Thanks for your review. I love hearing about appliances that aren't as widely talked about. Just curious about your banana bread. What mode did you use to bake your banana bread- standard bake or convection bake? Also what type of pan? Did they both have the same rise? Was it a standard recipe with sugar (as opposed to something made with sweetners)? Let us know as time passes how they continue to work.

We love this range.... & would buy it again! As with every new appliance, there are new things to become familiar with.... the induction cooktop is very straight-forward (and we had used an induction plate prior to buying this range, so induction wasn't a new concept to us), but the oven seems to maintain more humidity than my old one, but I have learned to use convection more since I last posted... so for things that i want a drier or crisper result, I use the convection option, or open the door a bit to let the extra moisture/steam out. I haven't found it takes noticeably longer to preheat than my old self-cleaning oven, but I see others have complained of this. The oven interior is slightly smaller than my old one, but I've gotten used to that, too, now. I recently used the bread-proof setting which worked like a charm. If I had a wish list, I would put a small hob at the front, since I use the small hobs a lot, and if you are stirring or tending the pot, it is nice not to have to reach back quite so far for an extended period of time. There weren't many choices available in my region when I bought this range. It was either this one or a GE cafe induction range. I'm sure there are more to choose from now, but I'm better with fewer choices, otherwise I'd never be able to make up my mind! Wait for the big sales if you can... stores sells these for $1000 - $1500 off the regular price, & I've seen these big appliance sales more than once each year.

Wow, thanks to the spammer this morning that brought this tread back to the front page! After I made the initial postings, several weeks ago, I had to ask my husband again about the basement digging story. Cause it sure sounded a bit like "yes, I walked to school 6 miles every day-uphill both ways!" What DH says is that his dad and aunt used a horse and a slip to dig that basement (whatever a slip looks like?). His dad would have been in his teens and aunt in her late teens or early 20's I believe. The soapstone along the sink wall is now in. I cut the counter for this location too. DH gave me lots of suggestions, guidance, and man power. This part of the stone is not as consistent in character as the other pieces. The stone transitions into a harder stone at the sink and to the left. It will do. I had a lot of fearful thinking about tackling this project and I had grown men refuse my request for help. Though my brave dear BIL offered to help, we just couldn't coordinate a time. I had a local stone fabricator come in and cut the hole for my over-mount single bowl stainless steel sink. Here is the counter in place: Dorado Soapstone in Colorado cut the lengths for me and made the center cut at the sink. I glued it with 5 minute epoxy with my DH help. It took way longer than 5 minutes to dry, try hours. I was concerned that I'd messed the ratios up when I mixed the epoxy: Plumber hooked up DW, sink, & faucet. The plumbing was done while I was at work. When I got home and walked in, I exclaimed. . . "Whoa, that's a big one!" Later when DH came in and I repeated my shocked observation. He said he thought the same thing but wasn't going to say anything. Ain't he sweet? He then reassured me that he would claim he picked it out if anyone made a comment. I told him he could take the credit. It is so nice to get back to near normal in the kitchen. I have my friend/carpenter coming to put up new casing around the doors this week or next. Originally I was going to reuse the old fir trim with a plan to fill the nicks and dings, refreshing the surface for painting. Four sets of door casings are needed. One set was too worn out so we salvaged a set from an old house that sits on "Ruben's" farm. The house was a cute simple stucco bungalow that Ruben Oakleaf lived in. It's now decrepit and falling into the basement. Ruben was a bachelor farmer. I will have to remember to take a picture of the place. My late FIL bought the farm years ago to add to the family farm. Ruben had died. FIL kept the house, in case any of the kids wanted to live in the house. Well years passed, no one moved in, and the house decayed. I had always thought about salvaging the wood trim from that house. Now, 22 years later, DH & I took out 2 sets of door casings to use in the kitchen. I don't know why we even bothered. The raccoons moved in some time ago and made a big mess of everything and I'm sure there are other critters making Ruben's house their own. So, while contemplating my approach in refurbishing the trim pieces, I could only ignore the facts for so long. . . about 20 minutes. Other GW'rs are probably quicker studies. Anyway, while considering these casings I became disgusted, went up to the house, and proclaimed to DH "I'm getting Al to put up new woodwork!". The thought of raccoons having lived with this trim and doing whatever they do, was just too much for my sense of hygiene, style, and my new kitchen...what had I been thinking! DH lovingly agreed to this new plan. So there you have it, an update. I would like to share another kitchen picture with you. It is a picture of the brooder house that my GMIL & then MIL used for baby chicks. MIL turned it into a play house for her girls in the later 50's or early 60's. Then of course there were remodeling efforts when the first grandkids came along in the 80's: Inside is the kitchen: and here are the cupboards behind that hog panel (thank God for spell check, I can't spell "panal"): I will continue this thread when I get the fab new door trimmings up. Thanks so much for your interest and kind comments. How'd she get in here?!

Laughable- thanks so much for the link, perhaps we can do something like that this summer when we have more time. Looks like a great fix for now until we can save the 3K for window treatments. Whit- our kitchen is just over 16' long and 12' wide. For the lighting plan we actually have a small pendant to still put in over the kitchen sink. We originally purchased 2 pendants over the peninsula, but with the kitchen light fixture, dining chandelier so close by we nixed it. We used the highly GW rec. home depot LED 4" lights. We had the electrician put them where we needed them most and have 8/9 in the kitchen and then more threw out the first floor. They are all on dimmers. With out the uppers to worry about shadows on the countertop we rarely turn them all the way up. During the day I rarely turn on any lights as the place gets lots of natural light. Good luck with your remodel. I really working in this kitchen and find it plenty big for us. We hosted Christmas and had about 5-6 people cooking/prepping and it was great. Cleans up well and the peninsula has been perfect for my 3 year olds meals and craft time and keeps her at bay while I cook. Just wanted to ad our much anticipated new addition finally made her debute fashionably late on 2/13/13, a successful VBAC: We are enjoying her just as much as the kitchen ;)