Lets talk about kitchen appliances!

[Fuzz]

Looks like this is the way to go....

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Mccree

Could be my bad luck but I went thru 2 in 5 years. One had a leak right after the warranty expired and one the pump failed again right after warranty.

Generally speaking stuff from Bosch's 300/500/800 series dishwashers (be it built in Germany or USA is good stuff).

It's the stuff below that (Ascentia, and it's other builders grade line) that I'd steer clear from. I seem to recall some of the didn't even have a full stainless tub.

Best value I had was a 300 series D/W at Lowes for $598 on clearout. (before they went to the new larger volume) Lowes easily has the best pricing on Bosch vs say, Trail. This 300 series had most of the features of a 500 series D/W from 5 years prior at half the cost.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

They also make induction elements that are concave, designed for Woks.

If I did a lot of Wok'ing I might get myself a single wok element just for the heat properties. Really hot, really fast.

DoubleF over explains...

Spoiler!

Personally, if you spend a lot of time using a wok traditionally, don't get induction. Go gas.

If you end up with induction, migrate to flat bottom wok or saute pan instead. I wouldn't bother with a hob. Quite a bit of traditional wok use requires a bit of pressure applied to the stove top and/or flicking the wok which may impact the induction top. That type of pressure and impact is something I would not be comfortable doing on a glass top, but have no qualms doing on a metal topped elements stoves or gas stoves. That being said, the average individual doesn't cook using these techniques.



In this vid, the guy flicks it a few times and puts it back down on the hob. You can do this with a flat wok or saute pan. Most of the other videos on wok hobs involve boiling water and not traditional wok cooking. I can totally do this flick with a flat bottom wok or a saute pan (but the saute pan is a bit more difficult to flick with). No need for a special induction hob for cooking. Furthermore, these pans/flat bottom woks are $30-50 bucks for a good one. I have a flat bottom work from T&T as well as a saute pan and pretty much use them interchangeably based on my cooking style.

For steaming, I think there's a steamer thingamatog in some cook sets (though I've often heard complaint the water reservoir is to little and some individuals have to add water more often than a wok set up).

TL;DR An induction Wok Hob seems like an overly complicated solution when replacing pans/pots is an easier solution.

Induction has its pros and cons. So does gas. Both are good options based on individual preference.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

I'm guessing induction also doesn't allow you to properly pan baste/arroser, which is a pretty integral searing technique for the serious chef.

If the pan is hot enough it shouldn't be an issue.

Especially because most of the time you're using that technique it's at the finish line of the cooking process.

Whenever I've done that with a steak for example, I actually take the pan off the heat to prevent the butter from burning. The pan is so hot you could melt butter in it 5-10 minutes after it's been off the heat.

[Top Shelf]

Have had bad luck with Kenmore Elite washer, dryer and dishwasher. Will do better research next time and probably go with Bosch for the dishwasher.

Any good recommendations for washer and dryer? Samsung i think should stick to TV's and phones...

[blueski]

We've had a bosch dishwasher for about half a year. Excellent dish washer. Our reason to go for that instead of Miele was that to get it repaired would be very difficult where we live (2 hours south).

Gas vs Electric. Gas is way more fun, but it can yellow your ceiling over time.

Another kitchen gadget that I'd recommend is a sous-vide cooker. You can cook any cut of meat in one of these perfectly. Great for entertaining because you can pull the meal out of the cooker any time in a three hour or so window and its ready. It takes a bit of planning as some roasts cook for 2 days before they are ready.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

I'm guessing induction also doesn't allow you to properly pan baste/arroser, which is a pretty integral searing technique for the serious chef.

The fact that induction hasn't made inroads into professional kitchens, baring in mind the ease of clean up and how important that is in a professional setting, is telling to be frank, I have cooked on induction, I run a foster home, the ease of clean up, the difficulty (I assume) of hot knifing off it were all tempting but gas is still the best for cooking in my opinion.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Any good recommendations for washer and dryer? Samsung i think should stick to TV's and phones...

I bought a tear down house, and they had a brand new Samsung washer and dryer in it. I've given it to my in-laws, where I'm staying during the building of my new house, and I love them. They are really great, but like most things, you need to beware of certain models. Some have plastic drums. The better ones have stainless steel. The ones I'm putting in my new house are:

• Washer: WF42H5600AP
• Dryer: DV42H5600EP

As they won't be delivered until the summer, we will be getting whatever is the latest model similar to that one, as those are unlikely to still be around from our distributor.

I also am getting the Samsung RF34H9960S4 fridge. This thing is awesome. It's super deep, fairly wide, and one of the bottom doors can be either a fridge or a freezer, depending on how much iced cream I have at the time. I hate the built in fridges, as they are too shallow. If I want to put a case of pop or beer in, I can't just put the box in, as the front few cans won't fit. This fridge allows it, and then some.

I had originally thought of going with Wolf appliances, but I like the Miele combi steam oven so much, that I built the rest of the appliances around it. In the wall there will be:

• 24" Combi steam oven: DGC6700
• 30" Convection oven: H6580BP

I went with a Miele gas range cooktop with four burners and a griddle, hood fan, and a Miele dishwasher as well. I had bought a Miele dishwasher to replace my Viking one that conked out in my former townhome, and loved it.Range top: KMR1136

• 36" Hood fan: DA399-6
• Dishwasher: G6105SCU

I bought a Frigidaire stand up freezer for the garage, with model number FFFU14M1QW. I made sure not to buy the frost free version, as it can really wreck your food during that process.

I had all Viking appliances in my previous townhome. I didn't like them at all. There was an issue with one of the ignitors on the range that went unfixed for three years. It wouldn't shut off, even after the flames was on. Many hours on the internet and help lines resulted in no change. The dishwasher died, as mentioned, and the freezer had multiple problems as well. They have now been rebranded as Brigade, in Canada only. The looks are almost identical.

[PaperBagger'14]

I've seen and fixed an issue with new LG washing machines. It was eating socks, literally. I'm not sure the model of it however it had a steel drum, but there was a small gap between the door and the drum which they filled in with some fancy version of weather stripping. Socks got stuck in there and clogged the drain causing it to lock out. After disconnecting the power and opening the bottom panel, I had access to the filter where I literally pulled out 2 socks and one stuck further up the drainage tube.

[guzzy]

Be careful with Bosch dishwashers. They have a tendency to set on fire. I had one I bought new and the the jb had three fires in it. Each time it burnt the wires and went out. Bosch wouldn't do anything for me because that model wasn't on the recall list. Look it up. They are notorious for settin on fire

[redforever]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

I'm guessing induction also doesn't allow you to properly pan baste/arroser, which is a pretty integral searing technique for the serious chef.

No, it is not a problem. You can tilt the pan leaving a corner touching the cooktop. Most food cooked in a wok is no problem either. As I mentioned earlier, I think that if you do the majority ofyour cooking with a wok, then I think gas is the better option.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/di...tion.html?_r=0

[photon]

We got our Electrolux slide in induction range back when it was the only model of slide in induction range available without going to high end stuff.

/hipster

I really like it though, easier to keep clean and easy to use. Low cooking skill household though so the nuances of heating are lost on us, we usually have two settings, unsafe and overcooked. Induction gets me to overcooked faster.

[Ducay]

Besides being able to hold temperatures more stable, there are few areas where an induction beats a gas. While an induction can keep up in many of these areas, gas simply wins out. 99% of professional chefs and kitchens use gas for a reason, and it certainly isn't cost. We could debate for hours, but won't change this fact. If you can do gas, do gas.

On the wok subject; hate to keep hyping my range; but the bowl shaped burner hole allows you to remove the grate and put the wok almost on the burner, which allows the 25,000btu to come up the sides of the wok, as it is intended. It'll smoke oil in 10 seconds and makes me glad I've got a 10 billion cfm hood fan.

[VladtheImpaler]

Slava, have a look at my luxury appliances thread from about a year ago - there will be some similar info there. I went with the 36" 6 burner Blue Star from Costco (thanks to Ducay for bringing it up in the other thread, which led to me doing my own research on it). It is fantastic and about 1/3 the price of the competition (Wolf, Viking/Brigade, etc) - Costco will deliver it to your front door, but you are on your own after that.
I went with a higher-end Bosch dishwasher and it has been great so far - great clean and super quiet. We shall see how it holds up.
We were leaning toward a Miele fridge until we saw a returned Viking on the floor and saved 3500. But I am talking the huge built-in fridges, so I am not sure that's what you are looking for...

[Ducay]

Heads up the 30" and 36" Blue Star ranges are on sale @ Costco. $550 and $700 off respectively. Basically offsets the large bump in price this year from USD.

http://www.costco.ca/BlueStar%E2%84%...100280055.html

http://www.costco.ca/BlueStar%E2%84%...100280056.html

[TheAlpineOracle]

So my oven just went so the wife made me buy all new matching appliances. One thing I refused to buy thigh was the matching dishwasher as ours is built in and we just replicated it a couple years ago. I dawned on me tonight that maybe there is the possibility for me to simply change the faceplate out to stainless steel from white. Does anyone know if this is feasible? I did some google searches and it appears it may be possible. That would at least save me the cost of having the plumber come out and hook up a new ones.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

So my oven just went so the wife made me buy all new matching appliances. One thing I refused to buy thigh was the matching dishwasher as ours is built in and we just replicated it a couple years ago. I dawned on me tonight that maybe there is the possibility for me to simply change the faceplate out to stainless steel from white. Does anyone know if this is feasible? I did some google searches and it appears it may be possible. That would at least save me the cost of having the plumber come out and hook up a new ones.

Check the back of the faceplate you have, sometimes they are reversible with an alternate finish

[CroFlames]

How much would it cost (obviously roughly speaking) if you wanted to bring a gas line to your kitchen? Assuming kitchen is on the main floor, and the basement is not finished?

[Fuzz]

A couple hundred, becuase you will need a permit pulled. That is if the run isn't to long.

[TheAlpineOracle]

I thought a gas line was closer to $700. I believe they quoted that to my neighbors.