ᐅ Planning kitchen appliances: How to approach it. The market is overwhelming.
Created on: 11 Sep 2017 12:34
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G-Star1988
Hello everyone,
I have an appointment at the kitchen studio next Saturday and I’m preparing for it. Specifically, I’m looking for the appliances I want to have later in the kitchen. I’ve been researching a lot from brands like Neff / Siemens, Miele, Bora, etc., but I’m not making much progress.
For example, the current selection at Siemens looks like this:
Dishwasher IQ300 SN636X03MD
Oven IQ700 HB634GBS1
Microwave IQ500 HF15M264
Cooktop with integrated downdraft extractor EX801LX34E
or
2 x Cooktop IQ700 EX375FXB1E with extractor IQ700 LF16VA570
(The cooktop with integrated downdraft is the only fixed requirement, unfortunately I don’t have any influence on that ^^)
I actually value quality, energy efficiency, and a balanced price-performance ratio. But how can I find out if what you pick is really good? Or if there are possibly cheaper but equally high-quality products from other manufacturers. For example, the cooktop with integrated downdraft extractor from Miele—according to the catalog, it’s cheaper but just as good or even better?
How do you approach this?
I have an appointment at the kitchen studio next Saturday and I’m preparing for it. Specifically, I’m looking for the appliances I want to have later in the kitchen. I’ve been researching a lot from brands like Neff / Siemens, Miele, Bora, etc., but I’m not making much progress.
For example, the current selection at Siemens looks like this:
Dishwasher IQ300 SN636X03MD
Oven IQ700 HB634GBS1
Microwave IQ500 HF15M264
Cooktop with integrated downdraft extractor EX801LX34E
or
2 x Cooktop IQ700 EX375FXB1E with extractor IQ700 LF16VA570
(The cooktop with integrated downdraft is the only fixed requirement, unfortunately I don’t have any influence on that ^^)
I actually value quality, energy efficiency, and a balanced price-performance ratio. But how can I find out if what you pick is really good? Or if there are possibly cheaper but equally high-quality products from other manufacturers. For example, the cooktop with integrated downdraft extractor from Miele—according to the catalog, it’s cheaper but just as good or even better?
How do you approach this?
D
daniels8722 Nov 2017 18:00chand1986 schrieb:
So: 5 zones on an 80cm (32 inch) stove definitely YES, 11kW vs. 7.5kW clearly OPTIONAL, because actually unnecessary.It’s like my Corsa with 5 people driving uphill. It’s possible, but it doesn’t feel right.
C
chand198622 Nov 2017 18:15No, that's not the case. Not at all.
With the Corsa, it takes longer uphill than with the Mercedes. That's because of the Corsa. If the Mercedes also takes that long, it's because of the driver.
Both appliances heat up at the same speed for the rated power. If more power = faster, then the cook is at fault.
The analogy is flawed.
You gain something from boiling water. That gain can’t always be carried through to the finish.
With the Corsa, it takes longer uphill than with the Mercedes. That's because of the Corsa. If the Mercedes also takes that long, it's because of the driver.
Both appliances heat up at the same speed for the rated power. If more power = faster, then the cook is at fault.
The analogy is flawed.
You gain something from boiling water. That gain can’t always be carried through to the finish.
D
daniels8722 Nov 2017 18:31chand1986 schrieb:
No, that’s not the case. Not at all.
With the Corsa, it takes longer to go uphill than with the Mercedes. That’s because of the Corsa. If the Mercedes takes just as long, it’s because of the driver.
The heating element powers up equally fast in both models. If more power means faster, then the cook is at fault.
The analogy doesn’t hold.
You gain something when boiling water. But that gain can’t always be carried through to the end.No, I get from A to B just as fast with my Corsa because speed limits apply in Germany. Driving full throttle on the highway would be the analogy to boiling water.
Let’s agree that my wife and I are bad cooks with poor stove management, which we have to compensate for with a lot of power (like the Mercedes driver at the traffic light who finally finds and presses the gas pedal after 5 seconds).
C
chand198622 Nov 2017 18:39I don’t want to criticize your cooking. It has to taste good.
You can also buy whatever you want. I just notice that you keep jumping from one flawed comparison to another, completely missing my points.
Suddenly “uphill” turns into A to B, and everything changes.
If the heating time is only a negligible part of the total cooking time, more power doesn’t mean more time.
I can’t put it any simpler than that.
And unlike with Corsa vs. Mercedes, you sit just as comfortably at both stoves.
You can also buy whatever you want. I just notice that you keep jumping from one flawed comparison to another, completely missing my points.
Suddenly “uphill” turns into A to B, and everything changes.
If the heating time is only a negligible part of the total cooking time, more power doesn’t mean more time.
I can’t put it any simpler than that.
And unlike with Corsa vs. Mercedes, you sit just as comfortably at both stoves.
D
daniels8722 Nov 2017 20:16I didn’t ask whether a cooktop with 5 zones and 11kW makes sense. I know that WE will use it, and that’s why we want to buy it. I did not request buying advice.
And now I’m being told that I don’t need it. Very interesting. I should have already realized here that someone just wants to push their own opinion.
Now please show me a cooktop with around 7 kW that can use 5 zones simultaneously. I’m curious. If such a cooktop exists, one power module would have to supply 3 burners, meaning a maximum of about 3.6 kW for 3 burners. For ME, that’s a no-go. To me, it wouldn’t be a sign of quality if a manufacturer offers a cooktop where not even all burners can run at medium power at the same time.
And now I’m being told that I don’t need it. Very interesting. I should have already realized here that someone just wants to push their own opinion.
Now please show me a cooktop with around 7 kW that can use 5 zones simultaneously. I’m curious. If such a cooktop exists, one power module would have to supply 3 burners, meaning a maximum of about 3.6 kW for 3 burners. For ME, that’s a no-go. To me, it wouldn’t be a sign of quality if a manufacturer offers a cooktop where not even all burners can run at medium power at the same time.
D
Deliverer23 Nov 2017 08:35A quick note: For me personally, neither the power ratings nor the number of cooking zones are the most important factors. What really matters is a good arrangement of the zones. I often cook using two large pans—frequently alongside a big pasta pot. It’s also common for a roasting pan to be left on the burner for hours.
So it definitely makes a difference whether I have five small zones, two large plus two small zones, or a flexible zone combined with two small zones... In short, some layouts are really unsuitable for certain cooking styles.
With my last kitchen, I was very happy to be able to swap the forced linear arrangement of zones on a 60cm (24 inch) wide cooktop for the staggered layout possible on an 80cm (31.5 inch) wide one. The number of zones was the same, the power ratings were similar, and the burner diameters were comparable. But simply put, more of my mostly round cookware fits comfortably on the stove.
Unfortunately, the so-called flexible zones often negate this advantage. This can lead to having too much space and consequently having to place a large ventilation opening right in the middle of the cooking surface... Or, when using two large pans on one side, not being able to reach the temperature controls without risking burns.
So I believe it’s more important to keep an open mind and try things out than to just compare specification sheets.
Oh, and one more thing entirely: avoid 60cm (24 inch) deep countertops like the plague! No matter how great your appliances are, they won’t help if you don’t have enough working space or room for your tools.
So it definitely makes a difference whether I have five small zones, two large plus two small zones, or a flexible zone combined with two small zones... In short, some layouts are really unsuitable for certain cooking styles.
With my last kitchen, I was very happy to be able to swap the forced linear arrangement of zones on a 60cm (24 inch) wide cooktop for the staggered layout possible on an 80cm (31.5 inch) wide one. The number of zones was the same, the power ratings were similar, and the burner diameters were comparable. But simply put, more of my mostly round cookware fits comfortably on the stove.
Unfortunately, the so-called flexible zones often negate this advantage. This can lead to having too much space and consequently having to place a large ventilation opening right in the middle of the cooking surface... Or, when using two large pans on one side, not being able to reach the temperature controls without risking burns.
So I believe it’s more important to keep an open mind and try things out than to just compare specification sheets.
Oh, and one more thing entirely: avoid 60cm (24 inch) deep countertops like the plague! No matter how great your appliances are, they won’t help if you don’t have enough working space or room for your tools.
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