Kitchen appliances for high end homes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, all you Wolf people are really intent on paying for red knobs. It's GE with better marketing. Ask yourself how many chefs cook on closed burner ranges.

Blue star blows the socks off wolf. And the only electrical component is the spark plug to light the burners. Nothing really can break. Incredibly reliable, high btu. Downside is no dual fuel ranges (last I checked)

Bluestar introduced dual fuel this summer...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If truly high end - I prefer paneled and integrated fridges/dishwasher (Sub Zero makes those fridges, but also Jenn Air, Miele and others). Stainless is okay, but is starting to look a little dated.

Lots of high end range brands - Wolf is popular in DC. If you have an extra $10,000, La Cornue and Lacanche (French ranges) look really nice and are different.

They're really nice to look at. They're not practical at all to cook with. If you want people to admire your kitchen, then buy them. If you actually cook, don't.

I disagree on this one. We have a lacornue and it’s amazing. I use all of the features and love it. We’ve previously had a Wolfe, five star, bertazonni and thermador, and the la cornue is better in every aspect

I love my Lacanche. It is so simplistic. I love the smaller ovens, the duel fuel ovens, and the BTUs are fantastic. In contrast to most duel fuel ranges, I have one gas oven and one convection oven. Most duel fuel ranges mean gas cooktop + electric/convection ovens.

I did my kitchen in 2020. I also have a Lacanche with one gas oven and one convection oven. Agree the BTUs are fantastic. Wow! I have mixed feelings about the smaller ovens, but I've gotten used to it. I've had to replace some pans because not everything fits in the oven, which is one consideration. Also, miss having an oven window at times. The brass burner caps never look as good as they did new regardless of how well you try to take care of them. I've thought about ordering replacement brass caps just "for show" but I haven't investigated how to do it or how much it would cost. I know you can get black covers for them, but I'm less interested in those. My subzero has needed to be serviced twice and my drawer microwave with "wave open" technology doesn't work at all anymore. Ha! I need to get a replacement but it's a pain because the damn thing is built into my island.

[Anonymous]

We went with Miele for everything but the induction stove cause theirs was not well reviewed. Got thermador for that. Absolutely love everything we got (we are heavy cookers). Sometimes I wish we saved the money but I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that these things will last.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, all you Wolf people are really intent on paying for red knobs. It's GE with better marketing. Ask yourself how many chefs cook on closed burner ranges.

What are the benefits of open burner ranges? Hotter burners?

And more control.

[Anonymous]

I have a Lacanche and it is a joy to look at and cook with! I disagree that they are not practical...mine is 4 years old and has yet to need service. I was told servicing them is quite easy because all the parts are mechanical, vs. many high-end ranges that are full of electronic components which are more prone to failure. If you are buying one, definitely visit the showroom in NYC, the sales team there is wonderful.

To answer PP's question about the cooktop, yes under the gas burners it is stainless steel. My cleaners have accidentally scratched mine in areas, but it's really not noticeable unless you are very close to it and it does not bother me. While these ranges are beautiful they are meant to be used and will patina regardless, which adds to the charm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If truly high end - I prefer paneled and integrated fridges/dishwasher (Sub Zero makes those fridges, but also Jenn Air, Miele and others). Stainless is okay, but is starting to look a little dated.

Lots of high end range brands - Wolf is popular in DC. If you have an extra $10,000, La Cornue and Lacanche (French ranges) look really nice and are different.

They're really nice to look at. They're not practical at all to cook with. If you want people to admire your kitchen, then buy them. If you actually cook, don't.

I disagree on this one. We have a lacornue and it’s amazing. I use all of the features and love it. We’ve previously had a Wolfe, five star, bertazonni and thermador, and the la cornue is better in every aspect

I love my Lacanche. It is so simplistic. I love the smaller ovens, the duel fuel ovens, and the BTUs are fantastic. In contrast to most duel fuel ranges, I have one gas oven and one convection oven. Most duel fuel ranges mean gas cooktop + electric/convection ovens.

I'm the PP interested in Lacanche/Lacornue. I notice that the cooktop of Lacanche looks like stainless steel or some other light-colored metal. Does this scratch? Ranges with black tops (including Wolf and Viking, but even just my current GE) always seemed more durable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Man, all you Wolf people are really intent on paying for red knobs. It's GE with better marketing. Ask yourself how many chefs cook on closed burner ranges.

We have a wolf and swapped the red for black knobs.

We have Wolf range, oven, microwave and warming drawer, sub zero fridge (paneled) Miele dishwasher (paneled).

[Anonymous]

We have Wolf/Sub-Zero. Immediately recognizable as "high-end" in most people's minds, and spending more appeared to provide no meaningful functional superiority.

[Anonymous]

We went the Wolf/Sub-Zero mainly for resale.
The Wolf stove has needed to be repaired twice in 6 years. The subzero is fine but it’s nothing special and the ice dispenser sucks. It was my first time buying higher end appliances and it was a letdown.

[Anonymous]

We replaced our Wolf/Subzero with LG. Very happy with results.

[Anonymous]

which of the Miele fridges do people like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, all you Wolf people are really intent on paying for red knobs. It's GE with better marketing. Ask yourself how many chefs cook on closed burner ranges.

Blue star blows the socks off wolf. And the only electrical component is the spark plug to light the burners. Nothing really can break. Incredibly reliable, high btu. Downside is no dual fuel ranges (last I checked)

Bluestar introduced dual fuel this summer...

In that case, blue star is a no brainer. They do stick out a bit further than some competitors. But the control they give you is awesome… very very high BTUs all the way down to very few (and then their big heavy grates can be adjusted to lift the pot further from the flame). You can do anything you want on these - now that the oven is electrical, there will be more components that may break. I might consider all gas for me, because I don’t do much in an oven that requires electric level consistency - but the option of dual fuel on a blue star is awesome.

Finally, induction is garbage. There’s no way to fine tune it, slow to adjust, and it’s ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went the Wolf/Sub-Zero mainly for resale.
The Wolf stove has needed to be repaired twice in 6 years. The subzero is fine but it’s nothing special and the ice dispenser sucks. It was my first time buying higher end appliances and it was a letdown.

Our house came with these appliances. Almost the same experience with both - but I think my oven has needed more frequent repairs! I do like my Boshe micro and dishwasher though.

[Anonymous]

We bought a house 3 years ago with Subzero fridge, wolf stove/oven and 2 Asko dishwashers. The dishwashers are horrible and I am thinking of replacing them (they are prob 7 years old). Would it (for resale purposes) look chintzy to put in Bosch instead? I just loved my Bosch so much and want to go back to that.

For anyone curious, the Askos frequently have motherboard problems (and cost $250 just for a service call because not many people service them) and are weirdly small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have Wolf/Sub-Zero. Immediately recognizable as "high-end" in most people's minds, and spending more appeared to provide no meaningful functional superiority.

This is hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any experience with Fisher & Paykel? We want a panel-ready, integrated fridge and while I get all the virtues of Sub Zero, in the end it's just a fridge that keeps stuff cold, and I'm not sure the extra functionality is all that plus I'd like one in less than a year. I'm tempted by their induction range and d/w drawers, too for our smaller city kitchen.