Kitchen Appliances 101

16 years ago

I think I've read hundreds if not thousands of postings on various sites . . . now I'm totally confused. Had picked out the following items several months ago but now have questions (since it is now time to actually order) about the following items. . .

DW: Would like 2 in new kitchen. Asko Encore & Miele Excella Question: Does Miele have a food grinder? Interior light? Heated drying? Have had an Asko since 1997, i.e., have never cleaned/scraped plates nor cleaned any filters etc. Of course, not sure of its efficiency since I use the pot scrubber program each time and the cycle goes for 2.5 hours. Dishes/glasses come out perfect - clean & dry - does what you expect a DW to do.

(wall oven - Miele Masterchef 30")

Range: Wolf 30" DF or Lacanche Volnay? (only have room for 36-40 inches) I looked at BlueStar - not sure I need that much BTU and it 'felt' a bit tin-y but so did the La Cornue I looked at at W& Sonoma. Have been cooking on a 9K BTU MagicChef (came with house - prior owners lived through the 1930's depression and were very frugal - took every light bulb w/ them when they moved out) for the past 17 years and learned to cook on it - everything takes so much time. I'm an above average cook - not a great cook but I cook a lot (about 4 hours each day of active cooking - B/L/D) - eat out about 10X a year - make everything from scratch - strawberry, pear, blueberry, quince, etc. jams, baking bread, grow my own herbs, buy heritage pork, etc. Can't seem to find anyone who dislikes their Lacanche eventhough it's not self-cleaning and apparently doesn't keep true oven temp. - seems to be off & people compensate - why would one tolerate this for so much money? Self-cleaning may be something I would like (though I have domestic help that does it). Does the post '2006 Wolf DF have the same problems as the post 2006 AG Wolf?

Frig: Integrated all frig SZ, I think it is TCI something or other - it has 2 drawers on the bottom. I'll have a separate all freezer - not sure which one - Thermador or SZ (not a big concern since we barely keep anything in it - butter, ice & ice cream - go to market 2 to 3X a week to buy fresh). Question: most posts indicate SZ is sub-standard with huge repairs. Again, living with a very old and so small side-by-side frig. that has a mind of its own - sometimes the frig. decides its a freezer and everything - lettuce, milk are frozen. Other times, things go bad early - persumably isn't keeping cold at all. Is the SZ really that bad? What's better & why? - Sorry all the posts that indicate they 'love' their appliances w/o explanation are useless. Oddly enough those that don't usually provide a reason.

Sink: Franke fireclay undermount sink or Kohler enameled cast iron - which wears better, i.e., living with 1922 enameled cast iron (not sure if its Kohler) which has certainly lost its sparkle & has chips - but it's not broken. Is fireclay as strong as enameled cast iron, i.e, with a cast iron pot break it?

Lastly, looking to put stone or porcelain ceramic on the floor since I'm looking at hydro radiant floors though it seems 90+% of kitchens show wood. Why put 'not as hygenic" 'floors that need to stripped & redone" wooden floors in a kitchen? I know its 'softer' on the feet. Other reasons, other than looks?

Thanks so much in advance for all your thoughts/insights. Certainly getting an education in kitchen appliances 101.

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Comments (3)

gizmonike
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We have 2 Miele Excella DWs--love them. No grinder, no interior light, have never missed them. No exposed heating element, meaning we can put anything anywhere. Only plastics are occasionally a little wet, but no big deal, just let them air dry.

We picked a DCS range because it has a great low simmer & more power than Wolf.

Frig: 2 SZ601R all-refrigerators, one glass front, the other overlay panelled. Our freezer is an integrated SZ 700 series, no icemaker since we opted for a SZ undercounter icemaker.

Sink: can't help, as we picked a Julien 36" SS undermount and a Kohler 5-sided 15" square undermount.

Our floor is limestone.
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don000
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Don000
you might look to pick up the book Kitchen Appliances 101 What works-What Doesn't and why.It answers many of the questions your asking
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dlspellman
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
DW: I have a Miele. Did have an Asko. I like the cutlery tray alot more than I expected to. Haven't missed a food grinder (I never scrape, either). I read somewhere, that because of the water pressure and temp, most food disingrates without the food grinder. I'm finding that to be the case. I personally didn't find either one great at drying.

Refrigerator: I went w/ a Thermador Freedom and couldn't be happier. Here were my deciding factors: I was looking for an all refrig and all freezer of same size to do an armoire looking set up. That left me with the 30" Thermador compared to 27" SZ. And while I would have preferred the 27" x 2 overall size/scale - I went with the Thermadors because: 1.) It was about 20% less $$$,
2.) Therm had about 20% more storage, 3.) I liked the way the Thermador door hinged out and away from the unit for much easier access into the unit. The SZ door, when open is still in front of the unit, the TH hinges back and to the side - giving full access. For Freezer, you might consider Freezer drawers - it sounds like that might be all you need.

Hope this helps!
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Kitchen Appliances 101

Comments (3)

gizmonike

don000

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