Kitchen Appliances, what brands?

[cidley69]

Hey there,

Looking to buy new kitchen appliances, there's a ton of choices out there.

Our range is gas, and wife wants a double oven or oven drawer for holiday cooking.

Our kitchen isn't too big so counter depth fridge only.

Leaning towards Kithenaid or GE.

Do you have either of these brands? If so what pieces and how are you liking them


Any complaints?

[killramos]

I have all kitchenaid and they all work fine. I think the range is the highlight, it looks nice and works quite well. I do feel like i got ripped off on buying the name and i don't really like my fridge in hindsight ( loud, not good at cooling the fridge evenly with warm spots and cool spots. I feel like kitchenaid you are paying more for the look and name than quality appliances.

Consider Samsung as well ( like rage2's baller fridge).

My Panasonic microwave also sucks, bulb burnt out within a year and the stupid iPod style controls are unusable.

Go walk around trail appliances for an hour and play with everything you can.

[phreezee]

My GE fridge sucked and broke down after only a few years. I've had a bad experience with a Samsung washer that need repair in under a year as well. My Maytag washer lasted 8 years.

Don't put too much stock into brands as they are mish-mashed.
Whirlpool owns, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Gladiator GarageWorks, Inglis, Estate, Brastemp, Bauknecht, Indesit and Consul. After acquiring the Maytag Corporation on March 31, 2006, the Whirlpool Corporation surpassed Electrolux to become "the largest home appliance maker in the world."

[cidley69]

Yeah I hear you, and each brand seems to have something they are good at, but they suck at other things. Getting matching suite of appliances good for looks bad not optimum for performance.

Wife wants the Fridgedaire fridge b/c its smudge proof stainless. But the reviews suck.....

[G]

Try an induction stove you will never go back to gas.

[flipstah]

Kitchenaid is good. Samsung rules.

Originally posted by G
Try an induction stove you will never go back to gas.

Induction stove is awesome if you also don't have pots/pans. Otherwise, have fun replacing your whole kitchenware.

[G]

Originally posted by flipstah
Kitchenaid is good. Samsung rules.



Induction stove is awesome if you also don't have pots/pans. Otherwise, have fun replacing your whole kitchenware.

Well if you are a foodie you would have a decent set of pots and pans. Any decent set should be induction ready.

[rage2]

I hate cooking with gas. Somehow, I manage to burn myself on a monthly basis. I don't cook as much as my gf, so it was her choice. That and she paid for it all anyways.

If it was up to me, I'd be induction all the way.

No issues with my Samsung stuff so far, and it looks pretty. I got a sweet deal through Carey, so I don't think it was that expensive anyhow.

Note that if you are switching from gas to electric, you'll have to run 220V power. Switching from electric to gas was easy, Home Depot has a 220V->110V converter plug just for this purpose.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by G


Well if you are a foodie you would have a decent set of pots and pans. Any decent set should be induction ready.

I've never tried copper pots in an induction stove. Does it work?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Asking what appliances are best among the Major brands is a crap shoot. Most of them come out of the same factory anyway, or are very similar. Just buy what you like, what fits, with a warranty you like, and from a brand you trust (probably any one of the dozen or so major brands). Beyond that, it's out of your hands IMO.

I have 16-year-old Frigidaire Gallery Professional appliances in my place (fridge, electric oven, gas stove, microwave) and every one of them still works like brand new. Some else might own the exact same set that crapped out in 5 years, who knows.

My parents renovated their kitchen and after much research picked a Kitchenaid Oven (electric) and a GE Induction stove top, and both have been awesome for going on 6 years now.

Originally posted by flipstah


I've never tried copper pots in an induction stove. Does it work?

Nope.

Induction FTW though, I will never go back to gas. Crazy fast boiling, perfectly even heat, and precise heat control. It's also a lot safer if you have kids or pets, since it heats the pot not the cooktop. If you're cooking something messy, you can cover the entire top in paper towel as well for an easy cleanup.

[G]

Originally posted by flipstah


I've never tried copper pots in an induction stove. Does it work?

People buy copper mainly because it is better at conductivity. But with an induction stove you get even consistent heating anyways so using copper is moot.

Copper was in a yeas ago but I don't think so anymore. Cast iron is a better option now.

Look at the cons of using copper.

"Copper
Pros: Excellent thermal conductivity, cooks food evenly. Cons: Reactive with alkaline or acidic foods, which can take on a metallic taste after being cooked in a copper pot. Light colored foods, like eggs, can also develop grey streaks when they pick up the copper compounds, which also means you'll ingest small amounts of copper. Not a big deal if it's an occasional thing, but not so great for everyday use. Copper also requires regular polishing and maintenance, and it's expensive. A better option? Look for copper pots with a stainless steel or tin lining so you get the best of both worlds: great thermal conductivity, with the safety and versatility of a nonreactive lining. "

But you can always get an induction interface heat plate to for non induction ready pots and pans

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Burton-601...ct_top?ie=UTF8

[benyl]

Induction. Even the cheapest cookware from Ikea is induction ready. I laughed at rage2 when he told me it took 10 minutes to boil water for his ramen. Take like 45 seconds to 1 minute on an induction stove.


Kitchenaid

I wouldn't wish GE on my worst enemy.

The fridge needed a new logic board and defrost heater every year. I would get the revised parts every time and they would still fail. At $300 / pop for the logic board, I could have bought the same fridge twice over.

[ExtraSlow]

Induction stove is awesome. I have one of those non-induction glass cooktops, and it's a real bitch to keep clean, plus thay insanely hot for quite a long time.

Touch-panel controls can be expensive to fix, but I don't think they fail that often.
Worth checking out how much the fridge air and water filters cost. I have Elextrolux fridge, and the filters are insane, even from AMRE. same fridge from Fridgidaire has slightly different filters, at half the cost. And I have checked, you can't fit the cheap ones into my fridge. Grrrr.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by G


People buy copper mainly because it is better at conductivity. But with an induction stove you get even consistent heating anyways so using copper is moot.

Copper was in a yeas ago but I don't think so anymore. Cast iron is a better option now.

Look at the cons of using copper.

"Copper
Pros: Excellent thermal conductivity, cooks food evenly. Cons: Reactive with alkaline or acidic foods, which can take on a metallic taste after being cooked in a copper pot. Light colored foods, like eggs, can also develop grey streaks when they pick up the copper compounds, which also means you'll ingest small amounts of copper. Not a big deal if it's an occasional thing, but not so great for everyday use. Copper also requires regular polishing and maintenance, and it's expensive. A better option? Look for copper pots with a stainless steel or tin lining so you get the best of both worlds: great thermal conductivity, with the safety and versatility of a nonreactive lining. "

But you can always get an induction interface heat plate to for non induction ready pots and pans

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Burton-601...ct_top?ie=UTF8

Cast iron pans rule! I love my old one that I got at Goodwill years ago. Cleaned it up then reaseasoned it.

But yeah, I wouldn't get Frigidaire. Looks cheap for the price you get.

[G]

Originally posted by benyl
Induction. Even the cheapest cookware from Ikea is induction ready. I laughed at rage2 when he told me it took 10 minutes to boil water for his ramen. Take like 45 seconds to 1 minute on an induction stove.


Kitchenaid

I wouldn't wish GE on my worst enemy.

The fridge needed a new logic board and defrost heater every year. I would get the revised parts every time and they would still fail. At $300 / pop for the logic board, I could have bought the same fridge twice over.

It's even faster if you use power boost.
Induction is so efficient because with gas a lot of the heat goes up the side of the pot. Induction only heats the pot.

Re-boiling after it was off for a few minutes.

[Waldi]

I had Kenmore appliance and Kitchenaid, both had similar performance, nothing major, except issue with stove main board that had to be replaced. I would focus on service, bought most of the appliances from Sears as they have very good service, had my Bosch dishwasher exchanged 3 times without issue, not to mention fridge (stainless steel) about 3 times as well due to scratches on the door, never experience problem with this at Sears, where my family used other major appliance stores and after purchase had big issue with service. Sears not only sells kenmore but pretty much will get you any brand at competitive price. I just like their service.

[G]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Induction stove is awesome. I have one of those non-induction glass cooktops, and it's a real bitch to keep clean, plus thay insanely hot for quite a long time.

Touch-panel controls can be expensive to fix, but I don't think they fail that often.
Worth checking out how much the fridge air and water filters cost. I have Elextrolux fridge, and the filters are insane, even from AMRE. same fridge from Fridgidaire has slightly different filters, at half the cost. And I have checked, you can't fit the cheap ones into my fridge. Grrrr.

I have a RO system in the basement that I pipe filtered water to my freezer for ice. I bought a bypass filter that eliminates the need to change the filter for fridge.

[cidley69]

Induction is sounding real good. Anyone have this Samsung NE58H9970WS?

What brand/models you using? How much you pay for it?

[G]

I got the THERMADOR, C/T, INDUCT, BLK (CIT365KBB). Paid $3900 for it.

[E46..sTyLez]

I really like Samsung as a brand, but just in my personal opinion/experience, I don't like them for appliances. Sure they are fancy looking etc, lots of bells and whistles...but Samsung is an electronics brand, whereas for example Bosch strictly makes appliances.

The failure rate for Samsung has been higher for me, than for a brand that specializes in appliances.

Best of luck with your decision!