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justifying a major kitchen purchase


mrbigjas

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There have been extensive, almost obsessive discussions of Blue Star ranges on the appliance discussion forums on Garden Web.  The most recent thread can be found here and an archive of the past 2+ years' thread can be found here. Lots of discussions about the gas line as well as other installation issues.

that's where i got a lot of information as well. as with any site, though, the issue for me is picking out what information represents a realistic scenario for someone like me vs. what information represents a realistic scenario for someone who is the process of creating a $75,000, 800 square foot pro-level kitchen.

There seem to be more questions than answers about service, and it all seems to come down to the limited number of distributors for Blue Star products.  The specs and user reviews of Blue Star ranges have put them on my short list, but I am wary of purchasing something so expensive sight unseen and what that would mean for service.

this is exactly what i'm worried about, although from much of what i've read it doesn't seem to be a very complicated piece of equipment, just a heavy-duty one. i mean, it appears to be a stove with no super electronically controlled whatnot and this and that. how hard can it really be to fix if it breaks?

but all that's neither here nor there, because i've decided to hold off till i do this work on the house. my stove ain't great, and it's got a little oven issue right now that makes me light it with a lighter, but once it's lit it works fine, and holds a temp pretty well, and the thermostat is accurate and whatnot. and when the time comes i'll have no problem getting the range i want, because it'll be part of the whole renovation.

robyn, i'm right with ya about doing what i want, for my purposes--in fact, if it were up to me, i'd figure out how to do a cooktop/wall oven combo, but i suspect that's not possible in my space, while maintaining the amount of storage for all the other shit i've picked up over the years.

i think it's just the timing that's wrong right now. so i'm sticking it out for the moment.

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robyn, i'm right with ya about doing what i want, for my purposes--in fact, if it were up to me, i'd figure out how to do a cooktop/wall oven combo, but i suspect that's not possible in my space, while maintaining the amount of storage for all the other shit i've picked up over the years. 

i think it's just the timing that's wrong right now.  so i'm sticking it out for the moment.

Look at splurge of the decade European cabinets. I have a relatively small kitchen - 11X14 - and I have fit more storage in that area with Poggenpohl cabinets than I had in the house I was renting when I built this house (it had a 20x25 kind of kitchen with normal cabinets). Those full depth pull out bottom cabinets - specialty cabinets like cutting board cabinets - etc. maximize every square inch of available space. I went to Ikea for the first time a while back - and was surprised to see how sophisticated its kitchen storage was given the price. So that's a lower priced alternative to the high priced spread.

Also - can you stick a pantry in a closet somewhere (I'm kind of obsessive about storage space so I built a walk in pantry near the kitchen - but any full height closet near the kitchen will give you tons more visible/accessible storage than most kitchen cabinets). Robyn

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There seem to be more questions than answers about service, and it all seems to come down to the limited number of distributors for Blue Star products.  The specs and user reviews of Blue Star ranges have put them on my short list, but I am wary of purchasing something so expensive sight unseen and what that would mean for service.

This is exactly what i'm worried about, although from much of what i've read it doesn't seem to be a very complicated piece of equipment, just a heavy-duty one. i mean, it appears to be a stove with no super electronically controlled whatnot and this and that. how hard can it really be to fix if it breaks?

I finally located an appliance store reasonably close to home that carries Blue Star ranges. I've enlisted a chef friend to make the trek with me. It won't be for a few weeks yet but in addition to getting my hands on one, I'll be asking about all these service issues--and will report back.


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Just got to fondle a Bluestar last weekend while visiting my parents in NY - and my husband and I fell in love! It is so clean and simple. My friends in Dayton have had one for about a year and they love and recommend it.

"Life is Too Short to Not Play With Your Food" 

My blog: Fun Playing With Food

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Making a decision like this is easy . . .

1) Do I want it? yes

2) Can I afford it? yes

3) Do I need it? not applicable, see #1

Decision . . . GO! After all, I don't play golf.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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