Admittedly, shopping for appliances can be confusing. With so many options to consider—fuel type, efficiency rating, heating method and color just to name a few—your head may be spinning before you even enter the store. Two local appliance experts, Matt Burkholder of Martin Appliance (www.martinsappliance.com) and Ed Continenza of L.H. Brubaker Appliances (www.lhbrubakerappliances.com), share with us their top product recommendations for your personality type.
Step 1:Which appliance personality are you?
When it comes to the quality of your products, no expense is spared. Items in your home come with high price tags, but are sure to hold their value over time. High-end brands can be found throughout your closet, décor and more.
You’re a pro in the kitchen, but aren’t quite in the place to spend beaucoup bucks on your appliance suite. You love the look of large, restaurant-quality ranges and refrigerators, but are most concerned with your appliances’ abilities to help you turn out well-orchestrated meals that are cooked to perfection and cleaned up with ease.
You like to have the newest, fastest and most innovative of products. You keep track of trends, making sure the items in your home are up to par. From your car, to your phone, to your appliances, you want the smartest models on the market.
Step 2: Find your perfect personality match
Dishwasher: Miele PG8083SCVI, $3,999
Burkholder recommends the Miele Futura ProfiLine dishwasher for those who want the best of the best in appliances. “This is actually a professional dishwasher, but marketed to residential customers,” he explains. The model boasts a super fast 23-minute ProSpeed wash cycle, and design features include a FlexiCare Deluxe Basket system that adjusts to accommodate all the accouterments of a fabulous dinner party: serving platters, wine glasses, china and more. A five-year warranty gives peace of mind that this appliance will last.
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero 736TCI, $7,745
Continenza recommends this Sub-Zero refrigerator, which can be fully integrated to disappear into existing cabinetry. The dual compressor system offers perfect humidity control and also keeps odors from spreading from the freezer compartment to the refrigeration compartment, and vice versa. Why spend so much for this appliance? Continenza explains, “The value is in real estate.” By matching the value of appliances to the value of your home, you increase its overall value. “This is quality equipment that will last longer than a free-standing refrigerator,” he says. “You’re buying it for the next owner, as well.”
Range: BlueStar BSP488BSS, $9,999
Burkholder recommends the BlueStar Platinum Series range, manufactured in nearby Reading. Their 30-inch ranges begin at $3,199 and the 60-inch ranges go to $14,000, making this luxury item an option for high scale kitchens of any size. BlueStar ranges can be fit with various burner options and any RAL color. Also, according to Burkholder, you have good reason to trust this local brand. “BlueStar is a rapidly growing company selling customizable professional ranges,” he explains. “[They have] some of the largest oven capacities and highest power burners in the industry.”
Dishwasher: KitchenAid KUDS30IX, $799
Burkholder recommends the KitchenAid Superba series dishwasher, which is perfect for cleaning up gourmet meals with their many pots and pans. This powerful dishwasher features the ProScrub option, which uses 36 targeted spray jets at the back of the dishwasher to help eliminate soaking and pre-scrubbing. Additionally, the SatinGlide system on the upper rack allows it to move smoothly, even under the weight of heavy kitchen items.
Refrigerator: GE PFE29PSDSS, $2,999
Continenza recommends this recently released GE Profile refrigerator with French doors for those who crave timesaving appliance features. This American-made product includes an exterior ice and water dispenser that has a Hands-Free Autofill option, which allows the user to place a vessel within the dispensing cavity and walk away, coming back to a perfectly filled container. Additionally, for home chefs and bakers who require accuracy, the water dispenser has a PreciseFill option that allows the user to select a specific measurement to dispense (½ cup for example), eliminating the need for measuring cups. Other features include LCD (liquid-crystal display) exterior display and precise temperature control.
Range: GE PHB920SFSS, $2,199
Continenza recommends this electric GE oven with induction cooktop, convection oven and warming drawer. According to Continenza, this is one of the fastest and safest ranges on the market, not to mention a perfect fit for multi-taskers in the kitchen. “You can have a pot of potatoes rapidly boiling in under two minutes,” he says. Additionally, induction heating allows only the area touching a metallic object to rise in temperature, avoiding accidents and burns from hot cooktop surfaces. A convection oven ensures even baking, and the warming drawer, even at its lowest setting, keeps cooked foods at a bacteria-zapping temperature.
Dishwasher: Miele G5225SC, $1,499
Continenza recommends the Miele Futura Crystal dishwasher featuring a built-in water softener, perfect for homes with any water hardness. After the recent removal of phosphates in dishwashing soaps and replacement with enzymes, many homeowners noticed a film or soapy grit developing on their kitchenware. “A built-in salt reservoir allows enzyme-based detergents to work,” explains Continenza. Additionally, this model includes variable water pressure, ideal for both the sturdiest of materials and the most delicate.
Refrigerator: FHIABA XI7490TGT6IU, $9,099
Burkholder recommends this FHIABA refrigerator, direct from Italy. With sleek European design and an abundance of high-tech features, this appliance leaves little to be desired. Just some of the innovative elements include LED (light-emitting diode) interior lighting, stainless steel interior and three fully independent cooling zones with their own evaporators (all FHIABA units have dual compressors, as well). Additionally, the freezer drawer can be easily switched to refrigerator temperatures with the press of a button. “This is a luxury product that is really changing the built-in refrigerator market,” Burkholder says.
Range: GE JB750EFES, $1,099
Burkholder recommends this 30-inch electric convection range from GE in slate, a new finish that some consider to be the upcoming replacement for stainless steel. Slate is described as “just as stylish and sophisticated” as the current favorite, “but with a strong, earthy feel.” The unique gray-brown finish not only looks modern, but also resists fingerprints and is easy to clean. “This brand new color … is changing how people think about the finish of their appliances,” says Burkholder.
Appliance Guide Glossary
Our experts explained these industry-specific terms:
Convection: A cooking method that involves heat transfer through the steady circulation of warm air throughout one’s oven.
Dual compressor: Two cooling systems within a refrigeration unit that force air separately into each the refrigerator and freezer compartments.
Fully integrated: An appliance that is fitted with panels that allow the unit to be seemingly hidden by cabinetry, blending into the rest of the kitchen.
Induction: A cooking method that uses an electromagnetic field to heat metal cookware containing an amount of iron (i.e. stainless steel).
Phosphates: A salt or compound that has phosphorus in it. Previously used as a cleaning agent in many dishwasher detergents, but recently removed from most varieties.
RAL color: A standardized color system for trade and industry, mainly used for varnish and powder coating colors.
Variable water pressure: A feature in dishwashers that allows water pressure to change in intensity based on the selected washing setting.
Warming drawer: A drawer, placed below the oven unit, that often has three temperature settings: 145, 175 and 200 degrees F.
