Judy, it's not so much the higher wattage on the medium burners that you need as on the big one. You should be able to use a flat bottomed wok on that and get plenty of power. I understand shy, but they really are there to help you. The Miele showroom in Beverly Hills is an especially friendly space, and considering its location I have to think that that's corporate policy! Hm... above statement was made without thinking through your way of cooking. The wattage on the mediums is important if you have a really big pan that you're transferring from the wok into, so want to wok on one of the smaller burners. If you're not ready to cook something yourself in the showroom, ask for a personal demonstration. Even boiling water should give you a good idea about the heat and responsiveness. Could you work up the courage to make an appointment and go watch the salesman or chef use the unit? Or get a pushy friend to come along and speak for you? It's important for you to be happy with your choices, and one of the best ways to do that is to actually see the appliances in action. Re gas, yes, you can use the wok burner with a grill plate, but there are single sided ones that you can easily use on induction. Also, some of the double sided ones with shallower edges work okay as well, at least on some cooktops. I have always roasted eggplants and peppers on the gas flame to get them charred on the outside and not overcooked on the inside (a distinction which may just show up my lacks as a cook in not being able to do this in an oven). I have a little barbecue grate that's made for the purpose. It's a trick that's not for the faint of cleaning, however. Nolamom, the magnet test is a great way to assess whether the pots you have will work with induction, but if you're buying new it's probably worth your while to get pots that are known to work particularly well. Since I already have a lot of Le Creuset (works great with '60's coils, gas and induction all and I love the enamel), I don't know the specifics. Do a search here and you'll find recommendations. Some steel cookware has different amounts of steel in the sides of the pan and the bottom, so it cooks a little differently than one that's all the same. Some have more steel than others. Etc. Cast iron is pretty much cast iron, though weight and thickness will effect the way a particular pan works in comparison to another. Enamel shouldn't matter (it's an insulator but I haven't heard that it impedes magnetism). I have a little Turkish coffee pot which is stainless but doesn't attract a magnet at all. I can't remember if I tested it on Mr. Induction (all this stuff is packed for demo), but I'm pretty sure it won't work. :) Anyway, what I'm trying to say is if you're buying something new, make sure it will work well rather than just work.

Since you're mostly looking things that don't need a specific size pan, what you really need is a couple of "large" and a couple of "small". What "large" and "small" mean depends on the size of your oven, and the amount you normally cook. For example, if you want to cook lasagna, you need a pan long enough for the noodles to fit. If you cook a lot, like for a family, you need large dishes which hold enough food. If you're cooking for two than you might not need such large dishes as often. I agree with hostapasta that a 14 x 14 oven would be too small for me. There are a lot of things I cook that wouldn't fit in there. Think about WHAT you cook and HOW MANY you cook for. Think about the pans you currently have and how often you use them and what you use them for. Do you have any "favorite" dishes that you use a lot or any "neglected" dishes that almost never get used? Do you prefer rectangular/square dishes or round? Do you cook things which need to be covered (with a lid) during baking or open? Will you NEVER be making cakes/cookies/pies or just seldom? If it's seldom, as opposed to never, you'll still want to have the appropriate pans, but maybe not at your fingertips, so those kinds of things can go into less accessible storage areas.

Looking forward to seeing your diamond stainless as I am thinking of that for my kitchen too. Your slate looks really beautiful.

I'd think that unless you use those ingredients very quickly they would go "bad" in unsealed containers. Sophie also has a point about pantry moths, etc. My mom had pantry moths once and all containers that were not air-tight were contaminated and their contents thrown out (she threw out the containers as well since she considered them useless!) I think the containers in Wilson's 2nd picture are air-tight, so they might work. (The comments on the picture seem to indicate they're air-tight.)