Grease management with Bluestar Charbroiler & Griddle
Comments (10)
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BlueStar White Glove Service
Comments (22)We had a service person out this morning to look at our Bluestar oven door. After a 15 second inspection (a.k.a. opening it once) he told us that it was supposed to work this way, and even called the flopping open a "feature." I have used another Bluestar and the door did not do this, nor did the door on this oven do this when first installed. So, apparently, it's a late-appearing "feature." My incredulity (and sarcasm) stems from several facts, not the least of which that this is the exact same service person who told me, 10 months ago now, that the Bluestar's simmer burner was "not designed for a low flame" and that the burners were "made by Wolf, only cheaper"--leaving my house after doing absolutely nothing about adjusting the burners. Eight months and much begging on our part later he returned, with a Bluestar manual this time, and adjusted the burners. But only after we'd proved to Bluestar, via a $40 service call from our gas company, that nothing was wrong with our gas pressure, and under pains that we'd be on the hook for a $250 service call if the service person found it was an "installation error." Also, I know for a fact that this man, the only service person Bluestar has ever sent out, has never seen a Bluestar other than mine. So, the problem--and this is what could pertain to other Bluestar owners, or potential owners--isn't that there aren't service people in our area (we haven't had problems finding multiple service people for other appliances) it's that 1) no one is familiar with this brand and 2) they won't work for what Bluestar pays them. I mention the latter because, when Mr. Bloodgood (former Bluestar service manager) couldn't find anyone other than the one-man company I described above to service my unit, I suggested the company that had fixed, promptly and efficiently, my Gaggeanu steam oven, also under warranty. After not hearing from Bluestar, I called the latter company myself and was told that Bluestar had contacted them but they wouldn't work for Bluestar's rates. I did not ask what they were, nor do I even know if they're unfair, but it does beg the question: How can I, or other potential customers, have any expectation of decent service if Bluestar insists on sending, again and again, people who have no idea what they're doing? It's not surprising, under those circumstances, that I've had dismal service and, therefore, a rather grim view of Bluestar in general. When you send out incompetent people, you really can't expect anything less. (The fact that anything at all was fixed, ever, is actually probably the surprising part.) Oh and, PS, my conversations with Mr. Bloodgood, which ended with the same service man returning last December, were that I had "maligned" this "very capable" service person and that I was "lucky" he was willing to return at all ... I apparently had "maligned" him by telling Mr. Bloodgood, exactly what he'd actually done/said. (The same service man wouldn't service my vent hood because it was on a dimmer, which he said voided the warranty ... Until I went online and pulled up the vent hood specs and photos, that showed the company itself, Prestige, SELLS dimmer switches to run the fan and has them installed that way in EVERY SINGLE advertising photo in their brochure.) Well, back to this morning ... The end result is that we had my one-year-old demonstrate pulling the oven door down on his head and the service person finally deigned to look at it. He tightened (or did something to) the hinges and it seems to be working again, though the service person (for what his opinion is worth) warned us it would probably come loose again with use. So, basically, as long as we don't open the oven door it works, I asked him. He shrugged and left. For us, unfortunately, that describes the Bluestar service experience to date in a nutshell. So, I gotta' agree with "mcmann," not that I have Bluestar's "white glove service," and it does seem like a step in the right direction, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't ensure that you will have actual COMPETENT service, or service at all even, in your area. -Susan W....See More36' Bluestar with Charbroiler
Comments (13)DHC8-There is a very very simple solution to that issue. The grates on a bluestar have 3 height positions. Lets call them low, midpoint and high. These positions are achieved simply by the way you place the grate into it's cradle. If you put the grate into it's cradle in the midpoint position it raises the grate that 1/8" you need to clear the lip on the grill or griddle. As someone else posted, scorch marks are possible on the stainless cover, so if you are using a really large diameter pot on a 22k burner, I usually take the covers off to prevent scorching. I would sincerely recommend a bluestar. With it's unparalleled 22k open star burner and its large capacity ovens, it truly is a pleasure to use. I have not had one quality issue with mine yet. I have had it since the 4th of July. I actually look forward to cooking a meal. I had a Viking before the Bluestar, and I enjoyed that as well, but the Bluestar is in a league of its own. You also asked another poster if the grill met their expectations. Well, my $.02. In my opinion it takes quite a while to heat up, and it is not easy to clean. I think probably an infrared grill would be better for both circumstances. Once it is heated fully, it is sufficient to cook a 1.5 inch thick steak beautifully to medium rare. I think an infrared grill would actually be the single biggest improvement Bluestar could make to their ranges. Otherwise, in my experiences it has been a dream. If you have any other questions or concerns about a Bluestar, feel free to ask....See Moregriddle or no griddle?
Comments (11)I have a 48" Bluestar with a griddle and a grill, so only 4 burners. In my prior house, I had a Gaggenau gas top with 4 burners, so for me, I wasn't losing anything. I hardly ever use all 4 burners at once. (In my new house, I also have a Gagg. combi steam oven and that can serve the function of a burner, especially in terms of things I might have done on a cooktop, such as veggies, hard-boiled eggs, etc.) I like the built-in griddle - it has seasoned up nicely and has developed a nice patina (much like a wok does). The heat source underneath extends continuously from front to back - there isn't a gap as you would get with a removable griddle set over two separate burners. Because it's built in, you can set the temperature - up to 550 F. (At least you can on the Bluestar, don't know about Wolf. You can also set the temp low - below 200 and use it as a warming plate. Clean up is easy. I use a metal spatula to scrape bits and pieces off, but since it's seasoned, I've had nothing stick. With the overhead fan running, I put a couple of water soaked paper towels on top before I turn off the heat - just turn it down a bit. Steam will billow up - that's why you need the fan running. With tongs, I swish that around to get excess grease. Wipe dry. Add a tiny bit of canola or peanut oil, rub it in, and turn off. That cleans it up and maintains the patina. Takes longer to type about it than to do it....See MoreRangetops: 48” BlueStar Platinum or Capital Culinarian (again)
Comments (10)Viking: Don't know if it's been changed. Was not hot enough for a good sear and was uneven. But, have never been a Viking fan. Wolf: An IR beast and very hot. Great for searing and flavor. Often used it for sear and then a fast oven finish. Did not use sous vide back then but would be good for finishing. Needs to be disassembled to be cleaned (the surrounding frame pops out, clean it in sink with BFK and SS scrubbie). A task but not a chore. Never stopped me from using it. Spouse claims still was the best tasting grill we've had and that's a long list. Some posters insist on posting that the temp can't be modified which is false (and misleading--clearly they've never used one). Mine came with a SS "blankoff plate that covers about 70% of the IR honeycomb radiator to reduce the radiant heat--will still grill very well with it on which gives an idea of how hot it is. We got a second one, cut it into 2 different sized pieces and had a modified two temp grill (albeit for relatively small size portions). For most cooking we just ran it without the plates which we referred to as "torch." Fish and meats that would have a 125F or so pull temp and rested are the sweet spot. For what we cook the grill was my favorite part of the whole range. One the caveat: once the grill is on it has to cool before you can switch the plate. Capital: Don't use the grill that much as our climate promotes outside grilling and sous vide and some related approaches have reduced grilling use. The Capital is the most flexible of all I've used: heat is adjustable, grates flip with a grease draining, small width grate for steaks and the like and on the other side a wider grate size to better support thin cuts like fish filets (I've never used it). Not as hot as the Wolf, but seems to have both some convection and IR heat that does a serviceable job on burgers, chicken and steaks. I can get a decent crust on a medium-rare rib eye if that helps. It's close to an outside gas grill in the house imo. For entertaining, is great for grilling apps while people are milling around. Inside grilling, hood with warming lights and someone prepping food helps congregate the guests and does have a certain wow factor, truth be told. Cleaning usually involves putting a disposable aluminum cooking pan upside down over the grate and running it on hi for about 10 minutes to burn it off (an old Wolf grill trick), let cool and a quick soak and a wire brushing in the sink. 10 minutes max. Would be interested in hearing about the BS grill in the event you get to play with one....See More
gtjoselyn
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agogtjoselyn
2 years agokaseki
2 years agoI'll have to attack this subject later today. Here is a Wolf Pro Island hood containment image. For the lower width models, just truncate this in your mind. For hot cooking, but on few simultaneous burners, this provides adequate "averaging" for wok cooking and such. However, much deeper is better for reasons explained in several forum threads.
gtjoselyn thanked kasekikaseki
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoAt last....
First, CO is a hazard, so you want to ensure that you don't back-draft any of those gas-powered appliances. If the attic is ventilated (including when it rarely snows) and sealed from the house, then no sweat from that zone. The basement should have some MUA, even if it is just a four-inch duct with a damper stuck through the wall.
Even a leaky house will have a pressure drop, and this subtracts from the blower performance. See diagram. So some, maybe passive will do, MUA needs to be supplied. Given that there are times when a wide open window would be too cold to work with, MUA for the hood should be considered. A duct the size of the hood duct, with a gravity or electric damper (tied to the hood operation), a filter of some sort (cat, sparrow, butterfly, mosquito, lint, or dust porosity as desired) and a heater will be desirable. All pressure losses in the overall MUA (deliberate and incidental) move one counter-clockwise on the curve below toward reduced flow rate.
Without a large commercial hood, one has to design for full capture of the worst case plume conditions -- in particular the velocity. This can be upwards of a meter per second not counting transient effects. So a hood entry area velocity of 90 ft/min is probably adequate. With a large commercial hood, less can be used, per Greenheck figure 4 below. E.g., 50 ft/min. However, in the latter case, the hood is larger so a decent blower system is still required.
The largest residential hood that is "off the shelf" that I know about is the exterior wall hood that Wolf now sells. If you don't go commercial, but want 42 x 30, then you might check with Modernaire, who will build custom. There are of course many other custom operations, but they might be higher priced to go with fancier designs. See Handcrafted Metal's site.Otherwise, I think @opaone has paved the trail to commercial. Commercial hoods are normally set at 7 ft above the floor, and may not fit under a 9 ft ceiling. Some compromise may be needed.
It is worthwhile before metal is cut to consider what the draft situation will be in your intended cooking zone. If air conditioner flows, or people movement will be expected to disturb the rising cooking plumes, you may wish to make the hood a bit wider and/or deeper.
So for residential branch of the problem space design,
1. establish hood entry aperture size
2. multiply by 90 ft/min to get desired CFM
3. multiply by 1.5 to make up for not doing a proper pressure loss analysis
4. use the #3 value to select a blower rated CFM
5. use the #2 number to select a duct diameter (sectional area) that keeps the full power flow velocity within the 1000 to 2000 ft/min range
6. use a down-roof blower such as Wolf, Broan, Abbaka sells or an in-line blower such as Fantech sells
7. use a Fantech silencer between hood and blower
8. before actually implementing 1 - 7, plan your MUA system, modest though it might be.
Many threads here address the difficulty of integrating an MUA system into a residence without causing too much turbulence in the cooking zone. Hunt them down.
kas
gtjoselyn thanked kasekigtjoselyn
2 years agokaseki
2 years ago
opaone
2 years ago
kaseki