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sonya_dhanjal

Need help picking kitchen appliances

4 years ago

Hi!


My husband and I are going to be building a custom home and I'm having analysis-paralysis picking which appliances to get. This is our first time buying appliances so understandably this is overwhelming.


We'll likely be choosing between Thermador and Bosch. Attached is our floor plan to help you visualize.


Question 1 - Fridge/Freezer

We imagine that this will be our forever home and we hope to be family of 4 one day and host gatherings.

Should we do a 36" column fridge + 24" column freezer?

Or would a 36" french door fridge

with a bottom freezer be more practical so that we're not taking up 5 feet of space? My fear with the french door fridge is that this will not be enough food storage space. Although we have a pantry, I don't want that precious space to be wasted on a massive fridge + freezer. I'd like only put a small fridge/freezer there.


Also, how critical is it to have a water dispenser in you fridge/freezer. The Thermador column fridge/freezer option doesn't have a water dispense, but it has ice.


Question 2 - Rangetop

36" rangetop or 48"? Griddle or more burners?

Out kitchen is ~11' x 19'. The range top will be on the 19' side.

If we get the 48" rangetop, it has 6 burners and a griddle.

The 36" range top has the option of 6 burners, or 4 burners and a griddle.

I like the idea of a griddle for things like eggs, meat and roti.


Question 3 - Oven(s)

1 oven or double oven on the wall?

I am set on having a steam oven and this is most affordable on a wall oven.

Right now I leaning towards the the 30" steam/convection oven from Thermador + microwave/speed oven above it.

Do I need 2 ovens? Or will be okay with just buying 1 wall oven and doing the microwave(speed oven) above it?

We also want to do a small appliances cabinet on the section before the servery/pantry. In that cabinet we want to store our toaster oven, coffee maker, kettle, and blender. All our everyday appliances.


Question 4 - Dishwashers

We're going to get 2 dishwashers. Bosch seems to be high recommended. Should we get the 800 series or Benchmark?


Thanks for all the help and advice in advance!!!





Comments (9)

  • 4 years ago

    Congrats on building your new home!


    Do you live a long way from a grocery store? If not, I don't know why you would need so much fridge/freezer space for at most 4 people on a regular basis, as you don't have to buy huge supplies of fresh and frozen items on every trip. Even when hosting gatherings, you may find space tight but there should be plenty with a 36" fridge/freezer. And I personally prefer single door fridge over bottom freezer instead of a french door fridge.


    As for a water dispenser, unless your tap water is lousy, I wouldn't bother. They take up valuable space otherwise.


    I'm partial to a 36" rangetop. I think that's the sweet spot wrt size. As for a griddle, that's personal preference. If you'd use it, then it's worth it.


    A 30" wall oven with a speed oven above it should satisfy your oven needs. But that depends on how much you bake. If you imagine gatherings where you're struggling to find oven space then perhaps two 30" wall ovens.


    Bosch makes great dishwashers. I don't know the difference btwn the two models you're considering, but I'm sure both will work well. However, do you really need two for a family of 4? Maybe you do, but it's worth really thinking through how often you'll use the specific appliances and sizes of appliances on a day to day basis.

    MilkAndMocha thanked malabacat
  • 4 years ago

    Thanks for your input Malabacat!

  • 4 years ago

    The good news— I don’t think there are any truly wrong answers here, just what matches your preferences best. Here’s my thoughts based on my personal experience— maybe they will be of use to you. I have a 36” inch fridge and freezer side by side. That’s 72” of stainless steel to fuss over. The storage is great. But if I was doing it over—I’d get a smaller combo unit and just have extra basic style fridge and freezer units out in the garage, pantry, or basement. I wouldn’t get water or ice in the door— it’s another thing to break and take up a lot of interior space. You also end up with water on the floor (some are so messy!) and if you’ve got crafty pets/little kids, they can turn it on too. I would go all burners, no griddle. You can always place a removable griddle on the stove. On the dishwasher— consider going with 2 different models that look similar outside (or are paneled) but have different layouts inside. I have one dishwasher that’s a beast for place settings and another that does better with odd shaped items, pots/pans, etc. I know it feels like 800000000 decisions, but try to enjoy the adventure!

  • 4 years ago

    Instead of that incredibly expensive 36", 19.4cf built-in refrigerator (US$11K list, CA$19K list), have you considered making the cabinetry around the refrigerator slightly deeper so you could install a typical, freestanding, counter-depth model? For example, the 36", 20.7cf Bosch B21CL80SNS* is 28-3/4" deep but costs US$2800. Plus when it breaks you could just pull it out and shove in a new (300 lb.) freestanding one instead of de-installing the (600 lb) built-in one.

    ---

    *Bosch and Thermador are made by the same company. Check to see if there's a nearly-identical Bosch model before buying Thermador

  • 4 years ago

    Hi rainyseason, 


    I would be interested in seeing a picture of your kitchen with the fridge and freezer. 36" fridge + 36" freezer is the other option I was thinking of if I end up doing a range instead of a range top. If we're to do this, I think I would panel ready the fridge and freezer so they don't look so prominent. 

    Part of me feels like this is a convenient option so I don't have multiple fridges and freezers in the house. I grew up in a house with 2 combo fridges in different floors and a chest freezer - and there was always running around to get stuff from all these different storage spaces for food.

  • 4 years ago

    Here’s a photo— but I also think wdccruise is right— these things are so ridiculously expensive and replacing them can involve cabinetry alterations etc. these are no longer made, so when the fridge needed a major repair recently, I learned the downside of the built in style.

  • 4 years ago

    This 36", standard depth Samsung "Bespoke" refrigerator (about $US2200 discounted) allows you to choose a variety of panels (some glass, some not) which can provide an interesting appearance as an alternative to plain stainless steel. It's 30.1 cf, about as big as you can get in a 36"-wide refrigerator. Specs with colors.

    There's the ginormous Frigidaire Professional 1769865 66", 38cf Side-by-Side Refrigeration Pair but notice that they add only 8 cf over the Samsung for an additional 30" in width.

  • 4 years ago

    Alright, for now here's our appliances list:


    Range hood insert (to be enveloped in custom cabinetry): Fulgor Milano F6BP34DS1
    Range: KitchenAid KFDC506JSS
    Range backguard: KitchenAid W10115776
    Fridge: Frigidaire Pro FPRU19F8WF
    Freezer: Frigidaire Pro FPFU19F8WF
    Fridge/Freezer Pairing Kit: ?
    Fridge/Freezer Trim: Frigidaire TRMKTEZ2LV79 louver
    Dishwasher (x2): Bosche SHPM88Z75N
    Microwave (on shelf in small appliance cabinet): Panasonic NNSD986S
    Microwave trim kit: Panasonic NNTK932S
    Under counter fridge (in island, on the side facing the window): Frigidaire Gallery FGBC5334VS
    Under counter wine fridge (in servery): Frigidaire Gallery FGWC5233TS
    Toaster oven (in left small appliance cabinet): Breville BOV900BSS