Kitchen remodel questions
March 12, 2019 11:54 AM Subscribe
The work is due to begin next week on our kitchen remodel. We're down to selecting the appliances and I have a few questions that I'm hoping people who have remodeled kitchens, or use kitchens, can answer for me.
First, while I have some clear preferences in choosing a gas cooktop, it doesn't seem like there's much difference at all between electric ovens. Is there something I'm missing here, or is one electric/convection oven pretty much like every other electric/convection oven save for aesthetics? Second, would it be weird to choose a cooktop and oven from different brands when the oven will be right below the cooktop? And finally, I see chimney-style wall hoods in various shapes - pyramid, curved glass, flat, etc. Is there any reason to choose one shape or style over another? Is one easier to clean or keep clean than another?
First, while I have some clear preferences in choosing a gas cooktop, it doesn't seem like there's much difference at all between electric ovens. Is there something I'm missing here, or is one electric/convection oven pretty much like every other electric/convection oven save for aesthetics? Second, would it be weird to choose a cooktop and oven from different brands when the oven will be right below the cooktop? And finally, I see chimney-style wall hoods in various shapes - pyramid, curved glass, flat, etc. Is there any reason to choose one shape or style over another? Is one easier to clean or keep clean than another?
Where I live, gas is far cheaper than electricity. If that's the case for you, and you plan to use the oven often, that might be something to consider.
posted by ananci at 12:05 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by ananci at 12:05 PM on March 12, 2019
The purpose of a hood is to remove cooking smoke and airborne grease.
To do that, it needs substantial overhang and a powerful fan.
If you plan on using the cooktop frequently for greasy foods, or do lots of smoke-producing searing, you'll want a hood that has sides that drop down to help entrap the hot gas. A pretty curved or flat panel doesn't work as well for that.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:50 PM on March 12, 2019
To do that, it needs substantial overhang and a powerful fan.
If you plan on using the cooktop frequently for greasy foods, or do lots of smoke-producing searing, you'll want a hood that has sides that drop down to help entrap the hot gas. A pretty curved or flat panel doesn't work as well for that.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:50 PM on March 12, 2019
I've done some engineering work in the appliance biz. If you do some research you'll find that almost all of the ovens are made by a handful of manufacturers (Whirlpool, Bosch, GE) and each manufacturer has a handful of brands (example: Whirlpool makes Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, and JennAir)
They'll all have nearly the same internal mechanisms and controls - the outer skin and aesthetics are where you will spend the money. Thicker metal, stainless steel skins, better glass, fancier controls. But the core function is pretty much the same. Reliability will be about the same within the same manufacturer.
And, no, it's not weird to mix and match brands. My own kitchen has 4 brands of stuff in it. But I wouldn't have a kitchen that's, say, half white enamel and half stainless. Having a similar look makes the kitchen appear a little nicer IMO.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:51 PM on March 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
They'll all have nearly the same internal mechanisms and controls - the outer skin and aesthetics are where you will spend the money. Thicker metal, stainless steel skins, better glass, fancier controls. But the core function is pretty much the same. Reliability will be about the same within the same manufacturer.
And, no, it's not weird to mix and match brands. My own kitchen has 4 brands of stuff in it. But I wouldn't have a kitchen that's, say, half white enamel and half stainless. Having a similar look makes the kitchen appear a little nicer IMO.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:51 PM on March 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
We have differing brands of wall oven, cooktop, and hood and literally no one has ever said anything about it or even noticed, as far as I can tell. And if they have noticed? I really don't care.
We chose our appliances based on Consumer Reports reviews and our own personal taste/preferences. They've all been going strong since 2008 (KNOCK WOOD), with no issues. We chose a curved stainless steel hood and honestly it is a pain in the ass to clean, so when it's time to replace it, I'll probably choose glass. And I'd stick with curved because pyramid and flat look like a pain to clean, too.
On preview, yeah, stick with the same finishes, but different brands don't matter.
posted by cooker girl at 12:56 PM on March 12, 2019
We chose our appliances based on Consumer Reports reviews and our own personal taste/preferences. They've all been going strong since 2008 (KNOCK WOOD), with no issues. We chose a curved stainless steel hood and honestly it is a pain in the ass to clean, so when it's time to replace it, I'll probably choose glass. And I'd stick with curved because pyramid and flat look like a pain to clean, too.
On preview, yeah, stick with the same finishes, but different brands don't matter.
posted by cooker girl at 12:56 PM on March 12, 2019
Going with what seanmpuckett said if the hood fan is flat on the bottom (ie the hood doesn't extend below the intake part of the fan) then it doesn't matter what the shape is because everything above the intake is cosmetic. The necessity of a powerful fan really depends on what you'll be cooking. I sabotaged the efficacy of my hood fan by making it high enough that I could use my back burners without hitting my head on it (I got a pretty cheap hood fan anyway) but my stove is induction so it doesn't put out as much heat as gas anyway.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:04 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:04 PM on March 12, 2019
Telescopic oven shelves are a useful premium feature - racks and sheets won't overbalance even if you put heavy things on the very edge.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:11 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:11 PM on March 12, 2019
On the vent fan: try for a model that situates the fan in the exhaust tube several feet away from the hood and cooktop. Those things can get noisy.
posted by notyou at 1:27 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by notyou at 1:27 PM on March 12, 2019
The Wirecutter on range hoods is a good primer on those— but the main takeaway is if you use a very high CFM extractor, you may need a makeup air damper added to your HVAC system which can be expensive. Most people don't need the crazy turbo hood though.
Avid bakers typically recommend an electric oven vs gas for more consistent temp control. Current gas convection models are pretty good, though, and most can be calibrated and adjusted.
posted by a halcyon day at 1:32 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Avid bakers typically recommend an electric oven vs gas for more consistent temp control. Current gas convection models are pretty good, though, and most can be calibrated and adjusted.
posted by a halcyon day at 1:32 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you are a baker, you may want an oven that has a proofing option. I also love my telescopic oven shelves.
posted by bCat at 1:46 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by bCat at 1:46 PM on March 12, 2019
As a point of usability, I would recommend testing the hood's cleaning process. Don't take the sales rep's word that it is easy peasy until you have physically tested this on a demo model including fitting components in a dishwasher and sink. Test cleaning also leads to making sure that when you do clean it that it is not awkward, i.e., shimmying under stuff. I had a Vent-a-Hood and cleaning out the mechanism was quite the undertaking because I cooked extensively and with high output burners.
Don't be me and misaligned my six burner stove with my vent hood. Think and plan hard about placement, usage, and cleaning. For instance, whether the cleanable hood components will fit in your sink.
The whole cleaning thing applies to your new fancy stove, too. Here is one thing I really wished I did was have a smaller oven than the giant cavern that I got with my stove. I ended up getting a high-end toaster oven to do small everyday bakes and roasts because firing up the cavern was counterproductive. But that cavern came in super handy during Thanksgiving so if you see one of those stoves that has a smaller oven and a larger one then definitely consider that option. Also, in the showroom bring your favorite and most awkward pans to see if they fit inside the oven and rest on the stove burners as you like. And use those pans to test the size of your dishwasher candidates. Right now, I have a Bosch that I have to think carefully about the placement of dinner plates because the water arm hits those size of dishes so test your dish plates for proper sizing of the dishwasher.
I feel you about the kitchen remodeling process. These were some of the things I should have done in retrospect to get my kitchen just a little more there on the everyday.
posted by jadepearl at 2:41 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Don't be me and misaligned my six burner stove with my vent hood. Think and plan hard about placement, usage, and cleaning. For instance, whether the cleanable hood components will fit in your sink.
The whole cleaning thing applies to your new fancy stove, too. Here is one thing I really wished I did was have a smaller oven than the giant cavern that I got with my stove. I ended up getting a high-end toaster oven to do small everyday bakes and roasts because firing up the cavern was counterproductive. But that cavern came in super handy during Thanksgiving so if you see one of those stoves that has a smaller oven and a larger one then definitely consider that option. Also, in the showroom bring your favorite and most awkward pans to see if they fit inside the oven and rest on the stove burners as you like. And use those pans to test the size of your dishwasher candidates. Right now, I have a Bosch that I have to think carefully about the placement of dinner plates because the water arm hits those size of dishes so test your dish plates for proper sizing of the dishwasher.
I feel you about the kitchen remodeling process. These were some of the things I should have done in retrospect to get my kitchen just a little more there on the everyday.
posted by jadepearl at 2:41 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
One big advantage of having a separate stove top and oven has to do with repairs. With ranges (stove+oven all in one), if one component breaks you generally have to replace the entire range at far greater cost than if you only had to fix or replace one component or the other.
posted by BadgerDoctor at 3:18 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by BadgerDoctor at 3:18 PM on March 12, 2019
Mixing and matching brands in a kitchen is totally fine: we have a Bosch dishwasher, a GE range and a Maytag fridge. Depending on your kitchen (ours is tiny) you may or may not want to match white/black/stainless across all your appliances. We've got a white range and dishwasher and a stainless fridge. It works for us.
Yes, you should test as many things as you can (dishwasher size, sink size, hood cleaning) if possible. It sucks to find out the hard way that XYZ is a huge pain in the ass.
I would love to have telescoping racks in my oven. Get them if you can!
As a baker, I'd say electric oven, not gas (generally more consistent), but absolutely get something with a convection mode. It's totally worth it (and these days, the price jump is small).
Get as much hood as you can (and want to clean). I wish we had a beefier one...
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 4:10 PM on March 12, 2019
Yes, you should test as many things as you can (dishwasher size, sink size, hood cleaning) if possible. It sucks to find out the hard way that XYZ is a huge pain in the ass.
I would love to have telescoping racks in my oven. Get them if you can!
As a baker, I'd say electric oven, not gas (generally more consistent), but absolutely get something with a convection mode. It's totally worth it (and these days, the price jump is small).
Get as much hood as you can (and want to clean). I wish we had a beefier one...
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 4:10 PM on March 12, 2019
My kitchen designer made an offhand comment that using a different brand cooktop/oven in the same cabinet can void the warranty on some models. I had already chosen a Haier oven and Fisher Paykel cooktop.
This might have been an issue with older models, because I didn't run into any product manuals that had that disclaimer. But double check!
posted by politikitty at 4:30 PM on March 12, 2019
This might have been an issue with older models, because I didn't run into any product manuals that had that disclaimer. But double check!
posted by politikitty at 4:30 PM on March 12, 2019
A current client of mine wants to have oldschool freestanding gas burners (and maybe an induction burner as well) and the oven apart. He's inspired by cookery shows on TV where the hosts often bring individual burners out to cook at weird sites. I'm still researching, but it seems genius to me. It looks to be a much cheaper solution. His reason is that he struggles with the burners being to close on a normal (not professional) range. With individual burners, he can bring them closer for a fish kettle and push them apart when he has several big pans. And I can also see some advantages when it comes to keeping stuff clean. If this works, I'm going to go with it for other projects, too.
posted by mumimor at 5:55 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by mumimor at 5:55 PM on March 12, 2019
Not to abuse the edit window: I actually already have an extra electric plate in a cupboard. I mostly use it for Christmas, when we have a million things cooking. And it was so cheap to buy there was no reason not to.
posted by mumimor at 6:00 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by mumimor at 6:00 PM on March 12, 2019
We had 3 kids all one year apart when we redid our kitchen. We ended up going with commercial appliances because they were taking a lot of use abuse and the size. Two very athletic boys and an active girl meant gallons and gallons of milk, water, dozens of eggs, tons of vegetables, etc. We got a Traulsen refrigerator and an Imperial 8 burner duel oven with griddle top. They were more durable, met our aestetic needs and were actually less expensive than retail appliances. We had to make one small adjustment to have the stovetop be in compliance with local code.
Depending on your current and near future usage, consider commercial appliances. YMMV.
posted by AugustWest at 7:40 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Depending on your current and near future usage, consider commercial appliances. YMMV.
posted by AugustWest at 7:40 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Pursuant to mumimor's idea, I recently saw this interesting story (warning: potentially annoying webstuff).
posted by rhizome at 7:51 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 7:51 PM on March 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Just an add on - we have the gas stove top that came with a center griddle. Foolish design if you're interested in keeping things clean. You cook on the griddle every thing else gets splatter. Skip the griddle.
posted by ptm at 8:13 PM on March 12, 2019
posted by ptm at 8:13 PM on March 12, 2019
A couple things to consider:
1 - purchasing multiple appliances of one brand may get you a deal or some thing free (we got a free dishwasher -based on purchase of a cook top, oven, and microwave)
2 - Where I live, having a hood that is rated more than 400cfm requires a test of the house to make sure that the fan cannot move too much air. I have heard that this can get expensive if additional venting is required.
3 - consider an induction cook top. More efficient than gas, MUCH easier clean-up.
posted by bonofasitch at 10:31 AM on March 13, 2019
1 - purchasing multiple appliances of one brand may get you a deal or some thing free (we got a free dishwasher -based on purchase of a cook top, oven, and microwave)
2 - Where I live, having a hood that is rated more than 400cfm requires a test of the house to make sure that the fan cannot move too much air. I have heard that this can get expensive if additional venting is required.
3 - consider an induction cook top. More efficient than gas, MUCH easier clean-up.
posted by bonofasitch at 10:31 AM on March 13, 2019
I have the exact (or at least exact enough that I can't tell the difference) curved glass hood you linked to, except in in a 32 inch model. I really love the style, and it does the job fine. Obviously the glass will show grease and dirt pretty easily, but it's also very easy to clean with just glass cleaner.
I don't do tons of things that throw off a lot of smoke, bu I do regularly sear seasoned meats in cast iron, which can be smoke-heavy. I find that if I open the kitchen window an inch or two, the fan works much better to keep the smoke moving outside.
My only regret, and it's a minor one, is that I bought the 32 inch model because my stove is 32 inches wide. I wish I had gotten the 36 inch version, just for aesthetic reasons. I didn't need to fit it between cabinets or anything, so I could have gotten the wider version. Once I installed it, it looked too small. Of course no one else in the world would think so, and I don't think about it anymore either, but just make a mental note.
posted by The Deej at 11:07 AM on March 13, 2019
I don't do tons of things that throw off a lot of smoke, bu I do regularly sear seasoned meats in cast iron, which can be smoke-heavy. I find that if I open the kitchen window an inch or two, the fan works much better to keep the smoke moving outside.
My only regret, and it's a minor one, is that I bought the 32 inch model because my stove is 32 inches wide. I wish I had gotten the 36 inch version, just for aesthetic reasons. I didn't need to fit it between cabinets or anything, so I could have gotten the wider version. Once I installed it, it looked too small. Of course no one else in the world would think so, and I don't think about it anymore either, but just make a mental note.
posted by The Deej at 11:07 AM on March 13, 2019
« Older iOS Shortcuts sound awesome, but I am underwhelmed | Is this sexist behavior and how can I address it... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 12:03 PM on March 12, 2019