I don't know if my concerns have been addressed before, but skimming through all the very long Bluestar threads, I haven't really come across these. Most of the threads seem to be about the pros & cons.

I've had a Bluestar 36RNB with a griddle for 6 months and am trying to figure out my range is functioning correctly or if I'm just being impatient and expect too much.

Griddle: 1) It takes a good 15-20 minutes for it to heat up enough to use to make pancakes for example. 2)The temperature numbers on the dial are way off--I have to crank the dial to 450-500 degrees in order to reach 350 on the surface. 3) The griddle heats very unevenly. I bought an infrared thermometer, and can see that when the back is 350, the middle might be 310 and the front part only 250 degrees. This is when the dial is set to 450. In other words, I can only get 2 good pancakes at a time instead of the 6 or 8 that should fit on that area. Needless to say, this is a PITA, and defeats the purpose of a built in griddle.

Broiler: This, too, seems to take a long time to heat up. Actually, we haven't really used it much because we tend to grill outside to keep the smells down. Are there any good instructions on the broiler?

Burner adjustment: I posted here about a month ago regarding my simmer burner being too hot. I received very helpful advice on how to adjust the burners down, but I'm embarrassed to say I haven't been able to pull the knobs off! I think the knobs may be a new style, and don't seem to come off the same way as others I've used. I dont want to stick anything underneath to pry it off because I'm concerned about damaging the unit in the event there is a hidden screw or clasp.

Documentation: I had read somewhere before I bought the range that the documentation was terrible, but I did not realize just how bad it was until I tried to look up topics. Are there any secret manuals out there or a book I might purchase to shed some additional light, ie, "BlueStar For Dummies"? Prizer's website isn't very helpful--I guess they haven't figured out how to market to consumers yet.

Don't get me wrong, I love cooking on it, especially high heat cooking, but I think I should be able to do better.

Thanks for any input and enlightenment!