It has a steam setting, but you would not know that (they probably don't). Steam has not developed a following amongst manufacturers who don't understand it and the general public who don't want to pay the premium for the feature.
It's a shame. Steam is the healthiest way to cook. Instead of baking out nutrients, you are adding steam to contain them. You can even bake brownies in a steam oven.
The two best products:
Miele...their Masterchef controls prompt you for everything, so it is easy.
Gaggenau...The pioneers of steam cooking. They even have a direct water feed into the oven.
JD Powers awarded Miele their award for dishwashers. I never knew there was a JD Powers award for any appliance categories or companies.
In my opinion, they are correct. Miele manufactures the best dishwasher in the world.
Have a look:
Miele has some cool features:
Plate guard plus: Designed so the plates do not chip
Double insulated pump: Product will never leak
Separate Cutlery tray: Silverware has separate rack to prevent scratches and allow for more space in the unit
The best feature is ironically its biggest problem. Miele doesn't outsource anything. They manufacture their own controls, motors and even components. In an age where manufacturers are designing in Europe, outsourcing parts in China and assembling in Mexico, Miele is exactly the opposite. By owning the entire process Miele has a much better control on product quality.
Their repair rate is 3 to 11 times better that their competition. In fact, it is the best repair rate in the the industry by far.
However, it doesn't come cheap. Miele dishwashers start at $1199, over twice the average purchasing price.
At the bottom is the video for House Beautifuls "Kitchen of the Year" which is being shown outside Rockefeller Square.
How about a nice long post on how to do this differently?
Appliances...
Refrigerator: House Beautiful: JennAir JDB36NXFXRW Yale Beautiful: SubZero Bi-36
The House Beautiful (HB) is a one-compressor bottom mount. The Yale choice has two compressors and vacuum seal for evenness of temperature. SubZero also has an air scrubber, which scrubs the air keeping food fresher for a longer period of time. It is available in stainless or panelized as shown
Wall Oven: House Beautiful: JennAir JJW2830 Yale Beautiful: Miele MasterChef
Both have computers, but the Miele has multiple, advanced settings for almost every food imaginable, and is very simple to use.
Cooktop: House Beautiful: JennAir JED3536 Yale Beautiful: Thermador(or any induction cooktop) with a componentary downdraft unit
This is no contest. JennAir is a radiant with downdraft in the unit. We employ induction technology(faster, less heat retention, child safe, etc) with a more powerful and separate downdraft unit...You can almost pick any induction. I like the Thermador or Bosch with the powerful burner in the middle.
Sink: House beautiful: No idea Yale Beautiful: Majestic M33, M2433
Have to admit the island one with the flushing system was cool. Ok very cool, but spend your money elsewher. Island sinks are for veggies, etc...You dont need a flusher. Majestic is big, square with a 17 gauge and cheap.
Decorative Lighting: House beautiful: The German thing you can not buy in the US Yale Beautiful: Holtkotter
Kind of torn between a whimsical shaded light and an adjustable LED light...so why not both? BTW, ours are German as well, only you can buy them...here
Overall, the Yale Beautiful has a better, more functional set of appliances, sinks and lighting. Yet it is also more expensive.
How did we do?
Part 2, we will do it again only for way less money.
This woman can really cook, so lets look at her kitchen.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the range and hood. Typically, people place a cooktop in the island and wall ovens on an adjacent wall. To save space, Sally has placed a Wolf 48" pro range in the island. You cannot use a range with a downdraft, so Sally opted for a custom hood and blower. I like this. She is also facing her guests at all times while cooking.
SubZero BI36U/O with panel.
Miele dishwasher....Miele has the silverware basket on the tops, so there actually is a ton of extra room for plates etc.
Evidentally it is raining in Boston, so without a showroom I will blog about my parents new kitchen. New is an operative term, because they had cabinets without the granite for probably 6 months. Probably the first good lesson about kitchen design is hire good people
My folks have managed to accomplish good and bad within the same space.
Lighting:
The Good:
I like the Tech Orbs on either side of the sink. Small, unobtrusive yet decorative.
LED undercabinet...uses 10 watts per strip instead of 170 with halogen based undercabinet.
The Bad:
5 inch recessed on a short ceiling. It would have been neater with a smaller can like a 4 inch or a low voltage.
Appliances:
The appliances aren't actually new, but are decent: Shallow depth refrigerator, electric slide-in, over the range microwave with a Miele dishwasher being the splurge.
Miele manufactures the best washer and dryer. That's fact. This company is crazy about quality, and still manufacturers its very own intuitive controls. They have a perforated "honeycomb" drum which is specifically designed to be easy on delicates and almost a limitless variety of washing modes and cycles.
You probably wont buy it through no fault of the company itself...
Three reasons:
1. The product was not designed to be stacked...Now most upscale consumers are moving laundry to the bedroom not the basement.
2. Since it is German made, the price has increased dramatically to over $2800, while the economy has dictated price decreases.
3. Companies like Bosch are now manufacturing competitive products for almost half the price.
Really easy post. Cooktops really accomplish two functions. They heat and simmer. Typically a high output burner on a professional unit is about 15,000 BTU in comparison, a 10 year old range is 10-12,000 BTU. A lower simmer should be around 700BTU
Professional cooktops are great at both, but before you spend $2300 dollars, look at this Miele with two high output burners at almost $1000 less as regular cooktops are becoming more powerful
For a versatile high output with low simmer 15,000 at the high and 500 BTU at the low
look at Wolf
For the best simmer, look at Thermador, which is intermittent at an almost frigid 200 BTU
This site is tied in with Google Analytics. Yesterday, I was looking at keyword search details, and 7 out of the 10 reasons people look at our blog in the last 30 days is for shallow depth refrigeration, which may be a good reason for a post.
Quite honestly, shallow depth looks aesthetically cleaner in a kitchen, as the black or gray sides are not shown. The refrigerator is 24 inches deep, so it is also dimensionally similar to standard cabinets.
There are two types of shallow depth products: Regular (there is no official name for this) and integrated.
Regular shallow depth products are 24 inches deep plus the door. This is the largest segment of the shallow depth category. It includes SubZero, KitchenAid, GE among others...
Integrated fits within a 24 inch panel and is best for paneled applications. Best brands include: Thermador, Liebherr, Miele, Gaggenau and SubZero...
24 inch washers are versatile...They fit in small spaces, under a counter and can be stacked. There are a bunch; Bosch, Miele, Asko, Maytag and Whirlpool.
But don't run a gas line. They are exclusively electric...(A friend of mine made that error)
My Ipod...faithful companion on every run and long walk. It was actually a present from my sisters, and has a wide spectrum of music from Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Old Thin Lizzy, Lady Gaga, U2, Cage The Elephant among others.
As you know, I was away for a couple of weeks, so I threw everything into my washer with two capfuls of detergent and fabric softener (to prevent wrinkles during the spin, try it). Everything in this case includes my Ipod...
So would it work. Answer is yes. Simply, I have a front load Miele washer. So it wasn't submerged under 42 gallons of water like a regular top loader..only barely damp with 10 gallons.
Brief review: Front load versus top load conventional: 25-30 less gallons per use, 1/2 to 1/3 the energy and 60% more capacity on average.
Wall ovens like most appliances fit cabinet specifications. New construction typically fits a 30 inch cabinet, and older sizes can be 27 or even 24 inch.
In 1975ish, convection became the new feature in high end cooking. Convection as you know is fan forced heat for more even cooking. 35 years later, there hasn't been much in the way of significant inprovement from the original design.
With this much easier task at hand, I would consider the following:
Super Premium:
Wolf and Miele - Wolf has two convection fans and a ton of cooking modes for people who want to cook. Miele has the best controls, which eliminate the guesswork out of almost any recipe.
Premium:
Thermador and Electrolux - Both have good controls as their value proposition. Thermador has the best rebate program (yes a free dishwasher would help sway me as a consumer)
Sleeper:
Bosch - I dont understand the marketing, but their products are attractive, functional and a great value.
The 9th Annual Yale Home Show sponsored by Electrolux February 7-16
If you have never been to a Yale Home Show, it is well worth a visit.
Each weekend, we have some of New England’s best chefs cooking in our 9 kitchens showcasing different cooking techniques on all the major brands like Wolf, Viking, GE Monogram, Miele, JennAir and Electrolux. This is our best lineup yet with Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger, Jay Murray of Grill 23, Paul Turano of Tryst, Steve Brand of Upstairs on the Square, and Nelson Cognac of Kouzina.
We will also concentrate on newer technologies like LED lighting, speed cooking and induction. We will teach you how to plan recessed and track lighting for your home. Vendors from every manufacturer will be on hand to answer any questions.
If you want to see how appliances really operate, need some technical expertise for a house plan or are just looking for a great deal, The Yale Home Show is a great place to start or finish your project.
There seems to be tons of appliance related drawers in the market these days. This seems to be novelty worth a post.
Have a look:
Refrigerator (as well as freezer and in some cases wine) drawers are currently manufacturered by SubZero, Electrolux, Marvel and Uline. I actually see the value in an island especially for children. The prices are $1500-3400, so you will be paying more.
Dishwasher drawers are produced by Fisher-Paykel, who in turn manufacturers the product for KitchenAid. The product is worthwhile ergometrically. You do not have to bend for smaller loads, but at $1400, Miele and Bosch are better products.
Meet Dave Kiley. Dave serves many purposes. He is (the best) part friend and part customer. Dave is also my next door neighbor and is a nut about home improvement, especially lighting and appliances.
He is also extraordinarily talented and perhaps the best contemporary renovator in Boston. Look what he does in a small space.
Samsung French door refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Bosch cooktop, Thermador wall oven and Best hood.
Dave is a style conscious, upscale guy. In a $4500 per month rental, it is somewhat expected...but lets spend less and still have a great look.
By replacing the Thermador with a Bosch oven, Zephyr for Best, Bosch(or GE Monogram) for the Miele and LG for Samsung, we can save about $3500.
This is a sequal to an earlier post. There have been many changes in this category, so its worth a revisit.
Have a Peek:
Size: The average size is now 4.0 cubic foot with Electrolux being the largest at 4.7, or double a top loading unit. I still think the Frigidair Affinity at 3.5 cubic foot should be large enough.
RPM: The better units have average RPMs or spin speed at 800-1200. This is a decent feature as the clothes will be drier with a greater spin, which saves electricity, money and is better for your clothes.
Heat: Like the spin, the booster option heats the water typically another 20 degrees for whites.
Steam: Steam is employed 2 ways. Clothes can be refreshed without ironing or can be used to blast/pretreat tough stains.
Controls: Wave touch, IQ touch, Master Chef, Novatronic....The better washers allow customization down to the fabric.
I really like this company. Miele still manufactures every component, control and housing in Germany. Because they have such a tight rein on production and do have the best quality control, Miele has developed a cult following amongst its customers.
However, certain problems have developed for this company, which are beyond their control. The Euro has increase versus the dollar. This has inflated their price to the consumer. They have also been adversely affected by the shift away from super premium products in general.
They have also been affected by a factor within their control...Have a look at Whirlpool, LG, GE, Maytag and Frigidaire to understand.
These products are manufactured to be stacked or placed side by side. Miele cannot be stacked in their newer large series, so they have lost the increasingly popular second and third floor installations.
In many ways, Yale is a microcosm of the broader markets. We are very lucky to have a better year than in 2006 (so far). It is, however, a way different mix of products, which reflects the market uncertainty.
In 2006, we sold SubZero, Wolf and Miele to a much higher degree than today. In a way, their decline in sales is a shame. Both companys enjoy compelling products and are truly unique in many aspects. They are victims of the current economic reality. Without equity and declining home values, people are not spending at the same rate. Like other iconic brands, they will be back and will continue to sell to the super premium segment.
Three brands have benefitted from the market weakness. First, people need appliances and will always remodel even in a down market. Two brands, Bosch and Frigidaire, do not surprise me, but the revamped GE line, especially GE Cafe does. The common thread between all three brands is style at a more affordable price....As they coined in the book, Trading Up, the new phrase is called affordable luxury.
