450 degrees in just a few minutes (could go higher, but that was more than I needed just testing it). I did take a quick look yesterday at the Kirkland model while picking up food and a grill utensils for Memorial day. Noted the folded metal corners, screws, etc. which made me more appreciative of the Virco quality in welded stainless steel (lid, lip, etc..) that they ground to a perfect edge and fit. One minor thing that I did not like were how easy the utensil hooks can swing out. I will look for a rubber gromet or something like that to slide over the end to keep them in place. Did I mention this unit is heavy? Not near the 450 lb that the Costco claimed, but Virco did not skimp on stainless steel. Double wall doors, lid that feels immense, and a minor detail, but I really like the stainless steel skirt at the bottom as it makes it look permanent vs. portable (even though it has locking casters), and how about that cover bsbbq?! Fully insulated with velcro ties. For those interested, Costco has a Hoffritz (hoffritz.com)6 pc. stainless-steel and black santoprene (like rubber) grill set that includes a large turner, tongs, biiiig fork tipped knife, grill brush, basting brush, and a 10 x 16" (I think) grid grill. Sorry to push Costco, but I checked Walmart while getting some other stuff, and just two pieces (with wood handles) were more, so I am glad I waited.

"plllog (and everyone else,) what would be the mid-range, but not top tier, gas ranges or gas cooktops? Your advice is beyond helpful!!" I think that we're back to the very good prior suggestion that you identify features -- down to the most basic functional attributes -- that are most important to you. 4 burners or 6? 30" 36" 48"? Are you really keen to have a grill or some particular type or output burner? In a range, something like a GE Cafe might be a nice jumping off point for somebody who likes a stainless range that has something of the pro-sumer-ish look to it, medium-high output sealed burners, etc. Getting something fundamentally different costs a bunch more money, not just a couple hundred bucks -- unless, of course, you find some screaming deal on a BlueStar, etc. That's a good sweet spot IF you want a 30" range and don't care about open burners, etc. The GE offers lots of features, but if it's not the type of thing you want, then it's not. One thing to notice is that price differences tend to shrink as you move from range choices to range top choices to cook top choices. If you are happy with a 36" cook top (and there are reasons to prefer the range top, etc.), then you might find a lot of value-for-money in looking at the higher-end offerings. For example, a 36" BlueStar cook top can be had for a couple grand -- that's a substantial up-charge over something good from the middle of the range, but it's a much smaller absolute difference in price than you'd seen in looking at ranges. If you don't want the higher output open burners, then you don't and the extra expense may be wasted -- but if you want them, it's a way to get something that's actually different without adding 3 or 5 or 10k to your bill.

OK, my 2 cents - My DH and I will be re-building our house due to damage suffered by Hurricane Ike. Now, I get to build my "Dream" kitchen (within reason of course). The first thing I began researching were professional style ranges. I have looked at Wolf, Viking, DCS, Bluestar, Five Star and the professional versions of the GE, Jenn Air and Kitchen Aid. After much time researching, pricing and talking to owners of such brands, I have made my decision and it is the 48" Bluestar (not sure the configuration I want just yet). I wanted the 60", but our designer convinced me that my space really can't support the extra 12". SO, I reluctantly accept that I will not have 2 full size ovens. (I didn't want to have to have a wall oven, because I wanted the added cabinet space.) Anyway, to make a long story short - Initially my DH told me I could get *whatever* I wanted, so I never mentioned price, until one of our friends was looking at the house plans and pointed out the 48" range noted in the plans. He made the comment that you could almost buy a car for the price of some of those ranges... DH then looks at me and asks, just how much are they? I told him between 8K and 25K, depending on brand, size and configuration. I thought he was gonna faint! Later that evening he asked me why I hadn't told him how much they were. I *had* told him that they were ALOT more than our previous Jenn-Air Pro cooktop and wall oven. I wasn't hiding anything from him, he had said I could have *whatever* I wanted. I work hard, I travel alot, and when I am home we entertain quite a bit and he has seen me struggle with my 5 burner cooktop and single oven, for years now! He tried to convince me that there really is no difference between the GE that is 3K as opposed to the Bluestar @ 11-15K. I was shocked and upset that he would do this to me. I thought before I spoke and then I said very calmly, "Which would you rather have an 18Â john-boat or an 18Â Robalo?". Being the avid fisherman he is, he smiled and said, "Say No More!". I hope to be ordering my range some time in May or June.*SMILE*

Anne- Thank you for your kind words; and I hope you don't find my answer discouraging. Even though I'm certified to teach home canning, I no longer use canning as a method for food preservation for a number of reasons. Cost of utilities. Not only the heat processing for the canning, but also the air conditioning necessary to cool the house off because you are talking about peak summer months are also peak canning months. I don't have enough produce from our small garden to have the quantity needed at any one time to fill a canner. If you can't process a whole canner full of jars, it's not cost effective. If you have to purchase the produce you can, you are losing money. I doubt that you can compete with the prices of canned goods at Aldi and finding good sales and stocking up. I find home canned foods nutritionally inferior for the time and money you invest to prepare them. By the time people harvest and process produce, nearly half of the vitamins may be lost within a few days unless the fresh produce is cooled or preserved a.s.a.p. Do you have an extra refrigerator for keeping produce while you get enough accumulated to process a whole canner full? The cost of the extra refrigerator and the utilities to run it should also be factored in. The heating process during canning destroys from 1/3 to 1/2 of vitamin A and C, thiamin, and riboflavin. Once canned, additional losses of these sensitive vitamins are from 5 to 20% each year. Do you have a stove you can safely do canning on? Some of the smooth glass-top stoves are not capable of canning (check the user's manual or the manufacturer). In some cases the canners have fused to the surface. Article: Home food preservation may be more expensive than expected. http://apps.caes.uga.edu/gafaces/index.cfm?public=viewStory&pk_id=3499 Article: Cost of Preserving and Storing Food http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/cost-of-preserving-and-storing-food-8-704/ Article: What You Should Know About Preserving Food at Home http://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSFCS02.pdf --- I'd like to suggest you take the Self-Study Coarse for home canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation - http://nchfp.uga.edu/  This will help you get a better idea of what you are needing to do for successful and safe home canning. --- I currently do a lot of dehydrating for food storage, which is inexpensive. There is a learning curve for making and using dehydrated foods, and it doesn't appeal to everyone. ---What I would suggest, and what I'm going to do, is to save money and purchase a home-style freeze-dryer like a Harvest Right: https://harvestright.com/#sthash.ENrByuNZ.dpbs I'm hoping there are more companies entering the market and the prices go down. Until then.... I'm saving my money, and these are the ways I save my cash: The 52-week savings plan where you save $1 the first week of the year, $2 the second week, $3, the third week, etc. At the end of the year you have $1,378. If you Google - 52-week savings plans - you will find charts you can copy and follow. I save my $1 bills. I've always saved at least $500 and as much as $1,000 each year. We are "cash" people when it comes to day-to-day spending, and this plan works best if you are. I cut my own hair, and so I REALLY save the money, I budget and pay myself $20 a month - so that's $240 a year added to the Christmas/Emergency Savings Account where my savings are deposited once a month. I'm up for more discussion or questions, so fire away. ;-) -Grainlady