I've used the old Revereware since I got married 28 years ago - until DH bought me a SET of All Clad for Christmas. I actually think the set was a good idea as it did include exactly the type of pans I would want and was a better value than purchasing individually. He got a recommendation for what to buy and where from a friend of ours who happens to be a great cook and a kitchen designer as well. He got them online at Metro Kitchens. The set included: 10" Nonstick Fry Pan, 2 qt. Sauce Pan with Lid, 3 qt. Sauce Pan with Lid, 3 qt. Saute Pan with Lid, 6 qt. Stock Pot with Lid. I like having a non-stick pan for eggs. I notice the biggest difference with the All Clad with things I make in the saute pan and the small sauce pan. Boiling corn on the cob or steaming vegetables is no different in All Clad than it was in Revereware so the difference with the other pans hasn't been as noticeable yet. However I've only had them for six months so lots of YEARS ahead to truly take advantage of them. However on the other hand I got along just fine for 28 years with the much less expensive Revereware. So in my opinion there's no need to purchase All Clad the first time you buy cookware. Though I'm not sure you'd get them as a wedding gift - one pan may be out of the wedding gift price range of alot of people.

I just had a new dishwasher installed, I went with a Kitchenaide (KUDE60FVSS.) I am very happy with it but ended up spending more than I had originally planned. What I learned in the hunt for a dishwasher is that things aren't what they used to be. The expectation of a workhorse DW that'll last forever, wash quickly, dry well....well, the new ones aren't neccessarily like that. Compliance with Energy Star guidelines (not to mention corporate buy outs) have changed the world of dishwashers. I have no doubt there are lots of economy DWs that you'll be very happy with, but expect some trade-offs. On your question about stores, we bought all our appliances from Lowe's--an assortment of brands-- and were very pleased. Best advice I can give you about Lowe's....in the appliance dept. ask to speak with and work with their Appliance Specialist. The specialists in the store are very knowledgable. But,like other big box stores the dept. may get staffed with an assortment of employees who may or may not know appliances. Don't be shy to ask for their "Specialist." It's a position they have in most departments and it's the best way to take advantage of their expertise. That said, there's no substitute for doing your own research (like on this forum!). Good luck to you!

I've told this before....but will again... When I had teen aged kids that often needed a quick meal because they had work or reheasal or a lesson in 20 minutes, I always kept a jar of pasta sauce in the cupboard. One evening, we were having spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, the last of my big batch of cooked all day "Sunday Gravy" deliciousness....and a friend stopped in and I said, stay for dinner, we're having spaghetti. Then looked at the spaghetti sauce and realized it would be skimpy, so I thought i would add a can of the jarr stuff ( likely Prego!)...so I did and tasted it...WOW! Hotter than he!!....checked the jar and I had added a jar of salsa. So I added a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, some wine, oregano....and another small can of tomatoes.....and served it up. It was pretty good, spicy but good....but I now had enough for 2 more meals!!

I don't particularly rely on a store to provide me with repair work except for the immediate delivery of a product. I have Bosch appliances and I would contact an authorized Bosch dealer in my area or KA. Similarly my Apple computers and other devices are serviced by Apple or Apple service people once they are out of warranty - I've bought them from numerous places including mail order back in 1991 when I bought my first Apple Performa :-). @Lizzie - Hi there! My kitchen is finally finished but construction continued around me until fairly recently as odd stuff would happen - my washer dryer was a bit too deep for the closet so that had to be reframed. My hood was the wrong size and so that delayed finishing kitchen for a while because they didn't want to install cabinets on either side until the hood was put in - and didn't want to finish the backsplash etc. etc. etc. I am still not completely finished as they have to come back for various items on the "punch" list but it's livable except for the boxes which are still in the living area as I was a pack rat and I am still slowly going through stuff - and I have furniture I can't use and nobody wants :-( Apologies for hijacking the thread by responding to Lizzie but here are photos of the kitchen and dining area. I am really happy with the way it turned out and spending time (SO MUCH TIME) on houzz asking questions and reading threads helped me so much in terms of getting the best result possible. I worked with a very knowledgable designer but thanks to houzz, there was stuff that I asked for which she had never heard of like my toe kick step stools. It truly is correct that having the luxury of living in a space gives one a better understanding of what doesn't work in the space and what would make it work better because almost everybody has certain constraints that impact the design of the kitchen. In my case, I was working with a small urban kitchen in a high rise - the kitchen is 8' x 10' so I needed to expand functional storage. @Lizzie - here are a few pictures of my finished kitchen. To the left of the cooktop I have a Bosch side opening wall oven with a microwave drawer below it and a VERY shallow tall cabinet with shelves. It is in front of a concrete support beam so it is about one can deep. This is the area behind my dining area. The tall cabinet to the left can be seen in the first photo. There is a door on the side and so the KA mixer and Cuisinart can just be slid out when I need it. The tall cabinet to the right is my broom closet. Excuse the mess on the counter as this was taken just when I moved in. This shows the tall cabinets in my dining area better in terms of the appliance storage and how it relates to the kitchen counters. I had the interiors painted blue but the shelves are clad with blue laminate and the sink cabinet is also clad in blue laminate for easier cleaning. This is the sink wall. The kitchen sink is disproportionately large (36" for the space) but because it's a ledge, it is super functional since the grad which you can see to the right of the sink gives me very functional "counter" space. I can store it on the bottom of the sink and I also got the cutting board. There is a sponge caddy to the extreme left which is a narrow removable shelf which is handy for sponges and other wet stuff. My KA refrigerator is on the right peeking through. It is counter depth but not integrated but I "cheated" the look by having my lower cabinets made slightly deeper than the standard 24"; having a panel on the left side and having the cabinet maker clad the sides that protrude with matching wood. With a counter depth, you need to have it protrude slightly so the hinges are clear of obstructions but since I had those parts clad in matching wood, it fools the eye. Not part of my kitchen ha ha but this is one half of the wall unit in my office/den area. Since I have an open concept space, it relates to the kitchen cabinetry in terms of color as well as having slight Art Deco style elements. This was my sad kitchen prior to the remodel. Again apologies for taking this thread in a direction completely unrelated to the original question.