i'm so bored with these threads...

Cookie08, my Aga is currently living in the basement while we interview general contractors. I'm hoping to have her up and running by the fall (though months keep slipping by.) I bought a black Aga, but the other colors are also really lovely.

Oh, and no, I didn't get the matching other appliances. I have a stainless Miele dw and a Samsung stainless fridge. Nothing is on the same wall, and I hope that the mish-mash will look eclectic and not haphazard. :-)

So what's a "gourmet"? We have a professional style range (lacanche) and we do use it to it's fullest. We're not making ummmmm chicken courdon blue (spelling) daily, but instead stirfrying meat and vegies, soups, umm side dishes, (we tend to cook meat and fish on the green egg) gad lots of stuff. Most people say DH is a fabulous cook...and his work rivals many chef's meals we've had in restaurants, but gourmet? Probably not...and yet we love our range. It's a lot more fun to make chilli on a huge burner that really simmers right, than it is to make it on an electric range from sears that leaves burnt ring marks in the bottom of the pan if you don't babysit it constantly.

The best tools can assist the best cook to being even better. It's no different than a carpeter using the best tools or heck me when I sew. I will tell you I sew a lot more efficiently and significantly better on my $5000 sewing machine than I do on a $500 machine. There is a diffference and grandma (who was a wonderful seamstress) would entirely agree. I know she'd be fighting me for time on my machine....she loved quality tools. she was a horrificly bad cook...so she wouldn't hunger for a lacanche :) But maybe it would have inspired her to try harder (probably not...she was more interested in sewing LOL)

I think it depends upon what kind of inspiration magazines you are looking at, as well. If its the $12-20, thick papered "Ultimate Kitchens" type of magazine, you are going to see the $100K kitchen.

If you look at some other inspiration magazines, such as Woman's Day and Family Circle, who put out special interest magazines for kitchens and other projects, you will see projects that have a wider variety of budgets. There are a number of publishers who put out more budget friendly special interest magazines. These are often available at any sizeable newsstand or in the magazine rack at Home Depot or Lowe's

I am getting a 36" Wolf gas cook top. I love to cook on top of the stove. I have a 30" Kenmore gas range now that can never fit all of my big pots and a crappy OTR microwave vent. My location makes it easier to service a Wolf range, even though, after research, I think I'd like the BlueStar. I wish it came in different colors. But it doesn't. It comes in stainless steel. Only. So, in my kitchen, althought I would love a different look, because of performance, I am going with that SAME ugly stove top. I would love a colored stove top, but I will be thrilled to have an awesome 6 burner top nonetheless and since I can't get it in all red, I will settle for red knobs!!

Well, at least some of you understood what I was trying to say. I wish Wolf had an induction range and had color options.

I don't really want to replicate an ancient stove. I would just like something more interesting that had color options. I really thought about a Lacanche, but there are several significant drawbacks ( hazards, if you will) about it that would make me lose sleep when I wasn't at home, and probably have a worried sleep when I was ( The lack of shut-off if the burner goes out, and the lack of an oven light). Even if the other european ranges were within financial reach, they still don't have induction as an option.

I just don't see anything not imported that has any styling to it. It's a world of stainless steel, glass fronts, and a few black and white pieces out there.

Hi e4849, Your follow up post does help explain your original post and your frustration with current trends in high-end kitchen design -- thanks! I wonder if all the creative energy put into vent hoods as design elements (which we see a lot of on the kitchen forum) in one way to compensate for the lack of options with the ranges themselves. The vent rather than the range then becomes the dominant design feature on the range wall. I also wonder if some of the high-end kitchens almost need the plain, sober stainless steal workhorse stove look because they have so many other "pops" or designed features (granite and marble, fancy glazed cabinets, gorgeous tiles and backsplash, pendant lighting). The utilitarian, stainless, and in my view, handsome range with red knobs (ditto the Viking, NXR or any other stainless pro range), done right, can make a nice "ying" to all that "yang".

If that was your point, which was kind of obscure in the initial post :), Viking is available in:
Metallic silver
Graphite grey
Stone grey
Taupe
Biscuit
Cotton white
Oyster grey
Golden mist
Lemonade
Sage
Mint Julep
Sea glass
Iridescent blue
Viking blue
Pumpkin
Racing red
Apple red
Burgundy
Plum
Chocolate
Cobalt blue

Thank you palimpsest. My OP sounds as if it didn't make the right point.

Viking, indeed, has a great variety of colors.

However, it gets hammered here for reliability.

"$4000 boat anchor" is the phrase that sticks in my memory.

Rangemaster makes a 44" induction range in colors. It can be imported to the U.S.

http://www.rangecookers.co.uk/rangemaster-classic-110-induction-product,1195.aspx

Here is a link that might be useful: Rangemaster Induction Range

"It's a lot more fun to make chilli on a huge burner that really simmers right, than it is to make it on an electric range from sears that leaves burnt ring marks in the bottom of the pan if you don't babysit it constantly."

Even tho my GE Profile gas cooktop was under $2000, I have no problem w/burning, unless it's *my* own doing. My sewing machine is a Brothers, and i've made everything from Roman shades to a pageant dress for DD years ago. I beg to differ that more expensive is always better. The person using the 'tool' and his/her skills is the determining factor. Your DH would probably be a good cook on *any* stove. ;o)

I think the red knobs are cool. (What would make me nuts is the open bottom. Doesn't the floor get dirty and isn't it hard to clean?)

If I were looking for inspiration I'd go straight to the finished kitchens blog and finished backsplash blog. I'm blown away by the beauty (and creativity) of GW'ers' kitchens! (Sadly I found this site after my reno... I still love my kitchen but might have been more creative.)

I think the Wolf is stunning and I adore our red knobs. Not ugly in the slightest.

Now that's out of the way, I will say this - there are LOADS of ranges out there in different color choices. Why not go and look at those if you think the Wolf is such a monster?

I think the Wolf is one of the better ranges out there, and it certainly goes beautifully with a variety of different kitchen styles - we used it both in our very classic kitchen and in our new modern kitchen - I guess that is why a lot of people with high end kitchens choose to use it. But it's certainly not the only choice.

That RangeMaster is stunning!

Now I am seriously considering whether it can actually work in my kitchen.

With all due respect to hobokenkitchen: There aren't Loads of ranges out there in different color choices, given my parameters of: Induction only, 40 inches or less. There is really only one- Viking, and the GardenWeb criticsm of Viking is scathing.

Gee, I don't think it's ugly. It is no Lacanche, but I think Wolf did a nice job of designing something that goes with many different styles. Most likely a range like that will be the most expensive appliance in your kitchen, so theoretically should be the least subject to whims of fashion.

I can understand why one might want a colored or otherwise more interesting range, but I would probably want to spend less, not more, on it. What if I decide I don't like red in 5 years?

Anyway, to me, the Wolf is a neutral, and I don't really care if it's "overdone." It's like a tuxedo or Levi's or pearls or something else classic. It almost disappears. It's what surrounds it that makes the difference.

If you're a serious cook, the choices are pretty much Wolf or Bluestar. Viking used to be great, but the quality has apparently nosedived, of late. French and Italian ranges are gorgeous but notorious for not being so reliable and repairs being almost impossible to get done in the States.

If you're not set on induction, Bluestar has a HUGE range of color choices now. I just wish they have a prettier trim package! :-( I want brass SO BADLY....

>A lot of heat is being wasted around the sides of the pot.

That's true of all sealed burner stoves. I won't do sealed burners.

I agree that there are many color/style choices out there for those with big budgets/ktichens.

I just wonder why when you see these (sometimes massive) kitchens with very specific and committed details like tilework, molding, appliance placemeent, hoods, unusual countertops- people seem to stick with the same stainless steel version over and over again.

Some of you make me feel like I should go throw away my new appliances and start cooking on my wood stove. After all, I must NOT be serious about cooking since Wolf wouldn't fit in my budget unless I found a way to sell some body parts.

So I guess only rich people can be serious cooks. Those of us on a smaller budget are just out of luck.

Cathy

"I just wonder why when you see these (sometimes massive) kitchens with very specific and committed details like tilework, molding, appliance placemeent, hoods, unusual countertops- people seem to stick with the same stainless steel version over and over again."

It's because the large stainless range becomes a neutral. Trust me, I have a 48" raised griddle/salamander blue star and it disappears into the sea of black walnut, green marble, travertine floor and amber glass. It takes up a huge chunk of kitchen real estate but you never really pay attention to it.

It sounds like you want the range to have a higher profile.....most people simply don't. They want the wolf or the Blue Star for performance...they don't want it to take center stage.

e4849, you can also get a Lacanche with induction only, they come in a variety of sizes, from 28 inches and up. Given the variety of colours and finishes they offer, they can fit any design theme.

Barthelemy- I tried. Lacanche does not make an induction model for the American market. As it won't be UL (or other agency) approved, it probably won't pass an inspection for the permit.

macybaby (Cathy) your post cracked me up. I feel the same way sometimes, like I can't comment on a cooking thread because I didn't spend $15K on a stove from France. I laugh because one of the best cooks I know was from my city days; she had the tiniest studio apartment and she would pull out drawers and put baking sheets on them to create counter space because she had none. But she made some of the best roasts and desserts I've ever had.

What about a very minimal looking induction cooktop with cabinetry underneath it, and ovens somewhere else? If you are aren't happy with the appearance of your performance choice, don't make it a focal point.

An induction cooktop can be flush, and maybe the hood is a focal point.

Ugly must certainly be in the eye of the beholder, as I don't think any of the the professional style ranges is ugly. There are some that I think are better-proportioned than others, and some that have nicer detailing, but I realize that those are subjective attributes, and reasonable people will disagree. I think that stainless steel in kitchens has become a neutral, like white and black appliances; I don't feel that stainless is new or trendy, just neutral, as many functional pieces of equipment are. Growing up in the '60's, we had a stainless steel cooktop and oven, when others had avocado and harvest gold. It sounds like, for those who want the range to make a design statement, there are some lovely choices (vintage designs, colorful, etc.), but I'm content to have mine act more as the 'little black dress' of the kitchen, albeit, in stainless.

I also feel that too many people make assumptions about whether those who have certain appliances actually cook on them (there are countless comments on this forum that presume to know that people who have high-end kitchens don't actually cook). I am certain that there are some that are just for 'show,' but I would guess that many, if not most, are used and appreciated. And I don't aspire to be a serious or gourmet cook, but I'm a good cook, and I cook many, many times each week. I love that I have an oven that cooks evenly and burners that put out enough heat to adequately sear and saute, and a griddle that makes pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches to perfection, which I didn't have before. Ugly? Maybe to some, but not to me!

>Some of you make me feel like I should go throw away my new appliances and start cooking on my wood stove. After all, I must NOT be serious about cooking since Wolf wouldn't fit in my budget unless I found a way to sell some body parts.

If you're a serious cook with a large budget who must stay within residential firecodes--as all those magazine kitchens are.

The topic was super-luxe magazine kitchens, yes? Luxe magazine kitchens are done with expensive ranges, etc. There are many choices in super-expensive ranges. Some are more practical for cooking than others. Some are more dramatic than others. If you're getting an expensive range AND you are a serious cook, there are only a few good choices these days.

Sheesh.

I've turned out a 12-dish meal for 15 with four burners and one stove--one less of each than I have now. The topic, though, was magazine kitchens.

I also bet I have a current smaller kitchen than anyone else on the forum.

There used to be an old joke about Jaguar;

"Whats the best way to keep your Jaguar on the road?"

"Own two."

There was a sort of person who bought Jaguar despite its abysmal repair record (historically) because it was a Jag.

There are people who buy stoves that have quirks, inconveniences, could blow up your house, or have poor repair records simply because they are XYZ. There are also serious foodies who think it makes a difference...and of course to a degree quality does.

I'm all for it. If one has $5K or $25K to invest in a range, thats fine. But I have a hard time believing most people *need it to accomplish a certain type of cooking.

I totally misunderstood the original intent of this thread, and I am still not sure if it is *looks* that is more important or *function*. And again, I don't really have an opinion against that either--aesthetics are very important.

If there was a purple French range that cost as much and functioned like a basic Kenmore range, would people buy it? If there was a fabulous Italian range that performed magically but it looked like the Roper range from your college apartment would you buy that?

I am all for people buying what they want and spending whatever they want for it, but don't try to justify it as a neccessity without which you wouldnt be able to function.

That rangemaster induction is beautiful. Any idea what they go for shipping to the US?

What could you with a plain Jane stainless steel Wolf? Just to peek beyond the box a little?

You could have an auto paint/body shop paint that stainless steel in any color you want. Iridescent candy apple green with flame pin-striping.

You could have a machine shop jewel that stainless steel into a gleaming corruscated pattern that would be unique within easily 500 miles. ( Google jeweling, also called engine-turning, for images.)

You could fit fantastic porcelain knobs in place of the red plastic ones. Even glass doorknobs if you wanted to.

You could have a sheet metal shop custom sheath the door, panel, apron, backsplash in hammered copper, pewter, brass, etc.

And so on.

By now, I kind of skip over the stock Wolf range in the magazine pictures. I think that, to be visually interesting, designers who are trying to be innovative need to use something other than the stainless steel pro-style appliances. AGAs are gorgeous. So are all the French ranges. As are the 1940s O'Keefe and Merritts and similar vintage ranges (that are probably still being dumped in landfills or sold off for $50 in some places).

But, function comes first. The magazines are great for inspiration and style, but ultimately a kitchen has to function for the kind of cooking that you do. Which may well suggest a Wolf or Bluestar, or may not.

As for myself, the range I want. It's ugly, but I wouldn't care.

>But I have a hard time believing most people *need it to accomplish a certain type of cooking.

Hmmm Either a bigger range or multiple ranges--which I've actually considered!!!!

Most people, no. But 6 burners isn't anywhere near enough in situations in which I have that mythical entity called "counterspace" for a lot of the cooking I do. (I like to do small, experimental meals; once-a-month-style when I'm nearing a deadline or just to stock up a freezer; and entertainments of various sizes that, for everything to come out at exactly the same time, everything must be on the stove or in it at the same time. I've needed as many as 8 burners at once for what I really wanted to do, and that's ignoring handle-knocking.)

>I totally misunderstood the original intent of this thread, and I am still not sure if it is *looks* that is more important or *function*. And again, I don't really have an opinion against that either--aesthetics are very important.

Well, to be fair to the OP, many people getting a 48" or larger Wolf aren't getting it because they really like to cook. They're getting it because it's the "cook's range"--and they want to LOOK like they like to cook. Plenty of those in the $200K+ range have personal chef services and caterers for bigger things. *shrug*

It's a bit like the suburban cowboys who must have a huge, very expensive truck and never use it for actually hauling things more than once every couple of years. They'd sniff at a Jag, but aside from their truck being more reliable, it's really no better suited to their actual lifestyles. Meanwhile, plenty of real cowboys are driving around much shabbier vehicles, for various reasons--even if most of those who can afford it do gravitate toward the big, shiny ones. Different social group, same thing. (Now, I have a minivan for function; I have a tricked-out minivan for comfort, plus a towing package and all the safety bells and whistles for practicality.)

People who don't like the looks of a big, over-engineered pickup REALLY don't like it in front of, say, a house that's trying to look like a Tudor manor. Those who value it, though, whether to pull their trailer of racing thoroughbreds or not, won't see what others think is "off."

>I am all for people buying what they want and spending whatever they want for it, but don't try to justify it as a neccessity without which you wouldnt be able to function.

I can cook over a campfire, when needed, and enjoy it, on occasion. Any argument about what people can and can't live with ends up there--someone's necessity is always someone else's luxury. (Heck, I guess the argument would REALLY end up with us drinking blood from the necks of our mares and putting raw meat under our saddle to mechanically "cook" and milk in raw leather bags to ferment!)

I guess the fairest thing to say is that Wolfs are pumped up pickup trucks. If you want that kind of power, whether for practical reasons or not, and you have that kind of money, that's where you go. Other people will go for the unreliable luxury car because if its reputation for, well, luxury. And others will look at their needs and/or budget and choose a Kia--or absolutely anything else in between.

One way or another, I'm tired of crappy little stoves with electric panels that fry and laughable convection and near-uncontrollable burners. I want to get as far from that as my pocketbook will stretch.

OP Here-

My post was really about the surprising homogeneity of ranges in very high-end kitchens. I thinkg some of these comments are fascinating and I have learned a couple of things:

1. A 48" SS Wolf range is a neutral, like pearls or a little black dress.

2. Most people with these kitchens probably do not cook, much.

3. Those of us who cannot and would not pay those kinds of prices can have excellent cooking options.

4. There is a lack of diversity in stove appearances in mainstream (affordable) US range markets.

adh673: here is info on shipping the Range Master range to North America:

http://www.chef-rangecookers.com/index.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Shipping Rangemaster Range To North America

here's the link with info on shipping: http://www.chef-rangecookers.com/index.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Rangemaster Shipping Info

Hey cookie08- That isn't too bad. I'm impressed.

Now to determine if they can do the all-electric induction-top unit in the USA.

Thanks so much.

"Most people with these kitchens probably do not cook, much."

Erm, I think this thread proves the opposite. But you keep believing it, if it helps you. You're beating a drum with one note and insist people follow. Why does it matter so much to you?

"2. Most people with these kitchens probably do not cook, much."

Where does that come from? I'm sure there are people with fancy ranges who don't use them, but most? Really? How do we know that? There are also many thousands of people in, say, NYC with tiny kitchens and affordable ranges who don't cook either.

"4. There is a lack of diversity in stove appearances in mainstream (affordable) US range markets."

I thought the point of the first post was that there was a lack of diversity in the *higher* end of the market??

Anyway, some of the best meals I've made have been cooked in coals, and even on a vintage Coleman camp stove. (Spaghettios with franks on my MSR backpack stove, yes, that too.) But I love the Wolf.

I think point 2. might be better stated "Many people who do not have these ranges also cook, and some do it quite well. :)

Oh my goodness, cookie08, now I want to design a kitchen around this guy:

I'm reassured that I might actually have some viable choices if/when my lovely old 1949 beauty wears out.

--
Re. Wolf ranges: like all things there are waves of popularity in appliances. Try to find a picture of one stand mixer in the magazine kitchen porn that isn't a KitchenAid.

I thought that what the OP is saying is that ubiquity leads to monotony, no matter how nice or deserving the object.

There are a number of things that I find "ugly" in the kitchen, but a pro range is not one of them. I wish I had the budget to include one in my kitchen remodel.

Point #2: "Most people with these kitchens probably do not cook, much."

Huh? THAT'S what you learned? Such generalities about what "most" or even "many" people do have no foundation in discernible fact. It seems to fit what you WANT to believe. Is this a 'class' thing? I would certainly hope not.

I am parroting back comments made by other GardenWeb posters about those huge, expensive magazine kitchens to which I referred.

I was not making the comment about GW posters in general.

I am glad that others have pointed out some other range options available for someone who isn't finding inspiration in such designer magazine kitchens.

"With all due respect to hobokenkitchen: There aren't Loads of ranges out there in different color choices, given my parameters of: Induction only, 40 inches or less. There is really only one- Viking, and the GardenWeb criticsm of Viking is scathing."

With all due respect e4849 there was nothing terribly respectful about your original post. There aren't many posters on here who would come in and make blanket statements about a range, or cabinet color, or fridge that MANY of the posters here on own as 'ugly' and 'monsters'.

It just rubbed me the wrong way.

If you find all the available styles unacceptable perhaps you should open up your possibilities more?

I keep all my take-out menus filed in my Capital Range's oven.

I was going to get a Wolf as well until I fell onto an Aga. The truth of the matter is I was probably swayed more to the Wolf initially just because you saw it everywhere. Good advertising pays off for the manufacturer and good advertising is putting your product out there in as many pictures as possible. However, the one thing I did not like about the Wolf and most stoves that we looked at was all the bits and pieces and crevices that would need cleaning. When all is said and done, I think you will find that you can cook any kind of meal you want on most any stove. There are a lot of choices out there. Go for one that serves your kind of cooking style. If you want to keep a vintage look, then look at stoves in that market. We have a farmhouse and the Aga just works beautifully for us. We got it from a store going out of business so it became affordable for us. Shop around and you may be able to find just what you are looking for! Good luck!

We got white appliances because they don't show fingerprints (like black or stainless), because they're easy to clean, and because with some monitoring of craigslist we got double convection wall ovens for $225 and a very nice kenmore dishwasher for $200 from people who bought a new house and had to have stainless.

Except for the Bluestar cookup, which is all about utility and power. It matches the stainless hood but that's about it. It's basic construction but since we're always cooking, we clean the stainless parts and leave whatever falls on/through the cast iron parts until we get an itch to take it apart and run them through the DW.

If it wasn't for the power of the Bluestar, I probably would have gotten something white.

I think threads like this are offensive. "Magazine kitchens with the SAME ugly range". Really? You do realize you're calling many people's range ugly? I don't like certain things also, but I would never be so offensive. Just my 2 cents. It seems this tone of thread is becomming popular. I can't even read through them.

I'm all for an intelligent, respectful discussion on ranges, or whatever. But come on . . . let's be nice about it.

I'll continue veering off-topic, except it is on-topic in the sense that the question was still, why all the same appliances?

On the "Way to Cook" shows, Julia Child cooked on a typical last-millenium electric range. Sure, you might point out that she had something different in her home kitchen at some point, but she didn't try to say that you would fail to produce excellent cooking if you lacked this, or that. She also used a non-stick skillet for much of her cooking.
Was she just translating serious cooking for the lowly middle-class housewife, or was she making a bigger statement about how serious cooking is, well, bigger, than just one aspect.

Sorry, I just find the "any serious cook gets a Wolfe" so dismissive, as if there is one way to be serious or even to be obsessed with cooking, and it's a range.

In fact there are many elements that go into "serious" cooking, and while "the tools" are important, so are many other choices and skills involved in food selection, preparation, seasoning and recognizing how food actually cooks.

Some of the folks who get the high-end or "serious" ranges, ovens or whichever may also be as serious and thoughtful about every other element of their cooking, or even some of them, but I wouldn't assume that.

To get back to the OP's dilemma-regardless of brand, there isn't a lot of choice when it comes to appearance. Most ranges at the upper and middle price level are some variation of a SS box with a glass window and knobs. Kitchen designers use elite brands for their showrooms; consumers want to duplicate the look; manufacturers want to make something consumers will buy. The commercial-range look sells because it implies that its owner can cook like a commercial chef. You can argue that Wolf sells because it is a better performing range. But look-alikes also sell well even without the ultraperformance features. With the majority of buyers prefering commercial cache, manufacturers have little incentive to build and market other styles.

As someone with a pro-style ss range in her kitchen, I'm not the least bit offended by this thread or its title. In fact, I sympathize with the OP - I never noticed before the homogeneity of ranges. Most of the cheaper ones are styled to look cosmetically like the higher-priced ones, leaving not a lot of choice if one doesn't like that look.