Steff- You don't think... Plllog slipped out the back door of the Lavanderia and she's actually in LA hunting her prized hand tied Tamales and getting ready for her own Tamalera. If she is, can you buzz and remind her that we need some Salsa Valentina because we're coming over, whether her/my kitchen is done or not. I love it, the pride of Mexico. Ummmmm.

Missy, you can find it at Food Basics. One day the Carpenter put some on his pizza and couldn't believe it. The next day he phoned me to ask where he could buy some.

Solman, I thought I was waiting on your ideas for my beach kitchen ?

No hay una lavandería--es la casa de mis papás. Estoy aquí también para cenar. Es muy agradable.

The napkins for the big holiday do are folded and the fourth load is in the washer, so I popped in via iPhone to check Sr. Solman's homework. Good work on the green rectangles. Now for scale. I'm sure the tile mural isn't that much bigger than the oven... Dulces for those who finish their assignments!

Mi Professora esta muy difficil pero muy buena! Ella siempre piensas en dulces pero yo en otras cosas que no lo puedo decir.

Angela, sometimes you have to yell to be heard around here ...

plllog - I'm sorry you have to go to the laundromat!!! yucky

steff - loved the corny joke

solman, i don't think we have 'food basics' out here .... i'll have to look at the local stores now that i know what to look for.

Hola mi compadre and mis compadres. Estoy aqui.
¡ Pero, he sido callado porque mi vida personal ha estado muy ocupada! (More on that in a minute)

Gee, Solman, as I'm looking at that green oven, I think I'm voting for the green oven. Why? Well, first of all, this thread has jumped out from the pack for the precise purpose of discussing the design and construction of Colorful Mexican Kitchens, has it not? As such, I'm more in favor of embracing color rather than retreating from it. Especially when it comes to choice of a major appliance (Of course, you must keep in mind who you're talking to -- La Mujer en Roja, LOL!) Further, we've already established that you are building this kitchen for you and for no one else. For now and not for the point of a future resale. As such, I'm must say go for what your heart is telling you. And, since you've never stopped talking about this green oven since the day one, I get that you like it. IOW, you really like it. . So, if that's the case, then it seems to me that the next major issue for resolution is not whether Solman has a green oven in his Mexican kitchen but whether that green oven has the potential to overpower his #1 focal point -- the fruit basket. Well, from what I can tell from your photoshop display, it will not. Rather, to the contrary, it looks to me like it will only expand/enlarge the focal point in a very beautiful, dramatic way. Therefore, at this point, I say go for it! Especially with the green accent on the cabs, and in the tiles, that green oven will tie together that aspect of your color scheme in a rather meaningful, smart and Mexican festive kind of way.

I also very much like the knobs you have chosen. I think that hardware will dance nicely with Senor Portland (even though, as you know, I would have chosen a different dancing partner.) :-) :-( I also agree with you that you want to think about cutting your losses (of jangled nerves, wallet, time) on the sink. And, that's especially so if you do decide to go with the green oven.

Lastly, I'm still undecided on the backsplash pattern although, in the abstract, I keep leaning towards the double row of Guadalaharas. What would help most would be if you could photoshop the various patterns as they would line up adjacent to the fruit basket mural, the two oven choices, the cabs, etc. (I know: back to the PC dungeon for lots of hard work!) In the absence of such a comp, though, I do think the lace mantilla looks great.

Now, just a moment for my violin song. The fact is, for the past several days, I've been totally caught up in trying to be a real support to my dear sister who is now recovering,in the hospital, following major surgery. After many years of struggling with debilitating arthritis, my sister opted for bilateral knee surgery. However, she developed a wicked complication post-surgery -- MRSA (a potentially deadly and incurable virile infection). Since then, she's had 4...

Yeaaaaaaa Angela and Marthavila's back. It's about time for Pete's sake, and plllog's and Prairie's and steff's and Tex's and Peanut's? where is Peanut?? (hope the cat hasn't thrown her out of the house, it looked to be quite in control) Lucky we've been holding down the fort for you guys.

Angela, you caught me by surprise. Beach House design? Did I miss a post?

But hey, no better guy to ask about that, believe me. When can I start?

Oh marthavila, that's not been a good thing to go through at all. I learned a lot about MRSA when we had an outbreak in a building I worked in. Thank goodness she was able to switch doctors and hospitals and things are going a lot better.

Plllog went to her parents house to do the laundry and stayed for dinner again, which she enjoyed. (or something close to that)

solman - more homework for you. Now we need to see the additional tiles in the backsplash to get the full effect with the two options (1) walleyed joe and (2) Mantilla.

Of course, you must keep in mind who you're talking to -- La Mujer en Roja, LOL!

Marthavila now was that ever a chili energized come back. See, no wonder we missed your Salsa Picante.

But more importantly, so sorry for your poor Sister and your worries too. I could feel the pain just reading about her sorrows. But what is nice about all this is that she has your care and sympathy and that is often what matters most in times of health crisis. And it is our wish that her new surgeon will finally give her the competent care that she deserves.

Good night and good dreams because no doubt you really need it.

:::snickering and pointing:::Solman's TKO!!!:::pointing and snickering:::

You know, Solman. Angela's beachhouse. I'm sure you at least peeked at her plan when she first joined the party. Yup. TKO you are.

Missy, how's the weather today on the Western plain? It wasn't a laundromat--it was my folks' house for massive laundry, lunch and dinner. My brother stopped in too. Family party. Very nice (except the two loads of wet laundry I brought home and still have to carry upstairs and hang...)

Marthavila, I'm so sorry about your sister's complications, and glad to know that the very best isn't reserved for aging French rock stars (like in L.A.). Much healing energy to her for her struggles and to you, so that you'll be renewed and able to continue to support her so well.

The scale of these is much better. I too love the little clock thing. Now, you know I love the green one, but I think the 24" oven still looks out of balance with the 36" mural, now that it's drawn pretty much to scale. I was hoping the green would look better, but I think the white one is a lot better on the whole, even though the green is a lot more exciting individually.

I'm totally with Marthavila in the if you just want to go for it and have color camp. Just be really sure you're going to be happy with the appearance when it's all done. (BTW, you can do a litle green around the oven too...)

Aha!! Apply the dulces and the lightbulb goes on! I know what's wrong with that true convection oven!! The regular one on the American Ikea site is slightly less than 24" wide, with 87.78 litres of capacity and some kind of convection. The "gray" English one is only 52 litres. That fan takes up a lot of space. True convection is a good thing, but if you get it you really should get a bigger oven. And people lived without it forever. You can always turn the food...

"You know, Solman. Angela's beachhouse. I'm sure you at least peeked at her plan when she first joined the party. Yup. TKO you are."

Whoops, sorry Angela, yes now I remember the drawings with the dramatic gables of the amazing new Beachouse - post abandoned Builder Bankruptcy. Will dip into shortly. That place has color extravaganza written all over it.

I was hoping the green would look better, but I think the white one is a lot better on the whole, even though the green is a lot more exciting individually.
(BTW, you can do a little green around the oven too...)

This oven has really put us under the heat, so to speak;)

Oooooh I like the Green around the oven idea, since there is a good say 12 inches of blank filler, 6 on either side of the 24 inch oven. Cooktop cabinet is a 36 incher. Also, I think there is a few inches below of filler as well. Green stencil design?

Also, the Green oven is UK IKEA'S bottom of the line with no convection at all. The White one and my Canadian Black one are at least convection just not full convection. And that corny retro mechanical circle timer is interesting for some visual draw and goes with aging the house/Kitchen.

The envelope please...

Great new day to all and thanks for the kind words re my sister. All good vibes help! BTW, I'm ROTFL over my description of MRSA as a "virile," instead of viral, infection! (See what association with you guys does to my brain?)

As for the collective business at hand: What is meant by "green around the oven"? (I'm not feeling a stencil design.) And, have you chosen the cooktop yet? Is it black or "non-black?"

Hi all, just peeking in today - got a thousand things on the go.
Just wanted to say I still like the green oven. :o)

marthavila - that's very scary about your sister. You both (and your families) are in my thoughts and prayers.

MV, Solman loves his stencils, but I was thinking more fine line rectangles to make the cabinet fit with the surrounding ones.

I just did a couple minutes' self education. Bosch and KitchenAid Architect both make single convection ovens that are less than double the price of the Ikea one, and 28"-30" wide, with capacities of 4.3-4.7 cubic feet (compared to the larger Ikea oven at 3.1 cubic feet). The white and green Ikea ovens are only 1.84 cubic feet.

Practicality Police Report: Having the larger oven cabinet is good, because it makes it easy to change the oven if necessary. Solman chose the Ikea oven as suiting his needs. A larger oven would look more balanced with the mural, but is still narrower, and means heating a larger cavity for someone who currently lives alone in a cold climate (i.e., energy hog), besides being significantly more money to start with. The Ikea ovens are much cuter than the others.

Conclusion: The black Ikea oven is the cutest design and largest capacity for the type. The white Ikea oven has to come from England, is the cutest design, and the smaller capacity, but has lots of fancy features. The green Ikea oven has to come from England, has the smaller capacity, and doesn't have as many features.

On looks? I'd choose the white with the cool clock. On capacity and convenience, I'd choose the black, local one with the cute clock. For Viva Mexico, I'd choose the green one and red pots to go with the white cabinets. If it were for me, I'd get a bigger, uglier oven, because I need a bigger oven and because the small oven with the big cooktop and biger mural and cabinet would bug me.

The Ikea oven, besides being a lot less expensive, is a lot cuter.

I'm serious I saw THEM! ... The Practicality Police.

They had heard that, at the crack of dawn, some lone Cowboy with his shiny Black horse had been riding through town with intentions of heating things up.

They said that things better be set straight and that they're not gonna let some hot blooded, young Cowboy have his way and burn up the whole town.

So...

Good Morning everyone,

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb through my head

And, ooooo I read the news today oh boy "someone" visited Plllog!

Yes looks like the Oven has put some heat on us, sorry couldn't resist.

Now plllog, I have good news for us with all this "C- talk."

Just confirmed with the IKEA UK site that the capacity volume of all IKEA wall ovens is the same-52 litres or 3.1 cubic feet. That's good news and makes sense. When I was at IKEA here, I looked at the Full convection and the standard convection and the cavity was identical. FWIW Consumer Reports tested Ovens and found no difference between convection and True convection (second fan) whatsoever. Hmmm.

Back to this Kitchen. Every time I went to Europe and noticed that 24 inch is the normal and only size wall oven, I really questioned why on earth would anyone else want a 30 inch monster. More heat hogging, etc. Another classic case of North American over-consumption. Heavy cookers, big families, well maybe, said with extreme skepticism, because some Europeans also have big families and heavy cooking.

But the real reason, listening PP? I gravitated to the 24 incher was looks! Was at some high end Miele show room one day and overheard a conversation of a Manager who just got back from a major Appliance dealer's show and he said the new look was Smaller wall oven than cooktop above. That's when El Nino's ears perked up. Then the Sales guy showed the Miele display which woallah had just that, a 30 inch induction cooktop with a 27 inch wall oven below, giving it a very sleek, tapered, V. Hmm.

When I looked in the IKEA catalogue and saw a 30 inch wall oven under a 30 inch cooktop, it just looked like a big fat all in one range. So, you defeat the purpose of getting the separate component look.

Now how's that for kitcheny ( I like it, hello Webster's) observations from your average guy?

Here is a link that might be useful: I read the news today

Good Morning everyone,

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb through my head

And, ooooo I read the news today oh boy "someone" visited Plllog!

Yes looks like the Oven has put some heat on us, sorry couldn't resist.

Now plllog, I have good news for us with all this "C- talk."

Just confirmed with the IKEA UK site that the capacity volume of all IKEA wall ovens is the same-52 litres or 3.1 cubic feet. That's good news and makes sense. When I was at IKEA here, I looked at the Full convection and the standard convection and the cavity was identical. FWIW Consumer Reports tested Ovens and found no difference between convection and True convection (second fan) whatsoever. Hmmm.

Back to this Kitchen. Every time I went to Europe and noticed that 24 inch is the normal and only size wall oven, I really questioned why on earth would anyone else want a 30 inch monster. More heat hogging, etc. Another classic case of North American over-consumption. Heavy cookers, big families, well maybe, said with extreme skepticism, because some Europeans also have big families and heavy cooking.

But the real reason, listening PP? I gravitated to the 24 incher was looks! Was at some high end Miele show room one day and overheard a conversation of a Manager who just got back from a major Appliance dealer's show and he said the new look was Smaller wall oven than cooktop above. That's when El Nino's ears perked up. Then the Sales guy showed the Miele display which woallah had just that, a 30 inch induction cooktop with a 27 inch wall oven below, giving it a very sleek, tapered, V. Hmm.

When I looked in the IKEA catalogue and saw a 30 inch wall oven under a 30 inch cooktop, it just looked like a big fat all in one range. So, you defeat the purpose of getting the separate component look.

Now how's that for kitcheny ( I like it, hello Webster's) observations from your average guy?

Here is a link that might be useful: I read the news today

Solman, mi amigo, forget the voting and debating. At the end of the day, when you're in your cocina, with or without your companion, what is it that you want to see/use in your kitchen? I say if you answer that question with some conviction, then we've got a go!

prairie-you sound busy and hope you're being productive. I just got in from an assignment and brrrr -16 windchill, scary. I'm afraid to ask you.

marthavila-you can't be far off from me in the freeze factor. Hace mucho frio!

Steff-Don't tell us you're planning a pool party with you next door neighbor. Ditto not with the broken pump I hope.

Angela-You're on the Eastern shore like us right?

Tex- you're still away looks like.

plllog-I hope all those clothes are folded and ironed by now. And the sheets, all starched up and ironed, no doubt. By the way, all this for the upcoming celebration/dinner? Can you fill us in on when that will be so we can get psyched up too? I believe The Hanukkah is 8 straight days which means this Sunday will be a key big splash weekend right?

I agree with Marthavila about doing what you want.

But you did misread a bunch of stuff (she said, rapping his knuckles with her ruler).

• 52 liters is 1.84 cubic feet. All English versions

• 3.1 cubic feet is 87.78 liters, and supposedly is the American one.

• 24" used to be the standard oven size. A cookie sheet or roaster fit front to back. Then convection came around and made the cavity smaller, so ovens became 27" wide so the sheet or roaster could fit sideways. That changed more recently to 30", and the only reason I can think of for that is so that the wall ovens would be comparable size to range ovens, but I don't know if that's true.

• The whole oven taper thing isn't style. It's people in Europe wanting ovens in kitchens that are very tiny apartment fitting them in where they can. A lot of these people don't have room for a countertop "toaster oven" want to build one in. It's adequate for a couple of chicken breasts or some hors d'oeurves. A lot of people who live in small spaces in big cities entertain at restaurants.

• The taper between 30" which is really 28.5", cooktop and 24" oven, is an Italian cut shirt.

• The taper between 36" fruit basket and 24" oven is a John Derek wife--huge shoulders and no hips.

• The overall visual is the fruit basket and oven. The cooktop, not so much, though it does give you and intermediate size.

I seriously question the 52 liter oven. If you're sure you like the inner dimensions, I'll kick the practicality police back to their barracks. I don't think you need a 120+ litres oven, though it would balance the fruit basket better. But considering the fiestas you have planned, I just want you to be sure that you don't need the 87 litre oven. Maybe you can talk to the UK Ikea ladies again and confirm that all of the UK ovens are all 52 litres, and check close to you that the N. American oven is really 87+ litres.

· Recommendation: Cut up some grocery bags or something. Make one the side of the fruit basket, and sketch that in with markers. Stick it up in its place. Make another for the cooktop, and another for the oven door. Stick them up. Take a look, keeping in mind the different colors. If you're happy, I'm happy.

Solman,

Chanukah, which, as you said, is eight days in length, ends Friday at sundown. Big party, for convenience is on Saturday night. Both sides of the family, but several of the kids live out of town and aren't coming in, and 6-10 locals (I can't remember for sure) are required to be elsewhere, so I think we're down to 35.

The laundry was for laundry's sake. 2 loads of towels (not a spare clean one left other than the old ones), 2 loads of darks, and one of lingerie. There's half a load of lights left, but I'm not stressing over it. The sheets go out for starching and ironing. Much easier that way, and they like the change of scene.

Basics of Jewish holidays: All days begin at sundown. Sabbath is the most important day and takes precedence over all other holy days. The important holidays are the three harvest festivals (Pesach, Shavo'ut, and Sukkot (in English, Passover, Weeks, and Booths)), as well as the "Days of Awe" which are bookended by Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Chanukah and Purim (Feast of Esther) are fun festivals for the children, but of lesser importance. There are also lots of one day feasts and fast days, and a total of four new years.

I think we need Scotland Yard to investigate this Watson, I smell a fish.

The IKEA UK Site Specs for all the 24 inchers show:

Width: 59.5 cm
Depth: 56.4 cm
Height: 59.5 cm

IKEA Germany:

ProduktmaÃe:

Breite: 59.5 cm
Tiefe: 56.4 cm
Höhe: 59.5 cm

IKEA Canada Site Specs for the 24 inchers show:

Width: 59.5 cm
Depth: 53.8 cm
Height: 59.5 cm

So the depth of the UK and Germany is stated as deeper, all others remain equal. Then. how can the Canadian/USA have higher capacity. Is there a translation error?

Had this conversation with AEG Canada when I inquired about capacity and he was also confused on how IKEA's oven could possibly be a full cubic foot larger than theirs when the physical dimensions are exactly the same. As he said, it is mathematically not possible.

Now that being said, if the Euro one is the same size as the Can-US one, and it is too small, the only other option is the Black 30 inch IKEA which has no convection of any kind. Hardly motivating.

Has anyone here seen the insides of the 24 inch IKEA ovens and have any comment on practicality of size?

Here is a link that might be useful: White 30 inch IKEA With Convection

hihi, yes, busy, productive day wooohooo :o)

Thanks for the holiday info, plllog, I've saved it. I also love ironed sheets, but it NEVER happens in my house lol

It was 8 degrees (that's 46.4 F for the 'mercans) here today. Yes, folks, 8 glorious degrees. Have I ever mentioned that I love the chinook winds? They're awful for those that suffer from migraines but ... for the rest of us, it's wonderful.

solman, I agree that you need to make sure your oven is fully functional, especially in a house. I would go nuts if I couldn't fit a full-sized cookie sheet and/or roaster in my oven, no matter how pretty it was. (sorry, once again the PP interfere) I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my convection oven. Cookies that used to take hours are now done in a third of the time. Well, everything cooks faster, but the cookies are what I notice the most, because I always make so many at once.

Here is a link that might be useful: chinook

When I look at my current Appliance set-up, all my items are out of the North American "norm".

Fridge- 24.5 inches (norm=30)

Dishwasher- Was going for 18 inch

Now with this oven capacity talk I am questioning a cabinet/dishwasher decision.

Present photo set up has 15 inch bank of 3 drawers and remaining space only for an 18 inch dishwasher.

So, would you rather have the above or no bank of 3 drawers and a 24 inch dishwasher instead? If this option, then there are 2 x 21 inch shallow 6 inch drawers in the kitchen. One is to the right of the cook top and one to the left of the sink.

I have never had:

a) a Dishwasher
b) a bank of drawers.

Therefore, hard for me to comment. For re-sale, which of the above options would you be able to live with if you were buying this house?

solman, I agree that you need to make sure your oven is fully functional, especially in a house. I would go nuts if I couldn't fit a full-sized cookie sheet and/or roaster in my oven, no matter how pretty it was. (sorry, once again the PP interfere) I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my convection oven.

Great news on your day Missy. And the +8!! Man you guys really tip the thermometer extremes. Yes I too looked at the starched AND ironed sheets with amazement. Never happened here, I assure you. But it's got me a little curious I might add. Plllog the trendsetter and knuckle wrapper. Ouch, did that ever hurt!

So now, I'll have to ask you what is the size of these so called cookie sheets and things? I might have to go to IKEA and imagine a Lasagna tray, a Dutch Oven etc. of things that I may put in an oven. I do NOT bake sweets; strangely zero interest in all my years of cooking. And yes looks like any oven purchase without convection in a new reno would be silly.

I must say that I do most of my dancing above the counter.

plllog-don't be thinking I'm going to become some Puerto Rican festival host or anything. That was just a little fantasy I had about a Gran Fiesta on the completion of this Kitchen. It will definitely be a one off when it happens.

The sheets go out for starching and ironing. Much easier that way, and they like the change of scene.

Cute. Into the folder.

LOL!! I figured it out a long time ago. For what it costs to do the sheets at home I can send them out. They love getting to play on the mangle and come home all crisp and happy.

Solman, as I said before about the AHA! momemnt: The extra cubic foot in the American oven is because it doesn't have a proper fan. There are 7 cubic feet within the dimensions for the works and cavity.

I get the convection thing, but in a dirt cheap (but cute) oven it's not the be all end all. If you want to cook with convection, you need it. If you're only thinking about "ought to", forget it!!! This is the whole thing about 24" ovens. The only ones of a decent interior size don't have convection fans. My old 24" oven (no convection) only fit the large foil lasagna pans with the edges turned up. I can't imagine coping with anything smaller. Or an oven too shallow to stand up a chicken in.

This is why I've been yammering about it. Find out the interior dimensions for the pretty colors. Measure your cookware. And remember that roasters are for big birds and cookie sheets are also for appetizers, rolls, and all kinds of other nice things.

If the 1.8 cubic foot interior will work for you then get one of the cuties. If not, function comes before form.

Since you're mostly not cooking for a lot of people you don't need a full sized dishwasher. Unlike cooking without an oven, washing the dishes can be done easily without a dishwasher. The 18" one is fine. You already have the cabinets and drawers, right? If you think you want the standard sized one, that's fine too. None of this is about selling the house, remember? It's about enticing the night life to come to you.

Missy, I'm SO glad the weather has turned reasonable for you. Your high sounds cold to me, but a reasonable temperature for human beings. :) It was pretty and sunny here today too!

Another classic case of North American over-consumption.

Or maybe us 'mericans wouldn't think of buying a new oven that can't fit a good sized turkey. I recently upsized to a 30" Bosch convection from 27" GE. It was really worth it to me, but I love to bake and almost everything I put in the smaller oven baked unevenly because of hot spots.

Ikea displays their cookware in the kitchen setups, so go ahead and load that lasagna pan or cookie sheet right in there. Or drop by the cookware section first and pick up the items you use most for a test run.

I would prefer an 18" dishwasher because it takes less time to get a full load and uses less water. Water is the thing we have to conserve the most around here. I would keep the drawers, they are the most useful in my kitchen.

Missy, your high was about the same as ours. We're expecting another freeze this weekend. Brrr.

Going to Houston again this weekend. Should be back Sunday afternoon.

Good journey, Steff!

BTW, can you or Tex help me with something that's been bugging me? When I used to go to Houston regularly my friends always made a point of stopping at this really well known barbecue place. There's a big, rough asphalt area with picnic tables, and a small building, with a service counter. A long line snakes in and loops around to the ordering. Maybe next to a car lot? I haven't been there in ten years. I just can't remember what it's called, and I don't know if the description is about the same for every barbecue joint in Texas. When I was last there all the walls were painted a kind of cadet blue.

There are a lot of places that fit that description, but it really sounds like a place in the Heights. I can't remember the name either because I haven't lived in Houston for a while. BIL is in the barbecue catering business there and might know so I'll ask.

Did you see that Solman posted a message today in the previous thread? GW's still pretzeled, huh?

I did see that the other thread went to 154 and wondered how that happened. Anyway, went over to see the post and....

solman - I really prefer more deco tiles in the backsplash. Either walleyed joe or mantilla.

plllog - do you remember if the bbq joint was close to downtown? Or what part of town it was near?

Hm... Well? Where's downtown? Just kidding. I'd say it's within twenty minutes drive of the George R. Brown convention center (or maybe the Hyatt), but may just five, or maybe 30. I think it's quite a bit closer than Ninfa's. I'm pretty sure it's on a main drag, and maybe on the left as you're coming up on it from the convention center.

I guess Solman has gone to Ikea. I'm forcing myself to contribute to the great garbage stream and wrap presents in fancy paper rather than reusable cloth. Sigh.

Oh, and Steff? Thanks!! I hope it's warm and lovely in Houston and you have a marvelous time. Wave at Tex for us while you're there. ;-)

When I look at my current Appliance set-up, all my items are out of the North American "norm".

Fridge- 24.5 inches (norm=30)

Dishwasher- I was am going for with 18 inch.

Just talked to my neighbors and she emphasized that while she now has a dishwasher, it is a pain to use since the two of them take a few days to fill it and run a full load. So she said you often end up washing by hand anyways since you need an item again before the load is finally run.

Convincing argument for an 18 inch and keeping a 15 inch bank of drawers I guess.

Did you see that Solman posted a message today in the previous thread? GW's still pretzeled, huh?

I did see that the other thread went to 154 and wondered how that happened. Anyway, went over to see the post and....

Eeery guys because" I did NOT have...." (Bill Clinton) umm I meant post there. After reading your posts I went back and checked and it says today but it was posted many days ago. Wow. Also, I noticed Part 1-IV of all our threads are missing!

Steff- Yes, wish you a nice time in Houston but please do pop in on us as we are bound to get lonely without you. And can you scout the Tamale scene out for us? Could it possibly get any better than SA?

Tex-??

boy, it's quiet in here today. The forums are loading really slowly for me - maybe it's part of the problem for everyone.

I agree with the others, that a small dishwasher is ok. :o) I also really prefer drawers over lower cupboards.

I wonder too, if you have so much room on either side of your oven, if you should put a couple of pull-outs there. There are some fantastic ideas floating around for using smallish spaces like that.

Here is a link that might be useful: hidden gems

Hi Missy,

I was thinking the same thing about the pull-outs, assuming Solman's really happy with the mini-oven. :)

The forum has been moving fine for me. I wonder if it's the 'net in your neighborhood. Or...have you rebooted your router recently?

Plllog, Missy how are you guys?

Sorry but I'm just dialing in due to eventful day with biz and the cold headache that's slowed me down.

The Oven Puzzle

Yes that has me in a funk, no doubt. And here we thought it was just a simple color choice which by the way I decided on White. I had a Green paper in position on the wall oven cabinet all day yesterday and every time I walked into the room, it was too much. I imagined the bombardment looking off the red floor, going to the Green oven, then the Cobalt V-Cap, yellow backsplash and finally the fruit basket. Just seemed that the Green was taking front stage.

I've missed the IKEA UK ladies (again) due to time difference, will call tomorrow for a manual measurement.

Good news on UK IKEA- They sell a 24 inch "steam" convection oven. Too die for I say. So far only seen the big bucks Mieles with this function.

When I had the twin of Peanut's stove/oven combo, a 1950's Moffat Monster, it had a max 16 inch wide x 16 inch high gas powered oven. Now I never used it for heating things up (restaurant left overs) because it always dried food out. So, I always steamed things up on the stove by transferring the food into a pyrex dish and then putting that dish in a Bamboo Steamer inserted into a water filled high saucepan. Now you understand why a steam oven sounds so appealing.

The bad news, of course, only available in Stainless:(

The next issue, also to be confirmed tomorrow. The lowest freight cost I could find was $400 to ship the oven!! The cooktop was only $180.

IKEA UK

The off-white retro clock= 500+400 Shipping=$900

The steam stainless=$875+400 shipping=$1,275

Any IKEA 24" Convections= $875 + 400 shipping= $1,275

IKEA Canada

24 inch White TRUE convection =$849-$949

30 inch White "just" Convection= $1,099

One I have:

24 inch BLACK "just" Convection= $849
Dazed and confused :(

Here is a link that might be useful: Steam+Convection Oven!

Missy-Plllog-Stef-thanks for the support on the 18 inch dishwasher. Looks like we're all in step.

Also thanks for the pull-outs thought. I think I have the mother of all pull outs in the IKEA corner cabinet. IKEA re-engineered it this year. It is like a half lazy suzan and it's HUGE and really well made. You've got to check it out, if you'll be having a corner floor cabinet.

Yup, another problem.

The Cabinet doors.

While out today at Fed Ex, I popped in on a kitchen place and inquired about the price to have the present Pine doors painted. He just looked at me in shock. Painting Knotty Pine doors? And why would I buy soft Pine doors for Kitchen cupboards in the first place? That was an easy answer, because I was going to go honey colored Pine stained, hence I bought Pine. I do realize that it is purchased for it's wood beauty, not to be painted.

But now, the plan has changed.

Basically the nice fellow said, look if you're going to all the effort of painting and creating the upscale look, these doors will get banged and look like #* and the knots "could" bleed through no matter what miracle products they apply.

So, dejected I started digging like a Racoon. My finds:

1. We can "donate" the doors to Habitat For Humanity locally and they may give me a Charitable Tax Receipt for the full value of the doors.

2. Then buy new doors in Maple, which he said is the absolute best for painted wood doors, and have a very long lasting door and paint finish.

Any thoughts?

If we do the above, should we still stay with raised panel as opposed to Flat Panel?

From our Canadian IKEA friends

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA Canada White

My white painted cabs are made of maple. I can definitely vouch for their great looks.

Temperatures of steam ovens vary. Different systems can cook food at temperatures of 212 to more than 572 degrees Fahrenheit (100 to more than 300 degrees Celsius). Cooking a chicken in a steam oven set to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) would take about 20 minutes to cook rather than the two hours it'd take in a traditional oven.

Steam oven manufacturers claim that their ovens not only reduce cooking time, but also lower the fat content of food. Dry heat cooking tends to rely on added fat to keep meats from drying out. With steam, meat needs no supplementary fat, and will definitely not be dry because of the constant injections of steam. Steam cooking also retains more vitamins than other cooking methods and is therefore touted as a far healthier way of preparing foods.

Steam ovens are also praised for preserving the flavor of baked foods. This is due largely to the very quick time in which food can be prepared. Consumers who have used a steam oven support this claim.

Though the term 'oven' suggests that one can only bake with a steam oven, manufacturers also recommend using the steam oven for quickly preparing pasta or soup, or even for sterilizing baby bottles. A new product based on an ancient theme in cooking, the steam oven may well be poised to become the next great kitchen appliance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele

More good bedtime reading.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bedtime Reading

The obvious plus for the IKEA Canada one is that there is zero loss on my present IKEA Black oven investment and I would get full value by exchanging it for the White Convection 24 " + $100 price difference.

Here is a link that might be useful: White 24 inch Convection