Posted on 08/11/2007 4:50:01 PM PDT by Sonny M
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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.