kkonet2

Bluestar 36” RNB – 16 months later…..

Packer Backer
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

It’s been 16 months since we first installed our 36” Bluestar RNB range, and I’m happy to say that we still love it. Ours has four burners (two 22k, one 15k, and one 9k), and a griddle in the center. We also opted for the tall stainless backsplash with a shelf. In the past 16 months, we’ve used the cook top extensively, and have had ample opportunities for some real world use with the griddle and the oven. So now that we’ve gained some solid experience with it, I thought I’d share our impressions.

The burners are phenomenal – the 22k burners are real fire-breathers, and I can’t imagine needing anything more powerful. The star shaped burners spread heat evenly. You can sear meat with amazing intensity and precision, and you can boil a pot of water noticeably faster than you can with many other ranges. When it comes to boiling water, induction burners are still the champ but overall I much prefer good, old fashioned gas burners. I should advise that proper ventilation is a must, as the amount of heat and smoke that these burners can generate is substantial when the burners are cranking. The simmer burner works extremely well, assuming it’s been properly adjusted during installation. It generates a very low and steady heat; it can be set so low that it barely melts butter. The grates can be reversed so as to serve as a wok ring, and they can also be rotated to raise the pot a bit higher above the flame for greater heat control.

We’ve used the griddle maybe a dozen times and have found that it works very well once it’s been preheated for at least 20 minutes. The installer recommended limiting the heat setting for the griddle to 325 degrees for some reason. 325 degrees is a bit low and we find that 350 degrees works much better. The slightly higher heat hasn’t caused any problems. Using the griddle can make a bit of a splatter mess on nearby burners and the backsplash so clean up can get a bit involved but it’s not a big deal.

The oven cavity on the 36” range is larger than the other ovens offered by Bluestar. The installer mentioned that many people have problems with uneven baking because they don’t preheat their oven long enough to allow the heat to thoroughly permeate the walls of the oven cavity. He recommended that we preheat our oven cavity at least 35 minutes prior to use. We’ve been doing that and it seems to work quite well. We’ve used the oven to cook a few pizzas, roast and broil meats, bake casseroles, proof and bake breads, and bake cookies. Once properly preheated, this oven works better than any oven we’ve ever used. Gas ovens create a moist heat, and this oven absolutely excels at roasting meats and baking pizzas. It also bakes bread and cookies beautifully. Our holiday cookies and breads all turned out perfectly, regardless of where they were located in the oven. The convection feature circulates heat evenly and reduces cooking time by about 20%. The broiler also gets very hot and works great, though it is a bit smaller than I’d expect considering the size of the oven cavity. It’s also worth noting that the oven dial markings are well calibrated to the actual oven temperatures. Turn the dial to 325 and in 35 minutes, your oven cavity very close to 325 degrees. The oven racks are heavy and very solid. The RNB range comes with one standard rack and one rolling rack. We purchased a second rolling rack because they work so well. I highly recommend them, particularly if you cook large, heavy items such as prime rib roasts, turkeys, etc.

Keeping the burners and griddle clean is a snap. Compared to the sealed burners on our previous range, the open burners on the Bluestar range are much easier to keep clean; just let them cool down and give them a quick wipe with a damp rag. Crusted debris from boiled over foods and spills comes off with just a little wiping with a damp rag or a green scrub pad. The griddle is easy to clean if it’s still hot. Just add some water, let it loosen the debris, scrape it off, and wipe it down with a damp rag. The debris can be wiped off or pushed into a hole in front of the griddle to the drip tray located below. The hardest part about cleaning is keeping the stainless clean and streak free. But a little hot soapy water and some stainless steel cleaner makes the chore pretty easy. Our backsplash discolored near the rear of the griddle, but we found that a damp rag and a bit of Bar Keepers Friend took care of that. As for the oven, it doesn’t have an auto cleaning mode so we still use an old-fashioned can of EZ Off to keep it clean.

The convection fan in the oven can be heard plainly but we haven’t found it to be a problem. The oven door hinges work fine and the outside of the oven door barely gets warm. The oven window is nice and large. The only sharp edges I’ve found are located under the burners and can't be seen unless the burners have been completely removed.

We did have one service issue after 8 months. A gas valve started leaking into the oven cavity. It was covered under warranty and Bluestar customer service was pretty good to work with. It took a week for the part to arrive from Bluestar and a few more days for the repair folks to get it installed. Once it was repaired, we haven’t had any other problems with the range. The burner igniters have also survived a few boil-overs and haven’t cracked.

Lastly, I should mention the tall backsplash. It looks great and the shelf is very handy. The bottom of the backsplash is attached to the back of the range and is sturdy enough but isn’t rock-solid. It wiggles a bit when you push on it while cleaning but it looks great, works well, and is plenty functional. We’d definitely go this route again.

This range is a cooking machine. It’s very simple and has no electronics to become obsolete or burn out. It doesn’t even have a clock or a timer. Every part of the range is easily accessible should repair ever become necessary, and any commercial appliance repair person can work on it.

At this point, we’d buy another one again without hesitation.

Comments (30)

  • pauls234
    6 years ago

    thanks for this review and especially after 16 months of use. My RNB has been ordered and I am looking forward to receiving it in the next few weeks!

  • Packer Backer
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I hope you're as happy with your RNB as we have been with ours. Enjoy!!

  • maire_cate
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Which stainless steel cleaner do you use? We tried Weiman stainless steel spray on our Bluestar Platinum and found that it left streaks and a residue that I had to wipe off with soapy water. It may have been the aerosol since many other posters like Weiman wipes but I'm looking for something else now.

    maire

  • Packer Backer
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    We typically use Weiman spray. It streaks at first but a bit more rubbing/polishing removes the streaks and produces an even appearance. If you find something that works better or easier, please let me know. Sam's Club sells Spray a Way brand. You might give that a try. It's available at Sam's Club and also through Amazon.

  • maire_cate
    6 years ago

    Thanks Packer - I may try the Weiman wipes next time.

  • Todd
    6 years ago

    Deciding between the BlueStar and a Thermador. The BlueStar intrigues me because of the broiler as I love to cook steaks to get a great sear. Any opinions on that?

  • Packer Backer
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Todd: I use those 22k burners to heat up a cast iron skillet to near red-hot. I've never found a better way to sear and cook a steak. The broiler will also put an impressive sear on a steak too. It gets very hot.

  • Todd
    6 years ago
    Thanks Packer!
  • barryv_gw
    6 years ago

    Todd, the broiler on my 30 inch RNB is extremely powerful - if you use the top rack, which is not recommended, it will probably sear in under 1 minute. The one downside is that the broiler is not the full length or depth of the oven, so you have to place the item carefully if you, like me , ignore directions and use the top rack.

  • Jerry Jorgenson
    6 years ago

    When you order your Bluestar, they should give you a card to send in to get a broiler pan. That's just the right size (BS electric wall oven). I use it several times a week.

  • opaone
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    @PB (sorry, I'm not allowed to use dirty words :-), how did you discover the leaky valve? Smell gas? Constant gas smell or only when the oven was turned on? Were you still able to use the range or did you have the main gas to it shut off?

    How have you found the evenness of the oven? Same temp throughout? Also, any idea what the temp range is from set point? It should be within +/- 25° from set point but there've been reports of up to a 100° total swing.

    Thanks for the great review.

    Skol!

  • Packer Backer
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Opaone: Skol indeed.... LOL

    We discovered the gas leak one day when we walked into the back hall from the garage and detected a faint smell of natural gas. The smell grew stronger as we approached the kitchen, and we found a much stronger smell when we opened the oven door. We shut off the gas at the range immediately and called our gas company to notify them. They stopped out to verify that the gas was indeed off at the range and that all was safe. They then left us with documentation to that effect, which enabled us to put in a warranty claim with Bluestar. The range remained out of service until the leak was repaired a week or two later. Thankfully we also have a small Wolf countertop oven and a countertop induction burner that we could use in the meantime. It's worth mentioning that our range weighs in at a bit over 600lbs so it was a two person job to pull it out to access the gas shut-off. When they delivered the range, I insisted on attaching felt pads to the bottom of the stove legs so they didn't gouge the kitchen floor if we had to pull it out. Turns out that was a pretty good idea.

    We have found the evenness of our oven to be very good. The only minor issue we've found is that pizza crusts do cook slightly faster at the back of the oven next to the convection fan if the fan is running. If the fan isn't running, then it hasn't been an issue. Over the holidays, we baked multiple pans of thin sugar cookies as well as a separate batch of multiple pans of spritz cookies using both oven racks simultaneously. Every cookie was baked the same as the others - consistency was perfect. So we feel that it bakes very evenly as long as the oven has been properly preheated. As I mentioned in my review, it's critical to allow plenty of time for the oven cavity to preheat. Just because the oven indicator light turns off during preheating doesn't mean that the oven walls are done absorbing heat. Proper preheating of any oven just takes time and there are no shortcuts that I know of.

    Our installer tested the temp range extensively and we also tested the dial calibration extensively during their visit. After the initial preheat, the temp swing was 25-40 degrees during cycling, which I was very happy with. And as I had mentioned in my review, the dial calibration was spot-on too. I made sure that we checked calibration starting at 200 and worked our way up in 50 degree increments from there, ending at 450 degrees. We were grateful that the installer was kind enough to spend a bit more time to allow us to do that. Now we don't have to wonder whether the oven temp is accurate.

    I'm happy that you enjoyed the review.


  • maire_cate
    6 years ago

    Our plumber also installed a gas shut off to our Blue Star behind the range where the gas line comes in. Since we were doing an extensive remodel I asked our contractor to install a gas shut off under my kitchen sink - so that I could access it myself if need be.

  • M
    6 years ago

    You probably can't do much about it at this point, but in general, it's not a great idea to hide the gas shut-off switch in a place that you can't easily reach without having to move the stove. In fact, I am surprised the building inspector let you get away with that.

    As general advice for anybody else in this situation, when you remodel the house, locate the cut off switch either underneath the stove where you can reach for it, or locate it in a place that you can access from once of the adjacent cabinets. Ask your plumber for what is permitted by local code, and what is practical given your choice of cabinets and the location of the gas pipe.

  • pauls234
    6 years ago

    Packer Backer,

    Glad you mentioned the felt pads, I was thinking I would like to have those ready when my BS gets delivered. What exactly does the range slide on? Rollers of some type? Any special felt pads that you used to handle the weight?

    Thx

  • Packer Backer
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    @pauls: The range rests on standard commercial stove legs with steel feet. Those steel feet would badly damage the maple floor in the kitchen if the stove was ever pulled across the floor. I had an assortment of felt pads for furniture which had one peel-off adhesive side. The assortment contained the perfect sized pads and it took just a minute or two to stick them on. I think the ones I used were about the diameter of a quarter or 50-cent piece.

  • pauls234
    6 years ago

    got it, thanks!

  • John
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    If you don't want to add permanent felt pads, another way to slide a range into place without scratching the floor is to use a large towel or moving blanket. Tilt up one side of the range and slide the blanket under the two feet on that side with the extra material bunched toward the other two legs. Tip up the other side and slide the bunched blanket under those two feet. Now you can slide the range easily around on the floor. Once the range is in the final position, do the opposite tilting sequence to remove the blanket.

    Installers, who do this for a living, often have large plastic sheets to do the same thing or, sometimes, air sleds (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyxSHvREyrY).

  • Benjamin Feldman
    3 years ago

    We are replacing a Thermador with a BS Platinum. Part after part on the Thermador failed and replacement parts are not available. I’m talking broiler, oven igniter, oven fan. Major. Thermador has not been good to deal with, not since day one. The BS looks all business.

  • opaone
    3 years ago

    Why the platinum instead of RNB?

  • Dead Email
    2 years ago

    For those with a shelf, do you find that the items on it get dirty and or greasy? Thanks

  • Kurt Konietzki
    2 years ago

    Hi.... Yes, I do need to wipe down the items stored on the shelf (seasoning shakers, etc). I usually do that when I run dishwater each evening.

  • opaone
    2 years ago

    You do NOT want to place any seasonings or oils above a hot range. The heat and humidity will destroy them.

  • M
    2 years ago

    I'd have to agree with @opaone. This does not seem a very useful spot for spices, condiments or ingredients. First of all, I have way too many different ones, so the place would get too crowded. And secondly, I wouldn't want to reach over all my hot burners to reach for things like salt.

    I can see some point in temporarily storing partially-finished foods in this location. Prevents smells from entering the kitchen, if you have made particularly smelly dishes. And maybe keeps the item a little bit warmer than on the counter top.

    But if you have sufficient amounts of open work areas close to the stove, I don't think the shelf offers many benefit overall. And yes, it's just another spot that gets dirty and is awkward to wipe down.

    In a very small kitchen, where every square inch counts, it could be a trade off that works out though.

  • Dead Email
    2 years ago

    Thanks for the replies about the shelf. I appreciate it.


    For those with griddles, would you do it again would you rather have 6 burners? How often do you use the griddle vs. a frying for breakfast etc.? I like the griddle idea but my wife is not so sure (we have 3 teenage kids). She thinks cleanup will be more difficult compared to a pan and she might miss the extra burners.


    Anyway, I was looking for pros/cons for real world users. Thanks for helping me with this decision.

  • opaone
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago
  • M
    2 years ago

    Personally, I find that extra oven space is more important than extra burners. It took a while to learn this skill, but I now use my ovens much more frequently and it saves a lot of work. I rarely if ever run out of burners, and we only have four of them. I do use all three ovens for big meals, though. So, that's my answer for whether you need a six burner range.


    As for the griddle, I'm torn. I sometimes cook in a kitchen that has an overlay griddle. It's really fun to use, but cleanup is a little more work. Also, a 12" griddle is really small and doesn't do as much as you need.


    On the other hand, we have GrillGrates™ for our outdoor gas BBQ, and let me tell you, it's amazing. Best money I have spent in a while. They flip over and become a giant flat top, and that's so nice to work on. Also, cleanup is much easier than for an indoor kitchen.


    I know I didn't really answer your question. But maybe this is some food for thought on what you can do to optimize your kitchen for your needs.

  • stark52
    last year

    This has been a great thread albeit it is from awhile back. We haven't yet placed our RNB order as still really torn between 30" and 36". We have a very small kitchen and although I would love the bigger oven, the 36" range with 42" desired venting could overpower (as in size not actual power) the kitchen. Still undecided!

  • M
    last year

    There is absolutely no need for a bigger oven than the 30" RNB. It's humongous. It easily holds a full size sheet pan.


    So, if that's the only thing holding you back, get the 30" and use the extra space for something else. We have a 30" and love it. Never even come close to hitting its limits.


    But I do appreciate that I have extra wall ovens. These are small ovens (24"), but they can really help for complex meals. If you don't have the space for them, but occasionally cook more elaborately, then maybe consider a sous vide set up or a countertop oven with the extra space that you

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