Life is too short to cook in a sh!tty kitchen

[Eurobabe]

If you had $50K to drop on kitchen gadgets, what would you buy?

[thedailyshow]

1. for starters

I'd buy a kitchenaid mixer, a cappucino machine, sets of steel mixing bowls, All-Clad cookware, knive sets, culinary table setware, plates, an awesome kitchen table, steel oven, and gas stovetop with six burners. I'd also have an awesome blue/green tile background over the stove and beneath the cabinets. I'd also have a huge cutting board that I could wheel across the kitchen. Oh, and also a steel refrigerator 'cuz they look too cool!

[demnan]

2. And space

lots more space. Cupboards and space.

[mrbassman03]

3. Good choices!

Jeez, I really wish I had the money for that stuff... or at least a place with a decent kitchen...

[Sugarbleus]

13. Ditto that... I NEED SPACE...

Living in a cramped dwelling. Have to balance things on other things to get to my surfaces...It's not a pleasant way to embark upon fine cooking!

[skygazer]

4. For me, it's not the gadgets but the space

I have a tiny kitchen - the hubby and I have to turn sideways to pass each other in it! I'd love a pantry and some real space to work - I have a teeny tiny counter top and not nearly enough cupboard space.

[Dora]

6. That would be a "one-butt kitchen"

In my family we learned to describe kitchen space by how many butts could be working in there at the same time.

[gollygee]

5. More space and this

The range in this picture

[Eurobabe]

11. oh crikky its an AGA cooker!!

My husband wants a friggin La Cornue. (He can scramble an egg, that's about the extent of his culinary skills) These suckers are the size and price of a small vehicle, handmade in France. (I think he's nuts, you can hardly get a turkey in the vault! That is my measuring stick)

Sure looks nice though. http://www.lacornue.com/an/prod1.htm

[fortyfeetunder]

16. WoW

I took a peek in the LaCornue website...wow. Good thing I am not into French cooking, otherwise I'd be drooling.

[Dora]

7. First I'd knock out a window and move a door...

Then I'd add cabinet space butcherblock countertops. New sink. Keep current oven/range, microhood, and fridge. They were all new in 02. I'd consider a dishwasher, but decide against it as I don't watch tv and washing dishes is good for the spirit.

Gadgets? Kitchenaid mixer. Ice cream maker. Food processor. Good stick blender. Knives. Maybe a bread machine.

[yellowdogintexas]

8. I have been mentally remodeling my kitchen for some time

and someday will be able to do it too.

I would put a corner cabinet in the "L" so it is no longer a blind corner, and I would take down the overhead cabinet that blocks my view of the den and put it on a different wall

My wall oven and cooktop are going ( all appliances are ancient) to be
replaced by a Maytag Gemini Gas range (o what the hell, if I have $50K I would get the Jenn-Air Dual fuel double oven with 5 gas burners on the cooktop and a convection in one of the electric ovens, all in the space of a normal stove),placed across the room in the other blind corner...across the corner with the range hood over it ..that is the outside wall and eliminates another blind corner.

The biggest refrigerator I can fit in there!!!!!!!With filtered water and icemaker

a new dishwasher, with large capacity and energy star rating

a new, deep kitchen sink

All the empty upper wall space will have cabinets.

And I will have new countertops. Current plan is ceramic tile (using xtra large tiles so there is less grout)

My small appliances are in great shape and pretty new so don't need to do much w/ that, but would enjoy getting some additional pots/pans

OH yeah, definitely some nice pot lights, undercounter lighting and a skylight (actually three..two in the den..it is a very dark space)

Finally a beautiful ceramic tile floor on the entire space, kitchen and den.

with $50K, I probably would replace all my cabinets with new ones, but if I am doing this in the real world, I will recycle all the existing cabinets that I can and get some unpainted ones to fill in any holes and then repaint everything; my current kitchen cabinets are just painted white anyway, so easy to get them all to match

I also want to build a book case on the backside of my "L" and raise the countertop about 4 to 6 inches above the main counter, like a bar.

I won't be moving any walls, or any other major construction, just making it a more modern and functional kitcher.

[NMDemDist2]

10. if you can afford tile, may I suggest Corian?

when i built the house with my ex we used Corian and I loved it

almost no maintenance, beautiful and almost indestructible

http://www.dupont.com/corian/a/en/h/Owner_Support/CareandMaintenanceList.html

[K8-EEE]

9. I Already Did It...In 1995 Still LOVE IT!

Well it was $30,000, I had a 1920 kitchen with a stove I had to light with a match and it had a habit of going KABOOM!! Even though this kitchen is 9 years old now I still love it. Living with the other one for five years was actually good because it makes me appreciate this one every day.

The best thing I found out was, you shop for stuff like sinks, faucets and major appliances at the retail stores, but don't buy them there. You order them from an order house -- that is how the designers do it. Some of them are open to the public. They don't have a store really, they have people with catalogs. OMG this saved us a BUNDLE!

The one I used for those in the city of the angels was Appliances, Plumbing and Design in Culver City. It takes a couple of weeks from when you order but delivery is free. Highly recommended!

[Eurobabe]

12. When we bought our house, it was spec, we got to

design and buy all kitchen things. So...I went whole hog, got the Thermador 6-burner gas oven, the Bosch D/W, the Rohl faucet and nice Kohler sink and natural cherry cabinets.

We just sold our house (hubby got laid off and took new job in OH) needless to say, we got every penny and then some on the sale of it. IMHO, you usually make out just fine upgrading kitchen and baths. That has always paid back handsomely for us. :)

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Amen to that!

We renovated ours last year. I say renovated, because we completely redid it about 15 years ago and all we did this time was renew finishes and replace appliances. The kitchen basically worked well for us.

We put in all new appliances - Viking 6 burner heavy duty cooktop to replace a Thermador with integral griddle; Kitchenaid oven/convection/micro combo wall unit with warmer drawer below to replace our old Magic Chef double wall ovens, a top of the line Kitchenaid dishwasher to replace the old Kitchenaid, which worked well but was noisy. The new one is almost totally silent.

We just refaced out old Sub Zero with a new stainless steel skin on the doors. The unit itself works just fine, if a little less energy efficient than a new one.

New floors - All Lock Original laminate - the only ones with a 25 year water damage guarantee.

Refitted the cabinet interiors with pull-outs and added a serious pot rack and open wall shelves (all stainless steel/custom) and have tons of room for our cookware.

But the best thing we did was new stainless steel counters. Custom fabricated with two 17" x 17" x 10" deep bowls. These sinks are so big you could bathe in 'em. They hold a week's worth of dirty dishes (we know - we've done it, I think!). The stainless is prone to scratching, but we knew that and don't care. Our kitchen gets used a lot and looks the part.

I would, however, like more gathering space. The work area is fine. (Someone above rated kitchens in butts. :hi: Ours is a three butt, at least.) We have a table area, but it is tight. I'd like more room there, but as our house is laid out, there's no way to get it.

All in all, its okay kitchen.

[fortyfeetunder]

15. a gas range

I hate electric ranges, and my 20YO electric has seen better days years ago. I have my eye on a Thermador dual fuel (gas cooktop, electric oven), but searching for a better deal for something as reliable.