Lets talk about kitchen appliances!

[killer_carlson]

I went and bought appliances in the summer.

Best deals that I found were at Home Depot (of all places). THe sales associate was awesome and spent a fair bit of time doing online searches of similar stores to see if we could engage their policy of beating competitor's advertised prices. We ended up finding cheaper prices at Leon's (by like $5.00) but then Home Depot took another 10% off. Their delivery people were fast and efficient as well.

[Slava]

Thanks for all the replies and information! I think that I'm leaning towards gas now for the stove, so when I want that gas line installed do I call a gas-fitter myself or do the stores have all that set (basically)?

[Fuzz]

I would call a gas fitter yourself, I can't imagine the store being any cheaper. He will terminate it with a valve and you can do the final hookup yourself. You just use a flexy gas line, and same gas pipe tape (it's like the teflon plumbing tape, but for gas lines). Note that plumbers(with the right certs) and HVAC guys can do gas lines if you are hunting around. They will have to pull a permit for it.

[Ryan Coke]

I am very happy with the induction cooktop we put in, and we chose it over gas. Precise control, quick heating. But the biggest reason we went with induction is the ease of cleaning over a gas top. And is much easier to clean than a convential ceramic top, due to the fact the glass doesn't get to as high a temps and doesn't burn any spillover on.

The cookware thing is a minor pain, it needs to have a ferrous metal base (a magnet sticks). Our main set we had was already great for induction, and we replaced a couple of other items and they weren't very expensive. I do notice one of the pans I bought afterward doesn't heat as quickly as the better quality stuff, but still works fine.

So for us absolutely no regrets going with induction over gas.

Also, we didn't match all the same brand, but just make sure the looks are compatible.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Another brand to consider is Miele. We are on year 4 with ours, nary a hiccup. I do buy into the idea that dishwashers that have a salt reservoir work better at removing food etc. We pretty much go straight from the table to the dishwasher, everything comes out super clean.

9.5 years on our high end Miele, zero issues. Salt reservoir makes a big difference.

[redforever]

Go for functionality every time. What good is a pretty kitchen where everything matches if that same kitchen is not functional? I have a place in Calgary and a place in Priddis and not one of my appliances are the same brand. Well, actually my Samsung washer and dryer are a set and I have had not problem with them at all.

I swear by Miele dishwashers. They are quiet and excellent at cleaning. Outside of perhaps a bit of a touch up on pots used for potatoes or pasta, my dishes merely get scraped and go in the dishwasher without rinsing...and they come out perfectly clean every time.

For ovens, get one that will be compatible with the size of your roasting pans, cookie sheets, etc. I never shop for an oven without taking along the cookware and bakeware that I can not live without. If they don't fit in the oven, I don't buy that oven. Beware of Jennaire ovens...they are notoriously small. I have a 30" Thermador built in oven at Priddis and a 30" Kitchenaid built in oven in Calgary. The Thermador is superior. I also have a 36" Wolf built in oven in Calgary and it is great, even comes with a pizza stone attachment.

I have a Sub Zero fridge in Calgary and an LG fridge in Priddis. I prefer the crispers and the door width for milk storage of the LG.

I have a 6 burner Viking induction cooktop at Priddis and a 5 burner Miele induction cooktop in Calgary. The Viking is superior. I prefer the actual knobs on the Viking compared to the touch top of the Miele. But the Miele has a bridge element that the Viking does not and I wanted that.

Induction cooking is more than just how fast it can heat water or how fast it cooks. It is all about temperature control period. It has extreme high end heat as well as very low simmering at the other end of the heat spectrum. Cooking with induction keeps your kitchen cool. The handles of your cookware will not get real hot. Spills are super easy to clean up as the actual glass cooktop does not heat up like radiant cooktops do. Spills will not burn and stick on and need to be scraped off. Just wipe them up with your dishcloth. The only heat that the induction cooktop will get is what is transferred from the bottom of the cookware. And cooking with induction is by far the most energy efficient.

Yes, you need cookware that is induction compatible but North America is finally starting to catch up to Europe and induction cookware can now be found just about anywhere. If a magnet sticks to the base of your cookware, it is induction compatible. Cast iron works as do those old fashioned speckled enamel ware roasters. Someone mentioned that the bottoms of cookware have to be flat. True but tell me, what good cookware does not have a flat encapsulated base these days? However, I can make gravy in those enamel ware roasters with no problem and they have a ridged base.

Someone mentioned that you might break the glass top if you dropped something real heavy on it. Let me ask you...who has ever done something like that? And I would wager that if you dropped something real heavy that it would damage any cooking surface.

No, I can't char peppers on my induction cooktop but I can do that on my gas barbecue or broil them in my oven. Charring peppers is low on my list of things I do on a regular basis with my cooktop.

And my personal motto for buying appliances is buy top end or go cheap. I have found that mid-range lacks many features and does not last much longer than low end either.

[Fuzz]

Curious with the induction, would cast iron scratch the glass?

Oh, and since you mention it, I have dropped my cast iron dutch oven on my gas stove, hard enough to chip the enamel and I'd wager it would have shattered glass. But I'm a clutz.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Curious with the induction, would cast iron scratch the glass?

Oh, and since you mention it, I have dropped my cast iron dutch oven on my gas stove, hard enough to chip the enamel and I'd wager it would have shattered glass. But I'm a clutz.

I have had my Viking induction cooktop since 2007 and use cast iron cookware on a regular basis, both for frying and braising. I don't have one scratch on my cooktop. I also have not had one issue or service call for that cooktop. It is a beast.

[afc wimbledon]

Gas is the only way to cook if you care about control, everything else is reactive, only gas enables you to look at the flame size and know that's a low simmer or a rolling boil before you've even put the pot on the stove.

Also when the electricity goes out and your fancy new forced air furnace shuts down you can huddle in the kitchen round the stove.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Only thing I have to add is get a Bosch dishwasher if you can. Things are amazing, some of the lower end models are not that great though.

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.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Another brand to consider is Miele. We are on year 4 with ours, nary a hiccup. I do buy into the idea that dishwashers that have a salt reservoir work better at removing food etc. We pretty much go straight from the table to the dishwasher, everything comes out super clean.

We have a Miele dishwasher and washer and dryer. All have been flawless in the 5 year we have owned them.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Gas is the only way to cook if you care about control, everything else is reactive, only gas enables you to look at the flame size and know that's a low simmer or a rolling boil before you've even put the pot on the stove.

Also when the electricity goes out and your fancy new forced air furnace shuts down you can huddle in the kitchen round the stove.

Cooks should be looking in the pot to determine how things are cooking, not at the size of the flame or the setting that the unit is on.

Every cook unit, no matter if gas, induction, radiant heat etc works differently. Only cooking and using that unit on a regular basis will allow you to know for sure how the food cooks on that unit.

And cookware can react differently too. Cookware with thicker encapsulated bottoms can withstand more heat and is better for simmering as well. Cheap thin cookware...look out and watch all the time.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by redforever

Cooks should be looking in the pot to determine how things are cooking, not at the size of the flame or the setting that the unit is on.

Every cook unit, no matter if gas, induction, radiant heat etc works differently. Only cooking and using that unit on a regular basis will allow you to know for sure how the food cooks on that unit.

And cookware can react differently too. Cookware with thicker encapsulated bottoms can withstand more heat and is better for simmering as well. Cheap thin cookware...look out and watch all the time.

There are some sauces I make where by the time you have noticed the heat in the pot the eggs have already cooked and it's ruined, there arnt many recipes where control is that crucial but there are some. I can look at a flame on any gas stove, not just mine, and know how hot it is instantly. There's just no substitute for that level of control and the instant ability to turn heat off as well.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

There are some sauces I make where by the time you have noticed the heat in the pot the eggs have already cooked and it's ruined, there arnt many recipes where control is that crucial but there are some. I can look at a flame on any gas stove, not just mine, and know how hot it is instantly. There's just no substitute for that level of control and the instant ability to turn heat off as well.

It sounds like you've never used an induction burner.

When you turn the heat off an induction burner there is less residual heat from the stove top than there would be on an iron grating.

Also, you have no idea how hot the pan will be when you look at the flame because it's entirely dependent on how long the pan has been in contact with the flame. A thicker pan will take longer to heat up and take longer to cool down than a thinner pan, it makes no difference what setting the flame is on.

You have far more control and consistent heating with an induction burner. It's just the way it is.

[Fuzz]

How do you use a wok on induction? I'd assume it has to be flat bottomed? Do the heat evenly, or is it just a hotspot on the base?

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

How do you use a wok on induction? I'd assume it has to be flat bottomed? Do the heat evenly, or is it just a hotspot on the base?

This is one place a gas stove will have an overall advantage. Not that heat will not be comparable but with gas, you can get a concave ring that your wok sits in and heat and flames can go all around the wok.

My wok is a bit flat bottomed but then curved. For the type of stir frying I do, it is more than adequate and I do quite a bit of ethnic cooking. Heat does conduct up the sides of the wok but the sides won't get as hot as quickly as with a gas cooktop.

However, if using a wok is your main way of cooking, I would recommend a gas cooktop.

This is similar to making naan bread in a traditional oven compared to a tandoori oven. A traditional oven is more than adequate but a tandoori oven is superior.

Or making pizza in a traditional oven compared to a wood fired pizza oven.

You have to weigh what type of cooking you mainly do on a daily basis.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

How do you use a wok on induction? I'd assume it has to be flat bottomed? Do the heat evenly, or is it just a hotspot on the base?

My wife and I use a saute pan w/ lid instead of a wok. Her and my parents have done the same after migrating to induction. I think it's a 3.5 Qt size pan which we find is an excellent size. We nabbed a non-stick one for $25 bucks at Sears one year on boxing week. there's also 5.5 Qt sized pans as well if the 3.5 is too small but those are far more expensive and heavier.

EDIT: To answer your question... You can use a wok on induction, but it's not very convenient. You have to use one of those rings to keep it stable, and due to the small contact area, it heats up way slower than when using gas. My dad still uses the wok on occasion for steaming, but not for regular cooking.

[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.

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by redforever

No, I can't char peppers on my induction cooktop but I can do that on my gas barbecue or broil them in my oven. Charring peppers is low on my list of things I do on a regular basis with my cooktop.

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.

[JohnnyO]

There is a big difference in the Bosch German built and Bosch North America apparently. We have a Bosch model from Germany. Look at the dish rack spacing, the smaller racks are the Euro models as the plates are smaller over there. As someone mentioned the salt/softner option is the difference for the longevity. It is so quiet and always does a good job.

We also have a Miele Induction cooktop. The thing is awesome, clean up is a breeze as it doesnt bake on, the instant control of temp is fantastic. Most decent pots and pans will work. Ikea of all places (induction is big in Eurpoe) has some of the various odd size pots and pans that work well and are well made. We had a Samsung induction at our old place and it was junk. 4 service calls in 2 years. We gladly sold the house with it included.