<p>Any suggestions? New refrigerator and cooktop are GE, but I haven’t been thrilled with my new refrigerator. According to Consumer Reports, Bosch is the recommended, top-rated oven, followed by GE, and Electrolux. I’d like some more opinions. Thanks.</p>
<p>I’d go with the one that has the most useful features. I’d personally go with an Electrolux oven. Our builder installed appliances made by Thermador, and they had their share of problems. The oven is great, but a dead capacitor in the control panel almost cost us a fortune in repairs. Luckily, H fond what the problem was and replaced the capacitor with a 50-cent one from Radio Shack. The repair people suggested a whole new control panel to the tune of hundreds of $$. So no more Thermador appliances for me. Their dishwasher was made by Bosch, and it died silently in the middle of the night (when it was not even on!!!) and flooded my kitchen. So I’m not a Bosch person anymore.</p>
<p>If it’s a built-in like ours is, we tried to find one that “fit in the hole,” so we didn’t have to make extensive adjustments to make the oven fit the space it was supposed to. We did t he same with the built-in microwave & cooktop. It does cut down on your choices and we found that the same model is the most likely to fit into the same space when the dimensions are not uniform across brands. Hubby also insisted on having good venting so the odors & everything doesn’t just go to the back or bottom of the cabinets but actually out the front of the unit. It was more expensive to have it right, but we feel it is worth it.</p>
<p>On ovens I have a major favorite. The Thermador Cooksmart ovens are the best on earth. The have a feature that combines microwave and conventional cooking that cooks a bird or roast in half the time and it will be the best you’ve produced. Why these are not well known is a mystery to me. Best of all, no basting or fussing, the oven door actually locks when you choose this feature and you get the most juicy result with no labor!</p>
<p>I always assumed microwaves kill food. My regular ones do in general. But the combo is just unbelievable. The food is also the most aesthetically beautiful I produce. The most perfect golden turkeys.</p>
<p>I have had viking ranges and every top oven on earth. Nothing comes close.</p>
<p>Note, this is not every Thermadore, it must have the Cooksmart feature.</p>
<p>If even cooking, especially for baking is important to you, then you will love having a Dacor oven! They were the first true convection oven, with a third heating element located behind the fan. Hot air circulates all around the food, resulting in even, faster cooking. I will never buy another brand of oven, and friends who have installed Dacor ovens after hearing my raves agree.</p>
<p>My GE wall oven is pink…well it was painted over in white but you can still see the pink where the paint has chipped off.
It was installed in my wall in 1956. There is no such thing as replacing our appliances without tearing out the sad little cabinets that surround them, too. Then the floor…then the lighting…which buzzes loudly. </p>
<p>The question is will son number two go public or private so I can have an update? And is the recession just the first lead in to a depression, are we in Denial still as a nation and as a family? See Frank Rich in the NYTs today. oy.</p>
<p>Go DUKE. Four more months of tuition payments to go.</p>
<p>It’s appliandemic!</p>
<p>I think Thermador was the top-rated oven, but Consumer Reports did not recommend it. Based on cost, I didn’t bother to examine what the problem was. </p>
<p>Yes, my oven is built into the cabinets, so this may be an issue. </p>
<p>I just realized I’ve had to replace every single major appliance in the last 7 years…garbage disposal, dishwasher, washer, dryer, cooktop, refrigerator, and now the oven. My microwave should be breaking any day now. Kitchen appliances were all from 1980.</p>
<p>toledo, how is it dying? Symptoms? Most are fairly easy fixes, especially on the older units. the trick is knowing what’s gone (or going). Plenty of diy forums with current/retired repair personnel happy to help. (Much like the cc community).</p>
<p>We have a similar situation… ours is an early '60’s RCA/whirlpool, built into a brick wall. It’s actually stainless steel, and was a top of the line model when it was put in. It was here when we bought the house. Unless I can find something that fits the rough opening exactly, the next owner can deal with it. </p>
<p>I’ve replaced a couple of heating elements, the thermostat, and rewired most of it. To have it done by a service tech is cost prohibitive, but if there’s any one in the household that has reasonable diy skills, it’s fairly simply to switch out most parts. The controls, elements, are most likely still available through online sources. If it’s a cosmetic issue, like handles, sheet metal, those parts are no longer available. I doubt have $100 in parts into this, as I’m able to do diagnostics, repairs myself. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Faline2, you sound like a person in desperate need a a kitchen makeover !</p>
<p>thank you…we are sort of the couple who can’t figure this out despite many years of schoolin’</p>
<p>My kitchen is a galley kitchen with no good solution…build out or move a staircase to get space…and we blew ten thou last year on an architect…her “solution” would cost 350 thousand to build. Honestly…people warned us…but no one believes it when you say my budget is XXX. She didn’t listen. I guess we were too green to realize and to stand up to her…the builders estimates were shockingly high. There really is not easy solution but a small kitchen can be at least chic if cramped.<br>
So…we let the 1956 kitchen get older and older and our kids are now leaving…
I think I can address it best when we make up our minds about son number 2 and the recession and his private college list vs his excellent options in public in VA.</p>
<p>so if anyone knows some great cabinetry secrets…I am thinking we might do very modern, even bold prefab modular cabinets so as not to put a fortune into a flawed space size. My current kitchen has to go and get demo’d but I can’t afford a total remodel and may not want to move yet. The norm around here is custom of course …we have Amish here too that do great work…but I just can’t put a ton in the kitchen…I have four baths that need demoing too. and an asbestos roof.</p>
<p>But the good new is. My Duke son has a good job offer when he graduates. He got tons out of being at Duke…I try to tell myself we can right this ship but the recession is redefining EVERYTHING for everyone.</p>
<p>I think we are stuck. I am now into midcentury modern furnishings and going to turn my 56 Plain Jane ranch into something more modern and fun.,…as soon as the boys are gone…paint and perhaps get some Ikea quality cabinets put right back into the galley kitchen and stay put till second son is out of college. </p>
<p>I just can’t deal with it with teens in and out of the house…maybe next year?</p>
<p>There’s a whole forum where people talk about nothing but this kind of stuff - the CC of kitchen renovations. Go to home forums and then to the kitchen or appliance subforums and then do a search (ie “wall ovens”) Here’s one relevant thread, but there are many more:</p>
<p><a href=“Wall ovens”>Wall ovens;
<p>From what I’ve been reading , clear favorites of GWers are the Miele and the Wolf. Expensive, but reliable, good customer service and great ovens. Thermador was top rated by Consumers, but has had terrible reliablility issues. I currently have a 15 yo Thermador and have had no issues with it all these years, but I guess the newer ones have been problematic. One appliance salesman told me that they’ve now addressed the matter, but they’ve had the worst repair rate two of the last three years, so I would hesitate there. </p>
<p>If you don’t want to spend the $$$$ on a Wolf or Miele people also give good reviews to: the GE Monogram ZET1 and 2 series, the Kitchenaid, the Bosch, Electrolux (it’s new though) and Fisher and Paykel ovens.</p>
<p>roshke: Thanks for the forum link. We are starting to plan a kitchen renovation and I could use some real world appliance advice.</p>
<p>It looks like CC has been hit by the appliance pox! Dishwashers, wall ovens, fridges and even the kitchen sinks are all going belly up!</p>
<p>Electrolux appliances are new to the US, but apparently have been widely popular in Europe.</p>
<p>try to put an inexpensive and accessible surge protector at the plug. It is cheaper to replace a surge strip than a circuit board.</p>
<p>roshke
thanks for the ivillage link…will have to bid adieu to CC in a few months…last child moving on…and will enjoy thinking deeply with others going through Recession Renovations 101</p>
<p>Violadad, you sound like a pretty talented guy! Unfortunately, we are wouldn’t try replacing parts on our own. We’d get electrocuted. The oven has started shutting off by itself, giving us various error codes. If I can’t find an oven to fit the space, I’ll have to have it repaired.</p>
<p>Roshke, I must really be technology-impaired, because I can’t figure out how to post on that garden web site, and I’ve spent over an hour trying.</p>
<p>We put in Kitchenaid ovens in our remodel and they have been excellent. We have an Ultima and a regular convection oven. The Ultima had a board problem soon after it was installed, but has been great ever since.</p>
<p>toledo - I PMed you, but if you are in any of the home subforums you should be able to scroll down to the bottom of the page to either register or log in. Once logged in, you have to write your post, preview first, then submit.</p>