Pro ranges have become more advanced over the years. Thermador has their star burners. Jenn-Air has an LCD screen with convection conversion. Miele features steam for bread making as one touch controls. Wolf has their thermostatic twin convection in their dual fuel range.
On the other side, you compare BlueStar and Capital, both similar industrial, high-powered ranges.
We will look at both brands, their ranges and then compare at the end so you can make an informed decision.
BlueStar
BlueStar is made in Blandon, Pennsylvania and began in 1880. For a long time, they were just commercial, and have recently brought that technology to the residential market since 2002.
BlueStar Platinum Series BSP304B Features:
- Restaurant style 25,000 BTU PrimaNova™ open burners
- All burners, plus Interchangeable Griddle and Charbroiler
- The PowR Oven™ provides 40% faster preheating and 30% increase in oven efficiency
- Gentle 130° simmer burner
- Integrated wok cooking
- Extra-large oven with True European Convection and 1850° infrared broiler
- Accommodates a full-size commercial 18" x 26" baking sheet
- Available in Natural or LP gas
- Handcrafted in Pennsylvania since 1880
The BlueStar 30” Platinum range (BlueStar has 5 different series) above has a star shaped burner with a flame that shoots straight up so that the heat goes directly to the pan.
Couple this with the bowl-shaped cast iron surround and you have the most efficient and effective burner on the market. This will bring water to a boil more quickly and cook more evenly than other ranges. Below is a picture of the burner when it is on.
The burners range from 25,000 BTU to 8,500 BTU to cater to all cooking requirements. For example, to use a wok you simply remove the top grate piece to make room for the wok to fit right in. They offer open burners as well as sealed burners on their other series.
They are known for their open burners like what is used in restaurants for higher BTU. To many, cleaning is a concern with open burners. BlueStar is clever in this area. You simply wipe everything down to the bottom until it falls through to the easily removable and easy to clean drip pans below.
Thanks for reporting a problem. We'll attach technical data about this session to help us figure out the issue. Which of these best describes the problem?
Any other details or context?
Over time the grates can turn gray so after scraping everything down with the green side of the yellow and green sponge, the burners can be rubbed with olive oil and put into the oven for 60 minutes at about 200 degrees. This will make them look almost new!
The Platinum BlueStar range is also available with an interchangeable grill and griddle accessory as a decent alternative to buying a range with a permanent fixed grill or griddle. So in a 30-inch, you have options unlike most brands.
The oven is worth mentioning as well as it has an advanced convection system with the heating element in the back of the oven instead of on the bottom. It is the only pure gas convection for faster preheats and more even cooking than a regular convection (heat from the bottom with fan assisted) oven.
Lastly, BlueStar allows you to customize with 750 colors and 8 different trims. Your range can look completely unique.
Capital
Capital is out of California and designed well. One of the main designers, Surjit Kalsi, has also produced the original Viking ranges and DCS ranges. The DCS ranges were so well liked that GE Monogram, Thermador, and Jenn-Air used them to market some of their ranges in the past.
Capital Culinarian CGSR304 Features:
- Self-Cleaning Convection oven
- 4.1 cu. ft. oven cavity – 24” W X 14” H X 21” D
- BAKE
- CONVECTION BAKE
- BROIL CONVECTION BROIL
- SELF-CLEAN
- 30,000 BTU oven burner for uniform baking
- 18,000 BTU Infrared Broil Burner Under Glass with Inconel Mesh construction
- Moto-Rotis integrated Rotisserie System
- Titanium speck porcelain oven interior
- 5 Rack Positions w/ 3 Heavy Duty Racks provided
- Broil pan provided
- 1-1/4" diameter professional-style handle
- Heavy-duty oven door hinges
- Extra large viewing window
- Bright 40W oven lights
Capital is another solid 25,000 BTU output range. Like BlueStar, they are open burners but do feature sealed burner models with less BTU.
Although they have a similar bowl surround, they do lose some heat like the other brands with the flat stainless base drip pans, round burners for the outside of the pan, and a small burner ring pointing to the center of the pan.
The removable stainless surround base and cast iron grates on top are designed for a cleaning experience similar to sealed gas burners in theory. There are more pieces to actually clean than a BlueStar. The round burners also sit on top of a hollow base which can rust if there is a lot of boil-overs.
The Capital burner is superior to regular round sealed burners because they have some of the flame pointing toward the center of the pan as opposed to just the outside of the pan. In other words, Capital beats Wolf and Viking Brigade if you are trying to boil water quickly.
The Capital Culinarian is also available in self-cleaning.
Capital vs. BlueStar Platinum Ranges Comparison
These ranges are similar in many respects.
Both BlueStar and Capital have large ovens to fit commercial baking sheets, unlike the other brands. Capital has three roller-glide racks in their Culinarian ranges and is self-cleaning.
Finally, both ranges feature broilers that are about 3 times hotter than regular 550-degree broilers for searing steak and broiling fish.
BlueStar has pure convection for more even baking and especially broiling as well as their reversible grill/griddle. You can buy a portable griddle on the Capital, but the BlueStar is fitting and will be better.
BlueStar also has endless customization options, so the decision should be based on how you use the range.
If self-cleaning is important, Capital is the better choice. If you like to cook in the oven, consider a BlueStar.
Additional Resources
Want more information on the latest professional ranges? Get the Yale Professional Range Buying Guide with features, BTU specs on every range and detailed profiles of all the brands such as Wolf, BlueStar, Capital, Miele, Jenn-Air, Thermador, Viking And more. Over 200,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
Recommended Reads
Why Should You Trust Us?
It seems that every appliance review has nothing but glowing comments about almost every product, yet you read customer reviews and they are almost universally bad.
We are here to fill in the disconnect. We'll give you the best features, and the drawbacks as well, including reliability based on over 37,000 calls performed by our service team just last year. Our goal is to give you ALL the information so you know what's right for you.
Please consider subscribing or adding to the conversation in the comments below. We appreciate you stopping by.
A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.
Topics:
