Best brand for fridge, stove, dishwasher, hood....

[pg600rr]

Just bought a house and I am replacing all my appliances... unfortunatley to fit with the current granite cut-out and cabinents I can only work with a 36" fridge/freezer (would like the side/side style) and a 30" gas range (contemplating recutting the granite in the island where the stove is to fit a 36" range).

So I need a:
fridge
stove
dishwasher
and hood

I have been looking at subzero, viking, and wolf but although they look great a lot of the reviews I have read have them breaking quite often w/ big $$$ repair bills?? there are so many brands I dont really know what to go with.

 

[SUPER K]

Changed out several items in your list this year.

Went with Bosch dishwasher, Wolf stove. Both recommended by repair guy. Don't recall name of the hood, but it was unique in that the motor(and noise) is on the external end of the system.

 

[edmorel]

there are a bunch of threads on this. A lot of this will come down to your budget/aesthetics/needs. For ranges, look at Five Star, Capital Cooking as less expensive alternatives to Thermador/Wolf/Viking. Dishwasher, I have a LG, friend has a Miele (we are both happy with them), if you want the two drawer thing I think only Fisher and Paykal do that. Hood, I have a Vent A hood, is very strong and relatively quiet. if the stove will have a grill or if you plan on doing any high heat cooking, get the most powerful hood you can afford. I would cut back on another item and put the money to a good hood. Fridges are all over the place, sub zero/viking etc look good, but you'll get better storage, use and value from other brands, assuming you have kids.

 

[Douglas]

i think when magician said "five star" he meant "blue star."

 

[Manton]

I soooooooo wish I had gotten a Vent-a-Hood. Went instead with Best by Broan and it is meh.

And, can't stress this enough: Get Open Burners!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pg600rr]

Originally Posted by SUPER K

Changed out several items in your list this year.

Went with Bosch dishwasher, Wolf stove. Both recommended by repair guy. Don't recall name of the hood, but it was unique in that the motor(and noise) is on the external end of the system.

I have heard/read great things about Bosch dishwashers, and from what I can tell Wolf seems to be quite a bit more reliable than Viking. I am pretty sure I have crossed Viking off the list.

Originally Posted by edmorel

there are a bunch of threads on this. A lot of this will come down to your budget/aesthetics/needs. For ranges, look at Five Star, Capital Cooking as less expensive alternatives to Thermador/Wolf/Viking. Dishwasher, I have a LG, friend has a Miele (we are both happy with them), if you want the two drawer thing I think only Fisher and Paykal do that. Hood, I have a Vent A hood, is very strong and relatively quiet. if the stove will have a grill or if you plan on doing any high heat cooking, get the most powerful hood you can afford. I would cut back on another item and put the money to a good hood. Fridges are all over the place, sub zero/viking etc look good, but you'll get better storage, use and value from other brands, assuming you have kids.

Thanks for the info, I want the high end look to my kitchen, budget isnt a huge concern but would like to be reasonable (I dont need the highest end stuff).

For dishwasher not looking for the 2 drawer thing, just normal one, may go w/ bosch as mentioned above.

What did your hood run installed? I need to get a free standing one, as my range is in the island.

Originally Posted by Manton

I soooooooo wish I had gotten a Vent-a-Hood. Went instead with Best by Broan and it is meh.

And, can't stress this enough: Get Open Burners!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why open burners over sealed?

 

[gomestar]

teh GF's firm recommends Miele and Wolf to a lot of their cilents. Architects can get discounted stuff, so befriend one and save some cash.

 

[SirSuturesALot]

We went with the following.

Stove: Thermador
Dishwasher: Bosch
Hood: Best by Broan

 

[pg600rr]

i am going shopping today, highly leaning toward the sub zero 36" built in for my fridge, Bosch or Meile on the dishwasher, still have no idea on a hood, I checked out the vent-a-hood website and saw some I liked.. I have really done no research pertaining to a hood so I am not really planning on purchasing today.

Sub-0 and wolf are having a deal if you by a fridge and stove together they chop like $1000 or $1500 off... not really a huge discount condiering the cost of their products but nevertheless something, one more reason I am leaning toward the wolf range. Viking is def. out, I have yet to really hear one good thing about it, which leaves me wondering why they are so popular/expensive.

And regarding the sealed v. unsealed, is it just of matter of sealed being easier to clean and unsealed being able to give off more heat?

 

[Douglas]

Why Bosch and Miele on the dishwasher?

I just looked at a Bosch right next to a Kitchen-Aid. Kitchen-Aids are cheaper, built every bit as well, and they're bigger. The Bosch has less room because the door is all padded for sound absorption, but I think the K-A measures quieter.

Anyways, it's 6 of one, half-dozen of hte other if you ask me. I'm going to settle on Kitchen-Aid because I've had success with them in the past and it will coordinate visually with some of the other appliances I'm getting - I'm likely to go K-A for my refrig and a speed oven. Obviously, YMMV, especially if you're doing built-ins and panel-readies.

Viking and Wolf are very comparable, IMO. I've heard people on both sides swear by them and alternatively swear about them. Wolf is perhaps slightly more the professional's choice, particularly since they offer open burners.

Open burners are a little uglier and are supposedly harder to clean. I'm not so sure I buy that. Debris burns off the open burner, and most open burner stoves (all of them?) have drip pans underneath that you can pull out and clean every week or so. Sealed still ahve all those parts adn you have to clean them all individually and their shapes are such that stuff still gets stuck in them, etc. Unsealed definitely give a better, more even, more direct heat, as the flame goes straight up into the center (and all parts) of the pan, as opposed to being deflected around the perimeter.

As for hoods, I have not put a ton of research into this yet, but a salesman showed me a "screened" hood vs. a baffled hood vs. the Vent-a-Hood, which uses just a single grease trap. I can tell you that the screened hood sounded like an airport and the V-A-H was near silent. It 100% sold the V-A-H for me. You couldn't live in a kitchen with that screened monstrosity.

 

[pg600rr]

forgot to mention, other range options I am exploring are:
bertazzoni
blue star
dacor
dcs
delonghi

bluestar seems to be a great product, but one concern I have is the 'backsplash' option, the lowest one seems to be a 5" which really wouldnt look/work that great as my range will be placed in the island (i.e., a blacksplash of any sort on the back of the range would be pertruding in the middle of the island counter).

 

[Douglas]

I am getting a Blue Star range, and I am really, really looking forward to it.

I think the backsplashes are "required" but of course you could probably get away with not using it. Can you just use one of their range drop-ins? Or call and ask if there's another option?

 

[atct86]

I have a Open Burner 30" Viking VGIC stove, which has NO electronics, self clean, etc.

I have not had a single issue with it. The only complaint I have is that the door slams shut, unlike a wolf.

I also have a 36" 900 CFM vent above the stove, and wish I had gone with a 1200 CFM or greater fan.

I can only imagine the heat that a 22k btu Bluestar would generate. If your going to go that way, get the best vent hood possible.

 

[Douglas]

Originally Posted by pg600rr

bluestar seems to be a great product, but one concern I have is the 'backsplash' option, the lowest one seems to be a 5" which really wouldnt look/work that great as my range will be placed in the island (i.e., a blacksplash of any sort on the back of the range would be pertruding in the middle of the island counter).

I have good news for you.

This is on their website. I imagine there's more info in the product cut sheets.

 

[foodguy]

just a couple of thoughts: a better stove will improve your food about <1%. it'll look great and when friends come over they will be jealous. But don't expect anything to taste that much better. I've got a 1950s O'Keefe and Merritt that I love and everyone who comes to cook ends up loving it too (except for the small oven, the inconvenience of which is offset by a waist-high broiler).
Buy the nicest hood you can, particularly if you're really planning on cooking. that made a huge difference in my wife's attitude -- not waking up in the morning with the whole house smelling like last' night's roast. I got a Zephyr Venezia and have been very happy with it.
as far as fridges ... the subzeros we have at my place of work are the banes of my existence. virtually no warranty and in regular need of repair. we've got a kenmore, on the other hand, that works perfectly well. the one thing i'm lusting over for my next fridge is one of those double side-by-sides that allow you to chill an entire baking sheet. that's really handy.