Appliance Recommendations
Stacy Pray
19 days ago
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HU-910663146
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Kitchen Appliance Recommendation
Comments (4)The consensus here is that American Range is a good choice but Bluestar is a better choice. If going with American Range then the Performer Series is the way to go. Things that I don't like about AR include their double burner grate. A one burner grate is heavy enough to lift and clean. Double burner pro-style grates are very heavy. The only AR that does not have this is the step up range. That is just a silly gimmick. The other thing I don't like is the black coated cooktop surface. IMO difficult to clean. Much easier to clean cast iron or just let the small stuff patina over. I have never baked in the double convection oven offered by AR. I imagine it can't be worse than standard pro style gas oven. DCS fridges are rebadged Whirlpool/KitchenAid fridges. Usually good but not best in class. DCS ranges were considered very good before they were bought out by Fisher Paykel but seem to have suffered a bit lately. There is really nothing particularly innovative here. They do offer an All-Gas model with self-clean but the simmer is 140 /~750 btu and it is above your stated limit of $4.5k. Capital offers a Culinarian with self-clean, 23k btu very even heat burners that go down to 145 degrees plus one small pot burner that goes down to 500 btu. no development in a while They have developed quite a bit lately. In the Platinum Series.25k btu burners, true European convection, and quick preheat. And in the larger models they offer French plates and double griddles, and French doors. In 30" they offer standard grates that convert to wok grates, copper and different metal finishes, all the colors in the RAL color book including custom color knobs. In my perfect world I would add self-clean and heavy duty motorized rotisserie to the Bluestar Platinum Series like in the Capital Culinarian plus the knob bezels that light on when a burner is on like Dacor. But nobody makes that perfect range....See MoreNew Kitchen Appliance Recommendations Needed!
Comments (10)Here is the first rule of appliance selection. Don't buy a suite of everything from one manufacturer. No one does everything well. Many of the appliance salesmen will try to steer you into one brand. Why? It's easy or they get an incentive. Next, organize you thoughts and select what is the best fit for you and your family. You may want to splurge on one item and economize on another. Do a lot of research on the appliance thread. Gardenweb is the best resource out there. Plan on spending some time here. Then go out and shop, armed with an idea of what you need, what you want and what you can afford. You have given us a budget, ~$20,000. Don't forget you will need ventilation. Everyone always forgets it and it's not cheap. I like Vent-a-Hood. I hate downdraft ventilation. Everyone has a preference. Those are mine. Rethink convection in your ovens. If you are buying double ovens, consider making one of them convection. If you have never had convection, you may not know what you are missing. But, you don't have to spend extra for double convection. If you have double ovens, you probably don't need a warming drawer. Plan on never running the self clean function on your ovens and you will be a happier customer. You only have to fry the mother board once to learn this lesson. This goes for all manufacturers. Dishwashers: Bosch, Miele, Asko for quiet. Bosch makes a wide variety of price points. I've had success with them on a number of homes. But, Miele and Asko are highly regarded. Cooktops/rangetops: You want gas. You have to decide whether you want sealed burner versus open burner. The difference is the amount of BTU that the burner can deliver. Open delivers more, closed delivers less. Some people believe that closed is easier to clean if you have an over spill. I don't agree, but let some other posters offer an opinion. I can only say I am replacing my closed burner Thermador for an open burner Bluestar rangetop. Refrigeration: You won't go wrong with Subzero, but your wallet will ache. There is nothing sexier than a set of Subzero full refrigerator and freezer. Liebherr is a competitor. I suggest that you take a look at your kitchen plans. You may be able to surround a full depth refrigerator with cabinets to create a built-in look. You will pay a lot more for counter depth and get less storage. Rather than a 48", think about a 36" full depth and supplement with an additional garage refrigerator or freezer. It's a cost effective way to get capacity. Instead of Subzero, I ended up buying the Kitchenaid Architect II 36" French door. I used the money I saved elsewhere. Educate yourself on one item at a time and it will all come together. I think the dishwasher is the easiest place to start. Good Luck....See Morekitchen appliances recommendations
Comments (9)Keep American Range off your list. Most people get a good one, but there is a good chance you will get a lemon. I love my 36" Blue Starr rangetop. My Bosch dishwasher is super quiet, but all plastic containers get flipped upside down during the wash/rinse cycle. They wind up with soapy water in them so I have to be careful that I don't dump them on the rest of the dishes while pulling out the racks. Some of the energy efficient dishwashers do not have a heated dry cycle. They rely on the hot water rinse to be hot enough to evaporate and dry on its own. Most of the time, it does not. My Broan Elite vent hood is wonderful. We had to get an expensive, more powerful vent hood because of the Blue Starr rangetop. I love how I can remove the exhaust screens and wash them in the dishwasher. The stainless steel is a royal pain to clean though. It is huge. My Ruvati sink is wonderful because it is nice and deep. I had my cabinets made 3" higher because the sink is so deep. I put a second one in the utility room for washing dogs and laundry. I never use the colander or cutting board that came with the Ruvati. My Frigidaire Professional 19 c f freezer and refrigerator are wonderful, but I had the freezer replaced within a few months. The refrigerator has been repaired once a year since I bought it. One repairman said he put freon (?) in it, but the next summer the newest repairman said he didn't because he didn't use a torch. So it had a slow leak that the 1st repairman found but didn't fix. Because we had issues from the first month of use, we bought extended warranties on both. Every year the price goes up. I think it has gone from 90.00 per year each to 120.00 each. Frigidaire stopped making the double rubber seals and all replacement seals are single folds. They do not keep a very good suction on the doors. So even with the repairs, I still love having my freezer next to my refrigerator. I do not miss water or ice in the door at all. I keep 2 ice buckets in place and swap them out when one gets filled. The ice maker makes 7 cubes at a time. The problem is that sometimes the tubing freezes so it may go several hours without making new cubes. We mostly notice this in the summer since we are using more ice. Our trash compacter broke within the warranty period but we could not get anyone to respond. They have plastic gears that are the first thing to break. Sharpe microwave oven drawer. Repaired twice. Had extended warranty which they will not renew now. Just had it fixed a month before the warranty ended. A month later the problem is still there. Do not get an electronically opened door. They get stuck. Just get one you pull with your hand. Otherwise, I love having the microwave as a drawer and off my countertop. The only problem with built in microwave drawers is the cabinets are built to one size only. If I ever have to replace it, I might not find the same size. My favorite appliance is my Kitchen Aide warming drawer that can also used as a crock pot, a plate warmer, or dough proofer. I have not used it as a crock pot, but I have used stainless steel containers that hang on the side racks to keep large amounts of food warm. Best thing in my kitchen and gets used every day. No repairs on it either. Be vigilant about researching customer service of all brands and how often something is repaired. Good luck on choosing! Peke...See MoreAppliance recommendation
Comments (0)I am in the process of planning a full kitchen remodel. My husband loves to cook, and I love to bake. We are considering Subzero fridge and Wolf range, but he had heard that Thermador was a reputable brand that is less expensive but a good solid alternative. Then I read (via social media, mind you) that Thermador is great, while it works, but if you have any issues, replacement parts are not available, so you are screwed. I would love some feedback from people that have used them or have working knowledge about the different brands....See More3katz4me
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