Hi Everyone,
As promised, I am continuing with reviews of my kitchen appliances, plus sources! If you’ve already read part 1, please click the link below to skip to part 2. If you’re landing here for the first time, please continue reading from the top.
Part 2 Begins Here
Hi Everyone,
Ugh, I’m sick. However, I’ve wanted to begin a full list of everything I purchased for my renovation and review each purchase.
So, I’ll begin with something relatively easy: the kitchen appliances.
Please note:
At the end of the post, there will be a widget with the kitchen appliances. If you click on the image, you’ll be taken to a source where you can purchase it online.
Please know that these are unbiased opinions about my kitchen appliances. I paid full price for everything except for the Zephyr Monsoon Connect range hood.
The Zephyr range hood, I actually won in a contest back in 2017.
I could’ve given it to Mrs. F for her kitchen but had forgotten about it. The deadline to claim my prize had long expired. However, I contacted the rep, who didn’t hesitate one second to send me whatever I wanted.
I knew I needed a 30 “insert to go inside my cabinet. It also needed to have recirculating capabilities. Although the one I got, the Monsoon, is not inherently recirculating, there is an adapter one can purchase. We had a pleasant surprise during installation: the hood is vented to the outside.
The Zephyr Monsoon Connect is a fantastic kitchen appliance.
I’ve never had a range hood like this. It’s the Maserati of range hoods. My former range hoods were 2-stroke engine leaf blowers. The Zephyr has five settings, from whisper quiet to, yes, Monsoon level. That would only be necessary for pot burners like me.
For normal cooking, two or three is adequate and easy to listen to.
Some say a range hood isn’t necessary. It is if you want to keep grease out of your lungs and off of your cabinetry and walls!
Underneath the range hood is a glass top electric range by Bertazzoni.
Several of you tried to talk me into getting the induction range.
Several of you should’ve tried harder. haha
Now, don’t get me wrong. The electric is about as good as they come in terms of radiant electric ranges. However, when I stayed at my neighbor’s last summer and used her induction range, I realized I had made a mistake.
1. You already know it takes only seconds for water to boil. It’s the freakiest!
2. When you turn the burner off– it’s OFF!
3. The range top isn’t hot; only the pots get hot.
4. It’s a cleaner, much more efficient way of cooking.
Alas, I bought the range early on in the process and was worried about how far my money would go, so I figured it would be fine.
It’s the same with the induction glass top, but I think it’s worse on the radiant electric. The glass top gets grody if you look at it. However, I discovered Weiman’s glass cleaner thanks to a woman who left her cleaning products on my patio. (My door was busted for a couple of weeks, and she had the audacity to leave her stuff there!)
Still, it’s a joy not to have those little metal pans not to have to clean. And also nothing soupy can boil over into the inner workings of the range top.
The other advantage is when I’m not cooking, the glass top makes a great counter.
But, otherwise, it’s by far the nicest range I’ve ever had. Two things. I wish it would state the temperature. You can set it, but it doesn’t actually say what temperature the oven is. I do like a clock and timer on my ovens, but I guess that’s considered declasse.
In addition to the Bertazzoni, I got a Breville compact countertop oven last fall to go inside the kitchen pantry.
The kitchen pantry is where I made another avoidable mistake.
In all fairness, I was often overwhelmed and couldn’t always focus on minutiae, like how much space I had inside my kitchen pantry. Well, I’m human. The pantry really needed to be at least 3 inches wider. Yes, it would’ve been possible. There is enough wiggle room with some small, doable adjustments. I was determined to keep the pantry and fridge the exact same size.
I mean, like, does anyone care?
No.
Would anyone ever notice?
Absolutely not!
In fact, they ended up NOT being the same size, anyway.
The pantry is about an inch and a half smaller than the fridge cabinet. No, it should’ve been 1.5″ bigger.
The problem is that there is far less choice for countertop ovens and microwaves that are 18″ or less.
Still, I adore my little Breville compact convection oven. It works very well and the convention feature heats items up more quickly.
Truth be told, I rarely use the big oven. I don’t need to heat up that huge box for my Trader Joe’s frozen dinner or a single baked potato. It’s also a terrific toaster. It does take a little longer than a conventional upright toaster, but the browning is quite even and it can toast up to six slices at once.
Okay, let’s move on to the next of the kitchen appliances – the microwave.
I got this one because it said it was 17.6″ wide, which is perfect, and I thought it would like charming in the pantry.
The only problem is that these things protrude on each side, making it about 19″ wide. So it doesn’t fit by about 3/4″.
All of these measurements are incorrect! However, I was going on the ones I saw below the image.
The machine is more powerful than my old Nostalgia, but it’s also a bit noisier and has a cheap feel.
That’s because it is cheap. lol
I should’ve sent it back. However, I was enamored by the fact that I could stop the bell from beeping by opening the door after the first beep, and I got it the day of my kidney biopsy. However, there’s a light on whenever the door is open. I only want the light on while cooking. After making something steamy, I like to leave the door ajar for a few minutes to let it dry out, but the bloody light is still on.
I’m not thrilled with it being on the counter, so I will save my nickels for a better appliance. Maybe the Midea Commercial microwave in the widget below.
Okay, I’ve run out of steam, *although I am feeling better; therefore, let’s continue the rest of the kitchen appliances on Monday.
* Below is undoubtedly the reason I’m feeling better.
This is my son Cale’s “witches’ brew!” It consists of dried beech bark, fresh sliced ginger and turmeric, black peppercorns, lemon, and honey. All of that is boiled for several minutes and left to steep. Then, it can be reheated, and you can add more water and reheat it a couple of times.
Below is the widget I promised you. I’ll be adding to it.

xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
Tuesday, 2.4.2025
Hi Everyone,
Hope you’re all doing well this first week of February.
It’s my birthday week! I was born on February 7, 1956.
Anyway, my son Cale is gone, and my cold is mostly gone, too. Hooray! It’s weird, though. I had a lot of energy on Sunday, and today, Tuesday, I’m dragging. Oh well. I’m sure that tomorrow will be better again.
Okay, let’s continue with the remainder of my kitchen appliances, beginning with a true story.
Once upon a time in the year 2022, Laurel believed that many vendors would be overjoyed to give her free products in exchange for publicity.
Laurel was wrong. Not only were they not willing, most were completely dismissive.
I am sharing this because I had decided long ago that I wanted a Bertazzoni range.
1. I love the look of them. They get an A for style.
2. Nancy Keyes (of the gorgeous home and kitchen) told me she loves the brand.
3. They are high-end but not in the stratosphere of a LaCanche.
In 2022, I had a connection who was 95% sure we could get a deal with Fisher & Paykel.
I know. F&P is a wonderful brand. And I had actually cooked on Mary’s beautiful range, which was fantastic! Yes, Bronxville Mary, whom I helped with her kitchen.
So, there were some problems with this. That deal would’ve included a fridge and a 24″ dishwasher or their cool dishwasher drawers. While waiting for them to make up their minds, I worked diligently on the kitchen design.
The only way I could do the 24″ dishwasher would’ve disturbed the symmetry of the design I wanted for my new kitchen. And boohoo, F&P doesn’t make an 18″ dishwasher. As an aside, I’m super happy with the kitchen’s layout. All the time I spent designing it was worth it in the end.
Another problem with F&P’s 24″ refrigerator is that it is really 24.”
I know that sounds funny. But not all 24 inchers are the same. In fact, there are a few that are under 22″ wide, and that size worked better for my design.
So, I decided that the same contact could pursue Bertazzoni, and I’d happily take their more narrow fridge and an 18-inch dishwasher.
After all, their ranges are so terrific, so how bad can their refrigerator and dishwasher be?
Well, I have the answer to that one now. However, Bertazzoni jerked us around mercilessly. But— I had to tell Mel at Crown Point what appliances I was using for their specs. So, I figured I would do the Bertazzoni appliances.
Finally, after four months, Bert said, “Sorry, no deal.” However, it was too late for me to tell my kitchen designer at Crown Point Cabinetry that we were switching appliances.
But, if I knew in the summer of 2023 what I knew six months later, I would never have ordered the fridge and dishwasher from Bertazzoni. That’s because the answer to how bad can they be is:
Nightmarishly bad.
Let’s begin with the easier of the two lemons, the dishwasher. It’s easy because I never used it. It wasn’t even fully hooked up. That’s because it was discovered to be dented in numerous spots. In addition, it looked and felt cheap. And it doesn’t have a third rack. Because of the damage, Wayfair didn’t hesitate to give me a full refund. They told me: “You can do whatever you want with the dishwasher.”
Yes, that’s what they said.
But then, there was the Bertazzoni sliver of a fridge. It, too, felt cheap, but not just cheap. It was a child who couldn’t and would stop whining at all hours of the day and night. I could hear it from the other side of the living room. Many of you will recall my complaints.
Aside from the constant noise, the freezer was a total joke. I took out both of the drawers to make more room. But the interior was still teensy and ridiculously shallow.
After months of back-and-forth, including a visit from their repair guy who said the POS it was a write-off, I finally got a refund for about 3/4 of what I paid.
However, there was another potential headache:
That was finding a much better refrigerator that would also fit in the space allotted by the built-in cabinet.
Melissa of the charming NJ kitchen (please see more, here.) who helped me for several years before retiring 100%, has a Blomberg and loves it.
I measured and remeasured more times than I care to admit. Yes, they had one that would fit. It came pretty quickly.
And Brendan and Eugene installed both the new Blomberg fridge and Bosch 18″ dishwasher.
The biggest miracle is that the panels custom-made for the two original kitchen appliances fit the new ones perfectly. Oh, that was another problem.
The DW panel that was made with the Bertazzoni specs didn’t even come close to fitting, but it fits perfectly for the Bosch.
So, how did these two replacements turn out?
Both of these kitchen appliances are fantastic! The Blomberg has a much more solid feel. It is quiet as can be, and the drawers and shelves come out and back in super easily. It’s a beautifully designed kitchen appliance.
And while the freezer is the same height as the Bertazzoni, it is at least 3 inches deeper. That extra depth makes a world of difference.
I am equally happy with my Bosch dishwasher. It is whisper-quiet and does a terrific job.
Don’t you have trouble fitting in big pots in that tiny dishwasher, Laurel?
Well, I had trouble fitting in my big soup pots in the 24″ too.
It isn’t a problem. I don’t need the silverware thingy as I use the third rack. In fact, I far prefer it to the 24″ because I run it almost every day, and it’s much easier to empty. It holds quite a bit.
So, there it is for the major kitchen appliances.
The only appliances left are the stackable washer and dryer, also by Bosch. I’m happy with them, too. The dryer is ventless so like all ventless dryers, it does take longer to dry, but it’s such a pleasure having the machines in the privacy of my home.
Okay, I have redone the widget to include the refrigerator, dishwasher, and washer/dryer.

xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES
There is now an Amazon link on my home page and below.
Please note that I have decided not to create a membership site. However, this website is very expensive to run. To provide this content, I rely on you, the kind readers of my blog, to use my affiliate links whenever possible for items you need and want. There is no extra charge to you. The vendor you’re purchasing from pays me a small commission.
To facilitate this, some readers have asked me to put
A link to Amazon.com is on my home page.
Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support!
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Little Kitchen Details That Make a Huge Difference!
My Extensive Renovation. Here’s Why I Did It.
The Bright Light at the End of the Renovation Tunnel