I wouldn't get any of those unless it was their induction unit.

Frieda, I totally agree! I’ve had both and I much prefer a gas range over induction. I was set on Wolf until a good friend of mine suggested looking at Jenn-Air, especially for their griddle option. I am happy to report it is awesome! I use the griddle every day and it cleans up like a dream.

Frieda the reason many of us jump in and mention induction is because while we here on GW know about induction, the average consumer has either not heard about it at all, or thinks it's similar to an electric cooktop. If there is something new out there that the majority of us on here do prefer, we would be remiss not to mention it.

Then at least IF the OP hasn't heard about induction, they can research and decide if for them, they prefer induction or gas.

Bluestar. I have the range with griddle, other than the oven the range top is exactly the a same. Love it no problems in five years of heavy use, a true workhorse!

fyi, Thermador is owned by the company that makes Bosch (similar to Lexus and Toyota) which is why you'll find many similarities between the two.

Thank you for the feedback. We are building a home so we will ensure that the ductwork is in place to ensure good ventilation. Friedajune any insight on ductwork specifics is welcome.

Any hoods anyone recommends (still researching this as well)?

Also, cookncarpenter how has the oven held up over time? Any issues?

Before you give up two burners to have a griddle, really,really consider how often you will make pancakes or fry burgers on a griddle. Don’t succumb to the “I’ll make pancakes for the whole neighborhood every Saturday” dream. I bought a Lodge griddle which covers two burners, but neatly fits with the cookie sheets 99% of the time. Mine is iron, so it is heavy, but there are others that will serve the purpose and weigh less. I know someone who bought a 36” range with a griddle and it is so difficult to clean, she has used it fewer than ten times in 19 years. She essentially has a 4 burner range with a useless recess in the middle.

"Before you give up two burners to have a griddle, really,really consider
how often you will make pancakes or fry burgers on a griddle. Don’t
succumb to the “I’ll make pancakes for the whole neighborhood every
Saturday” dream."

Many people always think pancakes when they think of griddles. I cook pancakes probably three or four times a year, but I use my griddle every day often several times. I use it like a flat top at a diner. Basically, anything that can be cooked in a skillet or on a grill can be cooked on the griddle with excellent results.
Look at many restaurant kitchens, and you'll see large flat top griddles with only two burners next to it.
To answer OP's questions;

I have a Prizer hood and it is a work of sheet metal art, as well as functioning as it should. No issues with the oven, bakes and roasts just fine. Broiler is a bit small and extremely hot, so there is a learning curve there.

I don't have a Bluestar but do have a Vent-a-Hood that I like very much. A friend of mine has both a Bluestar and a Vent-a-Hood and is very pleased.

I have a 36" propane Bertazonni w/ 6 burners. I bought a Lodge carbon steel 2 burner griddle that sits out about 30% of the time. I love the versatility and it's very easy scrap off into the garbage or put in the sink if it needs extra scrubbing.

Gas, electric, or induction?

BlueStar + Vent-a-Hood to the outdoors is our combo, too. Highly recommend. We have open burners and contrary to popular belief, cleaning isn't awful. Stuff falls down between the burners onto the slide out tray that we keep lined with foil. Every so often (I'll never admit how often, lol), we pull the foil and replace. Cast iron burners get seasoned with use so a wipe with a wet cloth or scrubbie removes most spills.

I agree that a griddle can be useful for a lot more than pancakes. I was seriously considering it for our kitchen remodel. It would fit our cooking style quite well. But ultimately, I wasn't willing to sacrifice the extra 6" needed for both the range and the venthood. So, we are sticking with our existing 30" Bluestar -- which incidentally is an absolutely wonderful appliance.

If you do get a griddle, carefully review the differences between the RNB and the Platinum model. A recurring theme in this forum is that people like the RNB griddle better, as it is thermostatically controlled. I believe the Platinum griddle doesn't do that, but has the flexibility of being turned into an in-door BBQ grill. Personally, I wouldn't have any need for the latter. But the thermostatic control does sound awesome. So, I'd certainly get the RNB over the Platinum.

I make eggs every morning on the griddle. And during the week I make chicken sausages, turkey burgers, regular burgers, endless options really.

Thank you again everyone!

Strategy-we are looking at gas range tops.

M-thank you for bringing up the RNB vs Platinum. I was leaning towards the RNB and it sounds like that may be a good choice.

Cookncarpenter-I am guessing that the griddle cleans up pretty well. I think we would get quite a bit of use out of it because yes we cook a lot of pancakes in this house, but as mentioned you can cook more than that on the griddle. Since I do not have the availability to cook on the griddle prior to purchase I wanted to make sure there weren't any issues or see if there were tricks for clean up.

crcollins1_gw thank you for the tips about the foil and that was what I had read about clean up too. Good to know there aren't any issues thus far with the rangetop.

Cookncarpenter and all the others who love their griddles- great. I however need the extra burners for the way we cook at our house. I grew up in a restaurant family, so I love a real flattop, but I don’t want one in my kitchen because it’s not how I cook now. I also loved the two deep fryers I used as a kid. They wouldn’t fit our low-fat diet now!
However I think sometimes people jump for something they have seen without really thinking about the way they really cook. I am just saying you should examine all the pros and cons of an expensive decision. For some it means four burners and a griddle, for others it means six burners and a portable griddle. BTW my new six burner is being installed next week..

Hi,

You have mentioned 4 great brands, however, the Wolf rang top has several model options. They have a 36" with either 6 burners, 4 burners and griddle or 4 burners with a grill. They have in our opinion, the best burner control on the market. They utilize a stacked burner, which will go from a high of 20K BTU's to a low 140 degree simmer on every burner. They have one of the strongest warranties in the category at 2 years full parts and labor, and if you have it installed by a Factory Certified Installer of Sub-Zero and Wolf products you will receive an additional year's warranty for a total of 3 years!! Where are you located?

The Wolf's stacked burners sound awesome. But in practice, they aren't quite ideal, either. This forum had people complain that the transition between the two sets of burners is annoying.

And because of the design choices made, the burners give you hot spots. The Bluestar's star-shaped burner is much better at heating pots very evenly.

Thanks to our ongoing remodel, I have recently had the chance of using both our Bluestar and a more traditional round burner (in this case, a Viking). It's like night and day. Cooking on the traditional burner is really aggravating, if you know how much better things could be. I can of course cook on the Viking, but it requires so much more work. I am always surprised how much faster and effortless cooking is on the Bluestar.

Also, the Bluestar's higher BTU is awesome. Stir-fried food simply tastes better than stir-sauteed food. There are things that are almost impossible to cook on other stoves unless I cook in multiple really small batches. And as far as simmering goes, I personally though that the 22kBTU Bluestar burners regulate so insanely evenly, that I don't even need the dedicated simmer burner. I actually ended up removing it from my stove and replacing it with another mid-powered 15kBTU burner.

"Since I do not have the availability to cook on the griddle prior to
purchase I wanted to make sure there weren't any issues or see if there
were tricks for clean up."

Once the griddle is seasoned, it becomes very non stick similar to cast iron pans. Clean up is essentially the same as well. Just a scrape, a wipe with paper towel, and a light oiling while still warm.

I had my five-burner Thermador with downdraft for 19 years with one service call to replace a switch on the downdraft.

This is a good point. If you have a good high-powered stove that heats evenly, you can buy cheap cookware. I love our Lodge carbon-steel skillet and our carbon-steel round-bottom wok. Both of these work really nicely on our Bluestar. They are super responsive to temperature adjustments, and thanks to the star-shaped burners, they heat very evenly. And they are naturally non-stick. Clean-up is exactly as described by @cookncarpenter.

The only important thing to remember is that you must add your food to the hot skillet. If you add it to a cold skillet, then the non-stick patina might not do its job. I assume the same would be true for the built-in griddle.

I have a built-in griddle on my 1948 O'Keefe & Merritt stove. I used to use it often, for pancakes, french toast, or grilled sandwiches, but don't use it much anymore - it's hard to clean as there is a pilot light under it (and a thermostat!), so it's always hot. But it's a great place to put hot pans if I must take them off the stove and am using the four burners.

I never understood all the closed/open burner stuff, but realize that my O & M has an open ones and also has those wonderful pull-out drip trays. I don't even line them with foil - they are very easy to clean and a lifesaver if milk boils over!

I love that stove more everyday. How often can one say that about a 70 years old appliance?

I have an 8 burner capital, which is similar to BlueStar. I debated about the griddle, but in the end I decided I could just put a griddle on the burners when needed rather than be locked in. However, if you plan to use the griddle like a restaurant flat top, I think the griddle would be worth it. Enjoy!

Yeah the make up air is getting expensive, we're in the middle of spec'ing it now after an impulsive 36" platinum range bluestar purchase. But, that thing gives my wife lust....

We have a 36” Capital and we are really happy with it. But not only is it not an induction, it’s a sealed burner (gasp!). Of course we also don’t have a combo-steam oven, one of our island clearances does not meet NKBA guidelines and we have an angled corner cabinet, so we are definitely not in the gardenweb kool kid club!

There are several differences in Wolf and BS griddles. The Wolf on their website is either 1/2” or 3/4” rolled steel depending on where you look. The BS has been reported on this forum to be 3/16” or 3/8”. Both can be seasoned like cast iron. BS also has their own add on griddle available but it is porcelainized cast iron which cannot be seasoned and they recommend taking oven cleaner to it when it gets cruddy. The thicker plate takes longer to heat up and adjust if you need to but has the potential for heating a little more evenly.

The other difference is that Wolf has an infrared burner that heats over the entire surface.

This is the burner with BS

Even with the thicker plate and infrared burner, Wolf warns the griddle is hotter towards the back.

You can also consider an overlay griddle. Some people like a built in because it is more stable and with the thermostatic control, it is more consistent in that If you set it for a certain temperature, you will get that every time, but there are advantages to an overlay too.

Your burners can be always there to use. You can take the griddle off to clean or put away.

You can use different metals for different purposes. Aluminum conducts heat really well so it heats evenly. You can buy an overlay that is coated to be nonstick or uncoated. The uncoated one can season but not as quickly as the steel. They are pretty inexpensive.

http://royalindustriesinc.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_22_48

These are steel add ons which season like the Wolf and BS and hold a lot of heat, but can hot spot or create zones of more and less heat which some people like.

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChefKing/Griddles.htm

This is is more of a fitted add on.

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChefKing/Broilers.htm

Consider how much space you need. A built in is typically about 11x22 so 242 sq. Inches. My aluminum add on is 15x23” so about 345 sq. inches. Some add ons cover 4 burners.

An an add on allows you to have a lot more heat if you need it. You can have up to 2x 22-25K burners or 2x15K, compared to 15K total for a built in. There was one poster her that stir fried on his griddle.

There are lots of choices but no one universal best.