Stoves and Ovens: Wolf? Thermador? Bluestar? Viking?

[paulraphael]

Ha. No, just curious. Unfortunately your range is from a time when they were having major quality problems. I'd say "quality control" but many of the problems look like design flaws ... like the oven floor rivets, and the door hinges. They've fixed all this stuff. I know that doesn't do you any good.

 

And I know no one wants to spend $400 on an oven thermostat—but I don't think that's the worst news. Those are parts that do die over the course of decades. A bonus with Bluestar is they come apart like lego and are easy to work on. There are youtube videos that show you how to replace the part, and probably the only tool you'll need is a philips screwdriver. The only thing that looks tricky is routing wires through the oven.

[SLB]

At long last:  my oven is back in service.  Roasting beets as I report in.  

 

Pork roast going into brine tomorrow.  

 

The tech said:  "By the way?  You need a new convection fan.  It's rusted out."

 

I laughed like a person who belongs in the lunacy hospital.  

[Recoil Rob]

I'm hoping to finally get the kitchen I've always wanted which is going to include a gas powered 6 burner rangetop (or 4 burners and an infrared grill) and double wall convection ovens (possible one w/steam)

 

I've been looking at Wolf's 6 burner and 4 + infra red grill, I decided to look for reviews and the most recent ones I can find on here are around 6 years old.

 

Anything else I should be looking at from other makers? In the past there were complaints about the infrared grills failing (if you want to grill, go outside), still the case?

 

I am a bread baker, is a steam oven worth it?

 

Willing to sit back and listen to all recommendations.

 

thanks,

 Rob

[gfweb]

Still happy with my blue star 6 burner

[blue_dolphin]

When I bought my current house, I put in a 36 inch Wolf gas cooktop with 5 burners and am very happy with it. I was thinking I’d love the high power burner and I do but the slow simmer is probably my favorite. I realize that’s not the rangetop you are asking about but it’s my data point. Going forward, I’d go with induction.  

I also put in KitchenAid electric double wall ovens. They work perfectly but if I had to do it again, I’d do a stack of one regular convection oven, one steam combi oven and a warming drawer. 

[Recoil Rob]

Thanks gfweb, how long have they been installed? Any issues?

 

And Blue Stars 6 burner with the optional grill/broiler inserts is a nice option

 

blue_Dolphin, yours is a cook top with dials on top?  I like your idea about the wall stack too...

 

I like Blue Stars combo oven with French doors on top but apparently they are not convection or steam capable.

 

 

Edited April 20 by Recoil Rob (log)

[C. sapidus]

3 hours ago, gfweb said:

Still happy with my blue star 6 burner

 

Same. Ours is a cooktop rather than a range.

[&roid]

I had a wolf five burner cooktop for some years then upgraded to the 4+grill rangetop in 2018. 
 

the rangetop is a big step up in terms of cooking power and feels a lot more robust. The knobs on my cooktop broke after a few years and with the way they’re designed would need replacing quite often. Having said that, the knobs on the rangetop aren’t perfect either - the one for the burner I use most has started to develop a bit of drift which is annoying. 
 

Overall I’d get one again as they cook really well and look great. the range of power available on the burners is phenomenal - can go from directly melting chocolate (no double boiler) to a nuclear sear on the same ring. 
 

I don’t think I’d bother with the grill though - I was so excited to have one of these, thought I’d cook on it all the time but the truth is I use it less and less. It’s probably been a year since it was last lit. The issues with it are that its heat is really uneven, it cremates some parts while others are barely touched and it’s really messy and unpleasant once you’ve used it. I even bought grill grates for it a bit ago. I want to love it but the truth is it’s nowhere near an outdoor gas grill. Given my time over I’d try the plancha instead. 
 

if you want any pics or have any specific questions I’d be happy to help. 

[dans]

My house had a 36" Thermador when I moved in.  Over about a dozen years it had to be service multiple times. Finally the controller board went and I went looking for a replacement.  My goal was to buy a Wolf but the store carried both the Wolf and Viking. I was seduced by the Viking having very slightly more BTUs than the Wolf.  I decided to go with the Viking. I wish I had stayed with the Wolf. 

 

One more thing for your consideration. A lot of these high-end ranges don't have a self-cleaning feature.

[gfweb]

Another consideration, the BS is pretty electronic-free.  Fewer things to go bad

[AlaMoi]

I have a 6 burner Viking. 

the individual burner grates have little rubber feet . . . 6x4=24 pieces . . . went to the shop to buy some, $3 _EACH_ x 24=$72 for pencil eraser size rubber thingies - that go crisp, break off, disappear about every 3 months. . .

the auto-igniters died.  no local service tech.  estimate:  $200 "travel time" + parts + labor - and of course, they can only figure out what parts they need at the first $200 travel visit . . .

unplugged the auto igniter junk, use a

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093KCMBQX

 

so . . . mega-caution needed on Viking stuff.  it breaks, a lot, and repairs will not make you happy.

[Recoil Rob]

Just the kind of info I'm looking for, thank you.

[TdeV]

On 4/20/2024 at 6:27 AM, dans said:

One more thing for your consideration. A lot of these high-end ranges don't have a self-cleaning feature.

 

I have an Anova Precision Oven (Combi oven, sous vide, steam, dehydrator, etc.) about which I'm mostly thrilled except that it DOES NOT HAVE A SELF-CLEAN FEATURE. Just to put this in perspective, every oven I've owned since 1997 has had a self-clean feature. 😡

[gfweb]

I've never used the self clean feature of my ovens. 

 

They look pretty clean to me....not sure why they don't get cruddy.

Edited April 23 by gfweb (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

They look pretty clean to me....not sure why they don't get cruddy.

 

Hmmmm.....which line can you read on the chart below?  

[rotuts]

@TdeV

 

th oven deos not have a steam clean ?
 

[blue_dolphin]

On 4/19/2024 at 4:53 PM, Recoil Rob said:

I am a bread baker, is a steam oven worth it?

I’m not a bread baker so I can’t speak to that aspect but I would not be without a steam oven and would certainly take a look at the Gaggenau combi steam wall ovens when you are shopping. They have a clean 2-knob interface that allows you to control both temp and steam in small increments. They come in a generous 30” width with either a left or right hand door hinge 
Unlike a lot of the touch screen models that let you choose the food or dish and let it go, the Gaggenau expects the user knows how cook so there will be a learning curve if you are new to steam but it is programmable and lets you save recipes if you want. 
The downside is the cost. They’re $$$

[TdeV]

37 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@TdeV

 

the oven deos not have a steam clean ?
 

 

No. Which is reprehensible, I'm sure. Notwithstanding that @gfweb can just stare sternly at his oven until it behaves.

 

 

Edited April 23 by TdeV
Clarity (log)

[Barrytm]

I have a Bluestar RNB range, but I would think the cooktop would be similar -  very basic and easy to use , not much in the way of digital or electronics.  Highly recommend a combi oven.  I bake bread every week, but use the combi nearly every day.  Main benefit it is a much smaller cavity, and preheats far quicker than a full sized oven.  Unless you are feeding more than 4, I would think the combi will be your daily oven.  As to bread, some like the Wolf, I have a Miele.  While having steam injection is a nice thing,  AFAIK, none of the combis have a bake mode with moisture that is pure bake without the convection fan   The Miele program has a setting which adds heat from below, but it still has the fan going in the oven which, IMO, tends to harden the crust which is the opposite of what we want at the beginning.  My breads do come out quite well, but you would probably do just as well with a Dutch Oven or Forneau Bread oven in a regular oven.  If you like bagels, using steam mode, then switching to convection makes the process go quicker than boiling, but you don't get the same sheen from the bagels since there is no lye or barley malt.   Note one downside for combi ovens is that there are not many recipe sources - mostly trial and error.    

[gfweb]

The interior of my BSO after 4 years of daily use

[Dave the Cook]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:39 PM, blue_dolphin said:

I also put in KitchenAid electric double wall ovens. They work perfectly but if I had to do it again, I’d do a stack of one regular convection oven, one steam combi oven and a warming drawer. 

 

Not being a member of the Cult of the Pretty Blue Flame, I can't advise on gas rangetops. But @blue_dolphin's advice on KA electric ovens is spot on.