Kitchens and appliances again

[skandi1]

Still working on my new kitchen

I was hoping to find someone who has had a kitchen from Higham Furniture in Hamshire. Please let me know what end quality and kitchen was like and whether they were easy to deal with.

Also on the hunt for new appliances. I have decided against a range cooker as I want the cooking to be done on the island so I can face the dining area. I am very taken with the Smeg Piano design range. However hob is gas.

I have had gas hobs in the past and they were great except they made the whole house sticky and hard to clean. I currently have a cheapo hot point induction hob and it's crap. So am wondering which induction hob is great (please not the de Dietrich one has it's £4000).

Also good ovens to go with induction hob and please some good looking ones.

Finally has anyone used Kitstone kitchens and what was the kitchen like?

Epic post sorry but need answers please.

Thanks

We had a Smeg hob in our last house and I've just put another in the refurb we've done - both gas and both Linea ones; I think its great, very powerful, really easy to clean (no places for dirt to get trapped) and a flat cooking surface which you can slide pans across when you want to move them between rings.

I really dislike the 'designer' ones which have a small pan stand over the burner so you have to line the pan up exactly in the middle otherwise they tip over; don't understand how people put up with that...

As for making the house sticky, I find that is from vapours that ar coming off what is cooking and is dealt with by putting in a really good extractor. As far as I know domestic gas burning with a nice blue flame doesn't produce any soot, let alone anything sticky.

I realise this isn't directly relevant as you want induction... but if you've had issues with sticky surfaces before I suggest you make sure you get a really good extractor as I've had that with both gas and electric hobs and found its far more related to the quality of extractor and not having top cupboards directly around the hob.

Hi

Thank you so much

I do want gas but previous house had gas and was sticky. However it was a recirculating extractor do pretty useless.

I much prefer cooking with gas. The current induction hob in our new house isn't great but it's a cheap model.

You have reassured me that my choice Of gas hob and Smeg appliance are the ones to go for.

Made my day

I have approached Higham as I fell in love with their kitchens after seeing one in a magazine and then looking at their website.
In the end I decided not to get them to do a design as they are too far from me to fit and I wanted whoever made the kitchen to fit it. They were very nice to deal with, polite and helpfu.

I think if they feature in H&G and Beautiful Kitchens the quality is proably pretty good.

This the ktichen I love, have linked to it on many threads, goregous
www.higham.co.uk/sydenhamkitchen.htm

Hi pannacotta

Thank you

I have already been in touch with them and been to see their workshop in Hampshire.

I am in love with their handless shaker (sorry can't link on phone).

Still hoping to find someone who has had one of their kitchens to hear what the end result was like and whether the quality and durability of the cabinetry is as good as its claimed.

I have been looking at Kitstone (Neptune) too but unsure whether DeVol would actually be better quality for the same money??

Have had a Smeg 5-burner gas hob for years, love it. You're right that recirculating extractors are useless, I'd put money on that being the cause of the stickiness! Get a really good one vented to the outside, it's a great investment.

Thank you fresh!

I really want gas again but want to avoid stickyness. My DCs provide plenty of that!

Anyone got any views on downdraft extractors??

Why dont you just ask Higham to put you in touch with previous customers so you can go round and have a look at their kitchens and ask what they thought of them?

Dont know about kitstone or devol sorry.

Are downsdrat extractors the ones which vent below the floor?

No experience with downdraft ones; but given how powerful one needs to be that is over the cooking when I'm doing really smoky things (stir frying, browning meats prior to slow cooking) I can't help be sceptical that a downdraft one could produce enough downdraft to counter the updraft created from the heat of the 18kW burner.

We've got an Elica Cube 90 RM which is about the most powerful domestic one I could find and even that doesn't completely capture all the smoke/fumes when stir-frying over the 18kW burner. It is however not bad; would be reluctant to recommend it though as for the price we paid (£600) I was expecting it to be fantastic - I previously installed a £100 Hotpoint in the last house, that was only about 1/3rd as powerful and although the Elica is much quieter on the low settings and significantly better at extracting on the high settings I don't think its 6 times better...

NB. The downdrafts I am looking at have between 800 and 900mh/3. It should work better than a ceiling mounted one as its much much closer to the cooking.

I liked the idea that the motor for the downdraft can be fitted in my basement so the extractor will be very quiet compared to most.

I currently have an Elica ceiling mounted one (installed by previous owners) and it isn't very good. I think it retails for £700 but it certainly isn't worth that. To be fair it's recirculating but I think it's should be better given their prices.

The one I have is rated at much the same (I think 1000 m3/ph) and I still get fumes spilling around the sides due to the convection generated by the big burner on full...

We'll have to wait and see if someone with a downdraft one can offer any insight; and then I can find out what I should have bought :(

NB. I guess it is hard to contain fumes/smoke etc when using the biggest burner.

I will go away and see if I can find some reviews if they exist.

Still hoping to find someone with a Highams, Kitstone or a devol kitchen so bumping for the evening crowd.

Am bumping this too as now looking at the same companies. Skandi, sounds like you are happy so far from your DM. I really like the look of Higham. Anyone tried Devol?

Hi all,

Just seen this thread - I don't have any experience of Highams, kitstone or devol but always liked the look of the Davonport shaker kitchen...just got to save up for it now

No kitchen company comments, but re induction hobs...

We have a Neff one. It's now 7 years old and is great; heats fast, I love that I can out it on a timer eg, simmer for 20 mins while I'm upstairs and know it won't boil over. If you're going to have it in an island the induction hobs are much more streamlined and quicker to clean than gas ones, even gas ones with flat 'trivets'. Make sure you have storage nearby for oil, utensils etc.