Appliance thoughts

Reply to: You then need to read your instruction book and adjust the rinse aid dispenser. On mine, there is a setting of 0-6, where 0 is off, 3 is the default amount of 3ml, and 6 is the max of 6ml. I had it set to the default of 3, then adjusted it to 2, and then to 1. I've been using the 1 (1ml) setting for 2 years, and only refill it every 3-4 months. A setting of 3-6 was too much rinse aid, and made some glasses feel sticky.

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Reply to: I've had 2 Mieles and bought them for the china/crystal cycle. I have Riedel as well as vintage glasses plus vintage and antique china. I even wash the gold rim china in there with no soap -- it does a great job. For best china/crystal results you definitely want cold water hookup. Machine heats water to 115 degrees for this cycle. Plumber had to come back to switch it as I forgot to tell them on the second machine. If you've read AF threads, the current best-liked detergent is Quantum Finish Powerballs -- be sure it says Quantum (I bought the wrong Finish once). Second most popular now is Method Smarty Tabs; I like the grapefruit-rose. Both are tabs so the tab button needs to be used (that cuts down the rinse aid) Machine also needs rinse aid -- Jet Dry works just fine though some like Somat. Miele tabs were reformulated and no longer can be easily cut. Before they were excellent but recent mixed reports. Be sure to test the water hardness to determine whether you need the in-machine softener. Be sure it's necessary. If not, the Miele Customer Care will direct you on disabling it on the phone (it's done by pressing the buttons). What's to be avoided for crystal is water that's too soft with too much soap. I'd advise holding back on washing crystal just until there's certainty about the water hardness/softener adjustment, the cold water hookup has been done, and it's all working well with regular dishes and glassware and there's no filming or etching (cloudy residue that cannot be removed -- why you don't want hot water hookup). Then it's cruise control.

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Reply to: Hi Arielle, Below are some photos. As you can see the handle does protrude out somewhat but it has never bothered us. FYI - I am just under 5'8" and my husband is 6'2" and the under counter location has never been a problem for us. Anyone who owns a range is dealing with ovens at the same height so I don't think it should be a problem. MJ

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Reply to: @Sharon D, I have had no issues with steam damage to the upper cabinet. I don’t open the oven full force right after shutting off from habit, mostly because I don’t want a face full of steam. Occasionally the upper cabinet feels slightly damp right after, so I just wipe it with a kitchen towel proactively. It’s been a year since install, and everything looks new. I did buy the Wolf pro style convection oven btw. I have had zero problems with it. I don’t use the self clean (I never have in any oven I’ve owned), so I can’t say how it would perform if I ran that on a regular basis. Every other week or so, I make a loose paste of baking soda and white vinegar, remove the racks in both ovens, and coat the dirty surfaces with the paste. I run the steam oven on 190 degrees (steam only) for 30 minutes, and the convection oven on Proof for about an hour. Then, wipe down. The ovens are always sparkling clean after that. If the glass is dirty, I use a magic eraser, which cleans it up quickly. Good luck with your CSO!

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Reply to: All right, I've got some time now to read all the comments and post some answers! Once again I want to thank you for the lovely feedback, it feels so great! mountaineergirl- My undercabinet lighting is Kichler xenon. The light is amazing, crisp and clear, doesn't get hot and not an ugly flourescent color. Makes everyone look good! They look like this. I have some that have 2, 3 or 4 blubs depending on where they are. My electrician said they are a little bit more expensive, but so worth it. He was right. Here is the link, I didn't get them on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/12-1-4-Inch-Under-Cabinet-Light/dp/B001B9YQSQ grneyesct- So glad your moving forward on the green granite. Countertop selection was definitely the harderst for me.I'm following your other post and see more green kitchens being posted. SHow us some pics soon! catkin- My father actually made that lazy susan on the table for us! We love it, especially the kids. I could ask him how much something like that would be. He is great with woodworking and does it in his spare time. nclakehouse- Yes, that was me asking for your backsplash info way back when! Good memory. I think I was also asking you about the Bosch range. How's the lakehouse? kitchenkelly- I really should have put you down as my inspriation. I loved your kitchen when I first saw it. In fact I used your gorgeous tile in my mudroom, so mad at myself for not getting the cool 24x12 size like yours though. I always say go with your gut! So, many people tried to talk me out of things. Some succeded and some didn't . They said don't do white cabs with kids or stainless steel, but it all turned out fine! Thanks for all your help along the way. Still love those morgue drawers...are they filled up for Halloween yet? Jterrilynn- Not from Positano, just loved it there so much when I went 10 years ago. Just a wonderful place. Funny how my kitchen is not an italian style looking kitchen. With my name people must think its going to be. vanisleevt- I think my tiles are rounded. They are handmade Sonoma Stellar ceramic crackle 2x6. The color is called Krazy Krackle. They were a bit of a splurge at $18sf, but we waited a year and a half so I could afford it! dianalo- I really did try not to spend so much for the kitchen. The Costa Esmeralda is usually quite pricey, but for some reason my wasn't! Makes me think that it might be coast green. Mine doesn't have a lot of the big veins that CE sometimes has. The sold it to me as CE though and I'm happy with it and the price! I saved a lot of money on my light fixtures which were not pricey. My electrician is a friend of the family,another family member did the sheetrock and DH did all the demo. It means so much to me that you call it the heart of the home! I want my family and friends to have a warm place to hang out. fiddleddd- Congrats on remodeling! I also debated backsplashes, but didn't want to get sick of a busier pattern. I tend to change my mind a lot, LOL! I knew it would be monotone, but can use so accessories to change it up a bit. I love how it turned out, so much prettier in person that pictures. I love my KA counterdepth fridge. I find it easy to clean, keeps a great temp. The only issue is that you have to make sure you shut the doors. The alarm does go off, but its funny how the kids notice if its open. Mommy!! Shut the fridge door. They might have fixed this issue on the new one. It doesn't bother me at all though. We do have another fridge in the basement for backup soda, water, beer, milk etc. I love how you can stay more organized with the CD. Nothing gets lost in the back. joan2121- Thanks for the great compliments. Grout choice was hard too, I didn't want it too light. I wanted to see the tile not make it disappear. I'm happy how it turned out. In real life it looks a little darker than the pictures. red eared slider 86- I would love to be in Renovation Style...wouldn't that be something. I'm just happy to be on GW! Littlesmiokie- I just looked up jreuters kitchen. Her title is a Sunny and White kitchen. Thank you for grouping me with her. It's a lovely space and she does have some PB stuff too. I usually try to mix things up, but I just kept finding things that work from PB. Maybe I should send it to them. The parson chairs I've had for 12 years and definitely need new slipcovers. I would love something fun, maybe thats the next project. That's it for now, thanks for looking. I do appreciate it! Positano

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Reply to: For those interested in following a community/group of steam and steam-combi ovens join us on this group page on Facebook! We share tips, recipes and often a lot of questions! ~BeckySue Becker, Founder & Administrator https://www.facebook.com/groups/steamovencooking/ 

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Reply to: We have a 30" refrigerator and 18" freezer columns. Only a few weeks into it and so far we are loving it. We do have supplementary units in the garage -- so we are not over-crowded in the kitchen. One of the principal reasons for going with Thermador Freedom Columns was that we needed the fridge on the left and the freezer on the right. Sub Zero does not offer the ability to switch the hinges -- so we paid an experienced installer to switch the hinges on both units and install the custom panels -- best $ spent on the entire remodel -- I would have gone nuts trying to figure out all he did in that 3 hour installation. FYI -- those are Sub Zero appliance pulls on the two units -- we love the form and function -- they feel substantial and really help to heft open the doors. Overall we are thrilled with both units!

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Reply to: You can find people who think it is easier and more difficult to clean an open burner tray. It is a very personal decision. The only reason I would want the Platinum vs the one like the RNB is the 3K more in power. Read the reviews about the griddle and grill. The griddle is just an overlay. You could buy a really nice griddle overlay in different metals for different purposes. Some people think the grill is kind of hard to deal with but that depends on what you are using it for. This is a video that shows how the regular BS is cleaned. I don't see any showing how to clean the grill. You can put foil on the pull out tray to make it even easier. https://youtu.be/3K2DR2ub1sA If you want to cook with a wok, the construction of the burner would be most important. The BS is uncapped so the flame goes in a more upward direction on high. The burner has more flame in the middle. This is a picture of capped burners(Thermador and Wolf) on the top and uncapped (capital and BS) on the bottom. I actually have Wolf and it works well for me because I use big, pretty heat conductive pans and I use the simmer a lot but if you wok, then BS would seem better for you. The cleaning would seem 50/50 to me but a lesser consideration than the function of the burner.

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Reply to: You don't have to buy their pans. Most combis use standard hotel pans. Mine use 12 x 14 pans , IIRC, and are available at restaurant supply stores and Amazon in various depths and perforated and non perforated. https://www.katom.com/cat/hotel-pans-food-pans/guide-steam-table-pan-sizes.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwlujnBRBlEiwAuWx4LUDayflbTFJr8cBbUdYMtWb_FbJIxf_aN72_DvnPDzDikwLq-x82fxoCVwAQAvD_BwE has a chart explaining the sizes.

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Reply to: Here is a link to a great little Craig's List searcher. In the upper left corner you can put in the miles you are willling to travel. Here is a link that might be useful: Craig's List Search Tool

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Reply to: Craigslist is not friendly towards broad area searches. But you can get around the built-in balkanization of craigslist by using google to search for what you want. Enter your search terms into google, and then add "site:craigslist.org" (omit the quotation marks). This will restrict the search to the craigslist domain. You can further limit the search by specifying, through the google advanced search feature, pages that have been added within the last day, week, etc., further limiting the scope of the search. Perhaps the easiest and most efficient way to find what you want is to set a "google alert." With an alert set, google does the work for you. Here's an example. First, construct the search. Say you are looking for an Aga Cooker. So you would type the following text into the google search bar: aga cooker site:craigslist.org Now, execute the search and check the results. Are you getting the type of returns you are looking for? If so, then you are ready to create the alert. Once you have the search string written to optimize your results, select it and copy it to your clipboard. Now, go to the google alerts page. Paste the string into the search field, set up how you want to be notified. I recommend selecting to be notified immediately with comprehensive search. Then hit the create alert button. You will start getting emails whenever a new ad with what you are looking for posts to craigslist. The search will not be restricted just to one city, and you will be notified pretty soon after the ad posts. You can also tailer the alert to further restrict results as necessary.

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Reply to: Craigslist if you are patient and are willing to drive a bit. Ebay for occasional great deals. Wolf and subzero provide warranty srarting at installation for their items so it doesn't matter how long they have been sitting around if they have not been installed. No receipt needed, they go by the serial number (and you can call to ask for the history of the item, and confirm warranty). I bought a gaggenau cooktop off ebay, said it came with warranty so we shall see.You have to be a bit of a scavenger but the deals are out there.

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Reply to: I used the "pick the fruit from the bush whats got it" approach and hunted for every appliance. I used Craigslist to find my Miele Speed oven. I got it for less than half the cost of a new one (it was new in the box, part of a kitchen remodel or builder package that was never used.) My Miele coffee system came from ebay. But be careful to get a STORE receipt from an authorized dealer before buying any Miele items off ebay if you want a warranty. Miele will deny coverage on anything it finds that you bought on ebay, a practice that I think should be illegal but in today's world of "the corporation is always right" they can get away with. Moss Magnuson needs new teeth for the information age. Our Bluestar was Craigslist, It came from an appliance outlet that deals in scratch and dent/clearance/close outs. They had bought 10 brand new Bluestars out of a warehouse and were selling them for ~ $2850 plus tax. That turned out to be an incredible bargain and we love the stove. Luckily, we wanted a French Door fridge with ice and water through the door, which ruled out all of the sub zero stuff. I priced the LG my wife wanted all over the internet. Turned out I got close to the best price by waiting for friends and family day at our local Sears. Sometimes you can catch a real bargain if you time it right. One caveat, I'm an old tech and fix my own stuff. You may not want to jump as far into the fire as I am willing to go for a deal.

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Reply to: Don't know if this will help.... I went through all the shopping for an oven & spent a year on it: Dacor because of reputation, Miele because of the bells & whistles, on & on & on. I finally settled on the Gaggenau. I looked for basic options I wanted: Automatic on & off, convection & self-cleaning (my husband & I gourmet cook). My husband insisted on a double oven. (When the Micro went out earlier, I bought a KitchenAid combo micro/convection-love it). I was able to argue that I did not need 2 ovens because I had two (it worked) & I got my Gaggenau 27" (Which by the way has almost as much space as an American 30"). BEST Move I ever made! The Rotisserie is a dream. Not only can it take the weight it does not allow the food to "Jerk" as it turns. I bake almost everything on convection & because this oven has so many ways to "finish" food the taste this oven delivers is to die for! You do need to learn to "use" your oven as a cooking tool. (Americans tend to get pans & roasters to stick their food into & THEN put it in the oven. Europeans use their oven as the cooking pans & it works sooo much better). My husband is happy as well with the results, the simplicity of its use, & the fact that he can tell what temperature the oven is at (not just what its set at)& when he uses the probe, the actual internal temperature of the meat(it does get used a lot). I decided against the warming drawer but did shop for them & felt that Miele, because the sides were open, would allow more freedom of access. My oven works great for keeping things warm. OK, now to the G.E. Advantium I must say that I have been really pleased with the free standing KitchenAid but needed an over the stove unit for the 5th wheel (I missed my convection oven). After shopping I bought the best bang for my buck (it had to be 110. It also comes in 220, which cooks even faster). The Advantium is easy to use & will help you in itÂs use. I have the one with the 100 Pre-Programmed Menu (reminded me of the Miele I almost bought). ItÂs great but if I had to do it again, I guess IÂd not spend the extra $80. for that feature (as I thought before-too much info & I will never use it) however overall the unit is great. In summary: 1) Determine what you CAN"T LIVE WITHOUT & the extras you want (ie: convection, rotisserie, etc). & what you really DONÂT NEED (havenÂt used & probably wonÂt). 2) Call the Mfg & to find a store that will demo the real thing. 3) USE the Garden Web FORUM (they been a real help to me too.) Use the Internet to find as much info as you can. 4) Then SHOP for it! (I got my $4,000 oven for $2,000) Good Luck & happy shopping!!!

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