I've seen post, at least 2 that I can think of, where folks roasted a chicken in a speed oven, and said it was the best chicken they had ever done, but then at least one of them complained about cleaning it up afterwards, and at least another poster asked advice here on GW as to how to clean the speed oven. (Myself I would rather clean a speed oven because it's smaller than a regular oven)also it's at a more convenient height to clean in our kitchen. I can't speak to the Advantium, as I have the Elux and like the Miele it uses regular heating elements as well as a convection fan with a heater, pretty much like any larger sized oven, so it should (and mine does) perform just like any larger oven, except it doesn't hold as much. As far as speed cooking goes, I would be hard pressed to tell whether a potato or a yam was "Speed Cooked" or baked in a regular oven, both come out great, but tater is done in 14 minutes instead of 45-60 minutes in a regular oven. (need proof)? Watch the great potato race on Utube. I've "Speed Cooked" Turkey Thighs, stuffed bell peppers, meatloaf, both in the regular oven and the speed oven and again I would be hard pressed to tell which was which. Perhaps some of that, (for me), is due to the fact that the Elux has auto programming for many dishes, You choose potatoes for instance, it sets the preheat time, the bake time, the temp, and the ratio of microwaving to convection baking, and not having the cooking/baking skills that many of the ladies and some of the gents here have, this is a great help to me! Mojavean set all those parameters by himself, had I done that, I probably would have ended up with Potato Salad. Quite a few folks have also bragged about the food that has come out of their advantium too, so I think it's like any other appliance the more experience you get with it the better the food comes out. Our speed oven is still one of our most used appliances,possibly only beaten out by our induction cooktop. Gary

Thank you chac mool and breezygirl for your responses. I have heard what you say about the hood recommendation for islands. I have considered going with the 36" hood but there are some issues with that that I have not yet resolved. Maybe if I explain more the web wisdom will be able to help. I didn't give much info about the kitchen design and the ventilation specialists do not consider the application an island because you cannot walk all around it (which is what perturbs the airflow). On the left side is cabinetry that looks like a hutch but goes floor to ceiling with a stone countertop. On the right is a stainless steel countertop and lower cabinets that span 3-4 ft and then take a 90 degree turn where the sink and dishwasher are located. Behind the range is a 13" ledge and then a hallway. The 30" hood would be centered over the 30" range so that the stone counter ends then the stove then the stainless steel counter. If I get the 36" hood for the 30" stove then if the hood is centered it creates the need for a 3" stainless steel countertop between the stone and the range. My thinking was that this would not look good or be useful. I don't know if this all makes sense in words. tomorrow I will try to post the layout and hopefully get additional feedback on how to get the best fit with appliances given the design constraints. Anywhohow, thanks for your comments. I try to tell myself that some day soon my mental energy will be freed up again and I will spend it on cooking instead of researching appliances......that day cannot come soon enough!

"Our local store rec'd the Electrolux Q50 series. Though reviewed.com loves this machine I'm having a difficult time finding owner feedback. I was told this was Italian time-tested technology, just now brought to the US. And the orbit clean has just come out of patent, but is also not "new". Any leads on further information?" The Frigidaire FPID/FGID and Electrolux EI24ID/EW24ID (including the 50QS) are brand new and seem to be a redesign from the ground up. Electrolux did not have a great reputation for dishwashers in the past; owners complained of poor washability and reliability. However, it's very possible this new line is great and exactly what they needed. You certainly won't find any user reviews at this point, though. If you buy one, let us know what you think! The only real "proven" dishwashers on the market right now are Maytag and the Euro manufacturers Bosch, Miele, and Asko. Although Maytag is a Whirlpool brand, they still use the previous generation Point Voyager tall tub wash system that works well. Whirlpool has transitioned the rest of their brands including KA to the "Global Wash System" which supposedly is quieter and uses less water but is unproven. GE and Electrolux/Frigidaire just introduced complete redesigns, presumably because their previous offerings weren't so great. Those are also unproven.

Not sure anyone cares except the husband and me..haha...but in case anyone comes back to this post. we went to three different appliance stores plus the online AJ Madison store to scour 36" fridges. unfortunately with the way the kitchen is, with a wall to the right side of the fridge, either the handle of the French door style fridges would be an issue OR it was impossible to take out the inner baskets to wash. So we are back to the 30" Miele. it kills me that 30" counterdepth is more expensive than the 36" ones but it is what it is. But thanks for the input because we feel like we researched every damn fridge (and omg so many hideous ones!) and truly feel like we landed on the right one for us.