We are embarking on a major kitchen upgrade, and I have been looking at appliances this week. I would love to hear about GOOD experiences with brands, types, etc.–since most people are motivated to post bad experiences that’s mostly what you get on internet consumer review searches. Other kitchen advice (about flooring, countertops, cabinets, etc.) would be appreciated as well. (I did search for past threads and have already gotten lots of good SDMB info–special thanks to Mike G.!)
We have a Maytag Gemini double oven. Having the second oven is more convenient than you could ever imagine. Plus it serves as a toaster, so there’s no need to use up counter space for an extra appliance.
If you bake with any regularity at all, you simply can’t go wrong with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
I have a KitchenAid dishwasher which I love. My prior machine was GE and was billed as quiet and was very far from quiet. This KitchenAid is really really quiet plus does a nice job plus has some nice features inside (like a couple of little clips to hold lightweight things so they don’t fall to the bottom, and some prongs on the upper level that fold down to make more room when needed.) The inside is stainless which is also nice. It also has a short cycle which is good when all you have is a bunch of glasses and coffee cups.
I recommend granite counters. I held out for a long time as I didn’t really like how it looked. But I finally found some I do like (looks more like marble than granite; no little spotches) and I love having no grout lines to clean, and being able to sit hot pans down anywhere and so on.
The last thing I recommend is double ovens. I had a wall oven and when it died I sacrificed a cabinet to get a double oven. Wow. I love it. Being able to cook a couple of things in the oven without worrying about whether they take the same temperature. Being able to make cookies in half the time. It’s great.
You do know the upgrade is going to take approximately twice as long as you expect plus a week, don’t you?
Kenmore appliances provide reliable service without breaking the bank. Not all are created equal, of course, and you need to do your homework before buying. KitchenAid mixer: oh, hell yeah! My cousin has had hers since 1969 and it’s still going strong.
Kitchen aid mixer, absolutely.
Bosch dishwasher.
I wish I had a double oven, but no such luck here.
Avoid GE.
I like Jenn-Air and Kenmore’s Elite line.
A slight hijack perhaps, but I just bought one of these Jimmy Buffet margarita makers. It is awesome! The jug is thick glass, and the appliance itself is very well constructed: not cheap plastic.
A couple people are dogging on GE, but our 15 year old builder-grade dishwasher, oven and over-the-stove microwave are still humming along fine. Granted they are lacking in features and things could have changed in 15 years.
We have a LG side-by-side refrigerator that we have been happy with. The only thing is that the water filters are ridiculously expensive.
We’ve had the equivalent of this magimix food processor for 16 years. No frills but rock solid quality and a motor the size of Madagascar
You might also try perusing the forums at Gardenweb: Home Appliance Forum | Houzz
That does look great – a double oven without losing an entire wall area for it.
Me, I have a drawer dishwasher. When I moved into my current house, I needed to replace the dishwasher. But the space was so short that this dishwasher was the only one that would fit there without tearing up the floor. But I love having the drawers; since I live alone, I couldn’t fill up a whole dishwasher but once a week. With this, I can run the equivalent of a half load. It’s also great when you’ve got company; since you can run it when you’ve got half a load, if you’re diligent you won’t end up with a counter full of dishes waiting for the load to finish since you can run half loads constantly.
All of the inside-the-fridge water filters are absurdly expensive. It’s the price you pay for being co-branded with somone like Pur or Brita, and for the foolproof easy-swap quarter-turn atachment. The old style generic cylinders that mount into the water line behind the fridge are still reasonably priced and still have a tendency to leak behind the fridge.
I’ll second the Bosch dishwashers. WE got a new one after finally tiring of our old dishwasher that was loud and didn’t clean dishes. It’s quiet, REALLY quiet, and it cleans the dishes. Pay attention when picking a dishwasher to the rack layout. Bring some of your dishwear in if you’re attached to it, because our Bosch doesn’t hold as much stuff as the old one due to the layout of the racks.
Kitchenaid or Cuisinart food processor.
Victorinox knives
I really liked our bottom drawer freezer on our old fridge. Held a lot, and it was much easier to access the refrigeration compartment items.
In addition to KitchenAid stand mixers, we have a KitchenAid disposer. Last week it wasn’t working and we were amazed because it seemed indestructible. Then I went to run the dishwasher and it wouldn’t start either – so I checked the circuit breaker and it had been flipped by the workmen doing stuff in our bathroom remodel. All is well – and the KitchenAid disposer probably will go another 30 years. I think you could put a car in it.
I love my Miele appliances… made in Germany… especially the dishwasher which has a 3rd rack up high for silverware. You can buy there stuff in the US (they even have a dealer in Reno which we hope to use if we can move back to the US someday)
I can second the Maytag double oven. I’ve had one for a year and half now and I love it.
I cannot second the Bosch diswasher. Ours is quiet but it does a shitty job cleaning the dishes and over the 7 or 8 years we’ve had it we’ve made several service calls on it. It still does a shitty job cleaning dishes. There was also a part in it that was recalled last year, but it was fairly easy to get that taken care of, at least. If I could afford it I would replace it.
I’ll third it. Super quiet and cheap as heck to run. A standard cycle uses something like 1.5 gallons and condensation drying means it uses almost no electricity. I am embarrassed to say it, but I got very emotional when I left it behind.
My Magimix food mixer has always been good to me.
Dualit make good toasters and kettles.
I have stood right next to a running Bosch dishwasher and not been able to hear it running, it’s that quiet.
I know two different people who have two dishwashers in their kitchens. One has it because she entertains a lot. The other has it because this way, he never has to empty the dishwasher. He just takes out clean dishes as he needs them, and then puts the dirty dishes into the other dishwasher until it’s full, then runs the load and repeats the process into the other dishwasher.