60" Ranges in the Kitchen: What's up with these?

Ranges have gotten bigger over the years, as the demand for commercial-style kitchens has increased. When we shopped for a new gas range, we started with the standard 30" appliance cabinet size, then opted for a 36" for the minimal width for a 6-burner. There are colossal 60" ranges that include the much desired double-oven configuration below the stovetop, but the price tag was in the tens of thousands. But what's the appeal and what do you get? You get more burners, as well as the configuration for a griddle without sacrificing burners. We became a fan of BlueStar appliances, as they get the endorsements by top chefs like Marcus Samuelsson and Michael Symon, and the gas output reaches commercial output of 30,000 BTUs. You obviously need to know what you're doing to avoid blackening anything you put into a pan on high, but the appeal is there for raw cooking horsepower.

Here are some 60" BlueStar ranges installed:

Below is a sample burner configuration from BlueStar:

Viking also offers a 60" range, and can go into a kitchen as elaborate as the ones below.

Wolf-SubZero shown below, noted by their signature red knobs, has a sleek 60" range. Look at that massive exhaust hood!