The cited paper is interesting but hardly adds anything. I mean, who bake things onto a stove top surface at 750 degrees and leaves undiluted ammonia cleanser and or Formula 409 on a surface under a watch glass for 72 hours on their stove top? Seems to me that porcelain and steel each have advantages and disadvantages and you pick the trade off that is most acceptable to you. It may well be an aesthetic choice as Jadeite points out. Personally, I've never found stainless stoves hard to clean, contrary to that report. The issue I've seen is frequency of cleaning. You just clean them more frequently because everything (finger prints, grease, whatever)is so much more obvious. Obvious so much more quickly than it is with a white porcelain surface (not sure about black; seems like it might be just as bad). Mind, I am not suggesting that this "obviousness" is not big deal to some folks. It is. Burner drip pans are a whole 'nother story. Personally, I hate all light colored drip/liner pans. Whether stainless or porcelain-coated, they stain, scratch, mar and etc. within weeks to the point that they can no longer be scrubbed to look anything close to new. I prefer a matte black or cast iron pan. Same thing with burner grates. Of course, stainless surfaces scratch more easily than porcelain but I do not think that says much. If keeping your stove looking show-room pristine is important, most appliance stainless surface scratches can be buffed out. Unless you really gouge it by, say, dropping a really heavy cast iron pan edge-on from several feet above the stove. Do that with porcelain and you may knock a chip off the surface. With porcelain, you have to fill the chip using a little jar of enamel that looks like one of the old bottles of white-out. Some repairs work well, some may look funky. So, which funky is less offensive to you? I've never seen a stain on an actual stainless steel residential stove that could not be buffed out with a little Barkeeper's Friend. Same thing with my stainless cookware and my stainless kitchen sink. They call it "stainless" for a reason. Now, I have seen some staining and discoloration with restaurant equipment, but that is a different ballpark with way, way more heat and abuse than you get in home kitchen. And, also, a completely different kitchen aesthetic. So, having said all of that in defense of stainless, what do I prefer to have in my home? Porcelain. If the stainless LG 3097 stove has features you think your really want and cannot get on the porcelain 3095 version, get what you want. Oh, and one other thing. It will be a very good idea to actually see the stove. There seem to be new stainless-like finishes which are not really stainless steel. The cited article mentions some porcelain-based stainless look-alikes. I did not notice anything on this when skimming the specs for these stoves, but it may be hard to tell without actually seeing the stove.

I discovered enameled CI here on the forum Mom had a small enameled saucepan as did my MIL. I wasn't enamored. After being here for awhile, I began to jones for my own CI soup pot Happlly someone here on the CF alerted me to a sale on Mario Batali's CI Dutch Ovens and I adore them! They are available on Amazon and at Crate & Barrel. Recently I yearned for a few more pieces. There was nothing more I wanted in that line. Each time I went into a kitchen store I'd look at the LC and hm and haw. Finally DH went a bit overboard when we were in LC outlet store. I now have a couple of saucpans, a small skillet and a brasier. I love the brasier and use it quite often, the small skillet is also very handy. Both clean up easily too! For my well used MB pots I use a weak clorox solution which brings back a whiter finish. I also have a lovely little Staub Dutch oven that was a gift from Sheshebop, a former poster. Although my Mario Batali pots are at least 5 yrs old, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to you. If the quality is at least as good as it was 5 yrs ago, they're a much cheaper, well made alternative!

After 21 years of use, I am replacing a white Franke composite sink, as I am removing worn laminate countertops and replacing them with quartz. I have agonized over the choice of a new sink and have done much research about them. While I love my current sink, it has developed many small cracks around the disposal drain presumably from hot oil poured into the sink. You cannot feel the cracks, they are not raised, but there is a web of them all around the drain. Of course, this has been after many years of heavy duty use. Since Franke no longer makes granite composite sinks,(which has me curious as to why they discontinued them), I am down to a choice of SS, Silgranite II, or Iron coated with enamel. After much research, most chefs and other serious cooks recommend SS sinks. In fact, many of the current sink offerings for residential use are channeling the sharp angled configurations of restaurant SS sinks. On line reviewers and the salesperson at my local plumbing supply have experienced staining and chipping with cast Iron sinks. The salesperson told me that many companies will replace them if they do chip or stain, but they only send you a new sink, the owner is responsible for the cost of installation. Some reviewers on line talk about scratches in Silgranite sinks, especially on the darker colors. One magazine editorial that reviewed sink materials even included a picture that was taken of a showroom sink that had a scratch in the bottom that would not come out when the editor tried to remove it while in the store. From my on-line research, the cracking with Silgranite seems to have been only during transport and installation, however people have written about scratches that occurred during use. Missing from the comments on this site is the type of cooking being done by those offering their opinions. There is a big difference in experience with kitchen gear between a person who makes light meals for one or two people versus a gourmet cook who executes complex multi-course meals for many guests. As for myself, the utility of a sink is a more important consideration than how it looks. If I am in the middle of preparing a complex meal, I do not want to worry that I might damage my sink if I lob a heavy skillet or pot into it!

The plumbers like the lighter tubs because they are easier for them to carry around and put in. Cast iron usually provides for a much better tub. You caught them in a switch. Good for you. Make sure you didn't get charged for CI. We provided tubs and fixtures for our plumber and used Americast, which are satisfactory as they are located in rooms that don't get a lot of "action", as they are primarily guest baths in our retirement home.