Closest to restaurant power at home
Pros:
Power, Wok support, Sturdy, Simple, Form follows function.
Cons:
Manual-clean gas oven, Cycling broiler, Long preheat
The Bottom Line:
A simply beautiful and powerful cooking tool for daily use, an excellent alternative to the many overpriced built-for-looks ranges.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
One of the other reviewers claimed they didn't like this range because it burned food on the lowest settings. I would seriously doubt that they have used a restaurant range, since they routinely put out 50% more power than the bluestar is even capable of. If you are familiar with this range, you know that it is based on an older model Garland, who is very respected in restaurant circles, along with American and Imperial (who I also considered for my home range, along with residential only Capital). These designs have excellent longevity, as illustrated by many garlands still used on a regular basis in many older kitchens.
The main reason why people buy this range is that two of the burners put out a tremendous amount of firepower (22000 btu, or 50% of the "power" burner on most residential ranges). The burner and top are made of cast iron, and the star configuration open-burner configuration produces even heating on even the thinnest and least expensive cookware. The inside ring of each grate is removable for wok usage, and performs admirably in this regard. Everything is very simple in this range, with no frills. After the cast iron grates and burners, there is a simple gas oven with a separate convection switch, and one other switch for the oven light. A single knob for each burner, and one knob for the oven/broiler is all there are for controls. Probably the main functional difference between the bluestar and the commercial equivalents are that the bluestar is electronic ignition rather than pilots. I'm sure this is for safety reasons, and although it may seem unnecessary, I have had already had them kick in when a breeze disturbed one of the flames. I'm sure that it would also help keep your cooling costs down if you live in a warmer climate.
Having said that, this range is not without its compromises. Although it is available with a grill or griddle, I have the 6 burner which offers the most flexibility. Because of its size and power, it is recommended that you have at least 1000 cfm of hood ventilation, which is not trivial to install in many homes. The size of the burners also makes the majority of residential two-burner griddles useless, since they are not large enough to cover two burners. In addition, although the oven is large enough for 6 dozen cookies, or large commercial sheet pans, the downside is that it is only available in gas, manual clean, and because of it its size takes quite a while to preheat properly (on average probably 30 minutes or more). In addition, the gas broiler cycles quite a bit, and is not to be used with the convection fan. This is not to say that either are not functional, just that no product is perfect.
The tremendous heat of the burners on the highest settings are perfect for searing meats, and for quickly boiling large volumes of water. It is true though that the using this level of power takes some getting used to, but after using it for a week or so, I became quickly accustomed to its heat, and don't turn my back when cooking.