If you are putting an advantium micro/hood above the range, I would do the American range, if you do the BlueStar the advantium will not perform as needed ventilation. Both 30" ranges you are talking about have very large ovens and will hold full size commercial 18x26 trays. No other range on the market can make that claim, if fact most 36" ranges can't do that. So if you do not need more than 4 burners there would be no point in going to a 36" range.

Thanks for the reply guadalupe. The advantium will go under the island counter and I am planning on a vent, either Broan or Ventahood over the range. So, any advice on American vs Bluestar? If I am an unsophisticated cook would an American be easier because of its sealed burners or would one want open burners because lots of GW folks have raved about them? Also, any hood recommendations would be appreciated, I plan on doing a SS hood, range sits between two new casement windows.
Thanks in advance for any help.

These are both good ranges, with big ovens. Either one would be a good choice. I'd stick with the 30". The Bluestar has 'open' burners (boil-overs fall down to a removable 'drip tray'). And the American has a sealed stainless top. The Bluestar open burners are preferred for their star shaped burners.

The American has a brighter, perhaps cleaner 'look' and a few more small indicator lites on the control panel to let you know which burner is still on. Bluestar uses (3) indicator lites - one to let you know if the oven/broiler is on, one for the convection fan, and one to indicate the oven light is on. But it doesn't have indicator lites for the top burners.

The American has more oven rack positions inside the oven. But the Bluestar has a new lower rolling rack that is also nice.

As far as cleaning goes = the stainless top is easy enough to clean on the American and much easier than some sealed burner brands, partially because it's stainless and partially because it has a fairly deep well.

People who own Bluestars actually like the way they can be cleaned up, because, yes, you can just wipe the coated cast iron, but you can also remove the 'bowls' and clean in the sink or dishwasher. While the bowls are fairly heavy, porcelain cast-iron that can be lifted out, most of the time they don't show drips, and food can be brushed into the open slots to fall to the drip tray.

The decision comes down to looks, (you may like the looks of one over the other), or cooks (Bluestar burners are better).

everything you do on the bluestar burner is going to happen better than any other burner. Simply there are no cold spots, it is going to fry better, boil better, sear better and wok cook like no other. That does not make the other burners bad, just not as good. Fry an egg on any sealed burner and you will cook the perimeter first and as the pan heats you will cook towards the center, the buestar cooks evenly with he cheapest of cookware. Oven advantage may belong to american because of the twin fan convection system, broiler quality belongs to bluestar with 1850 degree temp at surface. Vent a hood has no filters so clean up is more intense and you will have to spray the blower with degreaser more often if you fry less often if you dont. Most prefer baffle filters for ease of cleaning, the dishwasher does the work.

The question is do you plan to stay a novice cook? or do you plan to get "into" cooking? if it is the former then the American would do fine if the later by all means get the Bluestar.

If the price is comparable, Bluestar. Turbo-mega 22,000 btu burner boils water quick, whether primavera, or mac & cheese. Great simmer spec also.

Thanks everyone for all your help! I really appreciate it.
You folks clarified a lot of issues I was unclear about which will make my decision much more informed.
Now I have to really assess whether I am committed to my aspirations to become a better cook or whether the fact that I am in the process of adopting my first child will make that aspiration a fantasy!

guadalupe,

I don''t want to start an argument, but one of you statements above is incorrect.

Vent a hood has no filters so clean up is more intense ... Most prefer baffle filters for ease of cleaning, the dishwasher does the work.

I have used both systems, and the amount of work is about the same. I load my Vent-a-Hood boxes and covers into my DW, just like you can load baffles into the DW.

The VAH has a slight advantage, in my mind, in safety. The VAH system creates a positive pressure area in the box. Flames cannot travel through a positive pressure area and thus fire cannot get into the duct work.

The downside to the VAH system is that the fans have to work at a set speed to provide the correct centrifugal force to sling the grease against the walls of the box, thus VAH needs multiple fans instead of one larger variable speed unit.

cpovey are you saying you do not have to degrease the fan. I am 66 years old and have yet to read a newspaper with a grease fire in the hood, except for commercial use and that would have been because no one cleaned anything. If you wash your baffles how would you get a grease fire.

Hmmmm, after my Bluestar saga (noted on my livid thread) I went to a different local appliance store tonight and checked out some alternatives. One of them that we liked a lot was the 36" American range. Only real downside seemed to be the American burners top out at 17K vs 22K for the Bluestar. Where will I notice that difference the most?

On the positive side - I can get the American for $1,000 less than the Bluestar which after my other saga is a nice alternative to have.

So is the Bluestar's 22K vs 17K for American burners worth $1,000 more in your opinion?

I think for cooking enthusiasts yes, but it depends. The American is a good solid, reliable range, it has a good oven broiler and what I really like, various sized burner caps, so that the gas doesn't shoot out the sides of a smaller pan. It has a sealed stainless top, unlike Viking and Wolf sealed burner tops that are painted porcelain black and harder to clean. (DCS and Capital also use sealed stainless tops).

Bluestar, besides having a hotter burner, also have star shaped burners that are farther below the pot and the flames go straight up, rather than sideways out in a circle. So the heat is more evenly spread. The grates can be adjusted higher that allows for an even smoother cooler simmer, or allows you to turn the gas up even hotter on a medium sized pan-without flames going up the sides. And the burners are open with a drip tray underneath. The whole top is cast iron and can come off to clean or inspect and adjust.

The American has more oven rack positions, an indicator light for each burner, and two fans for convection. That's certainly nice.

But my neighbor, who has an American range, and LOVES it, always drops her mouth open in awe when she comes over and sees the Bluestar cooking at my place.

Good cookware can make up somewhat for the lesser heat. Stir fry and pan grilling might be where you notice the difference. And it will boil water faster. You have more control. It's hard to explain, but I think the Bluestar is just more 'fun' to cook on- is that worth $1,000? For some, yes- others might think what else they could do with that money. If I had never cooked on a Bluestar, I probably would have never missed it.

To chime in on size: You don't mention a price concern, so I'm figuring that the couple thousand difference doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things? If not, I'd go for 36". The 6" difference loss of counter and cabinet space will make a negligible difference in a kitchen that's described as "large." Though bigger than standard, a 36" range is by no means a huge, overpowering beast.

I am also taking into consideration that you're planning on a second oven and therefore figuring that extended preheat time for the larger 36" won't be much of a factor in your daily life.

You can keep any amount of burners "off" if you have 6, but you can't turn more than 4 "on" if you have 4.

Thanks Alexr - I appreciate your input. Its a tough decision now. Was originally all gung ho about the Bluestar after my research here but did become put off a bit from my saga last week. Trying to be objective - but just saw the American Range yesterday (as well as a 36" Dual Fuel Electrolux Icon - that has its top burners rated at 18K, is self clean which the wife loves, and comes with a lot of extras) and both are priced more favorably than the Bluestar and seem well constructed. Biggest difference in Bluestar's favor is the 22K burner on the Bluestar vs 17K on the American and 18K on the Electrolux. In the American and Electrolux favor is the oven fans and the racks / self clean in the electrolux - and of course the price

planning to make a decision and purchase one of the 3 tomorrow so trying to find anything else I can to help sway me one way or the other

Just a note no one mentioned, since you say you are a beginning cook but "maybe" might get more into it:

A 36" range has a very large oven. This is wonderful if you are cooking for a large family or making the equivalent of a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixin's, at least once a week.

But if you are cooking for two or three (you didn't mention this, unless I missed something in my quickie scan over this thread), a 36" range has a very big oven to heat up. It takes noticeably longer to heat up a 36" oven over a 30", especially if you are doing those admittedly rare temperature-sensitive recipes. Anything that bakes/roasts for over an hour is NOT a problem, because the oven temp stabilization sort of evens out.

But baking a single 8" pizza, for instance, may actually take you a bit longer. You should also note that as lovely as the Advantium is (for that single pizza, for instance), remember it is not self-cleaning. Owners have reported that anytime you cook something that splatters, you really must be disciplined and clean the inside of it afterwards.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just want to mention these points so you can evaluate what fits your lifestyle best. Good luck!

bump..... so what was your choice if you have decided?
john

Hmmm. Did everyone just drop off this one or what??
Has anyone mentioned the Capital? I'm trying to decide between Blue Star, American and Capital Precision. Capital has 19,000 BTU burners, better than American but not as powerful as BS. The oven has a roller rack, is self-clean, and they say takes only 10 - 15 min. to pre-heat. Infra-red grill. Also has a 2 year warranty. Has anyone compared these 3? Choice? Reasons?

alpacapolly - we're trying to make the exact same choice. The only reason we wouldn't get the BS is cleanability but the great folks on this forum are convincing us that even with open burners the BS would not be so bad to keep clean

I am trying to decide on this as well. I've heard that the BlueStar oven door gets hot. How hot does it get? Too hot to touch? I've got kids but not toddlers. Anyone care to share their thoughts on this. I don't want a range that I have to constantly warn people about.

Also, I just read that the convection oven only has one fan. Any problems with this? Do you need 2 fans?

I love all the other features I've seen on the Blue Star.

I just went through this agonizing choice myself. I narrowed it down to the Capital, American and BlueStar.

The Capital seemed the best choice on paper: equal and powerful burners all around. Choice of Wok burner or grill/griddle, rotisserie, self clean. Good looking too.
Downsides were a smaller oven and no colors.

The American really caught my eye on the looks department, seemed much more restrained in terms of burner power (not overkill), great oven size and reported customer service and can get in color. Downsides were unequal sized burners and I could not see one in person.

The BlueStar had been my first choice for quite a while with the open & powerful burners, large oven and choice of colors. The flexibility in upgrading/rearranging burners was also a plus.

I know would have been very happy with all three of these choices, but in the end my decision was made when my wife and I decided to get a color (eliminated capital), I wanted to see one in person (eliminated American) and the gas line could not be run through the back wall (eliminated capital and I think American). So I ordered a BlueStar through EuroStoves (could have bought local, but I wasn't thrilled with the place).

In the end, I think any of these would be great choices, especially if, like me, you are coming from a 10yr old coil top Maytag nightmare...

I have a question - I am looking at a 48 inch range, can't afford a Viking or Wolf. Granted it's a smaller size, but everyone here seems to be comparing the BS, American Range (is this the same as American Standard?) and Capital. I am looking at the Jenn Air and like the looks of it - why has no one on ANY site talked about this version??? Any suggestions on which 6 burner range to get? I am more than a novice but less than a pro, and often cook several things at once. Thanks!!!!

The American Range is also know as American Residential.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Residential Ranges

garden18c - I too had read about the possibility of too much heat coming off the front of the BlueStar, so I went to a demo of the RNB range (with convection) in action. We used all four burners, the oven and then broiled. While the front edge and top surfaces did heat up, I was relieved to find they weren't anywhere close to being dangerous. I found quite a good price on the BlueStar 30" RCS model which has one 18,000 BTU burner, two 15,000 BTU burners and one 9000 burner (no convection) and have been using it for 3 weeks without any heat problems. Don't even miss the convection and everything I bake comes out better than any other range I've used in the past 30 years. I'm a really happy camper now.

hellooo lisajjj i have a 48" american range and love it, wife loves it we are happy campers too! ck the thread below. for other AR owners storys.
there are actually 3 now.

Here is a link that might be useful: american range owners #2

American Range makes some models with 25K BTU high
output burners for wok cooking and rapid boiling. They
have infrared broilers but do not know how they compare to
Bluestar's broiler. American Range has the superior
convection system.

" Posted by abahern
American Range has the superior
convection system."

Which model because they are very different? How would it be superior? Have you baked in both to compare? I would be interested in how they bake in real life.

Hi,
I am in the process of looking at ranges. I have been researching and reading forums on Bluestar ranges. My biggest concern is the oven cavity size height. It is 15". In talking to the bluestar customer service, the gal measured the height is 11 1/2" from top of rack in bottom position to top. Of course you wouldn't put something exactly to the top of the oven so take off a little more - you probably are looking at 11" 'useable' space. Is this big enough? I'm probably over thinking this as when I bought my wall oven, the capacity didn't even enter my mind. It is because I'm getting a freestanding, which I haven't ever had and when I saw the RCS 36" range the oven 'looked' so small. All help and comments appreciated. :-)

Bluestar convection also works by drawing air in and pushing it out the sides.

" Posted by abahern
American Range has the superior
convection system."

Which model because they are very different? How would it be superior? Have you baked in both to compare? I would be interested in how they bake in real life.

All these ovens have a different method of recirculating air. Blowing the air out the sides is a superior convection style to to circulate there air while minamizing hot spots. Here are the other brands convection including capital - viking - ge profile - and maytag to give you a range of high end to low end

Alright we get it you work for/sell American. Now go away and quit spamming every thread with this crap.

what did you buy? BS or