Cool Stuff/Matt Trifiro

I have remodeled three homes in the last 1.5 years and have developed opinions on systems and appliances. Here is a quick and dirty summary of my thoughts. -- Matt, 2001-10-27

Range tops
Don't do electric. Natural gas or propane provide superior cooking. For built-in gas range tops, Viking, Miele and Thermidor offer the best flame and controls. Gaggenau are overpriced and inferior (they don't have automatic ignition and their range of control is lacking). The Viking has the hottest flame, but the open burner design makes it a bit more demanding to clean and the bulky Viking look is not right for every kitchen. The Miele is best closed burner design, and more stylish, but if you are more budget conscious, then Thermidor has a nice product.

Combined range/ovens
If you want bulky industrial look, Viking range/oven combinations are terrific. The high BTUs of the gas rangetops are unrivaled. The oven is nice and large. It can accommodate half-sheet pans. This is the only residential combined range/oven that really behaves like a professional range/oven. The wolfe and others look nice, but the Viking cooks the best.

Built-in electric ovens
Gaggenau, hands down, has the best ovens these days. They have the best temperature control, the fewest hot/cold spots, the nicest gadgets. You want the 290 series. The oven interiors area bit small by American standards (and they have quirky iconographic European controls, which offer symbols instead of words). But, what a beautiful product. And they look terrific in a modern kitchen.

Steam ovens
I have to admit, I was initially a snobby towards steam ovens: ovens for people who can't figure out how to use real flame. But I am now a total convert. They are easy to use, especially for quick meals and the end result is beatiful and forgiving. Great for fish and vegetables. The only two steam ovens of merit are Miele and Gaggenau. The Miele oven is simpler to install (no direct plumbing; you fill a pitcher with water from the tap) and has fewer options. The Gaggenau product is better than the Miele, and I love that it doubles as a conventional oven also (a small one, albeit). However, the Gaggenau is pricier and requires cold water and drain plumbing.

Dishwashers
At the high-end, Asko (Viking dishwashers are OEM'ed from Akso), Bosch (Gaggenau is a Bosch diswhasher), and Miele are all terrific. But if you are price insensitive, the Miele dishwasher is best and anybody who tells you otherwise doesn't sell them. For coolness alone, The Fisher & Paykel dish drawers are amazing. They are on par with Asko and Bosch, but their 1/2 height drawer design is really nice. I am installing two at waist level, one on each side of the sink.

Washer / Dryer
I prefer the Miele washer dryers

Replumbing
Everybody will tell you to install copper. Fine. But if you are really going into the walls, then you should compare the plastic piping that they use for dialisys machines. Only a few plumbers work with this material, and it is more expensive than copper, but the labor install is less (they pull it through the walls like Romex) so it ends up being price competitive overall. Added bonus is that it doesn't leach copper into the water.

Water quality and filtration
I have looked at everything here and I recommend a sediment filter on the main line, followed by a Water Tech Re-ionator which filters out chlorine, a whole range of heavy metals and pesticide residue, and softens the water. Use only Potassium Chloride in the brine tank, not Sodium Chloride. This way, you can put the backwash into the bushes and it adds a healthy mineral (potassium) to your drinking water. Plus, no need (or desire) to plumb drinking water separately from washing water. For drinking water, I recommend a PUR 2.5GPM 3-stage undersink system. No need to have a separate purified faucet, just run it to the cold tap in the sink. I'm paranoid, so I use the ultraviolet light chamber. If you are less nutty, then simply use the 2-chamber system.

Pool systems
There are lots of opinions here, but I prefer hydrogen-peroxide with ultraviolet light pool water systems. Not carcinogenic like chlorine or heavy metal systems (e.g., systems that use copper and silver ions). It's a bit more expensive than other methods, and you will have to train your pool guy but once it is installed it basically maintains itself.