New Gas Range Help!!!
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| Gas ranges and bbq's just make me nervous... I'll stick to electrical. |
| Consumer Report doesn't like any of them, they all make close friends with the repairman. I think I was finally leaning towards Dacor when I decided I didn't need to have a prostove as my entertaining days are over. I think I have a Kitchen Aide sitting in the garage ready to install as it had at least one high BTU burner, maybe two, for stir fry. |
SheepieBoss wrote: Consumer Report doesn't like any of them, they all make close friends with the repairman. I think I was finally leaning towards Dacor when I decided I didn't need to have a prostove as my entertaining days are over. I think I have a Kitchen Aide sitting in the garage ready to install as it had at least one high BTU burner, maybe two, for stir fry. You think it's a Kitchen Aide???  I just found that humorous.... And no real input from me. I have a decent electric GE with a few upgraded features that works great. And the best part was it came in a house where the new owners wanted gas, so they sold this almost brand new stove on Craigslist for $100!! Lucky me  |
| Yeah Kitchen Aide. I looked at so many, went between gas and enduction, finally came down to the gas line. Everyone made a big deal about it....so said, "fine bring me whatever, but know my heart is with gas (and that way I don't need to throw away a bunch of pots & pans). Now that the gas line is in, I guess it will be the Kitchen Aide. Brand names don't impress me anymore. I'm not designing for prestige, just to sell this house some day. I want works well--or good enough these days-- and is reliable. |
| When we renovated our kitchen, I replaced a beloved but dying thermador electric range with a huge griddle in the center. It had to have been at least 40 years old. The best feature was the massive griddle in the center, a feature it had never occured to me to think of but one which turned out to be very useful. What I ultimately chose was a Wolf gas rangetop. We chose to have a (much smaller) griddle in the center, because we had liked the griddle feature on our old cooktop so much. : http://www.subzero-wolf.com/oven/range-top/range-tops I looked at the range which was the same size as well and thought it was nice. But we had double ovens in the old kitchen, and wanted double ovens in the new one, as well. We were lucky that Sears has sales with ovens, ranges, etc. half off once or twice a year, so we were able to get what we wanted. I have noticed that ALL ovens with a self cleaning feature seem to have many major complaints that the self cleaning feature ruins the oven or in your case: sets the house on fire. Not limited to Thermador. Where I saved a lot of money was that I got a Vent a Hood hood. It cost much less, got it in the same stainless steel finish and probably for half the price of the matching Wolf. It also has the advantage of actually being considered to be much better a hood. Unless you are determined to have them match and notice, I don't think it matters, really. My refrigerator is a JennAir; rangetop is Wolf; hood is Vent a Hood; ovens are Kenmore Pro. We kept the old maytag dishwasher (which is white, but so are our cabinets) and will replace with whatever seems the best in a stainless finish when it is time to do that. Now, some people feel it is important to have all appliances be of the same brand, but I do not. Door handles, etc. are not identical but have a similar 'look' to them. What I did was start with an overall appliance budget and then work from there. Since the rangetop and the ovens are built in, they were the most important decision. I really wanted to make sure I liked them. Re: service. It's been a year and we've had no problems but then, I expect no problems. We purchased the Wolf, refrigerator, and hood from a regional dealer which provides service. We also purchased the service plan. We live in a small city in a state where things are really spread out. The nearest major metropolitan area is Minneapolis/St. Paul, and that's 120+ miles away. The regional dealer is only 50 miles away, in the same town where I work. I felt as comfortable as I could. Our other options, aside from out of town big boxes (which I avoided) were everything from Sears, and appliance warehouse, or a local appliance dealer who doesn't carry the brands I wanted, but would do the service. Most importantly, I couldn't get a counter depth refrigerator from the local guy. Plus, the guy at the regional store threw in a set of black knobs for the Wolf when I told him my husband hates red, the traditional color of Wolf range knobs. I read consumer's reports, too and a lot of online reviews, enough to make my head spin. In the end, I felt the Wolf was the best choice. I am committed to never using the self clean option. Trust me: it will never occur to my husband to ever clean the oven, by any means. |
Quote: some people feel it is important to have all appliances be of the same brand, It didn't to me either but you'd think I was a rube when the designers, sales, etc got together. Still doesn't matter, but......... Wolf is nice and I'd love to cook on it but just no need now for the two of us. I'm trying to cook a lot less these days. Had a self cleaner 32 years ago and loved it. I really wanted one again and I've had it with cleaning ovens! This last was a continual clean which meant the walls sorta stayed clean but the bottom was traditional and I'd have to haul it out each time something splattered. know what you mean about range hoods. When you start looking at rpm and sones (noise level)......head spins. Dish washer is an "I don't care" as I'll probably continue hand washing,,,I use silver plate for everyday, save the sterling for special times.......hey, I like silver! All in all, really came down to how much $$ we wanted to put into this place. Up until recently this was not high rent district. A few new higher end homes have moved it, but generally we are nothing special and didn't want to overbuild for the area. Counter depth refrigs.....and my allotted space (small galley kitchen) means the refrig will be smaller  On the plus side, with the refrig on the top, the total lost space MIGHT not matter as I shouldn't lose food items down low where I'm finding it more and more difficult to reach. |
| I do cook a lot less, but part of that is hubby is picking up slack because he has a more flexible work schedule and very short commute. But we figured we'd only do this once and hopefully, our new rangetop will last a lifetime. If I had an unlimited budget, there were some really pretty (as in COLORS) ranges that I would have considered but we had to stick to the footprint of our house, so it wasn't an option. While we are more able to afford to go out to eat than we were in our earlier years, our town doesn't offer many good choices for decent meals that I can't prepare better at home. We've always been pretty big on home cooked meals. I do think that sones/rpms matter: I wanted efficient and quiet. I was able to match/exceed the sones/rpms with my Vent a Hood (this brand comes in all sorts of price points) for much, much, much less. I don't anticipate having to replace that either. (knocks wood). I ended up spending a lot more on the counter depth fridge but that size was really our only choice. Ironically, with all of the kids out on their own (or nearly so: we have one rebounder right now) we may end up getting a small chest freezer for the basement. Hubby likes to stock up! I'd be happier with more of a buy as we go plan but since he's willing to go to the trouble of stocking stuff, I can't complain too much. |
| I never mentioned to designer, but if I could design my own kitchen......it would be like a pro kitchen....down to a walk in refrig. !! Summer days, there's not a better place to sit and sip wine! Actually need to have on long sleeves. (hmmm, and you thought I was just baking bread and cookies) I'd do stainless counters, damn the scratches, just swab that sucker. Floor would have a drain, swab down the whole kitchen......where'd I put the fire hose? I love the Blodgett convection ovens......but they aren't insulated which is why restaurants can get dang hot. (remind me Tues and Wed after I get to tend the 4 Bodgetts) My aunt and uncle had a pro kitchen in their basement.......I have no clue how those big ovens got downstairs, probably piece by piece and rebuilt. They owned restaurants (don't all Greeks ?) Family dinner was always 30 or more. |
| I am not into the all one brand for all appliances anyway. I had Thermdaor pro gas range, 36 inch, self cleaning, but had a Prestige Vent a Hood over it, a GE profile micro, and a GE refrigerator...I think alot of people go all one brand because most companies will give a huge discount if you buy all the major appliances from them... Leaning towards the Wolf...although I will say I loved the Vicking look...However, I am not one to buy for looks. I LOVE to cook and do so every night, using the range top and oven cnstantly...Can't believe how many peple I spoke to who said they purchased these high end appliances and never used them! |
| Re: Wolf. I like that it is so easy to hold things at a very low temperature. I make a cooked frosting for birthday cakes and with the electric range, I always had to watch, very carefully, even after using the same rangtop for >20 years. Basically, I need to be able to hold heavy whipping cream plus sugar in a low boil for 7 minutes. With the Wolf, I have had very consistent success, with no grainy products, nothing that doesn't quite work. I really like that a lot. In my area, I would have a much easier time with repairs for a Wolf vs Viking. I considered a Thermador because I liked our electric one so well and it had lasted for so long, but in the end, I didn't like the way it was configured as well. I considered the Kenmore pro series, but that would also mean calling the repair center and having dispatch send out someone from some distance. Yes, I am sure it was partly vanity/snobbism a bit to pick a Wolf over a Kenmore. But I do really like it. I almost got the riser with the shelf but was over ruled by hubby who felt there was far too much stainless going on. OH: I think someone asked when I did my kitchen to say how I liked the soapstone counter tops a year out: I love them. I really do. No, they are not shiny/perfect looking but then, that's not what I was going for. You cannot see a mark on them, but they have a lower gloss. I still wipe them down with an oiled cloth every once in a while but it's not an onerous task. |
The reason I steered away from the Kenmore was the digital display...I don't like digital anything! I like real knobs I can turn and lower...Plus I heard alot of negative feedback with the digital panels and how they break and how they are expensive to repair...I like the Wolf. It has real knobs for turning the temp on and off...But when I did a research of them, I read alot of xomplaints...Having had one fire due to a pro range, I'm leery of any product that has been recalled...However, in my search, they have ALL been recalled for some reason or other  Evem the GE and Kenmore brand.Thanks for the feedback on someone who actually owns the Wolf and actually usese it...Anyone else I'd love to hear from... |
| I think they are all crap anymore....I hear of more problems, recalls, etc since they went to computer/digital. Of course we demand more from them these days than our mothers and grandmothers. I meant to also includ a ^^^^ about matching handles. But I bought the package deal because of price break......$3,000. and the fact I was tired of justifying my ideas....I just didn't care enough to argue anymore. I went in knowing what I needed, did it as fast as I could and got out. I hate to shop. Paul Dean does not like her soapstone. Says it chips and nicks. I love the look, but once again, more $$ than the house and neighborhood could stand. We have a lot of other things to do to this house. I imagine new driveway and patio won't be cheap, nor a new roof. Some day when down a few dogs there will be carpeting. Yea gads. |
| re: soapstone. One year out--no nicks or chips. Yes, if you do something like cut your veggies with a knife you will scratch up your counter and ruin your knives. And I know that soapstone is not as hard as granite, but it does come in different grades and hardness. My neighbor across the street has had his soapstone countertops for 7 or 8 years: they look really great--nearly brand new. He took care to point out every mark he could, but I didn't think it was worn badly at all. As far as price goes: I had assumed that soapstone would be out of my range forever. Thought I would probably get ceasarstone or some other such product but at the time I was doing my kitchen, in my area, it was not cheaper to use quartz or granite. And in a weird twist, the butcher block was far more expensive that I had thought. Originally, when I was working on my design, I wanted butcherblock for the island in part because everything I read said that it was a very economical choice. Not for me, but by that point, I had made enough other decisions that hinged on butcherblock that I went with it. Yes: a lot of manufactureres will give discounts if you get a whole set of appliances. Which I would have happily done but no one made all the pieces I needed in the configuration I needed or wanted and were rated as well as I had hoped. What really drove us nuts was finding the fridge. Frankly, I set my heart on that particular one because of a friend's recommendation. She has one just like it and really liked it. I know that I will not 'get my money' out of my kitchen when it is time to sell. But I have gotten a tremendous satisfaction out of getting to do the remodel the way that I wanted to do it. And that means a lot to me. |
| A very smart old man told me once..when you do renovations, do them they way YOU want them. Its your house and you ahve to live there. Let the next person down the line change it if they have to!... He was right...make the changes that you want and that will make your life easier...if someone else down the road doesn't like it, too bad! Now, back to what darn gas range I am going to buy...for me...  |
| Are you going cooktop or the whole range thing? Dual fuel, etc? Was it you who mentioned the colored stoves? If you want exotic, what about that one from Europe.......starts with an A??? ......AGA! Lady in SF, friend of friend, had her whole kitchen redone to make the stove more visible to guests  It's Santa Fe, so not too unusual. Have never figured out how to get the 23 lb. bird into one of those. She keeps hers going year round......don't know if she's heating house water with it or what......would be good for heating the house in winter!! Belling has a nifty 6 burner electric....some are induction. I really toyed between induction and gas. Finally decided gas so I can keep some favorite pots (how silly is that?) |
| I am going full range. Not enough space for seperate wall ovens and still get in the cabinets and counter space I need. I love to cook but do not bake often... I have the counter depth refrig and agree it is not very spacey. We ended up buying a smaller refrig we keep in the garage. The dogs actually take up alot of space in the refrig...well, they take up alot of space everywhere However, in this new kitchen, I added special cabients under my island just for their doggys goodies and food. I ordered them so the height can fit in 30 pounds of food, along with all their other goodies. The whole rest of the house is built "for the dogs" so why not the kitchen too! |
| You probably already purchased a range--- but just want to say I've had nothing but great experience with a GE Monogram. Gosh, I miss that range - my cookies has never been the same. |
I would recommend Blue Star ( the range the Iron Chef cooks on if you watch the cooking channel)...6 burner all gas range.  |
| Oooh, Ron, great suggestion! I heard about those just recently..... |
| Ron, I went with you!!!!! I ordered my new Blue Star yesterday Now, really, it wasn't all because Ron recommended it. I've been doing my research and watching live demos and video demos and everything else in between and I LOVE what this new Blue Star can do! Will let you know...tales about 30 days before I get it... |
| Oh, by the way...Bleu Star IS the range the Iron Chef cooks on...Blue Star was once Garland, a commercial only oven. Garland was taken over by Blue Star...garland was also Julia Child's range of choice!!!! |
| LOL I copied your announcement into here as my "recommendation!" LOL |
I checked the times yesterday and caught the reason for your sudden clarity into what she needed to buy.   |
Betsy wrote: I checked the times yesterday and caught the reason for your sudden clarity into what she needed to buy. What can I say? It's a gift! |
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