Appliances- Wolf, Monogram, Thermador

[Anonymous]

Really sad to hear about monogram issues because we had a double oven installed by prior owners that was 29 years old and still ran perfectly. We are considering updating our cooktop and prefer the monogram layout over wolf.

[Anonymous]

Pass on the monogram. I have them and installed them new in 2012. Everything- fridge, dishwasher and oven, have had to have major service. Only specialists can fix them. Had kitchen aid at my old house, both dishwasher and fridge are over 20 years old and still running strong.

[Anonymous]

Wolf is the Louboutin of kitchen appliances. Overpriced, performs about as well as any other showy and non-practical item, but instantly recognizable...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wolf is the Louboutin of kitchen appliances. Overpriced, performs about as well as any other showy and non-practical item, but instantly recognizable...

So what do you recommend? Multiple people have responded saying the less expensive Monogram was terrible and not reliable, and every Wolf poster has been happy and said how reliable it is. Do you have another brand you prefer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get Bluestar.

+1. They do have super powerful burners... and to the PP's point, it depends on what and how you cook.
We do a lot of wok frying, where having short bursts of high heat on thin carbon steel is very useful. Lower power burners end up steaming/braising the food, and you do not achieve "wok hay".

If you mostly do sauces and things which don't require high heat (i.e. spaghetti sauce), then yeah, having a powerful burner won't help.

Is Bluestar more difficult to clean?

Bluestar is cast iron grates on stainless steel frame. I can't say if its more or less difficult, as I don't have any of the other ones... but looks similar to me.
I would say that its been pretty good to maintain from my point of view. Easy to get any drips out as everything easily comes apart, and there are drip pans. I'd imagine the others have a similar setup.
Take a look at them in showroom side by side...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wolf is the Louboutin of kitchen appliances. Overpriced, performs about as well as any other showy and non-practical item, but instantly recognizable...

So what do you recommend? Multiple people have responded saying the less expensive Monogram was terrible and not reliable, and every Wolf poster has been happy and said how reliable it is. Do you have another brand you prefer?

So... I do have opinions on this, but I don't think you will like them. I cook a lot, grew up in a family that cooks a lot, and spent many years in the restaurant business. All of the brands you named are unnecessarily expensive for what they deliver. Unless you plan on doing frequent imperial chinese style cooking (high-heat wok), you don't need any of them. You don't need anything more powerful than 20,000 BTU for most anything. You can get this type of output on much less expensive brand. You also are not likely to need a stove with 6 burners. Even cooking multi-course meals, I rarely use 4 burners at once. For my own remodel, I went with a GE cafe range (was under $2500)... but I don't care about how "high-end" my appliances appear to people. The Cafe has plenty of output for me, and an extra oven drawer that I occasionally use. You can easily spend 4x as much on a range by the brands you listed, but I guarantee that the food you put out won't be 4x as good.

[Anonymous]

I have a smaller Thermador gas range / electric convection oven in my truly-NOT-high-end kitchen. It's way overpriced for my house, but I love to cook, and this brand was recommended by my cousin (a professional chef) and my parents (who had one for 15 years in their last house and it was still going strong when they moved out).

I've had it 8 years, so I don't know if this counts as 'recent' experience. But I've used it practically daily for 8 years, and absolutely love it. Super-low simmer to very high heat - check. Precise controls - check. Good oven temp accuracy (I check with an oven thermometer periodically to make sure) - check. Nice finish that still looks new - check. Smooth gliding oven racks - check, and I never would have guessed how much of a difference this makes. 8 years and running with no repairs or service calls - check (and wish I could say the same for our KitchenAid dishwasher).

I can't really speak to Wolf or Monogram, but can highly recommend Thermador.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wolf is the Louboutin of kitchen appliances. Overpriced, performs about as well as any other showy and non-practical item, but instantly recognizable...

So what do you recommend? Multiple people have responded saying the less expensive Monogram was terrible and not reliable, and every Wolf poster has been happy and said how reliable it is. Do you have another brand you prefer?

NP. Bluestar.

[Anonymous]

We had all Thermidorian appliances in our old house and had a great experience. When we renovate the kitchen in our new house, we’ll use them again.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all the replies! We are no longer considering Monogram. We will look more carefully at Thermador, Wolf, and Bluestar. I'm happy to hear more feedback!

[Anonymous]

No to Monogram, yes to Wolf. Avid home cook/baker here, and I use the range and oven multiple times daily. Monogram needed to be serviced right away, Wolf has been going strong for 5 years now. It is a solidly built oven. Nothing fancy (we have the 30" gas range with four burners for our small kitchen), but it is a workhorse. The guys who installed it said that that is the oven they would choose, if they had a choice. They were adamantly against ovens that had computerized panels. Not only Wolfs well-built, should you never need to repaint them, they are easy to repair. Excellent control over gas flames, excellent baking and convection. And yes, I do like the red knobs.

[Anonymous]

Wolf is the very best and worth springing for if you cook a lot. My Wolf wall ovens are 19 years old and going strong.

[Anonymous]

We have a 36” bluestar range and it’s so easy to clean. Cast iron grates are fully removable and the drip pans below catch everything. I also love that it’s simple - no control boards or other complicated electronics to go bad.

[Anonymous]

what about Viking? aren't they up there with Wolfe Thermador etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a smaller Thermador gas range / electric convection oven in my truly-NOT-high-end kitchen. It's way overpriced for my house, but I love to cook, and this brand was recommended by my cousin (a professional chef) and my parents (who had one for 15 years in their last house and it was still going strong when they moved out).

I've had it 8 years, so I don't know if this counts as 'recent' experience. But I've used it practically daily for 8 years, and absolutely love it. Super-low simmer to very high heat - check. Precise controls - check. Good oven temp accuracy (I check with an oven thermometer periodically to make sure) - check. Nice finish that still looks new - check. Smooth gliding oven racks - check, and I never would have guessed how much of a difference this makes. 8 years and running with no repairs or service calls - check (and wish I could say the same for our KitchenAid dishwasher).

I can't really speak to Wolf or Monogram, but can highly recommend Thermador.

Did I write this post in my sleep last night? Completely agree about the Thermador gas range and electric convection oven . . . and (sadly) about the KitchenAid dishwasher!