheap and takes up room in back of the stove top. A slide in possibly with IKEA's stainless child protector that sits on the front of a stove top, but I don't see why you couldn't use it at the back if you have even the tiniest ledge for it to sit on. It is just a 3-sided piece of stainless, about 6" tall and totally removable. Make sure that you get a range with ventilation to the outside, whether it is a slide-in with a downdraft, pop-up or hood. Does anyone think keeping the oven open a bit till it cools would help with the moisture and/or oxidation problem? Most ovens should be kept open while broiling, don't they? All ranges are made to install into cabinets with wood, so I doubt that the sides or the range itself are an issue. The clearance specs most likely refer to the stove top. You should check out the IKEA catalog online or go to a showroom if feasible for small space design ideas. They also have their own appliances made by whirlpool, but no dual fuel. Sealed burners can't be repaired and are expensive parts. But a sealed range top under the burners are a different story, make cleaning easier and stuff from getting into the oven section. All ovens vent some heat and moisture somewhere. In a free standing range there is usually an opening behind the cook top under the back control(?) panel. Wiping spills and splashes in the oven quickly with water and vinegar will help keep the enamel from corroding. self cleaning can only do so much, and it's not practical to use it too often. A silicone liner on the bottom is great for containing spills from the oven bottom. Anyone know of a product out there to inhibit rust and corrosion that is non-combustible? Maybe something for salt water boats? I think all of the ranges out there are crap. The electronics _ _ _ _! and are probably made to last until the extended warranty expires. Sometimes they last! Parts come from China with the exception of the upper range of American made products like Wolf. Good Luck!

Does anyone know if there is one coming soon? I contacted Capital in October 2010 and again last week - both times they told me that they are working on a dual fuel range and hope to introduce it in the new year. Of course, I don't know what they would bring out (or introduce first), but I'd very much like to look at the option of a manual clean Culinarian with a true convection oven (and no electronics) for our kitchen reno next year, if it exists.

Thanks for your reply. We are in Canada, Ontario, and our prices are significantly higher than the US prices. There is very little difference between Benchmark and 800 series range - Benchmark has 20,000 BTU middle burner vs 18,000 BTU for 800 series. Benchmark has one telescopic rack - 800 series does not have it. Price difference is about $300. Best deal I found for Bosch fridge in Canada is $3300 (this is with Bosch rebate going on) and I can get ELUX for $2200 + 3 year part warranty from Electrolux thrown in. I would prefer Bosch even though it's smaller than Electrolux, but the price difference is huge, Bosch is almost $1000 more. Another dilemma is how interchangeable these fridges are. The cabinets will be custom made, and the fridge will be in the wall of cabinets. Bosch / JA are 72" high, and Elux is about 70" high. I already accepted the idea that these fridges will not last more than 7-8 years, and then I will need a new fridge to place in the same opening. Would you buy extended warranty with any of those appliances? Is it worth it? Thanks

The Wolf gas range does not have the blue interior and does not have the chipping. We bought Wolf for their supposed "great service" but were very disappointed. There are definite differences in gas and electric ovens. Of course you can bake in both of them, but some people might have a preference for one or the other. Gas ovens produce water as a byproduct of combustion but they have more ventilation so moisture from combustion and what you are cooking vent out so gas is more drying heat. You also will get more heat and moisture dumped into your kitchen. Electric heat does not produce moisture but tends to hold onto humidity from what you cook so are more humid. This will have some effect on what you are baking. The added moisture promotes starch gelatinization so may allow a little longer rise in things like bread or cakes. It also affects the crust. The electric ovens will hold onto added moisture that you might add while baking bread. You can use a cloche to keep moisture around your bread in a gas oven. A gas oven because it is drying promotes the Maillard reaction and therefore browning. This is why many like it for roasting. Drying is also good at the end of baking so that you get that browning which contributes to flavor. If you have an electric oven with convection, you can use the fan when you need the drying effect of more air movement. Electric ovens are as freidajune says can be more complex. They might have additional elements that can direct the heat, more from the top(for roasting) or bottom and may have elements in the back that are in theory supposed to provide more even heat when the oven is full. Some ovens have a variable speed with the fan but very few actually mention this in their manuals. They can also have little oddities in the way they work. You might consider the broiler. Some gas ovens have an infrared broiler which can be very small. I tend to broil trays of things so like a wider electric broiler. Regular gas broilers don't get as hot because the heat goes up.