Hi Nine years ago when we were building our house, I had read that the big box stores sell an inferior product and made sure to purchase through a plumbing supplier so as to have the best quality. That said, I wonder if its actually true or if it matters. Our Kohler Vinatta faucet started leaking awhile ago. I called Kohler and they sent out a cartridge for free. The faucet continued to leak after replacing the cartridge so Kohler sent out a whole brand new gorgeous faucet at no charge. They have a lifetime warranty and never asked me where I bought the faucet. Their only question was if I am the original owner. So, I'm thinking what does it matter as long as we stay with quality brands that carry a lifetime warranty like Kohler, Moen or Delta? After our nightmare experience with Newport Brass and their stingy one year warrantee I'll always buy lifetime warranty over pretty bling bling (My new Delta Brizos are pretty snazzy anyway and warranted for life). I say go with the best price.

The locking lid is not a done deal on your HE, I solved the issue with mine although it is a hassle and takes some fenesse! I used a completly made of plastic toddler fork (still sturdy but not conductive or abrasive on enamel) and stick it in the reciving side of the latch sensor (mine was on the edge of the washer ring on right, just look on lid for the latch prong then see where it would go when the lis closes and stick your fork in there!) hit the start button and fenesse the fork till it hits like the latch would andit may stay without holding otherwise leverage it to stay some how and you are good to go, however the washer will not let you do a good soak because it thinks its running a cycle. also be aware these new washers are made to break down under the new circular economic strategy and i learned the hard way tricking the fill sensor willtrick you into replacing the lift support around the basket extreamly quickly 😞 word to the wise! but im working on an upgrade hack idea ill share if i can work it out!

Well, I like this forum! I rarely post, consider myself a great cook but am far from fancy or traditional with my cooking. I've gotten great results from postings when needed and have not been insulted once. Hey, not bad! I enjoyed reading this topic especially since I have a great deal of trouble using packaged foods due to sodium content. I DO use packaged foods though! I've never made my own yoghurt--never even tried to. Same with butter, cream cheese, aged cheese (I have made paneer by heating milk and adding lime juice), pasta and that is all I can think of that I need packaged food for. I've made lots of things by just trying it out. Ketchup wasn't that hard, no-sodium tomato paste, vinegar, garlic and onion powder (actually, I like the dehydrated granules), black pepper, cumin, dash of lemon juice, dash of water. I just read the bottle to get an idea of what went in the stuff. And, yes, I buy the packaged no-salt ketchup quite often. So quick and easy! There is no way I'm going to pay for packaged dressing; I make my own even though I almost always just use straight balsamic. My guy makes a great vegan Caesar dressing using nutritional yeast, almond meal, lemon juice, vinegar, no-salt stone ground mustard and an unbelievable amount of fresh garlic. Think of all the oil we are avoiding this way! I do love olive oil though~ Canned soups are a no-go mainly because of the salt. I can't actually taste the can but sometimes I can taste the plastic when I buy things in plastic bottles. We made our own "power bars" for the first time a few weeks ago. We had made granola bars and similar things before but never with the intent to get protein, carbs and low calories all in one bar. They are great for hiking! Yesterday, my guy made bagels from scratch for the first time, just for me as they had no salt and almost zero sodium. Did you know that a regular sesame bagel has over 600mg sodium?! The ones he made were topped with black sesame seeds and tasted very good. They were missing that salty taste but, oh well. I think one of the biggest factors with packaged foods is that they are very inexpensive, especially mixes and things like rice a roni or hamburger helper. They can also make things go very quickly in the kitchen for those who have limited amounts of time to feed entire families. There are lots of things we make that cost more than buying pre-made but there are also lots of savings involved in making things ourselves. We may not be rich but we make the effort to allow a good food budget so we can eat as much natural and organic things as possible. We try to stay away from preservatives but that is hard to do with packaged foods. I'm pretty darned impressed by some of the things people make on the board. Pickled veggies and other home-canned items are the most intriguing to me. It was a good read. Thanks, Jennifer

A2--How do we get me out of the ABB? I guess I need to suck it up and start making road trips to tile stores again. I know I need help from everyone here also, but have been too afraid to post my own tile thread. My knees are knockin'! :) The grease bullseye is just a year of cooking. Because my hood is only 600cfms and 24" deep, I try to do all my searing, woking, and other high heat cooking on that back center burner for best HOGS capture. Hey, I cook. It's a kitchen. BUT it does tell me I need a tile behind the rangetop that can handle that kind of abuse. And I'm not exactly ABB, I still need a pantry door handle, ceiling fixtures, DR chandy, and banquette. I'm starting to feel ashamed that the kitchen has looked almost exactly like this for a year without me finishing much. Will you be cutting on your Boos cart top? I'm guessing not if you're considering something other than just oil. I love the look and feel of my Osmo. It looks great for months before it needs another coat, although that's even less now that it's been coated a handful of times. I don't think I'd mind the regular maintenance of oil, especially in such a small area, but I'm not sure I could choose oil over Osmo now that I've lived with it for a year. For what will you use the cart? Nancy--After my woodworker sanded the counter in November, he applied one coat of Osmo Polyx Oil and asked that I apply one more in 24 hours. I have a tiny little can of the Osmo and it's last me through at least 5 coats. I don't use much at one time. For some reason, I didn't know you had an Osmo counter. Nice to have company! Firsthouse--I don't really think I'm that conscientious about my counter. Unless you have wild hooligans that routinely run through the kitchen beating their chains and numchucks on the counter, I think your counter would look the same as mine after a year. I don't think I do anything special with it. Alexx--Thanks! I love my pulls, too! Is that wrong to say? :) I have had zero problems with anything getting in the screws or with the fact that the pulls are mounted from the front. The knife block is a Wusthof 14-slot knife organizer. DH brought it home from work (restaurant supply co), but the Wusthof is sold many places, including Amazon. Hope I answered everyone's questions! Your compliments are so appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------- EDIT: I'll add a link to Part 2 of this thread where I answer the question below from Amanda. More pics! Here is a link that might be useful: PART 2 of this thread!! This post was edited by breezygirl on Fri, May 10, 13 at 13:24