How on earth can anyone think that pulling out coils, lifting liner trays, pushing up the cooktop (on the best coil stoves), scrubbing blackened food, etc. is EASIER than wiping down a flat top. Flat. It’s FLAT. So all the dirt is in one place!

Yes, you need to be careful not to slide a pan across it or it will scratch. And yes, a special cooktop cleaner is used on it. But mine is lucky to get cleaned once a week, and it’s faster and easier than cleaning the coil stove ever was.

Also, we splurged and spent a couple hundred more to get the double oven. OMG was it worth it. We use so much less electricity! I rarely need the big oven, and I’m shocked every time I do use it, because it takes about three times as long to heat up. The electricity we’ve saved has far outstripped the extra initial expense.

Of course, as Mike says, it’s all about personal preference.

We have the white stove with the black cooktop, and it looks just fine in our kitchen. You didn’t say what color your counters are, but black goes with everything, and it’s not as dominant as you imagine it would be.

So, there’s my rather vociferous .02. Sorry. LOL

Yes, I’d love the new washers/dryers – just not at this time. If we decide never to build, then next pair we can go for the cool stuff.

And when you DO get your next house, I definitely recommend the front load washer. Energy and water efficient AND it does a great job on the clothes I can actually wash our comforters instead of having to take them to a laundromat like we had to when we had the old top load one.

The big benefit from my stand point, it’s a nice flat surface that expands our counter-top space….. Well until we put something on to heat. Even then, you can still work on one half or the other.

The newer surfaces clean off better than they did before. And you can get these nice little scrubbers that clean them pretty spic and span.

I too would like a dual ovan if you could get it. Either that or M&M needs to rethink their ways and make more of their items cook at the same temp, I mean come on, the soups at 400 and fish at 350? Before we got together, I had a nice toaster/convection oven, and used it more than the oven under my (grotty) stove, but we don’t have the counter space to support that.

Oh, the cat will rethink stove top excursions after the first time……

All that said, it’s a matter of preference…. Like Fords and Chevs (and I drive a Subaru).

I’m settling with electric coils. The ceramic tops are too fussy. If you’re a cook and you’re the type who wants/likes to clean off their stove top after every time using it to keep it looking nice, then a ceramic top would be great. Me, I don’t want to have to wipe my stove off daily. In my case, there’s actually less muck, I think, with coils.

Good luck in your search. I did recently buy a front-load washer, cheapo as those go, but still a billion times fancier than the one hubby had for 20 years. It has push-buttons instead of knobs and plays a little song when the laundry is done. How cute!

I have a weird affliction. I love kitchen appliances, small and large. With lottery winnings at my fingertips, I could go nuts. I love big, well-equipped kitchens. Except, um, I hate to cook.

I won’t buy a fancy stove, no fear. The practical side of me rationalizes, doesn’t make sense when we don’t know if we’re staying in this house. But if we ever build new (we have an empty lot next door), watch out!