Another person with appliance decision confusion...

10 years ago

This is my first post after hours of reading and searching through this forum for about a month.
We are renovating our kitchen and I need to pick appliances before we can move forward. This is a house we hope to be in for a long time and while I know appliances aren't always made to last these days, I am willing to spend a little more if the quality is there. I currently have a Kenmore AG 30inch range with griddle, dishwasher and fridge - all here when we moved in 5 years ago. Hate the oven - runs 30 degrees too hot, no working broiler and takes forever to boil water. Oh and the black surface is a dust magnet which looks dirty 2 seconds after cleaned! We have extra full freezer in garage that we bought last year and will keep.
I am not an avid chef, but do enjoy cooking and baking. Pasta is a weekly meal, homemade pizza is made often, love to bake cookies, pies, cakes. I was raised with electric range, so I can bake in both gas and electric and want to have both options in my future kitchen.

I don't have a firm budget, but not looking to spend all the reno money on the appliances - around 10,000 ideal, but willing to go up to 15000 if necessary (really hope it isn't!)

Here's what I know I want-
1. 36 inch AG range 6 burner
leaning towards wolf, but also interested in DCS
confusing myself with bluestar and capital for open burners if my pasta water will boil faster
don't care about self or manual clean
not primary oven to be used everyday, but still want it to bake and roast evenly

2. 30 inch electric wall oven
primary oven, like idea of one with bread proof and keep warm functions, but not an absolute must

3. 36 inch cabinet depth or built in fridge SS, no external ice or water, FD or bottom freezer
thinking i'll be happier with cabinet depth price, but liked layouts of fridge section better in some built-ins I saw at appliance store.

4. Dishwasher
(only thing I know for sure) Miele crystal

I know I need a hood, but I haven't even started that research. I am keeping my counter microwave and having shelf built for that. At one point I was getting carried away with all the other great options out there, but really, I don't think i'd be using speed ovens, steam oven and warming drawers often enough to justify adding to plan. (though that warming draw does sound tempting for my dough!)

Any input would be greatly appreciated and I will definitely post reviews in the future once this project finally ends!
Thanks is advance

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

nycbluedevil
10 years ago
Do you really need a 30" wall oven with an oven in your range already? We have a 36" range (Blue Star) and a 24" speed oven. We use the speed oven most of the time that we use an oven at all. I don't use the speed functions that much, but when I do, they are a real time saver. And the thing really heats up fast even on the conventional functions.
phillyfeet
Original Author
10 years ago
I was initially thinking 27 inch oven, not 30. And i am still not convinced I need 36 inch range instead of 36 rangetop and 2 smaller ovens, but I do want to keep gas oven. Appliance stores in my area tried to persuade me against 24 or 27 saying people here expect 30 and that if it ever needed to be replaced, it would be difficult to find another "specialty size." Don't know how much of that is true... I tend to be cynical about what sales people say. (Ok, maybe i'm cynical about everything!)
When I asked about speed ovens I was told they are best for small kitchens without space for separate microwave. I don't know alot about the speed oven - from your post, it sounds like it be used as conventional oven only. is there any real advantage over 24 inch non speed oven other than cooking time?
I looked at BS range today and am curious if you like oven on it. I have read a lot of great reviews about burners/rangetop, but not as many about oven performance
Related Discussions
Please Help Me Start Decision Making on Appliances
Q
Comments (13)
I think I share aesthetic DNA with a lot of the posters on this thread. Love the French look; prefer colored appliances with SS/nickel/brass/etc. trim over all SS. My house is a 125 y.o. "second empire" style, which I feel deserves some sort of hat tip, if not slavish devotion to old-looking stuff. To me this means avoiding visible electronics, and overtly modern lines. OTOH, anything simple, chunky, roundish, using materials that have been around for at least a hundred years, works fine. We will be remodeling our kitchen soon, but as my current (awful, unmentionable) range just died, I will be replacing it somewhat ahead of schedule. A few months ago I went crazy over online picture of an AGA legacy. Later I met one in person, and was underwhelmed. Crushed, actually. The oven doors and knobs just didn't feel solid. Kind of reminded me of a very adorable "Easy Bake" oven. Interestingly, the same showroom had the pricier AGA 6-4 cooker, also duel-fuel (not the true cooker that the name would imply), and I was shocked at how different it felt - super solid heavy cast iron doors with integrated hinges and latches, although the knobs were the same. The Cornufe was there as well. The doors felt more solid than the legacy, as did the knobs, but like the 6-4 it was a bit out of my price range. And then there was... ... the small oven thing. I tried to tell myself this didn't matter, was actually an advantage, less energy to heat up, etc. And I really DO want to be able to cook two things at different temps simultaneously. But among my friends who actually cook, virtually all said I'd sooner or later regret not having a regular-size oven. (Wall oven/s not an option for me.) Not sure how the Lacanche stacks up in terms of oven size. It's probably my favorite looks-wise. Their owners seem to really cherish them. But to me it only makes sense to spend that much on a range if it's going to hold some sort of visual dominion over the rest of the kitchen. My range will only be seen head-on from the fridge wall; not from the kitchen entrance or kitchen table or any other rooms, so I'd rather put my aesthetic eggs in other baskets... Which has brought me back to the pro-styles. My husband eliminated Bluestar because of the open burners. He thought we were too lax in our cleaning habits to prevent that drip plate from turning into a smelly, scary disaster. I think we're about to settle on American, most likely black (with SS trim), in a 30" AG, which has an unusually large oven, and pretty good burner capacity (2 @ 17K btu, 140 degree simmer). We plan to get a countertop toaster/confection oven combo to accomodate our second/small oven needs. Or maybe a microwave/convection oven combo that we will hide somewhere. We are looking into a modern aire PS26 range hood in black with SS trim. One cool think about American is that you can swap out the color down the road. So if our upcoming remodel screams for a different color, say, fire engine red, we won't be stuck with the black. (The hood is another matter... hmm...) The color kits are about 250-300 bucks, I think, and require a pretty handy, if not professional, person to make the switch. I'll worry about that if and when it comes to it... Good luck on your search, susied3, and everybody else (including me). Let's keep each other posted.
...See More
So confused on my floor decision!
Q
Comments (68)
lynn - My granite is Taj Mahal. Does Spectraloc grout resist stains more than a normal grout? corgimum - That's a very good question! I'm only going to replace the tile if I can find something I really like. I like the idea of having a bigger tile and I'm hoping to have smaller grout lines this time, but I think that depends on the tile I pick. I certainly don't hate my current tile, but it has a slight pink undertone I don't like. The sample I had was similar minus the pink tone. In person, its a much prettier tile than the one I have. I know the decision is ultimately mine, but both the tile guy and my mother didn't like the color, so that worries me. I found another one I like, but I couldn't tell enough about the color from the tiny samples, so he's going to get a full size tile for me to look at. nanj - Thanks for posting your picture, so I can be prepared for what might happen. The guy took his car keys and rubbed them across the wood floor I'm looking at to show me they shouldn't scratch, because of the protective coating. Is that a good test? Is it a gimmick to make me think they're more bullet proof than they really are?
...See More
Please help with countertop decision!!! I'm so confused!!!
Q
Comments (19)
kharamarie - Your kitchen choices so far sound beautiful. I have been quite enamored with gray these days. I am curious, do you like more of a single tone from counter to cabinet (say white cabinet and danby marble counter) or a little contrast (say gray cabinet with the danby marble counter?) But don't think I am lobbying for marble, you can get the same looks with the quartzite and swapping the counters. Personally, I appreciate both but lean toward contrast - where are you? Full disclosure, I have a white quartzite island but LOVE marble (didn't think it was a good fit for our family) so I guess I am not really biased. You are choosing between two lovely stones. The surprising part of the quartzite is it isn't as 'loud' once on your counter horizontal and it looks amazing with soft white cabinets (my island is BM Dove Wing which is white with a slight gray/almost green to it.) It provides a some contrast to the white without being as dark as a soapstone (which I also love with white.) I did hone mine, which was a fantastic surprise (soft with small areas of quartz that shine slightly in certain angles.) Here are a couple of photos to get the big picture and see if it is the look you are going for (we have gray pietra del cardosa counters in the perimeter.) One of the first things that everyone comments on about the kitchen is the island - everyone (non-GW :) thinks it is marble. Shot of kitchen with super white quartzite A higher angle, just of the counter Another thing to consider for counters are your "views." My perimeter counters are viewed from a distance, it is a more softer subtle look - like a gray soapstone - with tone on tone lines, some white and black veining - I call it calm and relaxing. It is a great 'backdrop' for the kitchen but when you are working on it or looking up close (which most people don't) is has a lot of interesting detail. I view my super white at both a distance and up close when you are sitting at it. You see the 'whole enchilada' were the perimeter is more bits and pieces and on an angle because you never sit at it. If you were to use superwhite on a perimeter you would even soften it more because it was viewed at a distance and in bits and pieces. So the three questions I see are: (1) Do you prefer more single tone to contrast(this hinges on your cabinet color) (2) do you prefer white with gray (marble) or gray with white (SW) and (2) do you prefer the clunking of SW (my husband said it reminded him seeing glaciers from an airplane) or the linear look of the marble. Last question - is there an island in the kitchen? Would you consider quartzite on the island and the marble on the perimeter (or vice versa?) Not sure if that would be too busy for you. It is another play on the traditional soapstone/marble kitchen. I love soapstone and understand there are different varities that have different colors (gray, black, greenish) as well as durability (my friend has soapstone and I love it but there tons of chips in the sink which would bother me, must have been a softer one.) I think you can't loose here - just what speaks to you. I have included a link to my nearly finished kitchen album. I could not get enough of photos of counter and cabinet combos when I was in the process. I would also recommend searching google images for "marble island" "gray cabinets." You may find some real inspiration. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: My kitchen with Superwhite island
...See More
Help. Appliance confusion
Q
Comments (19)
I have decided to place the two single ovens side by side in tall cabinets along a pantry/fridge wall. I will have to turn and pivot to place things from the oven onto a counter. I have no island. It looks good and I will really not lose any storage as I will have drawers under the ovens and under the cooktop. I do have options deciding how high in the cabinets I want the ovens. I have read that the most ergonomic placement is 32 inches from the floor. This makes the drawers along the pantry wall NOT line up. The drawers in the pantry cabinets end at counter height or at 36 inches and the drawers in the drawers in the oven cabinets would end at 32 inches. All of the kitchen designers I am dealing with, from a kraftmaid dealer, a Medallion dealer, a Shiloh dealer and Brookhaven, have said that I could have cabinets for the ovens that allow the ovens to mount at 36 inches to make it look more pleasing and it really would not affect how functional the ovens are. I am concerned that the 4 inch rise of oven height will make it just a little higher than is comfortable. The idea of moving ovens so they look better...I don't want to have to raise a 30lb turkey any higher then I need to. I know a kitchen is to work in, and I usually cook several times a day and my oven is used almost daily. Symmetry is important, but not to the exclusion of function. Would you notice the drawers not lined up? would you not purchase a home because of it? As kitchen designers, what would you recommend to your clients? What have you done before and how have your clients liked the function? LWO, I have tried to picture the single wall ovens stacked. It seems like one would sit really high. Thanks, Gayle
...See More
Gooster
10 years ago
I don't think you'll be able to fit a Wolf, built-in fridge, miele crystal and oven in your 10K limit. Even 15K will be pushing it, with tax included. (6K for the Wolf, another 7K min for a built in fridge -- even 42", 1.4K for the DW, 3.2K min for a single Elux oven, you are well north of 15K -- then you have to add a hood)

If a CD is acceptable, you will get big savings there. $3K for a CD fridge, $1.8K for the oven, $1.4K for the DW, 6K for a range, 1K for a Kobe hood -- You are already bumping up to a 15K budget.

Floor models and package discounts can provide the main savings to the full list prices above...
phillyfeet
Original Author
10 years ago
You are totally correct about budget being blown rather quickly with my wish list and that's why we are pretty much decided to go with CD fridge. I just liked the interior layout of a particular builtin better and it really wasn't the depth or look from outside that I prefer. Guess I'll just have to get over it and deal with reality of my budget which I am using to keep me from going overboard with appliance craze! It's not set in stone, more like a suggestion!
nycbluedevil
10 years ago
Philly

The reason that I love the speed oven is that it is so versatile. I use it as a microwave, as a conventional oven and as a combo. I would say I use the combination modes about 10% of the time and evenly split the rest between microwave and conventional. Yes, I have a small kitchen so it was a good solution for me. But the small oven is great because preheating time is so short.

On the other hand, I really like having the option of the large 36" oven too. I think the Blue Star oven is great. It is really big, has great racks, no self-clean (I was dead-set against having another self-clean oven) and is very accurate. I don't use it that much but when I do, it performs like a champ.
phillyfeet
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks so much for info on both of your ovens. Just wondering, would you mind sharing which speed oven you have?
nycbluedevil
10 years ago
We have the Miele Chef (not the Master Chef) speed oven. I prefer knobs over electronic touch panels. This was especially important with the speed oven because it is installed under the counter and I felt it would be easier to use with the knobs. The fact that it was $1,000 less than the master Chef didn't hurt either!

Another person with appliance decision confusion...

Comments (7)

nycbluedevil

phillyfeet
Original Author

Related Discussions

Gooster

phillyfeet
Original Author

nycbluedevil

phillyfeet
Original Author

nycbluedevil

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Another person with appliance decision confusion...

Comments (7)

nycbluedevil

phillyfeetOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Gooster

phillyfeetOriginal Author

nycbluedevil

phillyfeetOriginal Author

nycbluedevil

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

phillyfeet
Original Author

phillyfeet
Original Author

phillyfeet
Original Author