I love the open burners on my RNB. They make cleanup so super easy, and they distribute heat extremely evenly. This allows me to use cookware that otherwise would have problems with hot spots. Also, works really well with making sure that there isn't too much heat that gets lost on the sides of the pot.

The 22kBTU burners are really nice when searing or stir frying. Makes sure that your food is actually fried rather than sauteed. They also make it much faster to boil water. They also turn down pretty well. We do 90% of our cooking on the 22kBTU burners.

In theory, you can switch out the burners on the RCS to be more powerful. In practice, that turns your RCS into an RNB and Bluestar tightly controls the market for buying these parts: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2318993/bluestar-ignitors-and-burners

I don't really know what to tell you. The Bluestar RNB with its open burners is awesome. I absolutely love ours. But if you can't afford anything other than the RCS you'll have to make compromises. And you'll know that you did compromise.

I personally would probably opt for the open burners. But it's a tough call.

Thanks for getting back to me and for your detailed input. Yeah, this is a tough question with no real answer. I definitely can't afford an RNB, but this is going to be a stopgap purchase since I will likely move out of this apartment within the next 5 years or so and be in a better financial position to do more considerable upgrades on whatever kitchen is in my next abode. I'd definitely be interested in hotrodding an RCS but yeah, I read that it's nearly impossible to do so.

I guess the other question is whether the 15k open will feel like a noticeable downgrade from the 16k sealed that I am using now, or if the difference in architecture would make up for the small ding in power. If you have any insight on that I'd be deeply appreciative of whatever you can share.

Also, how's the oven? I bake a lot and that's one thing I don't read much about anywhere.

A difference of a single kBTU is going to be very hard to notice. This is especially true, as BTUs are a really strange way of measuring a stove's performance. It doesn't really take into account how much of the heat actually transfers to the pot.

My somewhat educated guess is that you'll subjectively feel the open 15kBTU burners on an RCS range cook much better than the closed 16kBTU burners on your old stove. In particular, this statement is likely to be true, if you invest in a round-bottom steel wok. Heat transfer is really awesome with the Bluestar's built-in wok burner feature.

We use our wok all the time, even for Western cooking. I bought it at a local store, but something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BSQR8E should work great, as long as you make sure to season it properly. Don't forget to also buy the spatula and lid.

Of course, with wok cooking, you can never have too much power. So, 15kBTU will be wimpy compared to what restaurants do. But it should be OK compared to what you had so far.

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response. I guess I have been using the marketing nomenclature, but I am generally thinking of sealed burners as capped burners (a la those in your photo) where the flame is dispersed in a ring.

To answer your question, 99+ percent of my cooking is done in a 12" all clad d5 frying pan, another 12" d5 sauté pan, a 10.5" d5 nonstick frying pan, cast iron skillets ranging from 8-12", and a round-bottomed carbon steel wok. I also have an array of mediocre saucepans/stockpots and an enameled Dutch oven that I use from time to time. Also a fagor pressure cooker.

The "open" burners appeal to me because of their purported even heating and the fact that, in theory, I can use a higher level of heat with smaller-circumference cookware without the flames just going up to the side.

In practice I rarely put my current burners at full blast unless I am trying to sear something or if I'm cooking in the wok—partially because the remainder of my cooking applications are lower heat and partially because I live in a one-bedroom apartment and can only use a non-ducted range hood. That said, when I am searing steaks, either in the cast iron or the stainless, I have had some trouble getting up enough heat to get a solid sear on it without overcooking the interior (granted I like my meat black and blue). So my primary goal here is to have a stove that will allow me to get a pan hot enough to put a good sear on meat without the heat penetrating too deeply and that will get my wok hot enough to stir-fry vegetables rather than stir-braising them. I just don't know whether a 15k open burner or a 21k capped burner is better suited to this.

You probably know this, but with the Bluestar open burner, you remove the grate and the wok will sit right against the flame.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm going to pull the trigger on the RCS.

Hi just wanted to follow up on your decision. You pulled the trigger on the RCS but which one? the open or sealed burner? Are you happy with it?

Also no one seemed to answer the question on why the sealed burner version of the 30" RCS has a higher BTU rating than the open version.

I am wondering this too.

I dunno why nobody got back to me either, but I went with the open burners and have no complaints!

"Also no one seemed to answer the question on why the sealed burner version of the 30" RCS has a higher BTU rating than the open version."

I think it is because BS is really known for their uncapped star shaped burners so there are two levels of those and you will pay quite a bit to get the higher one. They are not going to invest in two levels of capped burners yet they have to compete with other capped burners with that range of BTUs. They raised it not that long ago when others did.

Hello everyone. I am thinking about getting a BlueStar 36″ CULINARY SERIES (RCS) SEALED BURNER RANGE. Model # RCS36SBV2. I love the fact that it is only 24 inches deep so it will fit in my narrow doorway of my pre-war NYC apartment. I also love the fact there is no noisy cooling fan.

I do have questions though. First of all, does anyone here have a newer model of this stove so they can comment on the sealed burners? Are the sealed burners on this stove really easier to clean than open burners?

Also, on the 36 inch RCS there is only one simmer burner. All the rest are high-output btu burners. What if I want to also simmer on these other burners. Will they burn too hot for a gentle simmer?

davidhunternyc - From what I've read, some think the open burners are easier to clean and others think the sealed burners are easier. The difference is that the open burners are like a cast iron pan that's been seasoned so you just rinse and go, and the sealed burners are like an aluminum pan which has to be scrubbed to keep clean. Neither will look like new after a few cooking sessions. So depending upon your OCD level and what triggers it, one will seem better than the other.

I believe it is possible to adjust any burner to a low level.

Thanks Jerry. The sealed burner line has a black porcelain cooktop so it's not like cleaning an aluminum pan. My 20 year old stove has a porcelain cooktop and it is easy to clean. I just want to know if anyone has had any issues with the sealed burners on the newer models of the BlueStar RCS. Also, the BlueStar has only one simmer burner. All 5 other burners only go down to 5,000 btu's. Is this too hot still for a gentle simmer? Again, owners of the RCS sealed burner BlueStar is appreciated.

Even with a single simmer burner, you'll be better off than me. We have had our 30" RNB for almost 9 years now. The first thing that I did was to pull the simmer burner and replace it with another 15kBTU burner. Since I only have four burners, I wasn't willing to give up a dedicated burner just for simmering. The regular burners regulate down quite well as is. And if I really do need to cook at low power for hours, I prefer cooking in the oven. I have never missed my simmer burner.

On the other hand, I do appreciate the high power output when searing or cooking in a wok. In fact, I recently tracked down a Platinum burner head and upgraded one of my front burners. It's still not quite the same as a commercial 100+kBTU wok burner. But that's to be expected.

As far as cleanup is concerned, I have used both Bluestar's open burners and various other sealed and semi-sealed designs. I far prefer the open burners. It is not even comparable how much easier cleanup is on my range. Wipe once with a damp cloth and you're done. Once every couple of weeks, give it a more thorough cleaning; but even that's really fast.

I am considering the BS 30" RNB. Can anyone comment on the oven function and capacity , especially with baking?

dfnj - I have the 30" wall oven. It's great. No bending over, holds a full size baking sheet, built in baking stone with temperature probe, best broiler out there.

Thank you Jerry. I'm hoping the oven on the 30" range performs just as well. Does anyone have any experience with that?

Jerry, Have you made pizza in your BS wall oven yet? Would you use the infrared broiler and the baking stone to make pizza or just use the regular oven?

What type of oven gas or electric do you have now? Jerry’s oven is electric so very different from gas.

I‘ve read some people think it bakes perfectly while others do not. A lot depends on what you are baking and your expectations Which can be different from others. If you have been using electric ovens you would notice more of a difference than if you have had gas ovens.

This is is a picture of the 30” BS gas oven with a full commercial sheet From the BS website. It holds one and is one of the biggest ovens, looking at the rack size, but not sure about how much air circulates.

We've had our 30" BS RNB for eight or nine years now. I have used the oven extensively and find that it is very reliable. It does exactly what it's supposed to do; nothing more and nothing less. I like working with it, other than the fact that it takes really long to pre-heat. The fact that it is so predictable makes it a joy to bake with.

I usually store my large Fibrament baking stone in the oven and don't take it out when I use the oven. I don't think it makes a huge difference for everyday use, but it might contribute a little to my overall very positive impression of the oven. In general though, most ovens benefit from a) more thermal mass, and b) dispersal of thermal energy. So, I almost always keep either a baking stone or at least a cookie sheet on the bottom shelf of any of the ovens that I have ever owned.

Having said that, we now have a Miele combination steam oven and a Miele SpeedOven in addition to the RNB. I find the SpeedOven isn't much of an alternative. I am happy that I bought it as an extra oven that happens to use the same space as the microwave; but I am not sure the cost is quite justified by the benefits. So, don't buy, if money is tight.

On the other hand, the CSO is a huge improvement over anything I have owned before. It preheats much faster than the RNB and the fine-grained moisture control is awesome. The smaller cavity size is rarely an issue. I now use the CSO for everything.

The only downside is the rather anemic broiler element. These days, the RNB only gets used if I need a good broiler. None of my other appliances even come close.

davidhunternyc - I have. I don't make it too often because there are always leftover ingredients that usually go to waste. I use the pizza stone and sometimes the broiler depending upon what kind.

I can say from a costly and painfull lesson. Do NOT buy a blue star sealed burner range, it does not get hot. 22000 btu, my ass!!

Save your money.

@sirgma Can you elaborate? Oh, I see you said "sealed" burner. I am looking at Open burner

Bluestar's open burners closely follow the design of the original Garland gas ranges (the one that Julia Child made so famous). This design can still be found in many restaurants and commercial kitchens to this day. It's very powerful, easy to use, avoids hot spots and excessive flare, is low maintenance and generally easy to keep clean (but maybe not perfectly factory-new looking).

Since it is so different from what many consumers are used to, Bluestar felt the need to alternatively offer sealed burners. They are a much more conventional design for a residential kitchen, but they lack almost all of the benefits that made Bluestar such a "cult hit". It's just another gas range. I am sure Bluestar did market research and decided that this was the right choice for them. But I personally don't see the value proposition. Stick with the awesome open burners if you are seriously into a cooking hobby or if you are used to working in a commercial kitchen and want similar no-nonsense appliances at home.

I would never consider a sealed burner BS, i bought the platinum for the burners and the oven. Both exceeded my expectations.