We credited the standard appliance package and went on a search for our own appliances. We started off with the same approach I think most people take, pick a brand and then select the cooktop, rangehood and oven from within that range. What we soon found was that we were having trouble deciding between brands, as no "one" brand could offer a complete solution for our needs - including SMEG, Bosch, Miele, Neff, and St George. People often go straight to a full Miele kitchen for resale purposes (but we're building to "live in", not to sell), so we decided to focus on the task of each appliance.
In the end we found the following items that seemed to excel at their given task, rather than doing a "one brand" kitchen.
We opted for the
Highland Cooktop hand made in Victoria,semi-commercial, which can fit 3 larges pots at any one time, which is more than most 5 burners will actually fit. It also allows access to each pot without having to reach over another hot item. It has a 22MJ Wok burner great for asian cooking and the only stronger wok burner we've seen is a dedicated
Wolf unit for much more $$$. You may not have sufficient gas supply if you have instant-on hot water and/or gas central heating - so make sure you consult your plumber!
To cope with the output of the high-powered gas cooktop, we looked into Schweiggen SILENT rangehood with ISO Drive. Silent extraction with German motor on roof, 10 year warranty. The problem with open-plan living is the noise that most rangehoods make, so silent was the way to go.
UPDATE: We've now changed to a Whispair, rather than Schweiggen, here's why
link
Miele Oven 5240B and Steamer Oven DG5060. We were lucky enough to get special pricing on old stock making the purchase a no brainer and we can now get rid of those bulky steamer pots that take up the whole cooktop space.
Panasonic Microwave, still undecided on which model, but less than 1/3 of the price of a Miele and far superior technology. You can buy the optional stainless steel surround, but I think we'll put it in the pantry. Check out their latest inverter technology.
'Conventional microwave ovens operate on only one power level; the microwave energy is either on or off. For example, when set at 60% power, a conventional microwave cooks at full power 60% of the time, and remains idle the rest of the time. This on/off delivery of cooking power results in cold spots and overcooked edges. Panasonic Inverter technology delivers true low, medium and high power levels. This targeted "soft" penetration of microwave energy into the center of your food helps prevent overcooking on the edges and surfaces, and provides more even cooking compared to conventional microwaves.'
