Let the pan searing and woking begin

castironcook2,

I'm so glad to hear that you like your new 30" Bluestar slide-in cooktop. As you may have seen in a recent previous post of mine, I realized that I won't be able to accommodate the 36" and will have to go with the 30". Since it's obvious that you cook a lot, do you feel in any way constrained by having the smaller one?

carecooks, as are your circumstances, space constraints dictated our choice of the 30" slide-in rangetop. We could have accommodated a 36" drop-in cooktop in the same cutout that once housed our 36" Creda, but I really didn't want a stainless base under those cast iron grates. And the deep bowls around the burners on the slide-in, as on the range, can directly accommodate a wok. So since the 36" slide-in would have intruded on surrounding cabinetry, we opted for the 30" as the best compromise.

Obviously, when you've a serious cook in the family, more burners seem attractive. But Hubbest has been able to do his stocks and reduction sauces on our four burners and still have space for a stir-fry. The generous size of the burners and the X-styled grates between right and left pairs give us adequate space and good mobility.

In addition, getting the 30" rangetop allowed us a better hood capture area, for we went with an 800 cfm 36-incher up top, and that little fella really sucks it up. (About that, more anon.)

Functionwise, we're happy campers. And since we both are cast iron cooks, the no-nonsense looks of the BlueStar suits us fine. (But I bet the lady who loved the Creda and her OTR "recirculating" would be horrified.) ;-)

castironcook2,
Glad to hear you are happy with your cooktop. We have the drop-in cooktop and I definitely would prefer the all cast iron top but, unlike a sealed burner dropin where stainless is up against the burner, I really don't have any problem with discoloration or staining. The stainless also doesn't get nearly as hot as with our old sealed burner viking so splatters don't bake in. Usually a damp sponge brings it back to new condition. I cook with a wok a lot so the grates on the range were very attractive to me but I'm happy after I got an extra grate and cut it up a bit to fit a wok. Where there's a will there's a way.

carecooks,
Just last night, I used 3 burners making dinner for just myself so it certainly is nice having more than 4. Is it necessary? Certainly not. You'll just have to plan cooking accordingly. I've found when making a big meal, I'll typically only have 3-4 burner in serious use. Others are simmering/stewing or keeping warm. One idea is to buy a separate portable induction hob (maybe a dual hob unit). Or even cheaper, get one of those butane burners. Then just move your pans that you want to simmer or keep warm there. When not in use, just put back in the box and store in the garage or cupboard.

Good luck and enjoy.

The 30" range holds a 18x26 full size commercial tray, the only reason to go to the 36 is for more burners

Thanks amcooks and castiron2. I hadn't thought of buying an induction hob. That could work. I almost always use 2-3 burners for dinner, many times 4. But I only need the 5th burner occasionally and it would be really rare that I would need 6 so the hob is a good idea. I'll have to check through the appliances forum to see if any of the portables are recommended. I know that they aren't as good as the built-ins, but if it's just for boiling water or simmering, it wouldn't be a big deal.

I remember running across a website a while back that comparison tested a bunch of the induction portables. They liked the Burton best, which was also one of the most reasonably priced. I plan to buy one as my Xmas present to myself, LOL, and hopefully will be able to post a review after the holidays.

castironcook2, nice to see your review of your Bluestar cooktop. Not too many people have them yet so every bit of information from users is nice to have.

"Not too many people have [BlueStar ranges] yet..."

Everyone is getting BlueStar now? We're going mainstream? Oh no! Say it ain't so!

LOL @ sfjeff. Well, I don't know whether we're iconoclastic or iconic. Listen to this and you tell me:

Realizing that nothing beats good local service, if you can get it, we went with a dealer who used to handle Garland but for whom BlueStar is a new item. As soon as we're all settled in (we've some tile work to finish), they want to schedule a photo op for an in-store promotional.

Iconic or iconoclastic?