Need all new Kitchen appliances plus.....

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 8:55 pm

Hi. I am starting in the process of fixing up a house iyH that we recently bought in Brooklyn. I'm going to have a bunch of new posts (some of which really belong in classified but have okayed with mods to put in anon enabled sections because I am not ready for everyone to know yet).

First post:

I went to Drimmers to price and see appliances. Prices with rebates were very good: about $3500 for all. He also promised to meet any legitimate price. However, I have started researching some of the stuff he showed me and couldn't find much about reviews except about the oven, which were HORRIBLE!! Now, I don't trust about any of them. I still may go there just because of pricing but I want my own recommendations. I am on a tight budget so bear that in mind.

Recommendations for:

Stainless steal oven - the type with no space between counter, sealed and microwave on top.

Fridge with french doors and interior water dispenser to be paneled to match kitchen and same for dishwasher.

Don't worry, you will still hear from me plenty. LOL

Dark Red Amother

busydev

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 9:16 pm

see if you can get an online subscription for consumer reports. they have reviews and info on most appliances plus things like paint, countertops, carpet and many other things you will need to buy and use when fixing a house. I dont have any recommendations for appliances etc as I still rent

ROFL

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 9:40 pm

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 9:43 pm

ROFL wrote:

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

I have a major problem with storage in my freezer already (side by side) and I plan on getting another cheap full freezer for the garage iyH.

saw50st8

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 9:46 pm

will reply more on a computer.

I found aj madison very helpful

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 10:12 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

will reply more on a computer.

I found aj madison very helpful

thank you!

And busydev (don't know how to quite multiple posters), I did pay for a one month subscription but I'm too tired to sift through everything tonight. Will try again tomorrow iyh. Thank you!

srbmom

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 10:16 pm

don't know which appliances you're buying - but don't get a front load washer. The mold smell is a huge issue. I wish I knew before I bought one.

Cookies n Cream

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 10:25 pm

srbmom wrote:

don't know which appliances you're buying - but don't get a front load washer. The mold smell is a huge issue. I wish I knew before I bought one.

l have mine for close to 6 years and never had a problem.
Do you maintain it? l clean it with the cleanser monthly.

srbmom

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 10:36 pm

I always leave the door open and I run the clean cycle often. I have an LG and there is actually a class-action lawsuit against them going on right now for this issue.

shanie5

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 11:11 pm

Ive got a whirlpool duet-for quite a few years now-and no smelly problems.

thanks

Mon, Aug 05 2013, 11:34 pm

ROFL wrote:

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

I also hated my French door fridge. It's too deep so you cannot find things, and the freezer is horrible. I thought I wouldn't mind the freezer because I have a separate freezer downstairs, but the drawer was really awful. Now I have the fridgidaire counterdepth all-fridge and all-freezer. If you have the space, it's great. I have a kitchenaide slide in range that's great. It has Shabbos mode, a warming drawer on the bottom, and one flame that is very large. I can get you the model number. I just did a kitchen remodel, so ask away.

ROFL

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 12:10 am

thanks wrote:

ROFL wrote:

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

Can you find a website with your new freezer and fridge. While I can't replace it now it is always good to see what is out there.

September June

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 12:12 am

I love the fridge with french doors on top and a pull out freezer on the bottom. It's great!

thanks

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 12:24 am

The model for the all fridge is FPRH19D7LF and the freezer is FPUH19D7LF. It comes with a trim kit to make it look built in. I like that it's not as deep, so you don't "lose" anything in there. My friend put the all fridge in her kitchen, and has a freezer downstairs. I was lucky to fit both in my kitchen.

paprika

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 6:24 am

thanks wrote:

ROFL wrote:

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

How do you keep a bunch of small things neat in a large freezer?

saw50st8

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 10:16 am

The first thing to figure out is what appliances you need? Are you gutting the kitchen or just changing appliances? If you are gutting the kitchen, the FIRST thing to look at is how to optimize your kitchen layout (I can help with that if you want).

Do you want a seperate cooktop than oven? Do you want all in one? Do you want a good vent hood or just a microwave over the vent? How important is your microwave?

Here is how we made choices:

For refrigerators, you need to get one with a shabbos mode nowadays unless you are getting small fridges. They have all sorts of sensors (its not just about the light). Check out the Star-K's website on appliances.

Then you have to decide if you want standard depth or counter depth. Counter is more expensive but looks flush.

If you want it paneled, it will be MUCH more expensive.

Do you want an ice maker? Do you want a dispenser in the door? Do you already have a water line or do you have to add one in?

Range/Oven/Cooktop:

If you want a standard range, what size space do you have? Do you want a shabbos mode? Do you want self clean? Do you want convection? One oven or two? For the burners, do you want them all to have equal strength? (this was important to me because I hated having to move things around on the cooktop - I wanted full high to full low). Electric or gas? If gas, can you light the flames with a match if power is out? (excellent for holidays - you can light another burner as needed, but you just can't turn it off)

Dishwashers:

Built in dishwashers are a little bit more expensive and you need to pay for a panel. Do you want the controls to show or not? (we chose not so the kids cant mess with it mid cycle) Do you want a cutlery tray? Will you kasher your dishwasher (in which case you want a stainless steel interior - talk to your rabbi about that because not every holds by kashering dishwashers for regular or pesach or may need new racks)? Do you care if there is a little clean water on your plastics after doing the load?

We are very happy with our midline kitchen aid dishwasher. It was around $800 I think (stainless steel, hidden controls)

Microwave:

We use ours a lot, but we didn't want to get two huge ones, so we got GE spacesaver microwaves. They work well, hold 9X13 dishes (like pyrex and tupperware) but aren't very high. So if you want to heat up a high dish it won't work.

Are you looking into garbage disposals? Water filtration? Washing Machines and dryers?

thanks

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 10:26 am

paprika wrote:

thanks wrote:

ROFL wrote:

I got a French door fridge I hate it. To use the freezer you have to be really neat. The door does not shut if everything is not neatly in place. And I find you can't squeeze things in.

How do you keep a bunch of small things neat in a large freezer?

If this question is for me, my freezer in the kitchen is also counter depth. This keeps everything visible. I'm really not the one to ask this question to since I find it hard to keep anything neat. Lol. I'm still learning.

amother

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 5:35 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

First of all, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to go through all of this! Yes, we are (did already) gut the kitchen not because the kitchen was in such bad condition but the layout was awful. We worked with an architect who specializes in space planning because it it NYC and we are very limited in space.

I want ONE stove/oven. While a separate two burners for milchig would be nice, it's just not in the space and we are not huge milchig people, so we will manage without iyh.

Microwave is very important and I need it on top of the stove, again because of space issues (don't want it on counter or something. I don't understand the vent question, my understanding is the it goes behind and then on top of the microwave in a cabinet (my mother has it that way).

We definitely want a water/ice maker because this is a compromise for dh who really wants a poland spring water jug thing but there's no space to put it. I want a regular size fridge/freezer without paneling but dh was thinking otherwise. I spoke to the kitchen guy that my husband trusts and he claims that using stainless steel will fit better with the design, so we'll see.

I don't know about the water line, but there will be a sink (and there was already) a few feet down the counter if that makes a difference.

For the oven/stove: I'm not terribly picky. I have now with different size burners and while I don't love it, I am used to it already so it's not a big deal for me. I NEED GAS AND ONLY GAS!!! Doesn't need convection. Needs to have an option for timers without beeping and of course, self clean.

Dishwasher: I never had one so now clue what I'm looking for. I know my neighbor chose hidden for hers and she regrets it for some reason. Dunno.

No garbage disposal. I already have a proper washer and dryer bh. Although if anyone knows where I could replace the plastic on the outside of the dryer (someone smashed their sukkah as they were leaving the basement into it), I would appreciate it. Thanks!!

saw50st8

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 7:01 pm

There are ovens that have a medium size oven and a smaller oven still in a regular range. What size do you need?

Go to AJ Madisons website. You can put in your criteria and filter it that way. They have a sabbath mode filter too! Its a frum company. You can call and get good advice also. They negotiate on prices.

saw50st8

Tue, Aug 06 2013, 7:04 pm

For the fridge, you need to make sure an additional water line to the fridge is in your plans or they wont put one in. It will cost you a lot more once you are underway.

Built in refrigerators are really, really pricey. Like $5000 pricey.

Talk to her about the hidden to find out why. I really like it personally. There is an LED on mine that shows you what part of the cycle you are in. Make sure to talk to your Rabbi so you know what you need.