Posted on 08/11/2007 4:50:01 PM PDT by Sonny M
Long story short, I am doing some renovation work at my house soon and am deciding on which items to get for my kitchen. So far, I am getting a viking oven, a sub zero fridge, probably getting broan range hood, but am a bit torn on a dishwasher and other stuff.
Whats the best dishwasher, Bosch or Miele?
Is Viking the best oven?
Is sub-zero (not the mortal kombat character) the best fridge?
The oven is going to be a 60 inch viking with grill and griddle, is this the best choice?
I am kind of torn on which sub-zero fridge to get, between 648 pro ( a side by side, I wonder if I can fit a pizza box in there? and 736TC (I), a top and bottom type fridge.
Also what is the best range hood out there, and is there anything I am missing or not thinking about that I should also be getting?
Also, not just the best top of the line companies, but also what are the best models?
You did. That’s ok, that’s why the mods get paid the big bucks.
LOL!
Miele dishwashers seem to have a rep for bad customer service and support.
Bosche is being praised as being “greener” than others.
I have always had a partiality to Jenn-Air ranges.
Depending on the space you have available, I’d advise a fridge-style top and bottom.
Sonny, I have faired very well with a Frigidaire dishwasher. Plenty of room for pots.
viking yes - SZ, no
subscribe to www.consumerreports.org and use their advice as a starting point.
Jenn Air is almost foolproof.....for us guys : )
I think that you are supposed to title something like this as a Vanity article.
Regarding the appliances, there was an interesting TV program the other night possibly by Consumer Reports rating the various appliances. My recollection is that they rated Viking as having a high rate of needed repairs. Also some of the well known standard brands were much more realiable at less that 1/2 the price. Try googling Consumer Reports, or perhaps someone else has a better reference.
My dishwasher stopped working a while ago. Now all she does is sit on the couch!
Worth honorable mention : )
I see someone else has already provided the Consumer Report source. This program also said to avoid built in refrigerators.
CR Quick Picks
These midpriced models provide excellent cleaning, flexible loading, and quiet running:
• Bosch SHE45C0[2]UC , $700
• Kenmore (Sears) 1373[2] , $580, CR Best Buy
• Kenmore (Sears) 1374[2] , $650, CR Best Buy
All are well-equipped dishwashers. The Kenmore models managed to handle our rigorous baked-on brownie mix well with their normal cycles. The Bosch has a stainless-steel tub that’s backed by a long warranty, but you’ll need to clean its manual filter by hand. The top-rated Kenmore and the Bosch are both very quiet machines. The Kenmores are both CR Best Buys.
If you’re interested in a lower-priced dishwasher:
• Maytag MDB4651AW[W] , $400
• Whirlpool DU1100XTP[Q] , $500
• GE GLD4600N[WW] , $460
• Frigidaire Gallery GLD4355RF[S] , $500
Many of the lower-priced models we tested provide very good overall cleaning in a basic package—no stainless interiors or special drying cycles. These dishwashers do not run as quietly and are not as easy to load as some higher- scoring models. The Whirlpool delivered superior washing performance; the GE and the Maytag were very easy to use. The Frigidaire has a shorter cycle time than most.
as long as you are going all out think about a built in coffee system....yummmmy
My built-in Frigidaire microwave/convection combo oven croaked about a month ago (it was only 3.5 years old) and cost me $300 to get fixed. I suppose it would have cost much more to replace, especially to get one to match the oven it goes with, but $300 was still an unwelcome bill.
Does that range-top fan work very well? The only time I’ve seen a Jenn-Air in action was when all the buddies would steal a ciggie in the kitchen when the wife was away.
The hood-fans that I’ve seen don’t work worth beans either.
I would say the ventilation is almost as important, certainly looked at when upgrading to a new oven. I have a hood fan that is practically useless, which seems to be the norm. What’s up with that?
Oooh I am sooo jealous!
Carlo, can you offer some help to Sonny?
in response to jeenn air gas cook tops......I really hate mine
U know what gets me?
I’m the kind of guy that actually likes to fix things. I git a nice microwave from a thrift store, it didn’t work right, but a little finagling the ribbon cable and Voila!
Works like new!
But the problem is often, it’s cheaper to just throw something away than buy replacement parts.
Got a nice USMC ammo can (actually, almost like a trunk) at a garage sale dirt cheap. I want to make a toolbox out of it. The sandblast guy is charging me 40 bux to do it, all well and good, I’m gonna do it anyways, but heck, I coulda BOUGHT a new toolbox for the fifty dollar investment.
Oh well, maybe I just feel like whinin today. Seems to me it should almost always be cheaper to fix something than outandout buy a new one.
I know a retired guy and his wife who have a Philco refrigerator that they received as a wedding present in the 1940s. It works fine, though not as a daily driver, just beer or whatnot in the basement. They have the original stove that came with the house built right after WWII. It looks immaculate. Some people take care of stuff better than others, I guess.
Bosch....Miele...sub-zero fridge....mortal kombat character...viking oven....648 pro......736TC (I)....broan range hood ?????????? If you know what all that means, you obviously don’t need my humble help with what kind of dish washer to buy.
We're a scouting/camping family so even in the winter in Pittsburgh we cook outside in our firepit, and sometimes cook in our fireplace.
Wife does have a preference for Emeril cookware
And the Rachael Ray's/Emeril's cutlery, but I don't have a link. We usually go once a year to the outlet shops in Volant, PA and pick up a couple of items.
2nd renovation in two years... Bosch and Miele suck, made for European Water Systems. Sub Zero is the same “ BOX” as Maytag, GE etc. You are paying for the look, the freezer is tiny and as an inside drawer suitable for popsicles only. They are all pretty much the same..Wolff is great for their warrantee.. they Do produce if defective.
Good Luck and do your homework.
Forget the Yuppie impulse to buy commerical appliances. Get your hands on one of these babies: http://www.chamberstoves.net/
If you know how to cook, you love these stoves (I have two). If you don’t, what the heck do you need a Viking for? Seriously, the Chambers rivals or exceeds commercial range for Btu output and the oven and cooking well cook “with the gas turned off.”
Major appliances for the home have gotten much cheaper these days. That includes washers, dryers, refrigerators and stoves. Unfortunately, many people buy expensive, unreliable fancy appliances that break all the time just because they look good.
What people don’t understand is that these fancy appliances are not tested enough. Therefore, the bugs have not been worked out and they end up breaking all the time. The reliability of an item increases as the production runs increase. Consumer Reports confirms this in its appliance issue, in which ultra expensive items are always rated worst in reliability.
Most people are still looking for good deals on reliable appliances, however. According to reports, the most price-sensitive shoppers are upper- to middle-income buyers. These are people who make a substantial income but are looking for the best value on a dollar. Remember that if you were psyched to get one of those ridiculously expensive appliances, don’t! You’re wasting your money!
I have built houses I’ve designed and have, in the past ten years, gutted my kitchen and redone the interior which included all new appliances. So here goes: Consumer Reports stated that comparative testing a Miele dishwasher vs. Kitchenaid - the Kitchenaid did a better job and cost less. Broan has very good range hoods but if you’re going top o’ the line with appliances and have the money, look in the Taunton Press’s magazine FINE HOMEBUILDING as it usually contains many firms who make custom range hoods. It sounds like you cook with gas - I will only cook with electricity or my trust wood fired grill/smoker - so I have no comments on your choice of cook top. However, Jennair makes a very good dual oven with top a microwave and the bottom available as a convection oven which have served me well. I’m on my second edition after remodeling the kitchen! Subzero refrigerators have noisy compressors but they can be installed remotely, say in the attic or basement. Be aware - if installed in the attic you will probably hear is all night long.
I had a KitchenAid dishwasher - it always left my dishes and pots spot free. When I re-did my kitchen I didn’t want to lose it, but it didn’t fit right, and the color was wrong. So, I gave it to the builder to give to his neighbor. I told him it was almost new - and then realized it was 15 years old!
A JenAire with the griddle/grill tops and exhaust in the center can’t be beat. (Just a mess to clean, if you use the grill very much.)
If possible, get a ‘fridge with the freezer on the bottom. Saves a lot of back-strain, getting the lettuce from the bottom drawer. Grin.
Well, my wife and I take good care of our stuff too, but the microwave still croaked (the transformer had to be replaced). I think they just don't make stuff like they used to. My mother-in-law still has her old 300 lb black dial telephones from lord-knows-when. Modern digital phones don't seem to last that long.
Taking care of things is part of it, but innate durability is a far bigger part. I have my grandparents 1941 GE refrigerator bought on December 8th, 1941. Grew up with it after my grandfather gave up housekeeping. Quit running in the ‘70’s due to a compressor failure. $400.00 later and she’s up and jiggy - not energy sipping, but, heck, what do you want?
Rachael Ray’s stove is a Chambers. It was my choice before she was born. Here’s a link: http://www.chamberstoves.net/
Already did, I narrowed it down using them, now I want to get some feedback from folks.
While you’re at it, may I suggest one of the 220 volt microwave ovens, with halogen cooking lights. They will do perfect baked potatoes in less than 10 minutes. We have an Advantium that does well but I’m sure there are better ones out there by now.
I am not ure as to the logic, but the hood fans allowed with the ranges almost are always inadequate to the task; a more powerful fan has to be subbed.
When Jenn-air is coupled with good ventilation, it’s a dream come true.
as long as you are going all out think about a built in coffee system....yummmmy
I already am going with quartz, I've pretty much already picked that part out, if you want to laugh, a few folks asked me about what kind of coffee maker I was going to get, and were shocked when I told'em I don't drink coffee, lol.
Book mark for later
Oh, and I am really really jealous.
I drink coffee, just not in the summer.
I'm probably going to go with one of the GE microwaves, and the idea of having a baked potato is less then 10 minuits is definatly a huge plus.
Do not get a kitchen aid. I replaced my old one with a new one recently and it is dirt. really. The manufacterer has had to replace it at no cost once already.
It is the low flow toilet of the dishwasher world.
prisoner6
I've had a few gripes with consumer reports where they ranked something high and it turned out to be crappy and vice versa.
I think part of the problem with them, is that they really don't test something long enough (which I understand for them is impossible).
They do rank Bosch very highly though.
“Bosch” just sounds so much better, don’t it?
I’d recommend going industrial if you have the room - they have the room, can take the abuse, and clean up real nice.
LOL.
I definatly won't be getting a kitchen aid, I have a few friends who are into the whole "green" thing, and they recommended it, and their plates always look like they haven't been fully cleaned or properly finished.
I was lucky, I never had to wash dishes as a kid, that said, I've never owned a dishwasher before.
I'm worried about the noise, and the ability to clean, and want to get whatever will do the job best.
Get yourself one of these. I love mine! :)
Do NOT dispair! I got (1) free from a relative. No. (2) was for $30.00 a few months back at a yard sale. Search the web and you’ll find them anywhere from $100.00 to $4,000.00 depending on condition. The Yups want them pristine condition in pastel colors. Get an older girl in basic white, B/W or the nickle plate and you’ll be looking at something quite affordable - if you’ll travel to pick it up. On that note, I used a homebrew tailgate ramp, a come-along and a cart with 4” casters (rated @ 120 lbs/caster) to get the thing home. Oh yeah, get a piano movers harness to make your lifts - 465 pounds is no easy lift!
How much “energy sipping” is there when a whole new refrigerator is bought every 10 years? True enough, cosmetic styles change too, though I still have fond memories of the Westinghouse (I think) we had growing up. De-frosting was a pain, but they were quiet when running and had a nice solid “clunk” when closing the door. Sorta like a 57 Chevy. Good for beer duty in the garage or basement.
One thing I read that may contribute to longer life has to do with physically moving a refrigerator, if ever required, esp. if it has to be laid on its side for any length of time. Also holds true for initial installation of course. It should be allowed to sit for 24 hours before operation, something to do with Freon in the coils or somesuch.
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