Kitchen Appliance opinions

[skuttle]

I'm driving myself crazy looking at reviews, so thought I'd come here.

We had a small grease fire in our kitchen last Friday. Our over the range microwave is melted and needs to be replaced. Our appliances are the ones that came with the house when it was built in 2003 (We bought it in 2006). Nothing fancy, plain white, GE appliances. So anything we replace them with will be an upgrade!

We are definitely replacing the microwave and dishwasher (hasn't worked well in years), and considering replacing the old coil electric stove with a flat top. The fridge will come after all of the other appliances are paid off in a few months.

What brand would you go with? I don't want top of the line, because I don't plan on staying in this house forever, but I also don't want builder grade cheap stuff either.

 

[Pamlur]

Do you have the cookware that is required for the flat top range? I have gas, but have read that certain cookware can't be used with those.

 

[jevs]

I have a flat, glass electric cooktop (no gas here) - Westinghouse
Dishwasher is Bosche.

Don't need any special type of cookware to use on the stovetop.

 

[skuttle]

Do you have the cookware that is required for the flat top range? I have gas, but have read that certain cookware can't be used with those.

I'm not worried about the cookware. What I have is old, starting to show wear, and not something I can't replace if needed. I have read different things about the types of cookware, though, so thanks for pointing that out!

 

[ronandannette]

Do you have the cookware that is required for the flat top range? I have gas, but have read that certain cookware can't be used with those.

This is only an issue if you buy an induction range, which require your pans to be magnetic (no stainless steel or ceramic). Anything works just fine on a regular, smooth cook-top but cast-iron isn't recommended can actually get hot enough to melt the glass.

 

[bluezy]

I have:

GE Profile Over-the-range combination Microwave/Convection oven. Works well and I like having extra oven capacity when needed.

Frigidaire Professional Series glass top range. Really like this stove/oven. Oven capacity is quite large.

Bosche 800 Series Dishwasher. Can't even begin to tell you how much I love this dishwasher. Everything gets spotlessly clean with no pre-rinsing needed. Large capacity and a lot of flexibility with where and how to load things. No heating element for the drying cycle so plastic items are safe anywhere. Absolutely love the 3rd shelf/drawer for large utensils.

 

[lsyorke]

Just replaced a GE Profile refrigerator(only 6 years old, 2 compressors and 6 service calls later I gave up) with an LG and love it. I would NEVER buy GE again and can't wait for the oven to die so I can replace that. It never maintains a constant temperature, the convection does nothing to cooking time, and it builds up steam SO bad when cooking you have to open it and stand back as far as you can to not get burned. The service guy's response, "yeah thats a problem that we don't have any answer for. " Buy LG.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

It is been my experience of late that most appliances are not made for the long haul. I have bosch dishwasher and a frigidaire stove both of which I like ....do not love only like. The predicted life of an appliance is around 4 to 5 years with normal use. My friend has sub zero and viking we both have had to service them in less than 5 years and the scam is that even with the high end appliances the repair costs are so high that when you take into account the age of the appliance you end up buying a new one because it is not that much more. Planned obsolescence is the mantra of appliance companies. No more can you expect 25 years out of say a drier (that was how long my GE lasted I have had two others in the past 5 years) so at least I have resigned myself that if I do not like what I have much like New England weather I just need to wait a while. I do not know if this helps but it is just one perspective to help you because I KNOW buying this stuff is much like going to the dentist a necessary evil.

 

[skuttle]

Thanks everyone! My DH keeps telling me that whatever we get will seem so much nicer than what we have, so I need to stop stressing over it! I long for the days before google and online reviews. Would make things a lot simpler!

 

[brooke789]

We went from a builder grade DW to a Bosch. We love the Bosch. I remember they called the noise level 'virtually silent' and it is. We also got the one with a third rack (which is amazing!) and adjustable top rack height and bottom rack. I really wanted the adjustable racks but the rarely use it. The third drawer is full every wash though. We love it!

We have a smooth top oven/stove that came in our house. Never had any issues with the smooth top and our cookware. We use 95% cast iron.

Also have the built in microwave. That matches the stove. Never had any issues with this either. Oven and micro are Frigidaire.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Do you want all your appliances to match? When I was shopping for a new dishwasher last month, several places had nice rebates if you bought 2, 3 or 4 new appliances from the same manufacturer. Kitchenaid was one brand I saw. I couldn't use the rebate because I only needed a dishwasher.

My only new appliance is the Bosch dishwasher. We narrowed it down to Kitchenaid and Bosch after research. The Kitchenaid was too tall to fit our space due to the hardwood floors which were installed after the original dishwasher was installed. So we went with the Bosch.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We had a small grease fire in our kitchen last Friday. Our over the range microwave is melted and needs to be replaced.

Yikes, Allison!!! Glad everyone is apparently olay.

 

[wenrob]

We were down to the KitchenAid and Bosch and ended up going with the KitchenAid because it had heated dry. Mine also has a third rack I love and you cannot hear it running. I've finally learned to trust the light indicating it is indeed on and get surprised when it beeps when it's done because I forgot I was running it.

I have a GE Profile picked out for a microwave. I've had one before and regret leaving it with the house I sold. Can't help with a cooktop.

 

[Vijoge]

I have a cheap GE near-the-bottom-of-the-line gas stove we purchased in 2002 when we bought our house. Had it serviced once, nothing major. It still works and I love it. It has a fifth burner down the center with a griddle. We use that griddle a lot!

 

[skuttle]

Yikes, Allison!!! Glad everyone is apparently olay.

Yes, Dan! We caught it quickly. Melted the microwave, which we need to replace. The cabinets Ryan was able to sand and salvage them. We are very lucky. It could have been much worse! we opened the doors right away so no smoke damage and only residue found was in area of stove. We still gave the entire open kitchen/living/dining room a scrub down and washed anything cloth.

Do you want all your appliances to match? When I was shopping for a new dishwasher last month, several places had nice rebates if you bought 2, 3 or 4 new appliances from the same manufacturer. Kitchenaid was one brand I saw. I couldn't use the rebate because I only needed a dishwasher.

I don't need them to, but though maybe I should try to match them. Does that matter in the long run? I did notice the rebates for buying more, so that is an incentive.


Thanks for all of the comments! I was hoping to find at least one brand that "led the pack," but it seems like I may be best off just picking what I like in my price range and hope for the best! Our builder-grade GE appliances still work fine after over 10 years (except the dishwasher!).

 

[tvguy]

I would look at features first over brand. Anymore the brand on the front may not be the actually manufacturer. My newly remodeled (2 years aog kitchen) if a hodge podge of brands. GE electric stove/oven, Whirlpool Dishwasher, Kenmore fridge made by LG, Sharp microwave and Broan vent hood, all purchased on features. All are one color (bisque) except the microwave, because after we ordered the microwave Sharp decided to top making bisque, and black and build only stainless steel.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Yes, Dan! We caught it quickly. Melted the microwave, which we need to replace. The cabinets Ryan was able to sand and salvage them. We are very lucky. It could have been much worse! we opened the doors right away so no smoke damage and only residue found was in area of stove. We still gave the entire open kitchen/living/dining room a scrub down and washed anything cloth.

Good to hear.

Can't help you with the appliance recommendations, but a shout out to you, Ryan and the kids.

 

[maxaroni]

We were down to the KitchenAid and Bosch and ended up going with the KitchenAid because it had heated dry. Mine also has a third rack I love and you cannot hear it running. I've finally learned to trust the light indicating it is indeed on and get surprised when it beeps when it's done because I forgot I was running it.

I have a GE Profile picked out for a microwave. I've had one before and regret leaving it with the house I sold. Can't help with a cooktop.

Same reason we just went with the Kitchen Aid dishwasher, heated drying, 3rd rack.

I hate appliance shopping. We just replaced the extra fridge we have in our laundry room with a basic fridge/freezer. However, what we needed to get rid of was a Fridgidair 35 year old unit. We bought it when we were first married and never a service call. I have been through more washer/dryer/dishwashers than I can count.

 

[bluezy]

I agree with the pp's saying appliances don't last as long as they used to. We built our house 13 years ago and bought a new washer and dryer (as well as most other appliances) when we moved in. The washer that we bought was certainly not a low-end...but not top-of-the-line either. It lasted 5 years. We looked into repairing it ourselves and even the part alone was going to cost $200. We got a new washer instead (that -- knock wood -- is still working fine). We have found that when an appliance has an issue/doesn't work and is no longer under warranty, a quick Google search is in order. That is usually followed by a search on You Tube for a video of the necessary repair. Then another Google search to order the part. We've made numerous repairs to various appliances for only a few dollars (and an hour or less of our time) rather than paying $200 for a service call *or* replacing the appliance. And we're not the most handy people around. I'm sure most repairmen would have good laugh at us if they saw us trying to make the repairs.

 

[Iamthequeen]

I have Kitchenaid appliances and I love them. I have a duel fuel stove - gas cooktop and double electric ovens, an over the range microwave and a dishwasher. Still waiting to replace my refrigerator, which is over 20 years old and still going strong. My nephew does appliance repairs and has told us to stay away from Samsung refrigerators.