Bluestar range top. Awesome. I ditched my Thermador and it's far superior to my old Wolf.

I like the Bosch dishwashers, but that's me. They've been really dependable through the years. While my model has lots of fancy features, I don't use them.

I have older Thermador double convection ovens, they are very nice. I can't complain. Just don't run the self-clean cycle. It will fry the electronic components. This is true of pretty much every double wall oven regardless of brand.

Range hoods. I love my the Vent-A-Hood, but I've had a Best by Broan in the past and it was just fine.

Refrigerators, everyone has an opinion, but given that you are looking at an LG, consider the KitchenAid Architect II. I really like mine. The interior is cool looking. I love the way the freezer drawers work, too. Having said that, there is a good possibility that you will have to have it serviced if there is frost forming around the edge of the freezer drawer. An application of special silicone caulk by the service company to the bottom seal does the trick. It won't cost you anything, get it done while it's under warranty. I really like mine. I feel like I made an excellent choice. I didn't want a built-in unit. I wanted more storage space.

I have Marvel wine storage unit, too. It's very nice. I wouldn't recommend their mini-bar refrigerator. I have one and I don't like the fact that the drawers aren't adjustable.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Huruta,

Thanks for the Lacanche recommendation. We looked at them very carefully, but we weren't sure if the oven would fit the 24-26 lb turkey's we cook during the holidays. Also, when we decided to go with separate Rangetop and double wall ovens, we finally had to cross Lacanche off our list. As far as we know, they don't make rangetops.

I'll look into the Vent-a-Hood's. Thanks for the tip!

So, if I didn't get a Lacanche and wanted a separate rangetop and double wall ovens, I'd consider Blue Star and Miele in addition to Wolf. I'd probably do a Blue Star cooktop (I wouldn't have been able to resist the power) with Miele ovens (regular for large turkey and 24" combi steam oven for fast oven heat and flexibility) or if you want to blow a lot of $$$ I'd look at Gaggenau for ovens (we got our combi-steam oven new in box on ebay for 1/2 off w/5 year warranty, so you can find deals). They are beautiful products and I love their simple user interface.

I've been very happy with my Miele Futura Dimension dishwasher.

I've also enjoyed my Bluestar cooktop. It does require at least a weekly scrub if you cook a lot. I would definitely buy it again.

Are you paneling these appliances? One thing I will mention for consideration is the stainless and handle from the Miele doesn't match my Electrolux fridge and oven stainless/handles. Not sure if you care, but offering that in case you do.

All,

We've looked into the Bluestar and Capital rangetops, but aren't convinced the open burners offer enough of an improvement over sealed burners to make up for the cleanup. Our current Wolf is so easy to clean that we just wipe it down every night after dinner and it still looks fabulous after almost 10 years of use. We worry that the open burners on BS and Capital would be less easy to clean and wind up looking disgusting after a few months of moderate to heavy use.

Anyone want to share photos of their burners after a typical week of use with only minor cleaning?

I have the Wolf Pro M double ovens and have been very happy with them so far. No porcelain chipping, they cook very evenly and heat up to 350 in 9 - 10 minutes. I have a Best hood over my Wolf range top and have been very happy with that also. Good luck with your choices.

I've had both a open burner Wolf and the Bluestar Platinum. I find them easier to clean than my old Thermador sealed burner units. The Bluestar is worth the effort. Once you learn how to clean it, it's a cream puff.

"We worry that the open burners on BS and Capital would be less easy to clean and wind up looking disgusting after a few months of moderate to heavy use".

On the contrary, I've had my Bluestar 36RNB with griddle almost three years now and It gets moderate to heavy use several times a day. Hands down, it's the easiest stove top I've ever owned or cooked on to keep clean! It's really more of maintenance than a cleaning, I just wipe the grates and bowls with a paper towel, or occasionally a damp sponge. I treat the cast iron along with the steel griddle much like I do my vintage C/I skillets and cookware, never use any soap! After a short amount of use, It develops a beautiful seasoned patina that just gets better with age and becomes exceptionally non stick as well. Any small crumbs, I just wisk down with a small basting or paint brush, dropping them into the pullout tray below, which I wipe out every couple weeks.