Nice post, great questions. My 36" BS is due to be delivered in a few weeks (we don't move in until July), so I'm looking forward to some responses.

I'm also curious to know more about scorching of the 20" panel - if one doesn't allow high flames to run up the sides of pots on the back burners, or places some thick aluminum foil on the panel when using the back burners on higher heat, is there still permanent scorching?

Nellym, the showroom where I saw the BS had the panel/shelf on the back of the range, but without the screws. The fit was tight enough to hold it in place (although no pots/pans on the shelf), and one could easily remove it per use, if needed.

I have a 36" AG Wolf with 21" riser and shelf. Our hood has warming lights. Answers to your questions:

1) Does the shelf get in the way of the hood doing it's job?
Yes to some degree. It deflects the upward movement of hot air/steam/grease and we get a little less capture than with the riser off. The riser is flanked by cabinets on either side which may contribute to dispersing the air flow. For really smoking grilling, we remove the shelf (never bothered to screw it down). Hood is 27" X 42" 600 cfm VH; a more powerful hood might fix this.

2) Does the shelf and everything on it (e.g. utensils, plates) get greasy or dirty (from any cooking effluent)? Not to any noticeable degree.

3) How often do you clean the shelf? and how hard is it to clean? Not very often other than a very quick wipe with a damp paper towel after stirfry or other smoky cooking. once, twice a year take it off and clean in sink with fantastic spray or soapy water.

4)Do you find the shelf useful? or would you reconsider the decision if you had to do it again? Absolutely--used to work in restaurants and got used to using one, primary use is with the warming lights and a landing zone for spices etc. Without warming lights I'd probably just have a partial wall mounted shelf for spices etc., without the full riser shelf.

5) The panel and shelf - are they better attached to the range or mounted on the wall? Could go either way. I'd consider using an island mount for the range, tile or SS for backsplash and hinged, fold-up shelves attached to the wall. I haven't seen a range mounted SS riser that hasn't scorched where it's not just a trophy range, and the additional space on the rear burners would allow larger pans. A 12" pan is a little off center forward due to the riser. Conversely, the oven (at least on ours) vents through the top of the riser which is a benefit.