cheriei On matching fridge-freezer pairs, there have been numbers of threads. Sometimes, you just need some vocabulary and model numbers to help with a search. You could start with these two threads on major brand models: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg012059109995.html http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0217454513977.html?16 Talking about a "pro-style" range and "affordable appliances" may be a bit of an oxymoron. Prices for 30-inch model all-gas pro-style ranges generally start at around $3500 and go way up from there. Even higher if you want a six-burner 36" wide model. The only exception is the NXR which runs about $1999 for a 30" model (Costco.com sometimes runs sales at $1799). But, the NXR is like buying a small, imported 4-wheel-drive pick-up truck with a manual transmission and manual hubs -- great vehicle for some people but not others. Maybe you might want to consider, say, a GE Cafe range -- some pro-style looks, though sleeker and with digital conveniences like Sabbath modes and a bigger oven than the NXR. But why buy a range? You will be getting double-wall ovens. A rangetop, rather than a range would be more budget friendly. And that leads to another suggestion: try focusing on what you want to do with the stove (or range top) and how you want to use it and what you are willing to put up with to get what you want. Do you want or need a 36" wide six-burner cooktop? If not, then a 30" model will be more budget friendly. Lots of threads on cooktops here, too. So maybe, when you get your choices narrowed, you can try starting a narrower thread on the models you are specifically interested in. As a practical matter, you may get more and better feedback if you do that. If you want "pro-style" then you could check out the Blue Star rangetops. Others brands have been recommended here, as well. One thing I did not see on your list is a rangehood. Sorry to add to your research woes, but that will likely be a practical necessity. Lots of threads on them, too, plus you should talk to your builder about "make-up air" (for which "MUA" is the frequently used acronym.) There have been a number of recent threads on wine fridges. You might also try searching at chowhound and e-gullet, too. Same thing for drawer mircrowaves and ice makers. Can't help with trash compactors and don't recall seeing any recent threads on them here. I'd try the kitchens forum.

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.

How exciting to think about new appliances. Have fun shopping. I just purchased Bosch for my entire kitchen. It took me 4 months to really find what I wanted. I am slow at this sort of thing. I thought GE Cafe would be the one, then LG, Viking Stove, JennAir, KitchenAid (Whirlpool) but the best for what I wanted was Bosch. However it is not for everyone. This is a European appliance company so there will be some differences. People complain about the tub having mositure but this is the drying process. There is no steam that is elminated into the kitchen so the tub can be wet. There is no grinder. But this is part of their green friendly direction. It rarely has to be cleaned out. The heating element is not out in the open so a dropped plastic spoon will not melt onto the heating element. I love that. My husband loves that there is a an overflow tub and auto shut off to stop water overflow. I have read on this site that some people do not want to use JET dry which is recommended. However when I contacted Bocsh they said you do not have to use Jet dry. It just makes the dishes spotless and flatware sparkle. Otherwise there could be some water spots because of their eco friendly drying process. I used Epinions.com a site that gives opinions on appliances and 100s of other things. They helped me research. I would also get on line to see each appliance company. I love that JENNair has a new copper color. And while I did not choose this, I wish we had the right kitchen for it. The on line sources offer literature and ideas that might help. I would also recommend going to an Appliance store, Lowes, Home Depot, Sears .. and really look at the different dishwashers, ranges, refrigerators, .... When my husband and I did this we discovered things we loved about JennAir, but disliked abotu GE. We found so many new options. At one point we wanted a French door ref. However seeing it in person, realizing we would have a cumbersome drawer that could not fit what we wanted we gave up that idea. I suggest, really look the appliances over. Open the doors, slam the doors, take racks out, putter about as though it were in your house and imagine where you would put the dishes to be washed, or food to be stored or cooking your favorite past. Check every thing from the buttons to the knobs, to the shelves, lighting... Do this so that you know what you want and what you like or don't like. I hope this helps.

I just ordered my appliances last week. My advice is go to an actual appliance store in your area, that has its own service department. They will probably be more knowledgeable, and have a better variety of appliances on the floor than a box store. I found our local family-owned store to have better pricing than what I found online, and know from past experience that they will service what they sell.