EDF peeps,

I have been a renter for all of my adult life, so I haven't given much thought to appliances. However, I will soon be a homeowner, and I will eventually be renovating the kitchen.

What are your favorite appliance brands? Which appliances are most important to get top-of-the-line and which ones can you get by with a middle-of-the-road option?

To get things started, the go-to brands for the move-in ready listings that I saw seemed to be

Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
Oven/range: Viking or Wolf
Dishwasher: Miele
Washer/dryer: Bosch

These choices seem somewhat validated by this consumer reports article: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/n...enny/index.htm

suggest also asking questions regarding the more food related appliances in the 'cooking a good everything else' OOT thread

Pay attention to the dishwasher and make sure it has a drying element. I foolishly assumed this was still standard, when in fact many models have removed it to qualify for an energy star rating. I'm sure that the environmental impact of millions of dishwashers is significant, but the impact on my electric bill is imperceptible and I want my dishes dry.

I have the wolf range and Miele dishwasher and they are both worth it. My wife doesn't like loading silverware in the weird Miele rack, however, it is super quiet. One thing we both agree on though is the Wolf, just a killer range.

i didn't even know dishwashers existed with drying elements.

Your oven/range is the most important by far. If you can afford it, and if you like to cook, go as high end as you can.

Do not under any circumstances build your kitchen with black bench-tops or splash-backs. They may look great but they absorb light, making cooking rather difficult. I know this isn't an appliance but I just thought I'd throw it in there.

I've been in the appliance business my entire life. If money isn't an issue there are only a few things I think are clearly the best, the rest is all about what you like.

Must have Sub Zero Fridge, Wolf double wall oven, gas cooktop/rangetop or Dual Fuel Range. Stay away from Viking, they are over hyped, lots of problems and service issues.

Dishwasher, Miele Dishwasher is the best but i think Bosch is good great also.

Whirlpool Laundry would be my choice.

I would suggest staying away from anything Electrolux/Frigidaire/GE (unless Cafe series)


Good Luck!

What is great about Sub Zeros?

They look great and last longer than any other fridge out there. The best fridge all around. Sure there are other built in style fridges you can get that look good but they are overdone, Sub Zero is simple and high end.

I recently renovated my kitchen a year ago and went with:

Blue Star range
Miele dishwashers (2)
Sub zero fridge.

I went with the 60" range because I think you can date a kitchen by the vintage of the wall ovens. So far the range is a 10/10 in terms of the stove top/griddle but somewhat irregular in terms of the ovens. The Blue Star has been uneven in terms of quality. I've already had the oven heating element replaced, and they replaced a knob which prevented a burner from fully shutting off. Plus the paint is starting to peel. The oven is gas and bakes somewhat unevenly. The broiler is great and makes the decision not to get a salamander acceptable. I also went with the 24" shelf, which is really handy. Despite all this I would recommend Blue Star with some reservations.

The wife initially thought two dishwashers was nuts but now she loves it. It's probably her favorite item in the kitchen (she doesn't cook). I went with Miele, but have had Bosch as well in a previous home and can tell little difference. Either are good choices. If space allows, I'd highly recommend two dishwashers.

The Subzero has given me no problems and am comfortable with the choice. With both the fridge and the dishwashers I went with panel ready models and had the cabinet maker do the face.

You'll also need to think a bit about hoods which will run far more than the dishwasher(s).

Any advice about washing machines will be appreciated. I need to make a purchase tout suite. The European offering (Bosch, Miele) seem to have very small capacities (2.2 cubic feet). I've already failed with the Maytag Bravos. I'd prefer a top load, high capacity (5 cu feet) unless someone can talk me out of it.

Ditto. I've had the Maytag Neptune series for 15 years and they are getting worn/old/running oddly. Great buy, but it's time to move on. Think I'll stick with front loading, however. The clothes seem to get so much cleaner than top loading, imo.

+1 to Wolf range. We had one in our old house and loved it; our new house has a decent range but it isn't a Wolf and we miss our Wolf every day.

I bought my home with an old sub zero in it. The evaporator recently went. I called subzero, and they "knew" my fridge. Told me it left the factory in 1985 and suggested an authorised repairer. I used someone else who explained because it's a subzero it was an easy repair. Additionally because it has dual components I could still have the freezer running when the fridge side has died. That is also apparently part of the reason for the price since its 2 fridges in one with the duplication of compressors and evaporators. He looked it over and said I should easily get another 15-20 years out of it. So I'd agree the quality is excellent and the post sale support superb.

Repair guy is convinced fresh produce lasts longer in them, I'm not totally convinced by that though I have to say.

I'm a little farther along in the design process, and it looks like the best fit for my kitchen will be a 36" wide by 24" deep refrigerator.

Sub Zero has a few options with those dimensions, but none of them have an external water and ice dispenser. (That comes in a 42" size).

Fischer Paykel has a model in the right size with external dispenser, but from what I can tell they do not have a great record for service.

For people with Sub Zeros, do you mind not having a dispenser? Do you just scoop the ice out of the ice maker? It's hard to find good pictures of the interiors.

I did not want an external dispenser and really don't think it's a problem to scoop ice from the ice maker. The dispenser is on the top, left and it isn't really a problem with teenagers in the house.

For filtered hot/cold water my wife wanted an on demand system that is mounted under the sink: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Glove-WI..._d_product_top

I think the filter is silly and really only use tap water and/or the kettle.

This is a link to the hot water dispenser. The first link was just the filter.

https://www.amazon.com/Everhot-LVH-5...ater+dispenser

I have owned a Blue Star range for more than a decade. In its price range, you can't beat it for the sheer BTUs of the star burners. It feels like a restaurant range-- no frills but plenty of power. Starter elements on the range burned out long ago but I sort of enjoy lighting the burners with a grill starter, which is pretty standard in the restaurant world.

does anyone have a range with a grill?

I'm thinking of getting something like this, but have heard mix reviews about the functionality of the grill. unfortunately, I do not have the option of grilling outside.

While I don't have a any experience with an indoor grill and don't know anyone who has one, I get the sense from chowhound and gardenweb that people who go with that option are generally disappointed.

At 12" getting a grill (or griddle) leaves very little cooking surface. If left with that choice I would get the six burners instead. With the broiler option and with an accessory that covers the two burners you can roughly approximate the built in option. They even make 24" cast iron accessories to cover four burners.

A friend who is a professional chef has the a 36" Dacor cooktop and went with six burners plus the 12" griddle accessory. Her sole complaint that it doesn't really give her enough room. She often uses frying pans instead of the griddle accessory.

There is a Blue Star option where the grill and griddle are interchangeable. Perhaps Wolf or Viking makes something similar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqwCHBan4w

With the grill I somehow remember that you'll want to majorly upgrade your hood.

Perhaps you can do a cooking demo in an appliance store help with your decision?