Thanks fitzski. I actually emailed Miele last week and still haven't received an answer from them, although today I talked to a Miele rep who definitively said that although they don't have an "official" release date, the induction cooktop is still slated to be available in the US by the end of 2007. However, he didn't know at first if it would have the same dimensions as the Canadian model. (I looked up all the specs for the 36" model available in Canada). After some checking, I was told that the US model should be very similar to the Canadian KM5773. The one thing I wasn't able to determine from the online manuals is the distance required beneath the unit for ventilation (how much cabinet space needs to be left clear--I was hoping to still have room for two large drawers for pots and pans). It's probably there, but even with a PhD sometimes I miss things! I'll have my DH take a look at the manuals once he is back in town. For now it seems that I should be OK to move ahead with my cabinets and plan on purchasing the Miele in the US near the beginning of the year. Thanks again for the help!

I appreciate your thoughtful replies. And to be honest I think you guys are right, as much as it pains me (and my quickly expanding budget) to say it. I swear there are so many moving parts to a kitchen reno that I feel like I am running in circles and not making any headway. I really don't want this to drive me into the poorhouse too, but it is hard to have champagne tastes on a beer budget, I have really been trying not to fall into the "oh, I'll just look" trap because these things can so quickly snowball out of control. I have the devil on one shoulder saying that since I am doing this, it only makes sense to do it right and try to get what I ant, but the angel on the other trying to keep the spending in check. But the point that JCWR made is a great one, the kitchen is to cook and produce food. Maybe I need to rethink my priorities and realize that paying double for cabinets that go to the ceiling isn't as important as getting a stove that finally cooks at the appropriate temperature and with burners that all work. Anyway, I apologize for using GW as a journal but sometimes it helps to get the thoughts all out. So, we went and looked at appliances today and think we have hopefully made a couple of decisions (and yes, the cabinet people all wanted our appliance decisions when they are doing the plans). I am hoping that maybe there will be a couple of specials before year end because what we liked is slightly "over budget" but are factoring in functionality and things that we don't want to skimp on (like counter depth and the french door style). They also have a no interest payment plan, so that helps us since the original plan was just to pay for the entire reno in cash, this gives us the wiggle room (can you guys hear the snowballs forming?) Fisher and Paykel dishwasher - DD24DCB6V2 - $1029. I am quite sure that everything that we use will fit and like the fact that we'll most likely only have to use one of the drawers most of the time. Just two people and we handwash our pots and pans. I really liked the configuration and the drawer set up. Samsung Refrigerator - RFG237AARS - $2488.44. They have a platinum finish that I actually prefer to the stainless, I liked everything about the set up of the fridge, hopefully the quality is there. With the LG, they told me that the ice maker was typically an issue with people who like ice (which I do) so the Samsung won out. Loved the induction cooktops. LOVED THEM. Loved the Electrolux. I am splurging, I am going to either get a gas line put in (which I need to price) and get a gas range, or I'm springing for either an induction range or fancy induction cooktop/crappy wall oven. Guess I'll have to see what that does to the cabinet pricing. Lots of variables to this choice. Regardless, I'll be able to bring the water for the ramen noodles up to a boil quite quickly and have a nice stove for the frozen pizzas since that will be all that we can afford once this is all said and done ;)

We have an old house that has many of the original details, such as wood wainscotting, original hardwood floors and deep baseboards. Our kitchen reno is underway and our goal has been to create a "modern" kitchen from a fuctionality POV, without sacrificing period charm. We're going with the Blue Star cooktop and the Turbo Chef wall ovens. Like Cheril, we will also have induction (a two hob unit). I like the idea of separating out the ovens from the range, esp with two of us cooking in the kitchen. The countertops next to the ovens, as well as the island behind, will be perfect landing spots for hot oven dishes, without compromising the space that a second cook will use around the cooktop. The Turbo Chef wall ovens are appealing to me because they're high tech, but still have a retro feel. I'm also very excited by the fact that the top oven door is now available in a range of 200 colours; we plan to choose a "heritage" shade that will work very well with our cabinetry and soapstone counters. We're picking the colour this weekend. The kitchen will be in shades of buttermilk and green, and will be complemented by an antique hutch for an unfitted look. HTH - Eliz

I have the master chef 30" with moisture plus and the CSO. I tried the bread programs that primarily use the moisture plus. They worked ok but not as well as the CSO. I mainly bake sour dough, baguettes, and yeast breads. I rarely use the moisture plus as I honestly don't see other than bread the best way to use it. I do use it to freshen up a "dry" topping on reheating such as pizza that you would not reheat using the CSO combi mode. You can also add a burst of steam with the CSO in certain modes. I am certainly open to feedback and suggestions as how to use the Moisture Plus. One of these days I will make my way to a Miele Design certer and try to find out what I am missing out on. I do use the Master Chef modes for like "bake cookies", "bake Cakes", auto roast etc. A miele tech suggested I use them as he says Miele put a lot of time into perfecting them. I have been cooking/baking for over 50 years and once I better understood all the different cooking modes - I have been pretty successful in selecting the correct mode. I LOVE my CSO. Use it almost everyday in the combi or steam mode - you will enjoy it! I also made the switch to induction. LOVE IT! Would not go back to gas. Like you we live in a 4 season climate and have 2 charcoal grills and dual gas side burners in an outdoor kitchen just outside my kitchen area. Occasionally I use my side burners to use my old griddle that doesn't work on my induction to fry bacon to keep the fumes/splatter out of the kitchen. I have also used it to warm tortillas quickly without starting the grill.