So we're building a house. In looking at kitchen appliances, we see there are a ton of options. I wanted to see what good/bad experiences you guys have had with kitchen appliances.
Refrigerators: Freezer on the bottom? Side-by-side?
Stove: Induction cooktop? Electric? Gas?
Dishwasher: Anything in particular you've found to be good or annoying?
Microwave: Anything you have that you'd recommend or stay away from?
Quote: So we're building a house. In looking at kitchen appliances, we see there are a ton of options. I wanted to see what good/bad experiences you guys have had with kitchen appliances.
Refrigerators: Freezer on the bottom? Side-by-side?
Stove: Induction cooktop? Electric? Gas?
Dishwasher: Anything in particular you've found to be good or annoying?
Microwave: Anything you have that you'd recommend or stay away from?
Thank you. Here is a cookie:
Refrigerator - no doubt, I like side by side. Stove - GAS. Do NOT go electric, you will regret it. Dishwasher - get the quietest one you can afford Microwave - no real recommendation here, other than I'd probably get the same brand of everything.
Not sure what you are looking to spend, as appliances can get very expensive, especially if you go with high end stuff like Sub Zero or Viking.
Fridge - I haven't much to offer here, except to check to make sure that filters are easy to change
Stove - As someone that enjoys cooking, I would never go near electric. I like being able to see the flame. Induction is hip and popular, but I'm not sure that it is for me. I've also never used it.
Dishwasher - quiet is King
Microwave - Over-the-range is the only way to go, IMO. Clears up counter space for the real kitchen work.
Disposal - Insinkerator is the only brand I'll buy. It is pricier, but their 3/4HP model is quiet and uber-powerful.
For all of my appliances (sans range and disposal), I have Frigidaire Professional. My brother and sister both have Frigidaire Gallery. None of us have had any issues with ours that wasn't solved by changing a filter. The other thing I like about them is that their "stainless" options look great, clean easily, and aren't fingerprint magnets like most stainless. It isn't "real" stainless because magnets work on it, but the upside to that is that magnets work on it.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
Refrigerators: Freezer on the bottom is my preference. Allows bigger platters to fit in the fridge and allows you more freedom for how to arrange the racks inside.
Stove: I prefer the on/off ability of gas, but electric stovetops have gotten alot better so either should be okay.
Oven: you didn't ask, but love the convection ovens.
Dishwasher: look at the wash/dry cycle times. most are similar in quality of clean, but that is the differentiating factor.
Microwave: no real opinion other than I like having the 'popcorn' button out of sheer laziness
Depending on what you want to spend, Viking has a great line of products. But bring your big boy wallet,, they will cost you. A BUNDLE
A more moderate priced brand is Kenmore and Sears stands behind them pretty well.
But then, you have the least expensive brands like GE's lower tier products. They are decent, but you will have issues down the road. Get the extended warranties on those for sure.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
If I were setting up my ideal kitchen, I would buy a 5-6 burner gas stove, with 20,000 BTU burners. Actually a griddle plate is nice as well if you have a family, and like pancakes or French toast. A convection oven would be a must for me, because I value even cooking.
I woulf prefer a side by side setup on the refrigerator/freezer, just because I can then easily reach the items I use most often. If my back weren't a mess I would go with the freezer on the bottom, as I have read that they are more energy efficient. However, since that would mean bending every time I needed anything from the freezer, it appears that my next fridge/freezer will be a side by side.
Speaking of energy efficient ..... I would go with Energy Star rated appliances. Many will also qualify for rebates from the government. Further, if you are replacing appliances, (I don't remember if you said you were, or if this was for a new construction) check with your local government, and/or utility companies, (or online) to see if they offer rebates for turning in an older, non energy efficient appliance. I got $50 for turning in my old chest freezer when I replaced it, and IIRC, something like a $30 rebate on my new freezer. That took a decent chunk off of the price of the new freezer, and made getting the super energy efficient one a no-brainer.
As far as dishwashers .... as others have mentioned, quiet is king. I usually run mine at night when I go to bed, and I like that it is a fairly quiet unit. (even though mine is a portable unit) I know that there are far quieter units on the market though. Since my bedrooms are upstairs, and my kitchen is away from the stairs, it's not a huge issue, but a really noisy one could carry through the walls, and that would be a concern since one of my bedrooms is over part of the kitchen.
If you get an exhaust fan for your stove, look for the quietest one you can find as well. Mine is super noisy, and it stinks to be cooking and trying to carry on a conversation, or worse, to get a phone call while I am cooking something. I have to either turn off the fan, or leave the kitchen to hear. That kind of defeats the purpose of the hood fan. Make sure the fan is properly vented, and ask to see the work at the mid way point if you have it installed. You want to make sure that they don't cheat and run an exhaust line into the attic without actually venting it outside. That actually happened to a friend of mine. The exhaust tube went nowhere, and was buried into insulation. That serves no purpose.
That's about all I can think of. Good luck. Shop around. Get multiple price quotes, and play everyone against everyone else to get the best possible price.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Refrigerators: We have a side-by-side and it can be tough to get large items in either side at times. I want to try bottom freezer. My wife and I have had terrible luck with Frigidaire, and now refuse to buy anything by them. My house is 11 years old and I'm on my 3rd fridge. 1st was builder model, second was Frigidaire that crapped out after 2 years. We now have GE.
Stove: I would go gas if given then option, sadly we don't have gas here I think I would go Induction next.
Dishwasher: As others have said, the Db levels. Unless your kitchen is completely cut off from other rooms. My house is open concept, and the dishwasher can be disruptive if your trying to watch a movie or something.
Microwave: Again, Frigidaire sucks. We have a Maytag.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
Quote: You want to make sure that they don't cheat and run an exhaust line into the attic without actually venting it outside. That actually happened to a friend of mine. The exhaust tube went nowhere, and was buried into insulation. That serves no purpose.
THIS! Make sure they even plan to vent to the outside - sometimes when a above stove microwave is installed it has a "vent" that is just a filter and doesn't go anywhere. While you are at it, make sure the bathroom fans also vent to the outside.
Quote: You want to make sure that they don't cheat and run an exhaust line into the attic without actually venting it outside. That actually happened to a friend of mine. The exhaust tube went nowhere, and was buried into insulation. That serves no purpose.
THIS! Make sure they even plan to vent to the outside - sometimes when a above stove microwave is installed it has a "vent" that is just a filter and doesn't go anywhere. While you are at it, make sure the bathroom fans also vent to the outside.
Add the dryer vent to that list, they shingled over ours. It was the Maytag service guy who figured it out while trying to figure out why our cloths wouldn't dry.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
When I bought my house it had all the appliances except a refrigerator. I ended up purchasing a Maytag with the freezer on the bottom. Love it. I'm 6'2, my girlfriend is 5'10", neither of us has to bend down to see what's in the fridge. Lets face it we use the fridge FAR more often than the freezer on any given day. Having everything at eye level is awesome. It has huge door shelves for easy access to beverages. The other nice thing is because of the flipped design the bottom of the fridge is at knee level. So when I open the door there's a large flat space for me to set grocery bags as I unload them without having to bend over. Accessing the top shelf, back of the freezer can require stooping really low but I don't have to hardly ever do it. The freezer has a large slide out bin that makes most stuff really easy to grab. Side by sides are nice if you can go big. But like others have pointed out, there is a limit to how big of a platter or such you can put into the average one.
Refrigerators: Freezer on the bottom? Side-by-side? - On bottom, one word, wide.
Stove: Induction cooktop? Electric? Gas? - Go Gas, if you have a power outage in the winter, you still have a source of heat.
Dishwasher: Anything in particular you've found to be good or annoying? - As mentioned above, quiet, quiet and more quiet.
Microwave: Anything you have that you'd recommend or stay away from? I purchased a GE last time, not really happy with it, the door has cracked. 1100 watts is nice higher will have to adjust all directions for cooking as it will nuke them.
Thank you. Here is a cookie: Chocolate Chip please.
If you buy a stainless steel refrigerator DO NOT buy one with water/ice built in the door. I own one. And I can tell you getting water stains off the area under the water/ice machine is constantly a battle. And even though it doesn't always spill or drip, over time those drips tend to run in the same place and eventually you won't be able to clean it to where you can't see it. It's annoying as hell.
We just bought our new home in May and I got a refridgerator with the freezer on the bottom and side by side doors in the fridge. It didn't look very big, but when I took everything out of my full 5 cf freezer it fit. I don't have to use my separate freezer unit. It's a G.E. model and I am very happy with it. The rest of the stuff in the house was already there but I'd never recomend a Maytag dish washer now that we have one. Looking forward to replacing it as soon as we can.
The Constitution shall never be construe to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms. – Samuel Adams
Quote: Interesting tidbit, thanks. We have a soon to be 4 year old and a 14 month old, so hiding dirt and fingerprints is going to be a good idea.
This is why I mentioned the Frigidaire "stainless". You get the look and feel of stainless, but it is WAY easier to keep clean that pure stainless steel.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
Also, there are some things that reheat better in a toaster over and in a microwave. (like pizza, for example) I would suggest a convection toaster oven. It heats really evenly, and seems to create less outside heat.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
we have a bosch dishwasher. very quiet. can barely hear it run. actually the water that drains is the loudest part.
fridge. like others have said. freezer on bottom. more efficient and more room for stuff. i have a side-by-side in the garage and hate it.
stove. if ya cook a lot go with gas.. if you dont go with gas.
microwave. over the range. but make sure there is enough space between the stove and bottom of microwave. i went through 2 before i figured out why they were shorting out internally. i had to raise my cupboard up by about 4-5 inches so the steam actually went through vents. before was too low and stam would go into the electrical panel.
yes on getting the toaster oven.. and if you eat popcorn get a dedicated popper. we have the west bend stir crazy and love it. i used to love the extra butter microwave. but after getting thise i dont even need butter on it anymore. oh and hint store your popcorn kernals in the fridge. keeps the moisture in and get bigger popped kernals
microwave. over the range. but make sure there is enough space between the stove and bottom of microwave. i went through 2 before i figured out why they were shorting out internally. i had to raise my cupboard up by about 4-5 inches so the steam actually went through vents. before was too low and stam would go into the electrical panel.
We have a similar issue with space, and come to find that a few years ago, the over the range cabinets were changed from a standard of 15" to 12" so a new larger microwave in an older kitchen will sit lower than newer kitchens.
Trying to convince the wife we need to put in new cabinets to fix the problem. But she loves her maple cabinets.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
microwave. over the range. but make sure there is enough space between the stove and bottom of microwave. i went through 2 before i figured out why they were shorting out internally. i had to raise my cupboard up by about 4-5 inches so the steam actually went through vents. before was too low and stam would go into the electrical panel.
We have a similar issue with space, and come to find that a few years ago, the over the range cabinets were changed from a standard of 15" to 12" so a new larger microwave in an older kitchen will sit lower than newer kitchens.
Trying to convince the wife we need to put in new cabinets to fix the problem. But she loves her maple cabinets.
You should be able to get a single replacement cabinet.
As for the spacing, I thought the safe minimum above a range was 17"-19"?
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
microwave. over the range. but make sure there is enough space between the stove and bottom of microwave. i went through 2 before i figured out why they were shorting out internally. i had to raise my cupboard up by about 4-5 inches so the steam actually went through vents. before was too low and stam would go into the electrical panel.
We have a similar issue with space, and come to find that a few years ago, the over the range cabinets were changed from a standard of 15" to 12" so a new larger microwave in an older kitchen will sit lower than newer kitchens.
Trying to convince the wife we need to put in new cabinets to fix the problem. But she loves her maple cabinets.
You should be able to get a single replacement cabinet.
As for the spacing, I thought the safe minimum above a range was 17"-19"?
The 12" and 15" measurements are the height of the cabinet above. The newer 12" high cabinets give 3 more inches of space between the bottom of the cabinet and the stovetop for a microwave. My guess is this was done to accommodate larger microwaves as they become a more used component in food preparation. Not sure when this change occurred, or if it's nationwide, but our house is only 11 years old, so it is sometime between 2002 and now.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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