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Feeling apathetic about choosing appliances

14 years ago

I need someone to just make the decision for me! Everything has started to look the same, all of the consumer reviews contradict each other, and I'm so annoyed with salespeople, and I'm nervous that I'll make a decision and then end up hating it.

My old yucky white appliances are starting to not look so bad afterall.

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Comments (11)

lisaslists2000
14 years ago
If your cabs are white keep your yucky old appliances. I kept my yucky old fridge. I bought a kitchenaid dishwasher - cheapest that had 3rd rack as I use it. A bluestar cooktop 36" with griddle and 4 "eyes" because it works with propane, and I don't have natural gas. Electrolux Icon Professional (because I like the handle style) 30" oven and speedcook. I love all my appliances (even my yucky white fridge, lol.) So, there's your whole package. Go for it! :-)

No, really, what are you interested in?
Lisa
warmfridge
14 years ago
I know EXACTLY how you're feeling. I bought a DW several months ago that turned out to be a lemon, and now I have to shop for DW's all over again??? I'd rather shoot myself.

And I can't decide if I should keep my old electric stove, which I've been very happy with, vs buying an induction range and taking a chance on new technology.

This is by far the hardest and least enjoyable part of the whole renovation.
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I wanted to give you all an update on my appliances! Oven: Double Miele Convection H4892BP2 Cooktop: Drop-in BlueStar RBCT365BSS D/W: KA KUDE70FXSS M/W: KA KHMS2040WSS Down Draft: KA KIRD861VSS1 Fridge: KA KFCS22EVMS I wanted Miele D/W but KA had a deal so I ended up paying $600 less than the Miele D/W (too good to pass). The same goes for the M/W. All in all, I cannot thank enough the people in this forum! I absolutely love my Blue Star! It performs and looks professional. There is so much power that I am not sure the downdraft will be enough. I have to admit that I seldom used my downdraft and I am now learning the need for it. So it might just be that I have to learn to use the appliances as they are intended (duh!) The KA downdraft is very quiet and much taller than the previous one. It is a separate unit so installation required alot of changes from what I had before. Not to mention that the Blue Star alone was the size of my previous cooktop and downdraft combined. And what can I say about my Miele oven -- I am in heaven! I love to cook but I will admit that I had gotten used to the darker coloring in some of my cooking. My oven has been working to perfection! The food comes out evenly cooked, warm and without that slightly broiled look that I used to get from my old oven (eventhough I had not used the broiler!) I had it installed my a certified Miele installer so I will get an additional warranty year (which I was told it is being discountinued as of May 1, 2011). KA D/W has been very quiet, has large capacity and is cleaning great. I also love the upper cutlery tray. I was surprised to find out (after all my research) that it takes 3-4 hours to clean (water efficiency). THis was never disclosed. Since I tend to wash when I go to bed, it is not a problem. It does have a 1 hour option so I can still do dishes quickly if I need to. But is the water saving cheaper than using electricity for 3-4 hours? I am next to a water facility next to the river so water shortage is not a problem here. My only disappointment is the refrigerator. I opted for the counter-depth and knew that I was compromising in capacity but I really wanted a "built-in" look without the built-in cost. This fridge fits nicely and gives me the desired look but the freezer capacity is almost non-existent and the upper roll-away tray above the main freezer compartment is a pain. Sometimes it does not close properly (I think there is something wrong so I will call KA). Finally, the KA M/W capacity is larger and it has a warming function. My only surprise was to find that the M/W is only front stainless steel - the sides are black. Apparantely, this is the way they make OTR M/W. It does not look bad but I can see the left side -the one next to the cooktop. Had I known this, I would have searched for an all around OTR stainless steel M/W. As for the Stainless Steel finish, it has been easier to clean and maintain than I thought. The only cleaning problem is with my Miele oven electronic controls which retain every fingerprint. Every time I clean it I turn on the upper or lower oven (does anyone know how to properly use the lock function?) Anyway, my total cost for all appliances listed above was $11,370 plus $1,125 for installation. This does not include the $500 credit card from KA that I am expecting. I stayed within my budget and was able to get a great combination of appliances. I could not have done it without your help. Again, many thanks!
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Great decision! I misspoke up topic. I was distracted by your choices. My induction cooktop is 24" (it's from Europe) but has the big double element. Some 30" cooktops don't, but your 36" will. It's great for stockpots, round griddles, bean pots, etc. Thanks! For me, my kitchen is ideal! I suffered with really awful appliances for years waiting for the money tree to shed enough leaves that I could get exactly what I wanted. If you're likely to move during the life of your kitchen keeping a hard line on the budget is a good idea. If you expect to be there to enjoy it, the more you can scrimp on unimportant things and put toward the functional ones, the better. That said, by the time my kitchen was done, I really didn't have the need for speed that I thought the Advantium would be great for and I've never learned to use it to its greatest advantage. OTOH, it's the best microwave I've ever used and, while the operation is weird, running on convection oven mode, it's a really good oven. There's a rack that holds my 17" Pyrex baking dish. In the steam oven, I blanch or steam vegetables all the time, make "convenience foods" like chicken tenders, poach... And sometimes I just have something small that seems to want to go in it. I learned that putting a pot in to finish on convection mode isn't the best idea if the regular oven is available because cleaning spatter out of the combi-steam is a dreadful chore, and my regular oven has the best self-clean function out there. :) If something drippy goes in the combi-steam, now, I try to remember to put a solid pan underneath. In the regular, big, oven, I bake, broil, etc., as one normally would. If I have small things that need to to be oven baked, I often will use the Advantium because it's convenient. That would be the kind of things people often put in a toaster oven, like a tray of borekes (homemade) from the freezer. With the enamelled trays that you can use as baking sheets, and the fact that my Advantium is at the most convenient level, this is very convenient. Rewarming a composed plate of food is nigh on miraculous in the Gaggenau combi-steam. I'm not familiar enough with the other makes to know if they do similarly. There are still things that I zap, like a bowl of pasta or soup for a quick meal, or a sandwich. The Advantium does a great job on microwave mode. If I were making lovely sandwiches for company, however, and wanted to heat and melt, I'd use the steam like they do in the fancy sandwich shops, and if I have more than a single bowl of soup or pasta to heat, I do it on the stove. I chose my warming drawer so that it had a low enough setting to heat plates. My combi-steam will as well. The big oven has a plate heating setting at 120°, which is too warm for my purposes. The warming drawer and combi- go down to 85°. The warming drawer is the most convenient by far for plate heating, however. Because they have these temperatures, both the big oven and the combi- are also appropriate for keeping foods warm. I don't remember how low the Advantium goes since I have so many other choices. So, for the recent Seder feast, I made a kugel (vegetable casserole) and partially cooked the brisket a day ahead. I also had steamed all the root vegetables for the tsimmis (roots and dried fruit). The soup was tomato consomme, and I used the combi-steam to blanch the tomatoes for peeling, and made the soup on the stove, then froze it about a week early. Dessert was French macarons, which I baked in the regular, big oven a week ahead and froze. For matzah toffee (dairy, not for Seder), I melt the butter and sugar in a one quart saucier on the smallest induction element. No double boiler necessary, not even for chocolate. The matzah is spread on parchment on a baking tray that comes with my big, regular oven. It has raised sides and fits six squares perfectly. It also fits perfectly in the fridge (the housing of which is made by the same company as the oven). So the toffee is poured on the matzah, chocolate chips are sprinkled over and heated in the oven, then spread once warm to a complete layer, and sprinkled with dried fruit and nuts mix, and chilled overnight before being broken up. Day of, I sliced the brisket and moved it to the small graniteware roaster and covered with foil, and put it in the combi-steam on convection mode. The gigantabird (turkey) went in the regular oven, and several foiled potatoes for the strange eaters went around it at the appropriate time. I had my stockpot simmering with matzah balls, which I make on the day because they don't come out when I do them ahead, on the big double element, and the soup defrosting in my old Farberware stockpot on the gas flames. On the most powerful single induction element, I had the tsimmis: sauteed the onion, combined all the steamed veg, added the macerated fruit, and tried to get it all combined and hot. This was in my 9-quart bean pot. I had been pulled away from starting it on time, and I knew it would never be hot and well married in time, so I put it in the Advantium for the 1-1.5 hrs. I had before I absolutely had to put in the kugel. That went in the Advantium, on the shelf, just before we sat down to read the story and do the blessings. For boneless skinless chicken, just to make cooked chicken, I put the pieces in a solid pan from the combi-steam, brush the pieces with some kind of sauce or marinade, and sprinkle with a seasoning blend and an herb blend. Steam at 360 for about 25 minutes for tenders (not very full pan) or 40-45 minutes for breasts. Small boneless thighs somewhere between, and an extra five minutes or a little more if there are bones. Instant food, dead easy. Another version is to fill the bottom of the pan with vegetables (mirepoix, trinity or whatever) and put chicken breasts or a whole butterflied chicken on top, and steam for 1-1.5 hrs. depending on the quantity. OTOH, for true roasted chickens, I'll do them vertically in the regular big oven, with some wine in the pan, or else use the rotisserie. I tend to be too lazy for the rotisserie. It's heavy to pull in and out, and messy, and the chickens need to be trussed. They come out just as well on a vertical roaster and if they need tying a silicone "rubber" band or two is generally adequate since they're not moving. I've only done one chicken in the Advantium, which isn't a fair test (Freudian slip? I typo'd "don't" for "done". Easy to do when the mind has moved on to the next word before the fingers are done typing, however it might have been some kind of subconscious warning! :D ). It was fine, but had more of a microwaved taste than I care for. I do use some of the speed programs for intermediate things, but I've underutilized the speed since I really have the luxury now to do slow. :) Favorite thing that I never ate before the new kitchen: Barely blanched blue lake green beans. OMG! I love green beans but I hate blanching in a pot of water with a vengeance and hate using steamer baskets to do it even more. Green beans blanched in the steam oven, but still crisp are SO amazing and fab at any temperature (hot from the oven, room temp or cold from the fridge). My father doesn't like them though. He thinks they're not cooked enough. :) That's a choice. :) For blanching green beans or asparagus or whatever, I take the time to line them up neatly in a single layer, and keep the time short since they'll continue to cook in their own heat. The beans get waterlogged if you ice bath them, so I just run under cold water then transfer them to a cold, flat glass container as fast as possible. For full grown green beans or medium sized asparagus, I do 100% steam, 215°, 6 minutes. For matchstick asparagus or haricots verts, more like 4 minutes. Hope this helps you envision things.
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My usual computer is taking five (or more like fifty-five), so I apologize for my delayed response of sincerely and gratefully thanking you all for your terrific insight and comments. This has been a really cathartic experience for me, both in terms of just putting it out there (writing my initial post) as well as getting such valuable feedback from you all. A quick point of clarification: the AR does have convection and a large capacity, it's the Gaggenau which has neither (nor french door but it does have a side-opening door), which is why the Gaggenau isn't a contender. I bake lots more than cookies -- night before last we made Sticky Toffee Pudding for a crowd, and baked in an earthenware 9X12 that gets heavy and unwieldy, esp. as it was a bain marie. I also bake almost all our breads (for which I often use a peel, so not sure the french door feature would affect that much) plus casseroles, etc. There are lots of things (both savory and sweet) which are baked and which aren't cookies which are also vegan / vegetarian! And it's these heavy things which make me lust for the french door feature. But in all fairness, baking cookies is my favorite -- how'd you know? If it were based on looks alone (between these two, AR and Electrolux), the Electrolux would win hands-down. But we haven't chosen kitchen apps based on looks (my mother does that and it's a joke trying to cook in her kitchen, but then again, she doesn't cook) but on function. To us (husband and me), the beauty is in its utility. If it works well and does what we need and want, then it'll look good to us! Anyway, this salutary back-and-forth with you all made me decide on the Electrolux. The only way I can get my hands on an AR is either to fly out to AR headquarters or purchase one. It is a brand-new product, and if I were to get one I'd be in the first generation, with all that implies (and I mean as a potential problem finder). The only place to sell one here (in CO) is a restaurant supply, and they'd have to special order me one (hence the discount, because to them ordering one oven for a residential customer when they're ordering in bulk for commercial purposes is no big deal). That would mean even though they'd also service it, it's not as if they'd see a ton of these ovens so who knows what experience(s) we could have .... I hadn't thought of that, so I am so, so grateful to you for bringing it up. How much would I resent an oven which malfunctioned, esp. an incredibly expensive oven? I'd be so ticked .... (That's not saying the AR will be a dud -- I've tried to read as much as I can about AR but its residential line [all of it, I think] is new. Electrolux is newish, too, but I've been able to read more about it.) For twenty-odd years (I'm in my 30s) I've baked in a wall oven with the door which opens down -- I'm used to it. I actually baked in an Electrolux and liked it. I love its big window and I really like its price. So, with the money I'm not spending on the AR I'm taking my little children and husband to New Orleans for the winter holidays plus I'll still have money left over! Imagine that .... Thank you, thank you, thank you all!
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amberley
14 years ago
Seriously, I think I researched appliances for 2 years. It drove me batty. Although it is a pain, you really do need to do the legwork and determine what features are important to you and what is within your price range. Everyone here will be helpful, so don't hesitate to ask.

I ended up with the GE Cafe dual-fuel range and vent hood, Kitchenaid KUDS50svss (might be the same one lisaslists has), and I have a 3 year old french door GE fridge.
rhome410
14 years ago
I had to shop for ovens extensively and repeatedly, so I actually know and feel that there are tremendous differences between appliances...Just seemingly none that are perfect. I know the fear of the dreaded 'second guessing.' The grass always looks greener...and you don't want to feel that way after spending thousands on appliances.

I have to say that the Appliances Forum was way more help than Consumer Reports, or most appliance salesmen. However, with your being in Seattle, and my recent shopping in Seattle, I might be able to tell you the names of the salesmen I found to be helpful, and even the ones I felt were 'full of it' when it came to facts and listening to my needs.

I have Bosch dishwashers. We had one in our last house that was far superior to the 2nd one we added, which was a top of the line Maytag with a 3rd/cutlery rack. I only found that it severely limited the amount of full-sized plates and taller glasses we could fit in...and even though it had a food grinder and a heated dry, which the Bosch didn't, the dishes coming out of it were dirtier and wetter than those from the Bosch. Anyway, so it was Bosch for this house...2 of them in the 500 Series. The racks aren't the best, but we make do fine with them, and have no complaints about the job it does cleaning. And the dishwashers are so wonderfully quiet and energy & water efficient.

I had Fisher and Paykel ovens, and now have Monogram. I just self-cleaned last night and the oven, including it's wonderful glide racks, looks almost new. None of the chipping porcelain I had with the F&Ps. And the full extension racks are the best. But it's baking performance isn't quite what the F&Ps offered. A sad compromise, I must say, but I can work with it. It's not terrible or anything, I've just had better and notice the little differences.

I have a Wolf rangetop (48" with 8 burners since we have a big family)...Like Lisa, we don't have natural gas, so it runs on propane. I don't know if all gas stoves do this, because this is my first gas appliance, but I am amazed how the tiniest adjustment of the knob makes a difference in how vigorously or slowly something cooks. It's amazing and wonderful to be able to control things so well and easily. I like that all the burners have the same high BTUs and same low and consistent simmer. I can use whichever burner for whatever I want without having to choose by what size it is or power it offers.

Best wishes. It can be difficult, but your own good research will be worth it. As I said, run things by the appliance forum, it's a great resource.
marja
14 years ago
Seattle Rain - I know exactly how you feel! What I did was research all the appliances I needed to buy (through this forum and on the internet), and narrow it down to 2-3 choices per appliance. Then I went to 3 appliance centres armed with my information (neatly organized into a binder), and examined each appliance personally (there is no replacement for actually touching and feeling the range, fridge, etc.) I ended up purchasing the follow:ge cafe duel fuel range, whirlpool gold french door fridge, panasonic convection microwave, kobe range hood, and miele dishwasher. I based my decisions on: 1. good quality/reviews, 2. best value for the money I wanted to spend, 3. staying within my budget 4. after sales service record(I originally considered a different fridge, but 2 different salespeople convinced me that the service record of that particular company wasn't great) Good luck with your decisions!
jsweenc
14 years ago
I agree that asking here is better than CR or other rating sites, but you will still get the whole range of opinions on every single one you look at. Once you narrow it down, ask opinions of individual items/comparison between two or three over on Appliances Forum. You will be way ahead of most customers when you set foot in a store. (You may even know more than some of the salespeople.)

Personally, I would try to buy from a local store that has been around a long time and keeps its salespeople for a long time, as opposed to a big box. We ended up going about 40 minutes away because of the kind of service this store gives, even though Best Buy, hhgregg, Sears, Lowe's and others are within 3 miles of our house. They deal mostly in the high-middle range but could get anything we wanted in the brands they carry (the ones they don't carry, they have dropped because of customer service issues -- like Samsung). They would have price-matched whatever we found elsewhere but we didn't haggle. The extended warranties were much less there as well, since we bought them for 3 of the 5 (the more you get, the less they are at this particular store.)

FWIW (not much b/c it's personal choice and what fit us best, but since we just purchased last week and today, I'll share), we went with the new Electrolux induction range, Bosch DW, GE Profile MW, Vent-a-Hood, and Whirlpool Gold FD SD fridge. (Hijack -- Marja, how do you like your fridge, and how long have you had it?)
joann23456
14 years ago
Use the A.J. Madison website, even if you don't buy from them. It's arranged really well, and allows you to zero in on the features that matter to you. Making your selections (size, color, fuel, capacity, etc.) cuts the options way down, so you only view items that will work for you.

After that, you can use the comparison tool to compare features, and look at the reviews.

Then, when you've narrowed it down, go to Epinions.com and look at the reviews for the items you're considering. Look at Consumer Reports, ask on the Appliances forum.

I also found it helpful to zero in on what I got for a particular price difference. For example, when I was looking at wall ovens, I was looking for a relatively low-priced electric wall oven with convection. The Frigidaire Professional that I eventually bought was about $1,100 and the Electrolux I wanted was about $2,000. For the extra money, I would get the pretty blue interior, slide-out racks, and a temperature probe. I decided that the interior color was nice but superfluous, and that I could reproduce the temperature probe with an external meat thermometer. So I zeroed in further on the oven racks.

The Electrolux racks were *much* better. If money hadn't been an issue, I would definitely have bought the Electrolux. But money *was* an issue, so I figured that the worst that could happen was that the racks would sag and become unusable. I checked online, and I can buy replacement racks for $40 apiece. So I chose the Frigidaire.

But really - use the A.J. Madison website. And good luck!
seattle_rain
Original Author
14 years ago
Aaah, thank you. I think part of my problem is that we had planned on doing the remodel in stages--keeping the same layout and same cabinet boxes, but the plan was to replace doors/drawer fronts and appliances right now, then counter tops in the Fall. Well, then I started running into limitations (i.e. countertop overhang next to the fridge means we have to have a smaller fridge than we would if we waited until replacing the counters).

Dh was the one who was pushing for changes right away, but after my little meltdown yesterday I told him to back off. He pressured me into buying a dining room table before I was ready a few years ago, and I've hated it since Day 1. So I think he'll ease up and give me more time to work through these problems and maybe we'll wait to do it all in the Fall instead.

BTW, love all of your selections. I've been looking at the GE Cafe and Kitchenaid Architect II gas ranges...but we need to convert to gas (have it in the house, just not behind the range). I love cooking with gas, but I'm hearing good stuff about induction, so now I'm researching induction a little more before committing to the switch.

And let me know how you like the Whirlpool Gold FD fridge! I've been looking at that one.
bibliomom
14 years ago
Well, as long as your appliances are still working, I don't think you need to rush - especially if waiting gets you the fridge in the size you want.

Of course this is the mind set that's kept me in an all-80s-all-the-time kitchen with barely working appliances for the last ten years - I wasn't willing to give up on my dreams of a 48" BlueStar range in exchange for a replacement downdraft cooktop or another 27" built in oven, and if that meant manually lighting a stove and cooking everything on pre-heat, so be it. I did replace my broken side-by-side refrigerator with an LG French door and my broken down Whirlpool with a new Bosch dishwasher, but we did these as needed and plan on using them in the new kitchen. (Along with a 48" BlueStar ;-)

My philosophy is that as long as the new hole's the right size, you can replace appliances at your leisure.

As for Seattle, DH got his super-nice grill at Albert Lee and has had great service from them. The DW and fridge came from big box stores (Sears and Lowes) and while the prices were pretty good, the service is hit or miss. I really like my Bosch, though I've heard mixed reviews about the new ones; my LG is just okay - at the time it was the only French door available, it fit into the space, and it wasn't a side by side.

Good luck!
donaldsg
14 years ago
I am starting to feel this way too. I might just go to Sears and buy all Kenmore on sale and be done with it! At least they are reliable.
iceqween13
14 years ago
Seattle rain: we had propane put into our house for the new furnace and fireplace so it would have been very easy to put in a gas stove. I went with the induction (KA) and every day I'm thankful I did. I enjoy cooking with it and especially the clean up. Sleek look is nice too.

I nearly drove myself crazy researching too and like Marja says, it makes a big difference to touch the appliances. The research paid off and I'm happy with the choices: Electrolux 30" oven (not Icon); Panasonic Inverter OTR Micro; KA fridge bottom freezer; KA panel dishwasher.

Good luck!

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