''That would be a likely plan for me. I presume the oil gets refrigerated between uses then disposed of at the end of the week. Does the cooking vessel come out for storage? Are there fryers which don't need to be drained; where the cooking vessel is designed to serve as a storage container? So, fryer users, why do you use a deep fryer when an ordinary pot will work?'' I don't refrigerate the deep fry oil. Bacteria is not likely to survive the >370F temps. The oil is not kept around long enough to go rancid. That's my experience, anyway. But I don't see the need to refrigerate any oil, so possibly my nose just isn't that sensitive or I tend to use oil that is more stable. On the Waring, the tub is simply a rectangular stamped steel tub with a lip. There is no cover, I suppose you could use plastic wrap if you were going to refrigerate it, but it would be a pretty bulky thing to put in the refrigerator. Versus an ordinary pot . . . - The fryer doesn't take up a burner, during the days when I'm not using the oil but haven't put it all away yet. I only have four burners. - The tub is a relatively deep and narrow vessel, so you can get coverage with a reasonable amount of oil. - The fryer basket is a handy way to load up your tempura/whatever, neatly immerse it in the oil all at once, remove it all at once, and drain it over the oil before tranferring to paper towels. It is just a convenience thing. I can't imagine the deep fryer does anything a pot couldn't.

Ok, so I just re-measured to be sure. I should have pointed out that the 11' x 9' did not account for the hallway closet that intrudes on the space. So footballmom, you are right. Because of the closet, functionally I guess the room is a lot smaller, as the closet takes up space next to the dishwasher. So here are the more specific dimensions; - Long wall with range in the middle: 140" (currently about 54" to left of range and 56" to right) - Sink/pass-through wall (up to closet): 87" - Window wall: 115" - Wall where fridge is now (up to doorway): 60" Note that the window isn't centered, so there's only 23 3/4" on the right side of it, but 37 3/4" on the left. This is why the fridge sticks out beyond the window where it is. Part of the reason we were thinking of "regular-sized" appliances is resale. Not that we are planning on selling soon, but are trying to take into consideration what potential buyers would want. Also I wonder whether smaller appliances might actually make the room seem smaller by association? Maybe not I will definitely give the idea of a smaller fridge and DW some more thought. 3" of space next to the fridge is do-able. I think that this would only allow opening the door to 90 degrees -- I would be able to pull the right crisper drawer out enough to reach the contents completely, but not quite enough to remove the crisper drawer. I don't think this would bother me. Would it bother other people? Buehl, what do you think? The OTR is vented to the outside (that wall is an exterior wall). Jillypie, I don't think I would have room for a fridge where the D/W/ is now. Bmorepanic, we don't have a basement, just a crawlspace. We had toyed with the idea of moving the sink and making an opening through the passthrough, but it would probably be too costly. No heating in that closet, just a million coats and shoes and an electrical box. I'm interested in the idea of running cabs under the window, but then still have the problem of where to put the fridge. In one way, I do like the idea of the fridge on the range wall, as this would help to visually break up the cabinets on that wall - esp if we get a nice-looking ss one. Divamum, I very much appreciate your Sunday morning musings :) I agree that the kitchen should be a place to live rather than just cook. I'm thinking that maybe if we open up the pass-through wider as well as taller (ie above dishwasher), then maybe we could put a couple of bar stools up to the counter there. There's not a whole lot of space in the DR, but maybe just enough? Kitchenkelly, we are planning to go crazy with lighting too :) I really like the idea of pendant lights over the sink area. Definitely undercab lighting. Hmmm a sconce is an interesting idea maybe I can find a place to put one of those Seems like everyone is in agreement that cabs should all go to ceiling in this space and not be varied heights. Anybody disagree? A couple of KDs (I'm still deciding which KD to go with) have suggested leaving a gap at the top and putting lights up there to flood the ceiling with light and make the tops of the cabinets "glow". One of them had suggested having only the cabs above the range go to ceiling. What do you think of this idea? Thank you all so much! I will try to post some pics soon of different options. Meanwhile, please keep those ideas coming!

I disagree that there is such a thing as "too much" wood. I personally love the look of wood floors throughout and actively dislike carpeting (in part because I have allergies). Wood floors thoughout a house gives a continuous flow to the areas and creates a more unified feel, IMHO. I generally dislike the look of tile kitchens abutting wood/carpet living/family rooms. It just looks too chopped up for my taste. That said, I just saw an amazing combination of stone, wood and carpeting over in the flooring forum. One poster -- chiefneil - who has impeccable taste, ran a border of dark wood flooring thoughout his house and did insets of different materials in different rooms. I think the reason I liked this way of doing it is that the wood is still the unifying element that gives a cohesive look. Check out the photo's of chiefneil's floors (there are a couple) Here is a link that might be useful: flooring

So much good information! Even if I don't use them in these beds, I've have some thoughts for future expansion. Some aren't available this year from Burlington and I wanted to keep shipping down and only order from one place. However, the reds aren't working out; the Marechal Foch is OOStock and Anda appears too orange, so I've changed my plans and am just getting a white (Yvonne Rabier), a salmon/apricot (Margo Koster) and a Fire Opal Kolorscape Kordes rose as I thought it incorporates dark pink, salmon and white as the blooms age. I got the latter from Chamblees along with the Kordes Sweet Romance and Cecil Brunner. Even with shipping, their 1 gal pots were much cheaper than Lowe's. For the red and pink, I planned to wait until the current roses bloomed and post pics to try to ID what I have and then order something. I hadn't even considered propagating them, but that's a brilliant idea! Duh! We have the remains of a great city rose garden with all old varieties and they may allow me to take cuttings too. Yeah! Now I have something else to research. Is this the right time to do this? My New Dawn roots easily by itself and I grow my old Cornus Mas and avocado from seed , but have never purposefully rooted things, unless geraniums, sedum and jasmine count. :) Thank you everyone!!!