IMO yu buy appliances for how you use them not because one fits better . Do you need 6 burners and the venting expense of having those 6 burners .IMO those are overpriced and since your home is not the most expensive on the block I would need a lot more info about what else you are changing in the home. I at least need to see the space and the planned new kitchen design so post a to scale floor plan of the kitchen and some pics as it is now.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Sorry for not posting the floor plan initially. I edited the post on my phone and tried to add the floor plan on my computer. Now it is updated.

Really tough decision to make!

Do you actually need a 36" professional range? I cook a lot and for me it would be over kill and unncessary and I would rather have storage. But I have a relatively small kitchen

However you should design a kitchen so that it functions for you. While I didn't feel the need for a pro range, I did make other very personal design decisions which reflected by how I wanted my space to function as well as how I wanted it to look in terms of aesthetics. I really didn't care whether any potential buyer down the road "appreciated" my choices as they were for me.

@Helen I like and need the commerial range for sure. With a regular 30” range or cooktop, it is impossible to have 4 pots cooking at the same time . But we can use all 4 burners at the same time with commerial style range. This is another reason I feel I don’t need 36” range because itvis very rare I need to cook with more than 4 pots at the same time. If it is a regular cooktop, I will go for 36” for sure.

@Fori That might be a way to get it solved.😆

@yz00 - It really is a personal decision. I cook a lot and can understand why a 36" range might be handy for particular situations.

I have never had a double oven nor a 36" range and so I have just compromised or figured out what to do. Maybe that has caused a modification in menu or cooking technique but not enough for me to feel a great need for a double oven or a larger cooktop.

But some people would do the "equation" differently. As I posted I have a lot of stuff in my remodel that wouldn't be deemed *necessary* by anyone else but worth it to me. I doubt anyone around me would have those things and I doubt whether it would be a deciding factor in terms of someone buying my place if I decided to sell.

As Patricia mentions, it really comes down to how you cook. Do you need a lot of stovetop space to have multiple burners going at once? If not, a 30" range will do.

Six extra inches is not going to buy you that much additional cabinet storage, so pick the range that works best for the way you work in the kitchen.

Consider the cabinets flanking your range hood. Will they look too skinny with the wider hood (especially if you get a 42" hood)?

Do you do much cooking with a large wok or skillet? If so, a 36" cooktop might be better. I've often scorched my countertop by using oversized pans on my 30" range, and my 36" wide hood doesn't always stretch far enough. If I had a 36" range, I could use my ridiculous pans in the middle.

If you fret about choosing the 36" range & losing potential cabinet space, think about using a single 36" door instead of the double wide door over on the sink wall. That will gain you counter surface & storage to more than offset the loss of choosing a wider range.

@ci_lantro I am sorry that I didn’t get it. The 36” range usually only have a single door.

I think that ci_lantro is suggesting that you replace your patio door with a narrower door, so you can have a longer cabinet/countertop run in that space.

@mcarroll16 Thank you for clarifying it. We don't have a lot of natural lights in my house, so I may prefer to keep the window and the patio door.

@Fori The cabinets on both sides of the hood are 21" wide. I am not sure if they look too skinny.

The biggest size of the pans I normally use is 14". The most frequently used pots and pans for me are 13" and 10". I tried on our 36" range top since it has the same depth as the Blue Star 30" or 36" range. The 30" Blue Star range will handle 4 pots and pans at the same time.

I think the 36" is mainly useful if there are two cooks cooking together.

@Sabrina Alfin Interiors I will use this one at the corner. If I have 3" extra space, I can get the largest size offered.

Huh. I've got a 36" cooktop, and I can't imagine sharing it well with another cook. Maybe if someone is simmering soup, and only checking it every 20 minutes. Not two people both sauteing something. If I needed to share the cooktop with another cook, I would want at least 42", or I would get a couple of countertop burners.

We "need" a 36" because 1. Induction touch controls take up a bunch of cooktop space, and 2. DH likes to use a 16" saute pan. I would also want a 36" cooktop if I was stuck with the big-central-burner layout, since those layouts make it difficult to use the peripheral burners when you have a big pot in the center. If I can get a 4-corner cooktop with knobs on the front of the range, 30" would be fine.

Tldr: get a 30" range.

Food for thought: if you didn’t know it, gas stoves are big news lately. Studies show they are literally poisoning you slowly. Please read these articles to understand what I’m talking about. Since you haven’t yet bought one, you have time to read and decide if you really want to purchase a gas stove. Even if they aren’t eventually banned, the health and environmental issues alone might give you pause.

I own a gas stove and have thought of replacing it with induction mainly because I find the cleaning of the stove to be a PITA frankly. Now I’m seeing and reading the news and it just makes me more resolved to switch.

Here are a couple articles. But as I said they are all over the news lately so if you Google you will find in depth reasons for giving up gas stoves. Especially if you have kids

https://www.suggest.com/gas-stoves-are-bad-for-both-your-health-and-the-environment/2595084/

https://news.yahoo.com/the-campaign-to-ban-gas-stoves-is-heating-up-215656354.html

“Beyond the climate implications of natural gas in general, there is also a movement to phase out gas stoves because of the harmful pollutants they release inside the home. Cooking on a gas stove releases nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, chemicals that have been connected with negative health conditions like asthma, with particular risk to children. One study found that gas stoves can create levels of nitrogen dioxide indoors exceeding the legal limits for outdoor air.”

I have a 30" "pro" range. If I center my 18" skillet over a burner, it's hanging off the side (not the back or front). And of course, I can't do two side-by-side. So I could use a 36" range...but not all at once. I just need the middle.

(FYI, I've had induction in the past and did gas this time for a change of pace. It's been a few years and fire is super flamey and fun but I'm ready to go back because induction is just better!)

@mcarroll16 Thank you for sharing your experience. I have done cooking with my DH on the 36" commercial style range top without a problem, but just occasionally. Do you have a 36" induction cooktop? If it is a cooktop, I will prefer a 36" also because the depth of the cooktop is shorter than a pro range making it difficult to put two pots and pans front and back.

@Pam Thank you for bringing it up. I heard it too but didn't really get into it. I will do more research on it. I didn't like the smooth surface of the induction cooktop because I feel I have to use care to avoid scratching it easily, and overtime there might be rings which is very hard to remove. The cast iron is much tougher.

@Fori 18" skillet? What do you cook with it? That is a giant piece. What makes you feel induction cooktop is better than gas cooktop?

yz00 I can tell you that induction tops are really easy to clean. Partly that's because the surface doesn't get anywhere near as hot as a gas or electric top. Food spills don't cook on like they do with conventional cooktops. I haven't noticed scratches either, and we do use cast iron. Our cooktop does have a pattern of light gray dots all over the top, which might be disguising scratches. If you're concerned, get a patterned top, not a solid black one.

OMG who cares what others think or even if you live in a junkyard. Get what you like. I started in my newly built house and remodeled my kitchen 10 yrs later. Everyone told me i was overbuilding for my neighborhood. I didnt care and did what i wanted. My kitchen is still modern and today 30yrs later the houses are selling for 1M+. I always buy top-of-line appliances and advanced features. Just saying

@Pam i should have been dead many years ago.

@Linda.Linda2 Good for you! I heard people saying no matter what you get, the appliance is going to be out dated after 10 years. I am not sure if this is true. If I will live in this house for 10 or 20 years, I probably wouldn't care much. But there is a chance I may move in several years.

@mcarroll16 I agree easy cleaning is the most attractive factor of the induction cooktop.

LindaLinda2 I only posted that info because many people (myself included) have had no idea of the health issues with gas stoves.

I realize you were semi joking about not being dead because I’m assuming you’ve used a gas stove for a long time.

The problem is, the stoves maybe won’t kill you, but are they worth it if they “just” make you a little more unhealthy as each year goes by?

There are many products that have caused health problems decades after using that nobody knew about at the time. Then it’s all “oh geez, I wish I’d know about the health risks back then. I would have stopped using (whatever).”

Asbestos, cigarettes, sunbathing, talc, the list is long.

Perhaps read an article so you are making a fully informed decision on you & your loved ones future health.

“In fact, children in homes that cook with gas have a 42 percent increased risk of asthma.”

“Electric stoves considerably outperform gas stoves. In Consumer Reports’ 2020 ranking of the top ranges, six of the top eight stoves are electric.”

https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2020/05/cooking-gas-hurts-your-wallet-and-your-health

If you cook alot go with the 36" NG. Otherwise the 30" will do well. Get the Top of the line. When you sell its the quality not the size of the range that will matter.

The debste on gas stoves is moot in New York City as they are prohibited in new construction. The governor has proposed a similar ban for the entire state.

This is chiefly because of effects of gas stoves on the environment. This will have a ripple effect as more people are aware of the ecological implications of gas stoves and become aware of induction stives as being as good if not superior to gas stoves. Induction will become more svailable at lower price points and become the standard installed in new cinstruction.

A NYT food writer on learning to love induction: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/dining/induction-cooking.html?searchResultPosition=1

@Linda.Linda2 The majority of the houses for sale in my area use 30” range or cooktop according to what I see on Zillow. I just saw one or two houses double the price of my house use 36“ or larger pro ranges. Some houses use 36” cooktop, but not pro style range. I see a lot more 36” or larger pro range on Houzz than real life. The reason for that might be only the high end kitchens get to be posted on Houzz.

@Pam Yes. I didn’t know how harmful it could be using gas stove. It is better well informed before we make any decision.

I do not think you will regret getting the 36”, but might regret getting the 30”. You have not expressed concern about the cost of a $5k vs $8k range and therefore, I am assuming you can afford it. You are selecting a Blue Star, which indicates that you are serious enough of a cook that you appreciate the advantages that it has over a Wolf, Viking, etc. After having experiences a pro style 36” range before, it will feel like a step back to get a 30” one. The concern is that you feel that it is excessive for your neighborhood indicates that you are not the show off type and buy other expensive items. We can have one thing that we can be rather extravagant about and splurge on. Treat yourself kindly. Life is too short.

Don't worry about what the neighbors have. If you want a 36" professional style range, then get it. What matters to the neighbors is not necessarily what matters to you. The cooker is a tool that matters to you; there is nothing wrong with wanting & having good tools.

What Andrea C said.