Drjoann, from reading your OP and from seeing what you've been writing in other threads, here are my ideas for you. "Is a cutlery tray a big deal? " Top rack, for cutlery: a great thing. Now that the patent has expired, any DW manufacturer can put it in their models. Suddenly now, they no longer "dis" it. People who have it say it is good. Before you run your next DW wash cycle, you can actually leave the cutlery in the rack for a long time and not worry about emptying it like a basket requires. Two years ago when I studied this topic, I found the 18" Miele could come with two of these racks so one can just slide the full clean rack into a shallow drawer and not even have to unload it. No other DW had this at that time. I got a cheaper DW in the end but I'm still envious. "What are we missing if we get a modern, quiet DW, but don't go for the TOL ..." Hmmm, hard to be objective about this. If you are willing to be a proud driver of a VW (like, say, a Rabbit) instead of feeling you need or deserve any other more expensive Deutsches Auto, you have already answered this question. Wherever you are, there is bound to be one store or small chain that gives great deals to people who call, email, or show up and say they are dealhunters in every way. I found a great deal this way. I said "any DW, reasonably modern and quiet" . I was also buying other appliances. When I returned 9 months later I got a deal on another purchase. It all worked well, and my DW criteria might have been just the right starting point. The cost accountant in each company has to allocate costs based on a number of factors that have no correlation to the user experience in terms of dB(A) or drying or cleaning. A model that has not been re-worked will not have associated R&D costs to recuperate, so its distributor cost will be low. How will you know? Never can. Just declare yourself as the low-cost buyer you will be. Any DW, that is mid-range and quiet. If you want heated drying, it will have a steam vent in front. If you want condensating drying, it will not vent steam in front, it will be "greener" and take more time to finish a wash. I think DW technology is mature now so there is no compelling reason to spring for the highest price DW's. hth

I haven't cleaned the insides often (had the range swapped out because of the burner issues, so haven't had one long enough to get the inside too dirty). Yes, it is a PITA to do (the downside of no self-clean, but the alternative would be having the range pump out tremendous amounts of heat for many hours). I always had to clean my oven door manually on my old self-clean range anyway, and had to wipe out the ashes left behind after self-clean, so it''s not as though I had a free ride before! For the top, once you get the hang of it, cleaning goes pretty quickly (I don't clean the actual burner rings themselves BTW, don't see a need unless there's been a messy spillover--they're burners after all--not suppposed to look pristine and unused!). For spot cleaning or jsut wiping down the burner pans, I have found that Perfect Kitchen spray (from BB&B) was a good recommendation from the people at the SZ/Wolf showroom. Depending on the am't of mess, I'll spray the burner pans or spray a paper towel and wipe. For baked on crud or more extensive cleaning, spray with Dawn Power Dissolver spray gel, let sit (how long depends on how burnt on the mess or how much time you want to wait), and then "scrub" in the sink with a blue scrub sponge (ours usually has some Palmolive dish soap on it already), rinse, and dry. I use a dish towel to dry the pans. If I notice any smudges or finger prints after popping the pans back onto the range, I might give a quick buff with a dry microfiber cloth. The grates get a quick scrub in the sink with a soapy blue scrub sponge if I'm going to be cleaning the drip pans as well, not if I'm just spraying and wiping them. I do those first, then lay them upside down on a sheet of paper towel on the counter. They're pretty much dry by the time I've replaced the burner pans. I'll just blot up any remaining water/wet spots with a towel/microfiber/or paper towel and we're good to go!

This is an interesting conversation. I, at age 34 currently, have never in my life used gas, and I am an avid cook on my crappy electric coil. I only say crappy cause the thing is FILTHY and disgusting and soon to be swapped out for a smooth top. However, regarding simmering, I have zero issues there, and people are always asking my trick to such great rice, which as you know requires barely a simmer sustained over a duration of time. However, I have a stroganoff recipe that calls for a long and slow simmer and when my friend with gas tried to make it, and said she couldn't because her gas cooktop doesn't allow for a slow simmer - it kept leaning into a full boil no matter how low she turned it. That leads me to believe it's all a matter of experience. There are probably better and worse performing stoves in every catagory - induction, gas, or electric - and that can certainly shape experience and preference also. So this is a case where nobody is right or wrong, and thank God we all have different preferences or else we wouldn't have choices.

If you have not already read them, you might find it helpful to review these threads on American Range stoves: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4413373/american-range-36inch-gas-or-miele-36inch-dual-fuel http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2343973/american-range-performer-experiences-of-recent-buyers With Miele, are you located where the company has factory service? Again, if you have not already read it, you might find this thread on Miele DF stoves helpful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2812367/new-miele-dual-fuel-gas-range-experience