I need some advice and opinions on buying some kitchen stuff.

Free Republic | 8/11/07 | Sonny M.

[Sonny M]

I’ve started out with consumer reports, I went to some electronic stores and checked with the salesfolks, now I’m trying to get personal feedback, when it comes to big purchases or stuff for the kitchen and the like, the more info the better.

[narses]

Trash compactor. I scoffed. I wish I hadn’t.

[Squantos]

Agree.......

Keep me posted if ya have time as to pros and cons !

I’ll do the same as to what I find around here !

Stay safe !

[Chickensoup]

Geeze, Chickensoup - now I feel like dirt for recommending Kitchen Aid. Could it be that they just aren’t as good as they used to be? ;-)

I replaced a 1994 WORKHORSE kitchen aid with manual dials because it was starting to rust and the front was beat up. I wanted their stainless tub upgrade, had to take the lousy solid state computers and it has been a mess.

[yorkie]

I know. They just don’t make stuff like they used to, do they? I now have a Thermador, and it is so quiet I’m never sure if I turned it on or not. It also leaves my dishes spot free.

[Colorado Doug]

You may have to start, just so you can get a cool coffee maker or espresso machine.

[Chickensoup]

I was told by an appliance guy recently that the stoves that are built for the middle to high end market are not built to take any serious cooking, instead they are made to heat frozwn food. I had a ge profile that couldnt hack scratch cooking for more than 9 years. So I have upgraded to a better and more durable line of stoves and ovens

[Colorado Doug]

I told'em I don't drink coffee, lol.

You may have to start, just so you can get a cool coffee maker or espresso machine.

[Caramelgal]

OK, first I’m a bit jealous. Sounds like your working on my “dream” kitchen.

When I bought my townhouse three years ago, it was only about 4 years old. The builder must have put in the cheapest “builders grade” GE appliances.

During the home inspection, I found the washing machine was not working and the dryer worked but was “suspect”. The seller gave me a credit to replace them both. A few months after I moved in, the dishwasher had to be replaced and it never did work all that well. I’m waiting for the refrigerator to give up next. I hate if for one thing. It’s a rather small upright with no ice maker and it has grated shelves rather than solid shelves so things like bottles tip over easily and the shelves on the door are not solid molded so the salad dressing and other smaller containers slip out and fall to the floor every time I open the door. That and no matter how I set the temperatures, my salad greens freeze and my ice cream is mushy. Needless to say – I’m not a big GE fan, at least not the ones that came with my house.

I bought the LG, euro-style front loading washer and dryer and I love them, they are both very energy efficient. I am a big fan of the front loading washer. It spins clothes dryer, saving money on drying time and because it doesn’t agitate, clothes don’t wear out as fast. I looked at several different brands and was most impressed with the LG. The Bosch also was impressive but out of my price range.

I replaced the dishwasher with a Whirlpool. It has an extra deep tub (so I can easily fit my big stock pot), a food disposer (in case I don’t pre-rinse, it grinds up and disposes of those nasty “chunks” and doesn’t “glue them back onto your plates and glasses) and it has a delay cycle so I can set it to run late at night when energy costs are lower. It’s very quiet and it works very well. These are good features to have, whatever brand you choose.

My next refrigerator will be a “French Door” type - a side by side on top with the freezer drawer on the bottom. Very energy efficient and much more practical – you access the freezer less than the refrigerator so shouldn’t the refrigerator be at eye level? I’ve not decided on the brand but I might consider an LG based on my good experience with the washer and dryer.

I’ve heard very good things about Jenn Air. I’ve always wanted one myself. My dream kitchen would have a Jenn Air cook top with the grill and griddle and a separate double wall ovens.

Since I live by myself, I don’t cook so much these days and when I do, it’s on the grille, but when I entertain the family and friends during the holidays, I sure would love to have those features.

Heck if I had my “dream” kitchen, I’d probably entertain more often.

My best advice to you is not to be stuck on high end brand names- not that they are bad choices. But think more about the features that are important to you in each appliance and your life style and research what brands offer those features, have a good price and a good reputation for reliability. If your priority is to have all your appliances integrate seamlessly, you might what to consider one single brand for everything. In the end, buy the best you can afford that meets your needs, and that’s not always the most expensive.

[dennisw]

Very interesting about Chambers stoves. They look very practical. Rachel Ray must like them for a reason. I saw her flip open the stove top broiler (?) the other day to toast bread. Never saw that in a stove. Plus nice retro 1940s look same as her refrigerator and rest of kitchen.... I think. I will look more closely next time

FWIW I don’t like ultra slick kitchens with marble counter tops and top of the line appliances. I vastly prefer ye old Formica counter tops and average appliances. Mine are 1974 vintage GE and I like them just fine. You can have the best appointed kitchen on your block but if you or your wife cook stupid food in it that puts you in an early grave, what’s the point?

[prisoner6]

Yuppers! Mine was b/w with a few chips but it still worked great! You are also very correct about the yups. They turn their noses up at the white models, who knows why.

I've been thinking abour doing just what you mentioned. We have a Durango with a hitch and can get a trailer so it would be no problem to go get one,. Even if it's in poor cosmetic condition I bet I could get it looking and workd great with little ofr no problem.

Kitchen renovation has been ongoing for about a year at a smail's pave but it looks like this fall we'll be getting things together. It's a SMALL kitchen but I"m kicking around the idea of opening up a wall and a a brick fireplace. The stove could fit where the fireplace is and there would still be some of the brick left for ambiance. I think it would look great.

Don't enven think to ask what we're considering for a sink, hehehehe. Basically it will be in front of a window but the bottom of the window is below the sink. I'm thinking of usig a siblge tub kind of affair, maybe a copper tub but probably a rectangle granite or some synth material with the space between the window and sink taken up by a planter.

I know it sounds strange but I've seen something similar and really liked it. Now it's just getting the time to do it. Wife and I like to do everything ourselves but recently that's getting to be a bit much.

prisoenr6

[dennisw]

Do a Wiki on Electrolux. Two separate companies. The American Electrolux vacuum cleaner was a company apart from Electrolux Europe, of Swedish origin, which makes appliances

[MaxMax]

First off, your talking about my industry and I've been working on
these and other appliances for 24 years. So let's begin.

Whats the best dishwasher, Bosch or Miele?
Bosch. Hands down reliability, quiet, and simple to use. Your dishes
cannot get any cleaner for the cost.

Is Viking the best oven?
Viking is a great range, but when it comes to ovens all you should consider
is what functional purposes you need it for. IE, entertaining.
Get what you'll use because I see people who buy the mother of all
ranges and only boil water on them.

Is sub-zero (not the mortal kombat character) the best fridge?
For the home, yes. The condensing unit is placed high so that
it requires minimal service cleaning (2-3 years) and they also
contain duel compressors so if one fails, you'll have either the
fresh food compartment, or freezer to get you by until any repair is done.
Don't buy any of the Frigidaire knock offs of the Sub-zero.

The oven is going to be a 60 inch viking with grill and griddle,
is this the best choice?
Only if you plan on actually using the functions other then boiling water.

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?

Get one that has a high CFM and is adjustable for fan speed.
Also consider sound levels. Some have sound insulation so that you can
actually talk while cooking.

Remember, I only see the broken appliances. :-)

Good Luck,
MaxMax.

[Colorado Doug]

I'm probably going to go with one of the GE microwaves, and the idea of having a baked potato is less then 10 minuets is definatly a huge plus.

GE makes the Advantium. I had a couple of small service issues with mine, over the last six years. My biggest disappointment was a shortage of preprogrammed recipes. They had just come out when I bought ours and there were blank switches that sort of implied that there would be upgrades available. There never were. I imagine that the newer ones are better that way.

It even does a nice job on biscuits and such. Once, in a pinch, it saved a big dinner with the in-laws when we ran out of propane while cooking (I live in the boondocks) It cooked up a turkey breast real fast and real good. You would never have guessed that it came out of a microwave.

[WorkingClassFilth]

I used to be a cabinet maker and I will agree with your love of Formica (Wilsonart, Pioneer, etc.) entirely. The herd drive to high-end stone surfaces is beyond me. For starters, they scratch, chip and pick up stains - there are more complaints, but that’s a start. Formica just keeps on going - when it expires - a couple hundred bucks and you’re like new.

Cooking, or the ability to cook, brings in an entirely new dimension. I can’t tell you how many women I know that couldn’t cook a decent meal to save their souls. Oh sure, they have a dish or two they use to impress people, but real cooking (i.e., biscuits, canning, bread, pot roast, etc.) is several leagues outside their experience. Still, the demand for commercial appliances and tools has never been higher.

Go figure.

[HungarianGypsy]

**Freeper Kitchen Ping**

Your advice needed.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Try this - if you’ve got a University in your area, see if they’ve got ‘re-use’ center open to the public. I picked up three 2’X 3’X 1-1/4” slabs of soapstone countertop for nothing. I’m going to make a sink out of it with a drain board side. The only tooling I need are the carbide bits for a router and the epoxy glue to hold the joints. Purchased, something like that would cost thousands. Your’s for the taking and making!

[Colorado Doug]

their plates always look like they haven't been fully cleaned or properly finished.

Two things that I really like about the Bosch is that you can't hear it. I'm not saying it's quiet, I'm saying you can't hear it at all unless you are listening real closely. We have the stainless one, with the hidden controls so you can't see the lights unless the door is open. I have opened it more than once after my wife started a load, not realizing that it was running.

I also like that it heats the water to 180 degrees. I know that anything that comes out is not just clean, it's sterilized.

[dennisw]

Is Formica even an option today in new construction? Glad to hear you like it too 

Cooking, or the ability to cook, brings in an entirely new dimension. I can’t tell you how many women I know that couldn’t cook a decent meal to save their souls. Oh sure, they have a dish or two they use to impress people, but real cooking (i.e., biscuits, canning, bread, pot roast, etc.) is several leagues outside their experience. Still, the demand for commercial appliances and tools has never been higher.

You are talking about the old time womanly art of cooking for the family. It's a rush rush affair these days, with some exceptions of course. It's prestigious to buy commercial grade and gives bragging rights. But most commercial installations in the home will be (vastly) under utilized. They just feed fantasies of being a master of the kitchen arts. It's like those very expensive cookbooks with fantastic photography, that are only looked at, but from it never more than one or two recipes are ever utilized

[Colorado Doug]

I’m going with something more compatible with photovoltaic power.

Save your money on the fridge and just get a regular one. If you watch the rebate programs that the utility companies are being forced to implement, you could go with a grid tie photovoltaic system for almost nothing.

I installed a 10kW PV system and aside from my own sweat installing it, it cost me nothing after rebates. It supplies all of my electrical needs, including heating, hot water and air conditioning. My electrical bill in zero and I have a big ol GE, side by side, Arctica fridge.