Wolf vs. Garland/Bluestar???

[GoBeau]

Hi. I'm new to this forum (it's great!) and had a question.

I will be buying a new range and have recently heard (and read here) good things about Garland. (Their consumer ranges are now sold under the BlueStar name.)

I know that the stovetops/burners are considered excellent, but I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on the ovens. Basically, I'm deciding between the Garland/BlueStar 30" or the Wolf R304 30".

Any perspective would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[catciao]

Hi Gobeau,

I can only speak for Wolf ranges-I just upgraded from a 30" gas range to the new 48" dual fuel range. I've cooked on it 3 or 4 times and used the oven twice and I'm totally blown away by their technology. They've thought of everything. I'll test out the pizza stone kit (free gift) soon and I'm sure it will prove equally sensational. I've seen Garland ranges but they look a bit chunky and commercial for me. GE just came out with new dual fuels as well that you may want to check out. Good luck!

[deltadoc]

Hi,
Just got off the phone with Cutting Edge Kitchens in PA. We discussed the 48" versions of Natural Gas (with Grill and Griddle) ranges from Blue Star (which is formerly made by Garland), DCS, Wolf, and Dynasty.

They sell Blue Star, DCS, and Jade Dynasty, and he was very knowledgeable about all of them even the Wolf.

He says Blue Star reduced their Radiant Broiler from 20K BTU to 15K BTU. He says they have one really hot burner, and one that is only 250BTUs. He didn't elaborate on all 4, but I got the impression that the other two were not as powerful as the really hot burner. He says Blue Star was the Garland Commercial range that Garland used to turn into a Residential Range, only it is not a part of Garland anymore.

He says he doesn't sell many of the Jade Dynasty. They do have a 24K BTU grill which is hotter than most. He says most people use the radiant broiler for steaks, and you don't need 24K for grilling fish or seafood.

He felt that Wolf (that is the "residential" Wolf now owned by Subzero) is very pricey, although a good range. He also said that the real Wolf in CA (commercial Wolf) is completely different from the residential Wolf, and is a real monster!

Overwhelmingly, he favors the DCS. It's got 17,500 BTU burners, all of which have the "Perfect Heat" dual burners where the high burner is 17.5K BTU, and the lower one is 250 BTU, and can simmer at 140F. The Radiant broiler is 19K BTU, the larger oven is also convection and can hold a commerical 18x26" pan. I believe he said that the big oven is 30K BTU, and the little one is 19K BTU.

The Grill and Griddle are both 18K BTU.

None of these have selfcleaning ovens.

He told me the Fire Chief of Minneapolis has reently replaced all the commercial ovens with the DCS stove because the firemen were burning themselves on the 25K BTU commercial burners, and the insurance costs were reduced considerably by the switch to DCS.

I know you were looking at the 30" models, but I hope that the above information is helpful. I'm pretty much decided that I will go with DCS as my final choice, but I want to look at Blue Star a bit more, as I am not as familiar with it.

deltadoc

[deltadoc]

Well, after 2+ years of researching and thinking about it, I've decided that the 48" DCS RGS484GG is the one! It outspecs the Wolf, the Jade (Dynasty), Viking, Dacor, the Bluestar (fka Garland).
(BTUs)
18k Grill
18k Griddle
30K Big Oven
19K Little Oven
19K ceramic Radiant Broiler
Perfect Heat burners @ 17.5K which have dual burners where the high burner goes off when you reduce to a simmer, and the little lower burner can maintain 140 F so no more scorching delicate sauces or even stocks!
Convection Gas Oven
and all 4 burners are grouped together instead of having 2 burners on either side of the grill and griddle.

Yup.

The absolute only thing that I could see to improve on, is that the burner grates are a bit on the flimsier side. Our current Thermador Professional 48" Gas cooktop has massive cast iron burner grates, that stay warm/hot long after you turn off the gas. Great for drying out boiled potatoes.

But now the really difficult decision. On the internet, I can get them cheaper (free shipping, no sales tax) than locally. Even if locally I didn't have to pay sales tax, they're still a better deal buying from the internet. And I haven't even begun to check out ALL the internet dealers, just one in PA at this point.

deltadoc