I can't comment on the Blue Star but you might want to look into adding a steam oven.

I baked bread successfully in a half dead old gas oven where you couldn't reliably set the temperature and there were wildly differing hot and cold spots. I can't imagine that the oven on a nice new BlueStar, in proper adjustment, wouldn't do a nice job for all your baking. As with any new oven, you'll have to adjust your recipes to the way it cooks/bakes. If you think of all your recipes as new recipes, checking the oven early, fiddling with temperatures if you need to, etc., which I'm sure you do now when you try something new, you won't go wrong. You may need to add or subtract a little moisture from your doughs or use a dish of water in the oven, but it sounds like you know what you're doing and can make it work.

I'll watch this thread closely as we're just about to order an RCS
and I bake a lot of bread. I haven't used convection before (except in
commercial settings), so that will be new for me. But plllog's
note cracks me up because I am currently limping along with a
crummy/cheap whirlpool range that has a huge problem relighting and
fluctuates wildly in temperature, and I'm still baking bread with it.
As long as the Bluestar oven is reliable I'm not too worried about
finding a way to bake well with it. But I'd love to hear about other
experiences!

Thank you for your comments. Pillog and Sarakiddo you are right, we learn to compensate for our appliances lack of ability in order to achieve a particular outcome for our baked goods or whatever it is we are making.

I know that I have read almost every thread available here on GW regarding the Blue Star and I have read that the ovens are very good, so it does seem that I really do not have anything to worry about.

You might want to read threads on the difference between gas and electric ovens. Some of the bread baking forums talk about this. Gas ovens tend to be more difficult to keep humidity in if that is important to you because they have more ventilation. Some people have used a cast iron skillet with lava rocks or a cloche to keep moisture around the bread the first part of baking if that is what you want. On the other hand baking macarons should be better!

Good idea on checking out the bread baking forums and the oven forums.

In my old ovens I used a pizza stone with a cloche to achieve my artisan style crust, and do not have a problem with using the same method in any new oven that I get.

LOL, I have never made macaroons I guess I should give them a try.

Macaroons are different than macarons although they do frequently get mixed up and there are all kinds of variations of the pronunciation. I am speaking of the french sandwhich cookie that can be made of French or Italian meringue.

Bravetart Macarons

I can highly recommend the fibrament stones, I have a huge one that just lives in my oven (in fact requirement for our new range is that the stone will fit--it's 15 x 20, and I want an inch of space around it). I can bake off 6 (demi) baguettes at a time on it!

I always hear/read that electric is better for baking, but my desire for no/less electronics (which tend to get destroyed faster when you are improvising steam with bread baking anyway) meant that most dual-fuel ranges were out for me. I've baked with gas for 12+ years so...I think I'll be okay.

I think the marketing statement that electric is better for baking is somewhat of a misstatement. It depends on what you are baking and even where in the baking process you are. It depends on the features of the oven. You learn to work around the differences. You might have different ways to add humidity to a gas oven if need be and leave the door ajar if you need to let humidity out in an electric oven. Some might consider it easier to manipulate the environment in an electric oven if it has baking modes. If you have a third element, it might produce more even heat for 2-3 trays at once if it is engineered properly. There are a few gas ovens with that now. Generally it is a choice of more technology and its benefits with increased chance of failure either in design or longevity vs less technology and more tending but less to go wrong and easier to fix.

From my experience, the real difference baking in general (inc. breads, cakes, cookies, puffs, souffles, pies, etc.) between gas and electric isn't the humidity--you control for that, as Wekick said--the difference is that until very recently, with a top notch electric oven the heat was distributed more evenly, it was less dependent on kitchen environment and you had a tighter control of the temperature. All of that leads to more consistency and reliability. The epigram "if you're lookin' you're not cookin'" applies to baking as well. If you have a consistent and reliable oven, once you know how it bakes, you can set a time, or at least a time to check, and have it be "right". All the reports I've read on using the newer gas ovens lead me to think that while they might not have the precision of the very best wall ovens on the market (think double the price of your range), the gas ovens are as accurate as most of the electric ovens out there.

"the bread baking forums" Yes, these are the folks that talked me into the steam oven. In addition to bread baking they are nice for reheating (food doesn't dry out) and other "moist-cooking" (e.g. fish). I wanted a second, smaller oven and DH bakes wonderful, crusty bread so a steam oven seemed like a good choice for us.

Wekick, thank you for the recipe for Macarons, as well as, the explanation. I now have something new to try out.

On Thursday I went to the appliance store with our builder and checked out all of the Blue Star models, I love the looks of the stove. Unfortunately, they do not have any working models, however, evidently we have a show room a little less then 2 hours away from me, so I am going to make an appointment to see the working models. First of all, I want to see the difference in BTU's between the Platinum and the RNB, I am thinking the RNB will be sufficient for me. I have not had culinary training and am completely self-taught so I ask myself if I really need 25k BTU burners or if 22k is enough. My guess is 22k would be sufficient, however, that is not to say I cannot learn to have reason to use 25k BTU. The other thing, I am thinking I would rather have the built-in griddle rather than the interchangeable one. I really liked the built-in griddle, it looks very well made.

My next observation is that the oven height on all of the ovens seems kind of short. I know that I have read here on the forums of people roasting a 20+ lb. turkey in the oven, but how do you do that and not have the turkey touching the broiler piece? I love the idea of the 48 in. range with the smaller oven as that would seem very handy to use for smaller items, however, the larger oven seemed a little on the small side, especially in height. One solution that was suggested at the appliance store was to purchase the 48 in. range top and pair it with the Miele double wall steam ovens. The Miele oven looked plenty big, however, I kind of have my heart set on a full range. Hmmmm, lots to think about.

As for baking ability/quality of the BS gas ovens, I think they would work great for everything I would want to do and more. As Wekick said, "you learn to cook around the differences."

Thank you all for chiming in, I really appreciate it. If you have any comments on oven capacity, I would love to hear them.

I have the 36RNB with griddle and love it! The non built in griddle on the Platinum would be a deal breaker for me.

I just checked, and the height from bottom rack to broiler element is 11.5" ...I would think that is plenty of room for a 20+ lb. turkey, no?

Thank you for measuring, that should work.

Cookcarpenter, did you go with the standard burner configuration on your stove or make any changes?

Standard, 22 k's up front, which get most of the use. The simmer @ left rear (9k?) which is awesome for all afternoon soups/stews, and the 15k right rear which is my most seldom used, although it is home to our always out tea kettle...

Thank you Cookcarpenter, I love hearing how you use your burners!

To your question regarding even heating, the back of the oven near the burner does get hotter and my stone tends to read 50° warmer but this evens out after longer preheats. The steel seems to be more even. I need to try to preheat with the convection on, probably more even results as well.

I've baked full sheet pans of cookies with convection and did not have to rotate the pan. otherwise I tend to rotate bread at 12 minutes, but I've done that with every oven I've owned. If you preheat your cast iron Dutch, or cloche you may have to rotate it or the back may get hotter ? Resulting in uneven spring. Again I'm hoping preheat with convection fixes this.

Just so you know, whenever the PowR burner fires up (which is a lot at 400-500°) it runs the fan at low speed. If oven noise drives you crazy this could be an issue...

Mike, your bread looks amazing, and your BS Platinum is gorgeous! Thank you for all of the information and the links. I am going tomorrow with my builder to a showroom/cooking school that has working Blue Star stoves, I am very excited to see some working models. I keep going back and forth between the Platinum and the RNB with the permanent griddle. It will be interesting to see what my thoughts are after the appointment tomorrow.

This type of learning curve is right up my alley, I love cooking and learning new ways to produce a successful food product and what more fun then learning on something like the BS.

Thank you again, I love your pictures!

I wonder if the RNB would be a better choice for bread. The lower level burners would honestly be fine, the 25k are almost too much. I do like the look of the platinum and the other upgrades, but the POWR burner is definitely a bit different. Maybe see if you can try them both. I can't remember what the other differences were. Also see if they can throw in a second rack on the ball bearings, much smoother. I wound up buying a second one after the fact (for $300). The regular racks get a bit sticky particularly with a heavy stone...

i am so excited to find this thread. i am looking at the BS 36" RNB. i originally thought i wanted the 48", but although a half sheet pan fits in the smaller oven, there is no air flow around it, so wouldn't that cause problems when roasting several trays of veg? so now i am thinking 36" RNB, with an additional more generic (less expensive:) electric wall oven with some neato settings like delay bake, proof, warm hold, etc. thoughts? thanks!

I wanted to report back after attending my demo on the Blue Star. Wow, I love it! We had a private demo of the Blue Star RNB and the Platinum. We were there for over 2 hours, it was awesome! If you are reading this, thank you Marcus you were awesome! First he gave us a tour of the stoves and answered questions, and then he broiled a steak in the broiler, it was great to see how well it does. Then he baked cookies on a full size baking sheet, very cool! Lastly, he used a wok to cook chicken and vegetables.

Also, after seeing how the grill/griddle works on the Platinum, I would like that. Prior to my demo I was thinking I definitely wanted the RNB with a griddle, but now I could go either way. I think what will determine my choice between the RNB and the Platinum is our overall budget for the house. Honestly, I would be happy with either one.

Lilmagil1, I would be using the smaller oven for smaller things, not necessarily roasting vegies. I am thinking reheating of items, baking smaller casseroles, pies, etc. AlsIo, I could be wrong, but I do not think the smaller oven is convection so I would roast my vegies in the larger convection oven. But that is how I did it in our last house with my Dacor ovens. I always used my top oven that was convection for roasting vegies, and the lower larger oven for other items.

Anyway, I look forward to joining the Blue Star family soon. Thank you all for your input.

i bet that was a fun day mullde! did he bake in the RNB at all or just the platinum?

He broiled the steak in the RNB, baked the cookies in the Platinum, and used the wok on a RNB Range top.

One question I have on the RNB oven is where does the heat come from for baking, the back of the oven or the bottom? During the demonstration I was able to see the PowR burner in action, however I was forgot to ask about the differences with the Powr burner and the RNB oven.

I think the bottom. On the small oven in the platinum, it is at the bottom as well.

Thanks Moby, that helps.

i use a big cloche for baking. pardon me if this was already addressed, but does anyone know if this is an issue with what seems to be a shorter oven height in the BS? i see the question was asked about big turkeys, etc.....thoughts from owners? thanks :)

Someone mentioned up thread that the height between the bottom rack and broiler was 11.5 inches so how tall is your cloche?

I've been using a metal steamer pan with a hole drilled in to inject steam. Right fit but it works great. You have to be careful not to damage the IR broiler which the handle as it looks kind of fragile. Definitely a good use for the ball bearing rack as it's much easier to pull out with a stone. I just started using my baking steel which works great. Much thinner than a stone (1/4") which may help in your situation as well. The company can cut them custom for you as well. Cost me about $100. Really awesome. Check out their site.

http://www.bakingsteel.com

Mike

Here is the steam pan I use. I just drilled a hole in the top and screwed in a handle. The lodge duth oven handles work great. If you really want to get fancy, you can drill a hole in the side and inject steam into it with a high pressure steamer.

Mike

Mike @moby ick, question for you...how do you clean the broiler plate if it is splattered with grease from broiling meats... I don't dare use Easy Off, but maybe this is just silly. Any ideas?

Haven't broiled anything that close to the element. I imagine any grease would just burn off but not sure. Sorry