Appliances- Wolf, Monogram, Thermador

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I’m a PP who has Wolf, and I agree with most of this, especially the last sentence. I happen to really like my Wolf appliances and think they are high-quality, but I would never deny that I paid a mark-up for the brand or that the brand of your cooking equipment makes a big difference in output. (I also don’t have the red knobs because red doesn’t work with my kitchen colors.)

The part I don’t agree with is bolded; I think 5-6 burners makes a huge difference. I do occasionally use four burners at once, and even when I’m using just three, I appreciate the space/flexibility that having five provides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I’m a PP who has Wolf, and I agree with most of this, especially the last sentence. I happen to really like my Wolf appliances and think they are high-quality, but I would never deny that I paid a mark-up for the brand nor would I claim that the brand of your cooking equipment makes a big difference in output. (I also don’t have the red knobs because red doesn’t work with my kitchen colors.)

The part I don’t agree with is bolded; I think 5-6 burners makes a huge difference. I do occasionally use four burners at once, and even when I’m using just three, I appreciate the space/flexibility that having five provides.

PP here, with a correction in italics.

[Anonymous]

I've had all the high end brands, and they all break. I'd never buy Monogram. I've had the best luck with Kitchenaid (built-in fridge, not high end, though) and with Jenn-Air (not hugely high end either). I had Subzero fridge that required so many service calls that I ended up replacing it. Wolf wall oven was great, but more than double the price of Kitchen Aid wall oven, which worked even better. I had Fisher Paykel, Miele, Bosch, Wolf, etc. I had a Dacor electric cooktop that cracked, which was a PITA.

I'm sorry, OP, but most of the appliances are so poorly made these days that they all fall apart. I have Jenn-Air and Kitchenaid for now, and they're OK, so far. I don't love getting to know my appliance service people.

[Anonymous]

Go with La Cornue or Lacanche if you can afford it. They're great!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go with La Cornue or Lacanche if you can afford it. They're great!!!

I HATE that most of these don't have viewing windows. You would think that for the price of a used car, they could figure out a way for a baker to peak inside an oven without opening the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had all the high end brands, and they all break. I'd never buy Monogram. I've had the best luck with Kitchenaid (built-in fridge, not high end, though) and with Jenn-Air (not hugely high end either). I had Subzero fridge that required so many service calls that I ended up replacing it. Wolf wall oven was great, but more than double the price of Kitchen Aid wall oven, which worked even better. I had Fisher Paykel, Miele, Bosch, Wolf, etc. I had a Dacor electric cooktop that cracked, which was a PITA.

I'm sorry, OP, but most of the appliances are so poorly made these days that they all fall apart. I have Jenn-Air and Kitchenaid for now, and they're OK, so far. I don't love getting to know my appliance service people.

The KitchenAid oven I had needed multiple visits from the repairman, who said KitchenAid ovens were notoriously unreliable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Wolf wall ovens (not the all in one) for the win with a separate 6 burner gas cooktop.

[Anonymous]

sorry to repeat myself, but what about Viking? We are also looking at stoves/ovens and were looking at vikings. Anyone know how they compare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sorry to repeat myself, but what about Viking? We are also looking at stoves/ovens and were looking at vikings. Anyone know how they compare?

Hey OP, what did you end up buying?

Also, anyone with recent purchase Viking feedback?