Here are some notes from my reviews of kitchen appliances…
These aren’t the most extensive reviews I’ve ever done.
Because I mostly concentrated on the products that stood out to me as the best from the get-go.
In my mind, we’ll probably be buying one of these microwave/convection ovens, and one of these cooktop/stoves:
Microwave Ovens
GE Profile Advantium 120
- Convection/microwave oven
- above the cooktop
- 16-13/32″H x 15-3/8″D x 29-7/8″W
- $699 (Home Depot)
NOTES: Cooks 4 times faster due to quartz hallogen lights. Browns really well. Has wider space inside to accommodate larger items. Has a dial with 100+ foods built-in, so you don’t have to guess how long to leave things in for. I spoke at length with a customer who has this unit & she LOVES it. Her husband taunted her for buying it (along with a Jenn-Air downdraft range) and it is now HIS #1 favorite appliance in the house. They rarely use the Jenn-Air. They use the convection oven mostly, the microwave secondly. Couldn’t live without it. (My 1st choice.)
GE Profile
- Convection/microwave oven
- above the cooktop
- 16-7/16″H x 15-3/8″D x 29-15/16″W
- $599 (Home Depot)
NOTES: Has 3 interior shelves for cooking lots of things at once. Nice, but not as nice as the 4-times-quicker unit above.
…I actually stopped looking after finding these 2 units. I’m sold.
Range/Cooktops
GE Profile
- 30″ slide-in electric
- 35-1/2″H x 27-1/2″D x 30″W
- $1,299 (Home Depot)
NOTES: Controls are on the front, easier to reach. The silver plating around the controls looks like it might show small scratches easily — only use soft rags & sponges; never a scratchy sponge to clean. Only comes with all-black flat cooktop if you want the stainless range. Or, you can get the blue & black speckly flat cooktop (like we have now & LOVE), but only with a white range. The black is harder to keep clean since fingerprints & food particles show easily on the black glossy surface than on the blue & black speckly color. (My 1st choice.)
GE Profile
- 30″ free standing
- 47″H x 28-7/8″D x 29-7/8″W (height takes into account the tall back which houses the controls)
- $1,699 (Home Depot)
NOTES: Controls are in the back — they look bulky.
We’ve gone through the entire process of designing and planning every single detail of our dream log home! We have the blueprints… and the land… and the contractor… and the goal for our log cabin home to be our retirement home. Before you build (or buy) a log home, I have a slew of helpful tips for you — to plan, design, build, decorate, and maintain your very own rustic modern log home. When I’m not fine-tuning the log home of my dreams, you’ll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I’ve written nearly 300 articles for current and future log home owners on this site! Many of them have over 50K shares.
