Reviews; this is a new one
palimpsest
21 days ago
last modified: 21 days ago
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lisaam
21 days agopalimpsest
21 days agoRelated Discussions
One search box only at the Rate and Review Exchange
Comments (4)Great idea! Also, it might be nice if it would pull up "close matches"....if that is possible (like google does). This way you would still get results even if someone doesn't spell the member name correctly or uses a partial name. Currently, for example, if I search for "chemo" (as in Chemocurl), there are no results found. The only way the search works is if we type the exact member name in correctly. I think this may be the reason so many are becoming duplicated....See MoreWhat were BTU numbers on older stovetops?
Comments (8)One thing that I've found is that the quest for BTU numbers bigger than the compeition is that the bottom end has gotten lost. Easy to put out lots of heat, much harder to put out a little. Check how much knob-turn there is between full-on and "simmer" -- I was surprised to read one of the highly regarded brands (by cooks, not that "independent testing" magazine) was pretty twitchy on how much range the control covered. For real numbers, if I take a 2qt All-Clad saucier and put 1/2 cup of water in it (uncovered), my old Caloric can keep it at 155-160F depending on how carefully I adjust the knob. All the "pro" ranges I very recently tried; American Range, NXR, and Thermador, couldn't keep it below about 170 (though the marketing literature claims 150, 140, or lower). With custards often wanting to be "stopped" at around 175, that is "just barely low enough" for some of the things I regularly do. You can always use a simmer plate, but sheesh, for the price of a decent used car, you should be able to make ice cream and lemon curd easily without one, no? (To be fair and clear, the Thermador XLO burners could keep the *average* lower as it cycled, but the IR thermometer made it clear that the bottom of the pan was back in the 170 range when the burner was in its "on" time.)...See MoreOne-wall + island layout -- please review before Feb 10 meeting
Comments (32)Well...a couple of thoughts b/f discussing your layout. You have two children, and possibly more. You're telling us what you do NOW. Things will change drastically when the children get older. I assume you will be teaching them all (boys & girls) basic life skills like cooking and cleaning up. There will come a time - sooner than you realize, probably within 4 or 5 years (maybe less) - when there will be multiple cooks at one time as well as cleaning up being done by someone other than the cook. You need to think/plan ahead - don't just plan for today, plan for the future as well! The last thing you want to have to do is another remodel b/c the Kitchen is too difficult to work in with a family. This is more of an empty nester who does not entertain much Kitchen (i.e., no future children). +++++ OK, now the layout critique: Island seating... Be sure you have the minimum of 15" of clear leg/knee space for the seating overhang on both sides. Since your DH is tall and there's a good chance your children will be taller (my DH is 6'5" and my DS is 6'7" - I think he's finally stopped growing!), 15" will probably be too shallow - it is in our house. I wish I had done 18". 15" is too shallow for my DH and DS. I'm 5'10" and my DD is 6' - and it's just barely deep enough for us. I recommend 18" on one of the sides. At the corner, you can only have one seat - two people cannot share the same knee/leg space. So, you will need at least 15" b/w the counter edge and the first seat on one side. You may be OK, the layout is not clear. But keep in mind that each seat needs 24" of linear space as well as the 15" (or 18") of overhang. Since you have a cabinet on one side, you will need to add another 6" or so of linear space for that first seat to have enough room to maneuver into a seat since you can't slide into it from the cabinet side. This means for two seats, you will need at least 6" + 24" + 24" = 54" when there's a cabinet (or leg or wall) next to a seat. It looks like both sides will have that issue. Another 15" or 18" will be needed on whichever side is going to provide the overhang for the corner seat. I would move the DW down so it's the first item on the island. Then the sink, an 18" trash pullout, and whatever will fit. You need more space on the Prep Zone side of the sink (the opposite side from the DW) - preferably at least 42". You also don't want the DW to open into the same general area as the range. Other... The refrigerator cannot be against the wall like that. You need at least a 9" cabinet b/w the wall and refrigerator (if the wall were even deeper, it would have to be a 12" cabinet, but you should be fine with a 9"). Make it a 9" tall pantry or utility cabinet. OTR MW...not the safest location, especially as your children get old enough to use it by themselves and b/c you appear to have a gas range. We've had several people relate how they or a friend/family member have set a sweater or shirt on fire reaching over a gas range to use an OTR MW. Plus, you're removing items from the MW above your shoulders, which means any tilting of the dish as it comes out of the MW will splash on your face instead of your body where you might have clothing on to offer some protection. It's also more difficult to take things out when you have to reach up than reaching/lifting up or out from around waist high. I strongly recommend a MW drawer - it's usable by short and tall people alike b/c the controls are angled up so there's no bending over to use them. Like most appliances these days, they have easy child-locks while your children are too young to use it. Range Hood...get a true range hood if you want it to be effective. OTR MWs ar notoriously poor at venting and often cannot be vented outside. They don't cover the entire cooking surface, so they don't work well if you use the front burners or even the back ones if they're too far off to the side. The capture area should cove the entire width of your cooking surface plus, preferably 6". So, with a 30" range, you should have a 36"W x 24"D range hood that is vented to the outside. Oh, and not only are them more effective, but they're also quieter (unless you go with a cheap builder-grade one)! Appliance garage...you don't have enough room on the range wall for an appliance garage. You need workspace on both sides and you don't have much, if any, on the appliance garage side - especially as that's the side that does not have the DW opening up into the aisle. This is a personal preference, but I would not want my dirty dishes taking center stage on an island. When a Cleanup Zone is on an island, the dirty dishes are front & center and, often in the faces of anyone sitting at the island. It's better than having your Cooking Zone on the island, but if you can arrange it, it would be better to have the island only your Prep Zone with a prep sink, your Cooking Zone along the wall behind the Prep Zone, and the Cleanup Zone elsewhere, also on a wall. If it's not possible, then get a really deep sink! (Although, if it's the only sink you won't be able to stash dirty dishes in it b/c you'll need it for prepping...)...See MorePlease review our preliminary plan for one level home
Comments (12)Thanks to all who weighed in!! Lots to think about. We did speak to 2 local architects. Sadly, both were way out of our price range for a similar house & their lead time was quite lengthy. We’d love it to be our forever home, but it might not be and adding in their costs (both similar) we’d be hard pressed to recover our initial investment. Snaggy – we’ll have a small closet in the foyer and one in the back coming in from the garage, if I can figure out where to put it. tatts – there will be no bath in the center of the house, unless you mean the guest bath on the hall. Also, the kitchen windows – probably 6-8’ wide - face south. Summit studio – I agree the long, shallow porches on the plan are artificial looking, we plan to shorten the front one & center on the entrance, making it deep enough to sit comfortably. We sit on our current porch a lot. We have mountain views to the south and often have coffee and lunch there. The rear will be more of a gathering space, I hope. We'll cover only a part of it and have a patio for grilling, etc. We get our strongest winds from the W and hope the garage will shield us a little. The rear looks out to the meadow beyond and will have my gardens just off of it....See Moremtnrdredux_gw
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