hello, you will get more responses if you post in "appliance forum". also, its good to post your price range and/or overall appliance budget & what you brands you are considering. for the range, are you doing gas, DF, electric or induction. so more details would be most helpful. HTH

I would highly recommend you visit the kitchen forum. You can get some excellent advice there. You can spend as much or as little as you want. Nothing wrong with the cabinets from the big box stores. They sell name brands as well as off the shelf. We did a kitchen several years ago with cabinets from Lowes. They were very nice and we got cabinets for the whole kitchen (smaller than yours) for about $1300. We just did another kitchen and I purchased the cabinets used. Entire kitchen for less than $4K but A LOT of elbow grease. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0619152730080.html

Certainly stay away from Samsung appliances. I have heard nothing but bad things about them. I have personally used a Samsung dishwasher, and it is easily one of the worst machines I have ever used. Numerous relatives and friends have had Samsung appliances that require multiple stupid repairs, and it seems like a lot of their refrigerators have leaked. However, I have all Whirlpool appliances, minus the dishwasher which is Bosch, and they all have quality issues, such as trim pieces and lose handles, broken drawers, etc. We are very careful with our appliances. We would consider another brand, but it does not seem like many major manufacturers are any better. Miele is just out of our price range...for now.

Why do you think there's a big learning curve with induction cooking? Start with medium heat, turn it up if you need hotter, turn it down if you need cooler, just like any other cooking heat source. If you have a good feel for the nuances of a gas flame, you'll quickly transfer that experience to induction. If you need all new induction-capable pans, well yes, that will take some getting used to. (No more pan shaking!) But if you love to cook, you just might enjoy the learning process. If you're a cast iron fan, it's terrific with induction. You'll love the quick clean up. Gas is supposedly superior for roasting, but I've never had less than excellent results from modern electric ovens with convection roasting features & the wonderful probe functions that make it so easy. Poultry is crisp skinned with juicy meat every time. Pricey prime rib roasts turn out well enough to be worth the annual holiday splurge. Air fry mode is my new favorite way to cook pork tenderloin -- beautiful browning while retaining interior juices. I was sold on convection baking the first time I made a pie with it. For once I didn't have to fiddle with foil strips to keep the crust from burning. A bridge feature for a griddle & for making gravy in a roasting pan is nice. Surprised how much I like the convenience of wi fi/remote operation. I like delay start/timed bake a lot. It's how I make oat groats for breakfast -- set the oven to turn on early in the morning & cook for one hour, groats are done by the time I wake up. And I can save the settings to Favorites so I don't have to reprogram the oven each time. You might find the electronic bells & whistles useful too.