It’s been six months since we installed our new appliances. Today we’re giving our honest reviews of all of them!
We completed our kitchen in December, and the reveal post went live early this year. But our appliances were delivered in August 2022, making it 6 months since we’ve been using them daily! Since then, we’ve received a lot of questions surrounding our appliances, so we figured a 6 month review of all of them would be a great resource to answer all of your questions in one place.
Follow along with this renovation from the beginning: why we’re renovating the kitchen | a happy surprise | choosing cabinetry | sharing the new kitchen layout | choosing backsplash tile | choosing an eat-in kitchen table (vs. an island) | the mood board | the kitchen is GONE and how we’re making it work | maple flooring is in! | appliance first impressions | installing cabinets onto unlevel floors | how to install drawer fronts on inset cabinetry | how to buy countertops | 5 transformative kitchen updates | the reveal!
Almost all of our appliances were purchased through Abt. This post is not sponsored, but we’re huge fans of Abt and they were kind enough to offer us a discount on our purchases. Reviews are on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best. Here goes!
Fisher & Paykel Series 7 36″ Panel Ready Refrigerator
Overall Rating 5/5
It could be said that this refrigerator is the anchor appliance of the renovation. It determined the layout of the entire range wall and many of our design decisions. We love the generous interior lighting, nearly-infinite shelf positioning options and clever touches like the included wine organizers that allow bottles to be laid on their side without rolling all over the place.
We’re a family of three and tend to buy lots of our groceries fresh when we need them, but the interior of this unit offers such clever storage that we don’t miss our french door standard-depth fridge at all. The shallower freezer depth was a bit challenging to get used to at first, but the double drawers and compact ice maker utilize the available space very efficiently.
The process of installing the custom panels was straightforward and intuitive. The included templates inspired confidence and made sure our pilot holes were perfectly located. The fridge also features the most clever foot adjustment system we’ve ever seen. Adjustment bolts at the front of the base control the height of the front and the rear of the fridge, so precise leveling was a breeze, even on our very un-level flooring surfaces. We love this fridge.
Fisher & Paykel Series 9 36″ Stainless Steel Induction Range
Overall Rating 5/5
We knew this renovation would prompt a move from a gas range to an induction range, but we had quite the internal debate on the size of range we’d order. From the very beginning, I was pulling for a 36″ model, but Kim wasn’t convinced and wanted to maintain the standard 30″ width to maximize storage space on each side. Once we finalized the kitchen’s layout and ended up with exactly nine feet of space between the fridge and pantry, the choice became obvious. 36″ lower cabinets on each side with a 36″ range in the center was too mathematically perfect to pass up!
This range is a work of art. It goes without saying that it’s a beautifully engineered appliance, but the incredible design is just the start. It boils water in under two minutes. It features so many specialized cooking settings that we find ourselves referring to the manual to ensure we get the best possible results. The baking racks are on glides that allow them to extend almost fully out of the oven. The top is perfectly flat and smooth, which makes cleanup as easy as a swipe of a damp cloth. There’s even a dedicated pizza setting that provides a bit of extra crisp to the bottom of the crust without over-cooking the top! The thoughtful features are incredible and seemingly endless!
If a full remodel isn’t in your future or if space is a concern, it is offered in a 30″ model as well. We can’t recommend this range enough!
Fisher & Paykel Series 5 24″ Panel Ready Dishwasher
Overall Rating 4.5/5
The Fisher & Paykel panel-ready dishwasher seems to share a lot of similarities with the Bosch unit in our Michigan Tree House Kitchen. We’re obsessed with the third rack at the top the seems to get our silverware much cleaner than the traditional bottom shelf baskets ever could. This arrangement also frees up space for larger mixing and serving bowls down below. Much like the storage inside the refrigerator, it seems that F&P has thought of just about everything when it comes to efficiency. There’s even a pair of LED lights integrated into the front of the unit so the inside of the machine isn’t a mysterious black hole.
We also love how the dishwasher allows for multiple toe kick options. We took advantage of this and installed a continuous toe kick below the dishwasher and the cabinet immediately to the left of it. Pro tip – we used industrial velcro on the toe kick instead of nailing it in place for easy access to mechanical connections down the road. The dishwasher works exactly as it should. Dishes come out clean on every setting and it operates so quietly that there is a small LED light that shines onto the floor below to let you know that it is actually running.
Our only small gripe with this appliance was that the rear feet were tricky to adjust on our uneven floors. This won’t impact most installations, but I pulled this dishwasher in and out of the cavity so many times to get it perfectly level that I felt it fair to deduct half a point.
KitchenAid 24″ Drawer Fridge/Freezer
Overall Rating 2.5/5
The inclusion of this beverage drawer fridge/freezer combo to store all of our drinks was one of the reasons we felt comfortable ‘downsizing’ our main refrigerator. KitchenAid makes one of the only models to feature a freezer with an ice maker drawer on bottom, which was a big value-add for us, since we wanted access to ice at our beverage station. The unit functions perfectly as a fridge and a freezer, but isn’t without its notable foibles.
First, the partitions inside the drawers aren’t adjustable. HOW?! WHY?! This oversight makes for a lot of storage and organizing challenges and results in a lot of wasted space. Each section isn’t quite wide enough for 4 standard canned drinks to stand up vertically. On the other hand, if cans are laid down on their sides horizontally, they slip and slide on each other when the drawers are opened or closed too forcefully. (Seriously, if you have organization recommendations for this or a similar model, we’re all ears!)
In addition to the beverages inside the fridge slipping and sliding when the heavy drawers aren’t closed gently, the entire refrigerator also slides around inside the cabinet cavity. The feet are hard plastic with very little grip and the shape of the unit makes it all but impossible to fasten it to the countertop or adjoining cabinetry. This leaves us playing a daily game of muscling the fridge 1/8″ back and forth forever. It’s maddening.
The unit also suffers from one other major design flaw. When a standard ice maker supply hose is used, the hose connection renders fridge is too deep to sit flush with the front of the adjacent cabinets. We were forced to remove a large section of drywall behind the fridge in order to get it to sit perfectly flush within the run of cabinets. Certainly not the end of the world, but a hassle that we think could have been avoided with a bit of clever engineering before the unit went into production.
The control panel on the fridge also suffers from an annoying LED flicker sometimes. Abt happily replaced the part under warranty, but that didn’t fully solve the problem. They’re currently awaiting a reply from KitchenAid on next steps. Overall, the appliance does what we want it to do, but not nearly as effortlessly as all of our new Fisher & Paykel models.
Falmec Nube Ceiling Mount Range Hood
Overall Rating 4.5/5
The Falmec Nube range hood is one of a few in-ceiling range hoods on the market currently, but we think that will change soon. The hood is on the spendy side, but the minimalist design and high build quality made the investment worthwhile for us. The hood is powerful and quiet. We love the way it practically disappears into the kitchen, even when it’s running. The required auxiliary motor offers multiple venting and positioning options and the included remote can be wall mounted or stored in a drawer for stealthy operation.
The shipping packaging of the unit left a lot to be desired and we ended up needing a replacement motor after the first one was damaged in transit. This was a minor inconvenience for us since we placed the order well in advance, but it could have seriously held up progress on the renovation otherwise. We’re docking half a point for this, although it seems to be something the manufacturer could easily remedy.
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine –
Overall Rating 5/5
While it’s technically a small appliance since it’s a compact countertop machine, the Barista Touch espresso machine packs a big punch. It has changed our coffee routine significantly. Lots of folks cautioned us regarding nixing a traditional drip coffee maker, so we hung onto our old one just in case. Spoiler alert – we haven’t used it once since unboxing this gem!
While there is a similar lower-cost model of this machine that forgoes the touch screen in favor of physical dials and buttons, we think the jump up to the highly-automated touch model is worth the additional expense.
The Barista Touch cleans itself, reminds you when filters need changing and when maintenance should be performed. It is intuitive to use and makes fantastic coffee drinks. We’ve begun buying whole beans in bulk and will probably save enough on coffee shop drinks for the machine to pay for itself by the end of the calendar year. No notes. Well done, Breville! You’ve outdone yourselves.
We hope these reviews are helpful and we’re more than happy to answer any additional questions you may have. As always, we’re aim to be a handy resource with genuine, honest opinions on all things home!
In This Post:
I second your review for the F&P range! We’ve had the Contemporary version of your 36” (the OR36SD16X1) for almost a year and a half. I’ve been cooking on induction for ten years now, but this range is an absolute game changer. It makes my day every day, and (bonus) we’re so grateful to have found one that was someone else’s unwanted special order and was discounted. To anyone considering: yes, definitely take the plunge! (Also, thanks for the review of the undercounter fridge/freezer. Reconsidering … but the invisible vent is definitely coming to our 5’ x 7’ kitchen soon.)
I’d love to know … do you need to clean your hood? Does it get oily/dirty/dusty?
Thanks for the reviews!
We’ve given it a quick clean with a stainless steel wipe one time since it was installed and it looks brand new all over again. It seems that the distance between the range and the hood keeps it cleaner than with traditional hood spacing. Hope this helps!
Can the range accommodate a griddle? We currently have a gas range with the long griddle in the middle and we actually use it quite often, but we’re thinking of going to induction during our kitchen remodel on our new house! We could always just get an electric griddle I guess if we find we miss it.
P.S. I really want the “hidden” hood too! I used your kitchen as an example for my contractor because he hasn’t installed one yet! :)
Ours didn’t include a griddle, but the large center ‘burner’ could likely be used with one, as long as it’s approved for conduction.
First off, thanks for sharing this renovation and all the appliance reviews. This sort of thing is so helpful!
I’m curious about a few things related to the F&P range, and I know you guys are very clean, so I’m trusting you to have similar feelings about all of this as I would! :)
Have you cleaned the oven interior yet? Do the gliding baking racks make it harder to clean the interior sides?
How fragile is the top? Have you moved cast iron / enamelled cast iron around on the top at all? Any scratches? Does the top have any patterning to it, or is it solid black? I’ve seen some with a bit of a grey repeating pattern and wondered if that is helpful for disguising scratches and/or dust?
And, do the knobs light up when you are using the oven and/or cooktop? What about the cooktop? Does it look like it’s “high tech” when it’s on, or nice and classic? It has such an elegant look when it’s off.
Thanks for how much time you always take to answer reader questions! You guys are amazing, and I love following along.
Hi Summer! We absolutely love the F&P range. I’ll do my best to answer all of your questions here.
– We’ve not had to give the interior a truly thorough cleaning yet, but the gliding racks can be removed completely, so I imagine it’ll be easy.
– The top is VERY sturdy. We’ve cooked with cast iron and our new stainless cookware and haven’t noticed a single scratch. The top is solid black with very subtle grey lines under each induction zone. The pattern doesn’t effect the clean look of the top since we wipe it with a damp cloth after each use.
– The knobs light up with a red ring around/behind them when in use. The cooktop doesn’t light up at all. It maintains its classic and elegant look at all times.
We hope this is helpful!
Very helpful! Thank you so, so much. You guys are truly the best! :)
I’ve been using an induction range since last summer, and only recently learned that you can put a paper towel between a pot/pan and the surface. I’ve been doing it without problem since, whenever I cook “splashy” stuff in a pan (for easier clean up), and will definitely use it when I cook with cast iron cookware.Since the heat is created in the bottom of the pot through electro magnetic effects between stove and pot, there is no actual heat transfer from cooktop to pot, and the paper towel neither interferes with the process nor gets burned itself (the most I get is some very slight browning from the heat the pan in turn gives off, but nothing even remotely getting into scorching territory, just barely enough to mention it so you aren’t surprised should you try it).
Whoa! Who knew!?
I wonder how parchment would work. Good tip
My question is regarding radiation. I’ve done a bit of reading on these ranges and it seems that in Europe where induction is the norm, there are many models that have low radiation and are quite affordable(I think the article mentioned good machines at IKEA, not Ikea us though). In the US, it seems we have not adopted the euro standard and many machines give off too much radiation(I think the radiation is measured at 12 inches from the front of the range, and who stands that far away? So, levels may seem low but not at a functional distance. I am not, sadly, 6 ft tall.) This is an issue for sure. I think the newer technology could be great but it grates on my sense of fair play by the manufacturers, especially when they tout how “safe” and clean they are.
That is one cute knock box. Would you be willing to share where you bought it?
Thank you! It’s this one.
I always love your products reviews. There are a couple of brands that make the ceiling mount range hoods, how did you land on Falmec?
Falmec was the sleekest option and provided great bang for the buck. We spent around $2,000 for the hood + motor combination and the closest alternatives that we found would have started around $3,000.
We also installed the F&P 36” integrated refrigerator and LOOVE it. Additionally, we likewise installed an under counter secondary refrigerator because I felt the F&P fridge might not be enough cubic square feet for us (though I agree it’s SO smartly designed… such a huge improvement over our old standard American fridge). We installed a Momogram with two refrigerator drawers (no freezer drawer, unfortunately), but it’s been an awesome secondary appliance. We keep the kids milk and snacks in there as well as canned beverages…. It DOES have adjustable shelves and I can’t think of anything I’d wish for otherwise, though I had kind of wanted the second drawer to be a freezer drawer…. Regardless, I’m super happy with it.
We considered that one but REALLY wanted the freezer! Hopefully other manufacturers start catching on and more models and types become available for the US market.