Kitchen appliances

[daughtersrus]

It's hard to believe, but in my adult life, the only new appliances that I have purchased are a microwave and dishwasher.
We're in the market for a new fridge and range but I have no idea what to look for. I'm debating between a side by side or a French door fridge. The only thing I know that we want is an ice maker/water in the door for the fridge and gas for the range.
I'm looking at the Lowe's ad and my head is spinning.
Any suggestions on what to get and what not to get? I'd like to keep it under $2000 for both of I could.

We have a deep freezer in our basement so space in the freezer isn't so important.

 

[MataHari22]

I know I would never get a side by side fridge/freezer. My parents have one, and they hate it. You cannot fit anything in there. It's horrible. If they have a sheet cake or a tray, they want to come and store it in my fridge, where it actually fits. Out of everything in that house that stupid side by side lives on. Meanwhile, since they got that house in 1990, they've been through like 3 stoves and 2 dishwashers.

 

[FINFAN]

It's hard to believe, but in my adult life, the only new appliances that I have purchased are a microwave and dishwasher.
We're in the market for a new fridge and range but I have no idea what to look for. I'm debating between a side by side or a French door fridge. The only thing I know that we want is an ice maker/water in the door for the fridge and gas for the range.
I'm looking at the Lowe's ad and my head is spinning.
Any suggestions on what to get and what not to get? I'd like to keep it under $2000 for both of I could.

We have a deep freezer in our basement so space in the freezer isn't so important.

Due to budget we replaced our slide in with another slide in as badly as I and my bad back had hoped to be able to remodel to a built in wall unit~ just not happeneing
we just replaced our oven/range and bought our first ever over the range microwave. We had the basic GE oven, I mean builder basic and it lasted 23 years. My wish list was
1. self cleaning (never had it, always wished I had(see above bad back)
2. convection-ish (didn't have to be TRUE convection but the fan since my last oven never cooked evenly after 12 or so years)
3. larger capacity than 5.0
5 burner including griddle as I like a place for my spoon holder, lol
6. since we chose to go with SS, I wanted the area behind the knobs to be ss , not black , nor did I want black trim around the upper back
7. had to do both for $1000

we went with this Samsung,

• Model: NX58H5600SS

and it is on sale for $700 right now at Best Buy..that would leave you $1300 for a fridge (not including tax or gas line hook up if needed)

we are pre-shopping for fridges, but have ruled out the bottom drawer type, again, my back. We have a Kenmore side by side now that has served us well. I like an ice maker that has the mechanics in the door using a little less space than in the back. If I didn't need to worry about freezer space or budget, I like the fridge where the top doors open

, but I just can't dig in that bottom drawer. I wish they would design one that sits on stands like the W/D units and was all across without a bottom at all...everything counter height

We found Best Buy to be the most helpful and had the most on display for comparison, and the most fake kitchen set ups to look at, lol.

 

[adisneyaunt]

There are Major differences in appliance brands. Overall quality, noise factor, warranty, all the options ( lighting, temp options etc etc, reliability to name just a few. My suggestion would be to look at consumer reports and actual user reviews.
My own experience with purchasing a (stainless ) fridge at a "warehouse" type store was a myriad of calls, complaints and a major inconvenience of both time and energy. Ultimately I paid Nothing for it after mos. of it, filing a corporate complaint and disputing the charge. It was a few years back but I believe it was about 1100. And for a home I was updating before selling. I'd never buy appliances from anywhere but an actual appliance store after my experience.

 

[Klayfish]

I think this is one of those things that you'll need to go look, touch, feel. Yes, just like cars and other products, there is a difference in quality. However, at the same time, many appliances are made by a different manufacturer but are slapped with a different brand label. For example, a GE fridge may be made by Whirlpool (just an example, not saying that exact scenario is accurate). So ask who the fridge is actually built by. I have had no problems shopping at warehouse or discount stores, we do it all the time.

I also second the recommendation to stay away from a side by side fridge. The space in them is awful. Lots of shelves from top to bottom, but they are very narrow. It becomes a royal pain, especially if you have a big family. We now have a french door, Samsung model. Top is french door fridge, there's a slide out drawer below that for deli meat, etc..., then a large freezer at the bottom. Has in door water/ice, as well as a smart tablet (like an iPad) in the door...it can actually play Pandora, store recipes, etc... We got it as a scratch and dent at Best Buy. It had a small dent in the side, and I mean small. Since our fridge is tucked into a built in cabinet, it's 100% invisible. It was a $3000 fridge, and we got it for $1600. I'd highly recommend looking for a floor model or scratch and dent, as long as you can live with the scratch or dent (we have a family of 5, so more scratches are inevitable anyway). You can ask around, or read Consumer Reports...if you believe in it, I think it's baloney...but you'll find so many different opinions. We had 2 different sales people at the same Sears store give entirely different quality opinions of the exact same fridge when we were shopping. To me, touch, feel and go with what you think is best.

Gas stoves are awesome. Hard to go wrong with those. Just a matter of what do-hickeys you want on them. The basic models don't have many components, so not much to break. It's just any add ons that you want. Self cleaning is quite nice, as is convection cooking.

This is our fridge (or the current version, ours is 2 years old)...it's fantastic. So flexible in storage options. http://www.samsung.com/us/home-appl...ounter-height-flexzone-drawer-rf28hmelbsr-aa/

 

[FINFAN]

and definitely check out the sears outlet on rt 59 across from the mall, esp for the fridge. Also, do your research now as Thanksgiving sales will be coming up

 

[Monykalyn]

I have had my side by side fridge for 19 years now-bought it at a "scratch and dent" discount store-turns out the "scratch" on the side was a big black mark that washed off at home. It is big enough for what I need-however I also have 2 deep freezes (upright) as well. The fridge side is fine but the freezer space is really limited. My fridge side is bigger width wise than the freezer side. I want a french door with freezer drawer on bottom fridge (if my dinosaur ever dies! It is white and I am slowly replacing appliances with SS).
We moved 7 years ago and this is first house where I didn't have a gas range-so last Thanksgiving I finally got my range -GREAT black friday deal at Sears.
Double oven, continuous grate, with griddle (removable), self clean etc. The only thing it doesn't have is convection and I am ok with that. It was <$1K. I LOVE it. (the cost to run gas line was more than the stove but that's another issue). It is a GE. The bottom oven is big enough to hold a turkey and both can be used as "warming" ovens.

@Klayfish I think you have my "dream" fridge!!! We have had HORRIBLE experiences with Best Buy over the years so I don't go there but may have to make an exception if I can find that fridge at that price!!! Our fridge is built into a cabinet as well.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Many similar threads have been here before and you'll get lots of different opinions. It's really a matter of personal preference. I love my side by side refrigerator. It's easy to keep food organized and the fridge side is roomy enough for my needs (fits a casserole dish, cookie sheets, pizza box, etc.). However, I know that the French door style is much more popular. You should try them out and choose what you think will work best for you.

I have a gas range and my only recommendation for that is to get one with a continuous grate across the whole stove top. It allows you to slide pots and pans across and has more flexibility than one with just four separated burners. Mine has four burners plus a long burner in the middle that can be used for heating a rectangular pan, or as a griddle or indoor grill. Good luck.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I love my side by side. I've looked at the french doors and there is no way they would work for me. That said my side by side is very large. I can fit a full size pizza box laying down in my freezer. I currently have not seen another side by side thats as big as mine. We were recently shopping to get another one. For the stove I recommend getting a double oven. I use both my ovens every day, multiple times a day.

 

[puffkin]

We replaced our appliances last year. I HATE HATE HATE French door refrigerators. I know they are the trend now, but I think they are too big and I hate bending for the freezer drawer. I just would not be able to stay organized like that. I also know myself and would never remember which side of the fridge I had something on and would always be opening both doors. We don't keep tons and tons of stuff in our fridge in the kitchen and we purge it weekly so the side by side works for us. It stays very neat, organized and visible. The shelves are also easy to remove and fit in the sink for washing. We do have a full size fridge in our garage as well (normal old fashioned kind) for extra freezer space and to store drinks, water bottles, etc.

We switched to gas for our oven as well and I am in love. So much better than electric. I got the dual ovens which I love. The bottom oven is convection and it is continual grate with 5 burners on the stove top with the griddle pan. The only thing I miss is the storage drawer which the double ovens do not have. We mostly use the top oven though so I just keep my big roasting pan and pizza stone in the bottom oven since they don't fit in my cabinet.

 

[nkereina]

It's personal preference IMO. We have a stainless steel GE french door fridge with freezer on the bottom and we love it. The shelves are collapsible if you have tall items, etc. We have water and ice in the door, and the freezer has a second ice bucket which is handy for filling up coolers. You can also turn the second ice bucket function off and use that as another drawer in the freezer. The whole thing is easy for us to organize and keep clean, which is why I like it.

My parents have always had a side by side which they loved but switched to french door last year and hate it. They use the freezer more than I do and felt they could fit more and organize it better on side by side.

 

[lorimay]

I walked away from my amazing Samsung french door fridge when we sold our house last December.
Just moved into our newly built home and it came with a side by side Whirlpool, I cannot get use to it, its so narrow.
When I see the 4 door Samsung, I get sad. I am hoping in a couple years I can talk my husband into putting this side by side in the garage and replacing it with another french door. He laughs at me when I mention that. :/

 

[pryncess527]

I miss my French Door fridge. When we moved, we needed a fridge in a hurry and I was limited to what was in stock and could be delivered quickly, so I picked a regular top freezer and I underestimated how much I'd hate going back. I think I'd have lived without a fridge for 2 weeks if I had it to do over again . . .


I am a huge fan of product recommendations from theSweetHome --http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-refrigerator/

 

[cabanafrau]

I was forced very grumpily into replacing first our range and then the dishwasher the next month back in the spring. After a lot of looking I settled on the GE Profile range with five burners, the griddle/grill in the middle, convection oven option with the well in the bottom of the oven to put the water for the steam clean feature. The oven has the largest capacity I could find outside of the Electrolux (.1 cubic foot more) and was the only one with the steam clean option. We paid around $750 with taxes and delivery. Found it on sale at Lowe's and then headed over to our regular appliance store for the price match. So far it performs great and I would recommend.

 

[tvguy]

Sears (at least here) has an amazing selection, even if you don't buy from them there are a great place to get a look at what your options are.
Type of fridge is really personal preference. DW and I both grew up freezer on the bottom and the freezer on the top fridges and we both hated both designs. Our first fridge was a 25 cubic foot side by side (a Montgomery Wards made by Fridgeaire) that was 27 years old when we elected to replace it , and our current fridge is a 27 cubic foot (Kenmore made by LG) that is now 6 years old and going strong. I can't believe how much stuff fits in that freezer.
Stoves are personal choice, assuming you have natural gas available. We don't as we specifically purchased an an electric stove after bad experiences with gas leaks as we were growing up. And in my case, I had a gas stove for 3 years in college and endured 3 years of burned food, never did master gas settings.

 

[cabanafrau]

Sears (at least here) has an amazing selection, even if you don't buy from them there are a great place to get a look at what your options are.
Type of fridge is really personal preference. DW and I both grew up freezer on the bottom and the freezer on the top fridges and we both hated both designs. Our first fridge was a 25 cubic foot side by side (a Montgomery Wards made by Fridgeaire) that was 27 years old when we elected to replace it , and our current fridge is a 27 cubic foot (Kenmore made by LG) that is now 6 years old and going strong. I can't believe how much stuff fits in that freezer.
Stoves are personal choice, assuming you have natural gas available. We don't as we specifically purchased an an electric stove after bad experiences with gas leaks as we were growing up. And in my case, I had a gas stove for 3 years in college and endured 3 years of burned food, never did master gas settings.

That's kind of against the grain actually. Most cooks will tell you it's easier to burn things on an electric range because of the nature of the beast. Of course it's possible to cook with electric just fine. We had an electric range for years. I did put in a two-burner gas cooktop because the gas allows for much more variation in temps and when the stove died earlier this year that was replaced with gas.

 

[tvguy]

That's kind of against the grain actually. Most cooks will tell you it's easier to burn things on an electric range because of the nature of the beast. Of course it's possible to cook with electric just fine. We had an electric range for years. I did put in a two-burner gas cooktop because the gas allows for much more variation in temps and when the stove died earlier this year that was replaced with gas.

Must be my lack of training, because the issue I had was lack of variation with gas, it always was too hot. The gas stove had 3 settings, High Medium and Low, my electric stove has 10. But in all fairness, the gas stove was a commercial stove so it was designed with someone with some cooking experience, not an 19-22 year old, cooking on it.

 

[pat fan]

Gas stoves are awesome. Hard to go wrong with those. Just a matter of what do-hickeys you want on them. The basic models don't have many components, so not much to break. It's just any add ons that you want. Self cleaning is quite nice, as is convection cooking.

I'm actually looking for a gas stove. Has to be convection, but not much else. Any good brands or models?

 

[FINFAN]

I'm actually looking for a gas stove. Has to be convection, but not much else. Any good brands or models?

if our budget allowed I would have probably gone with this Samsung

in a freestanding range anyway. So far, I am in love with the samsung we did purchase (see above post)

 

[tvguy]

That's kind of against the grain actually. Most cooks will tell you it's easier to burn things on an electric range because of the nature of the beast. Of course it's possible to cook with electric just fine. We had an electric range for years. I did put in a two-burner gas cooktop because the gas allows for much more variation in temps and when the stove died earlier this year that was replaced with gas.

I am also in California. We just did a story on a big new commercial food operation, everything is electric with the electricity coming from solar panels on the roof.