High end kitchen appliances worth it?

[Anonymous]

I have 2 houses and have a wolf gas cooktop (no red knobs) in one and a Kitchenaid in the other. I find the Wolf cooktop59 be far superior because it lets me control the temperature much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are buying a Wolf, you are buying it for the name. Or, more accurately, the red knobs, so everyone will know you spend a lot on your appliances. There are other high-end appliances that actually increase functionality, so may be "worth" the premium - a Wolf does not. It's basically a marketing scheme.

I hate my wolf. It’s been serviced 5 times in 5 years. But we have a 2 million dollar house and I think it’s standard. The builder put it in.

[Anonymous]

You guys really don't need those burners. You can cook anything for your family just fine on a regular, cheap stove.

A good, well-insulated electric convection oven is worth paying for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only are Viking and SubZero very high maintenance, commercial ovens and ranges are fire hazards. They get MUCH hotter than typical home appliances and home building codes don't take this into consideration . Don't install one unless you hire a contractor who can upgrade cabinets and drywall adjoining the oven/range to improve fire safety.

You are correct that commercial ranges (garland, imperial, etc) are fire hazards in a residential setting, as they are supposed to be installed in non-combustible areas with fire suppression. High-BTU residential ranges like BlueStar, Viking, Capital, DCS are more expensive precisely because UL-listing and the insulation required to be able to install them near cabinetry increases the costs quite a lot.

To be clear, if you buy a commercial range off rasmus or something, and shove it in your home kitchen, you are very likely voiding your home/fire insurance. If you want high BTU in the home, you need to pony up for the more expensive BlueStar or Wolf or Viking, etc.

My SubZero has never been high-maintenance. I would lose more in spoiled food over a few years than I'd save in a cheaper fridge, and moreover it wouldn't integrate into my kitchen. I've seen folks have problems with Viking wall ovens. I have seen problems with SubZero ice makers (i don't use mine, no water hookup.). I've seen folks have problems with an igniter on a blue star, but a match works fine. It all depends on what you want and what types of problems you are willing to solve. I paid more in my last home to put in an all-mechanical gas stove, as I wanted to be able to use it without problems during a power outage. Also, I refused to buy a range that had a "chicken nugget" button on it. But your mileage may vary.

What does a chicken nugget button do?

[Anonymous]

We are wealthy (even by DCUM standards) and our family loves chicken nuggets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only are Viking and SubZero very high maintenance, commercial ovens and ranges are fire hazards. They get MUCH hotter than typical home appliances and home building codes don't take this into consideration . Don't install one unless you hire a contractor who can upgrade cabinets and drywall adjoining the oven/range to improve fire safety.

You are correct that commercial ranges (garland, imperial, etc) are fire hazards in a residential setting, as they are supposed to be installed in non-combustible areas with fire suppression. High-BTU residential ranges like BlueStar, Viking, Capital, DCS are more expensive precisely because UL-listing and the insulation required to be able to install them near cabinetry increases the costs quite a lot.

To be clear, if you buy a commercial range off rasmus or something, and shove it in your home kitchen, you are very likely voiding your home/fire insurance. If you want high BTU in the home, you need to pony up for the more expensive BlueStar or Wolf or Viking, etc.

My SubZero has never been high-maintenance. I would lose more in spoiled food over a few years than I'd save in a cheaper fridge, and moreover it wouldn't integrate into my kitchen. I've seen folks have problems with Viking wall ovens. I have seen problems with SubZero ice makers (i don't use mine, no water hookup.). I've seen folks have problems with an igniter on a blue star, but a match works fine. It all depends on what you want and what types of problems you are willing to solve. I paid more in my last home to put in an all-mechanical gas stove, as I wanted to be able to use it without problems during a power outage. Also, I refused to buy a range that had a "chicken nugget" button on it. But your mileage may vary.

What does a chicken nugget button do?

Sends PP into a snob tantrum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What does a chicken nugget button do?

It is a programmed function for the oven, timer included so presumably kids could put in nuggets and retrieved cooked ones without overcooking/forgetting to turn the oven off? Did not seem useful for someone who did not have kids or did not eat chicken nuggets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys really don't need those burners. You can cook anything for your family just fine on a regular, cheap stove.

A good, well-insulated electric convection oven is worth paying for.

Actually you can't. We had a GE Profile gas cooktop with four burners. Because it was so poorly designed, you could only use two pots at one time because they would overlap into the other burner.

The gas never got that hot. One day DC was cooking tortillas and the glass got too hot and exploded. No one was hurt but was able to get the Wolf Gas Cooktop. 5 burners I can use and the gas is much hotter than the old GE.

GE is really crappy. We had the builder grade appliances for everything but the refrigerator (we had a subzero put in) and they all had to be replaced within 5 years. The ovens never even worked when we moved in.Dishwasher couldn't hold large dinner plates. Such poorly designed appliances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it possible that SubZero refrigerators "keep food fresher for longer"?

they have really solid temperature and humidity regulation.

+1

I just moved into a new build with a Sub Zero and it does seem to keep veggies and fruits fresher for longer. For what it's worth, I really like it but I was surprised the outer stainless steel shell does not hold a magnet so no hanging up your kids artwork on the fridge. Also, Sub Zero does not do water dispensers which was a bummer. I have one with french doors and from time to time, if you open the left door slowly and try to close it, the middle lever smacks the right hand door and won't close.

These are the only downsides to the fridge and like I said, I really like it.

The higher end dishwashers (Miehle, Bosch) are really nice as well. Having 3 racks is really awesome.

Get a high end 48 range if you can make it work in your kitchen, you will not regret it. Whether you get 6 burners or 4 burners and a grill in the middle is up to you. Having the extra oven space below the burners is nice.

Also, a steam oven is a game changer for making steamed veggies. So easy.

If you can afford it, go for it.

I could have written the above. In fact, I read it about 5x to jog my memory since it was written in March 2018 to see if *I* was the one who actually wrote it. In any case, this is spot on.

[Anonymous]

Wolf, Viking and Thermador are awful.
Just tossed my one month old Thermador dishwasher. The Thermador range (15k) has been repaired 6 times since we got it in mid. December

Sub zero fridge repaired once.

The GE Cafe range (3k) in my last house was problem free for 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys really don't need those burners. You can cook anything for your family just fine on a regular, cheap stove.

A good, well-insulated electric convection oven is worth paying for.

Actually you can't. We had a GE Profile gas cooktop with four burners. Because it was so poorly designed, you could only use two pots at one time because they would overlap into the other burner.

The gas never got that hot. One day DC was cooking tortillas and the glass got too hot and exploded. No one was hurt but was able to get the Wolf Gas Cooktop. 5 burners I can use and the gas is much hotter than the old GE.

GE is really crappy. We had the builder grade appliances for everything but the refrigerator (we had a subzero put in) and they all had to be replaced within 5 years. The ovens never even worked when we moved in.Dishwasher couldn't hold large dinner plates. Such poorly designed appliances.

I don’t know exactly what glass you exploded or how, but the output from your GE burners was just fine. If your new range is bigger, it probably fits more pots. That doesn’t mean you need all those BTUs to cook for your family.

[Anonymous]

I really like my samsung range

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-5-8-cu-ft-self-cleaning-slide-in-gas-convection-range-stainless-steel/6062115.p?skuId=6062115&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=BM01&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz57w0ryI6AIVjxitBh2MAwdpEAQYAyABEgItP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It has an industrial look for half of the price of the Wolf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really like my samsung range

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-5-8-cu-ft-self-cleaning-slide-in-gas-convection-range-stainless-steel/6062115.p?skuId=6062115&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=BM01&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz57w0ryI6AIVjxitBh2MAwdpEAQYAyABEgItP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It has an industrial look for half of the price of the Wolf

Making an “industrial look” desirable was a marketing triumph.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are buying a Wolf, you are buying it for the name. Or, more accurately, the red knobs, so everyone will know you spend a lot on your appliances. There are other high-end appliances that actually increase functionality, so may be "worth" the premium - a Wolf does not. It's basically a marketing scheme.

We have Blue Star. Love them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will add value the the sale price of the house, but it won't add up to nearly what you paid for them. Get them if you like them and can afford them, but don't think you'll get your money back at closing.

This. Think of it as buying a car. It depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot. It is the same with a stove or refrigerator or dishwasher, they lose value as "new" very quickly. So buy them if you like them but think of their added value to resale as 30% of original cost. And 30% may be a high estimate.