With Thanksgiving right around the corner, a lot of us are spending more time in the kitchen than usual. So, I thought it would be an ideal time to cover a reader request, I received shortly after our Kitchen reveal (here), all about our new appliances.
When it came to the kitchen refresh, we made the decision early on to work with the existing cabinets, meaning our appliance choices had to be curtailed to the existing spaces, give or take a slight modification here or there - obviously.
Oven/Microwave:
The previous owners had one unit in this space that was a combination upper microwave/lower oven. The cabinet itself is 30" and there were two drawers below the oven and one cabinet above the microwave.
We opted for two separate appliances because we didn't want to lose the whole unit if one of the two appliances needed repairs. Originally we wanted two ovens, but just couldn't find a suitable location for a microwave. We ended up with a 27" oven and a micro/convection oven. We removed one of the lower drawers and added a shelf to accommodate the two ovens.
Thank goodness for handy handymen.
Range/Cooktop:
The previous owner had an electric cooktop with a built-in downdraft.
In my ideal world, I would have loved to have a free standing 60" gas range, but that's just not happening in this kitchen, with these cabinets. Second best option: a gas cooktop. But, how do we exhaust a high-powered gas range? And we don't have gas running to the kitchen.
A built-in downdraft in the actual cooktop doesn't have enough pull to actually grab steam and/or it pulls the flame on a gas cooktop.
Another option, the overhead hood. Something I just can't seem to get behind - it cuts off the view, you are constantly ducking and most hoods are fairly modern looking. What can I say, they just aren't for me.
Our final decision: an induction cooktop with a telescoping downdraft. It's the best of both worlds. Induction cooktops offer high speed and precision cooking like a gas cooktop without creating as much steam.
The biggest obstacle we have encountered with the induction cooktop is finding the right nonstick skillets.
And, if that's my biggest issue, life is pretty good - right?
We were very fortunate to purchase our appliances during a great sale: buy three Thermador appliances and receive a free Thermador dishwasher. This promotion actually allowed us to purchase a "higher end" appliance package for less than 4 appliances of a perceived "lower" brand.
Score for good timing!
oven, microwave, induction cooktop, dishwasher - Thermador
fridge - Kitchenaid
downdraft - GE
Hope that answers any remaining questions you may have. As always, contact me directly or leave a comment with any others.
until next time,
