Why We DIY
To catch you all up to speed, my husband (Tom) and I are in the midst of a kitchen renovation.
Actually, it affects our entire downstairs area. I wrote a post on our renovation plans here and you can see what we hope the finished product resembles.
We've been without a kitchen for two weeks now. We wash dishes in the bathroom sink, dust from demo work has begun to settle throughout the entire home, and we have no where to "sit" besides a bed and a desk. We have to shower nearly every night to get the grime out of our hair, and all our spare moments are usually filled with planning for the "next step." This will go on for another several weeks.
If you're reading this and thinking to yourself "Whyyyy?? Why do you do that to yourself, when you could have someone else do it FOR you?" then you're in the right place. Not to mention the fact that we get asked this question pretty frequently, so it seemed like a good time to answer! Let me explain to you why we DIY. Who knows, maybe you'll catch the bug too!
1. It saves money
I bet you saw that one coming.
It's true! It saves an enormous amount of money. If you were to Google "cost of a kitchen remodel" I guarantee you wouldn't see an answer for less than 20K. If you do see it for less than that, it certainly wouldn't include new cabinets, floors, or backsplashes. Let me tell you a secret... our total renovation for our downstairs will cost around 8K. That includes new appliances, countertops, cabinets, a sink, lighting, demolition, paint, and more. It's so cost effective it's not even funny. Okay, maybe a little funny.
2. You learn
Education is priceless, is it not? Well, when our inspector came rolling in the other day to make sure our renovation was a go, I held my own and talked about Romex wire and joked about the lack of GFCI outlets where they should obviously be placed. It felt good to know what the heck I was talking about and not stand there with a glazed over, blank stare. Don't mistake me, we are certainly no replacements for plumbers and electricians, but we do heavy research for even the smallest things and quadruple check that we're doing everything correctly. It's incredibly rewarding. Especially when something breaks, even if just slightly, and we can fix it ourselves right away instead of waiting for help to come and charge us an arm and a leg. Did I mention it also teaches you patience? A good one for the sinfully impatient ones like me.
3. We enjoy it
A work of your own hands is something that you can attach a very personal pride to. We get bumps and bruises, work long, tiring hours, and get dirt on our hands and paint on our cheeks. But we do it together... and as a couple, we've grown. It's taught us how to disagree in a freakishly agreeable way. It's very stressful work, but we've learned to take a grain of salt with every set-back and not get too distraught. It's fun! Not always, of course, but much of the enjoyment comes from the attitudes of those working on it. So we just keep it positive and share the love of the reno-life.
4. We go at our own pace
You know that old saying, "There's no time like the present!"
Well, we get to control when "the present" really is. We tackle one room at a time based on schedule, finances, or whatever else. Sometimes we've gone straight from one project to the next, and other times we've given ourselves a break from the chaos. We get to decide when a project starts and ends and we don't have to wait on people to show up and do the work... because it's always us! We've even been spontaneous and started a project after talking about it only a day prior. We weren't going to even start the kitchen until this fall, but the pieces aligned and we created a schedule and got to work.
5. Customization
Sure, you can ask a contractor to do something an exact certain way, but you can't always guarantee the message will get across just how you mean it. Plus, by doing it yourself, you get the option of finding all the parts for as little or as much money and from wherever you choose. That means I get to find weird quirky pieces to add at the last minute without having to halt anyone's work or try to schedule around someone else's time.
6. It was passed down
Both Tom and I come from families who DIYed. Having grown up with handy fathers and creative moms, we are especially open to the possibilities that doing it yourself brings along. I lived in a house that was undergoing a gut job and I spent my summer playing in boxes from the new cabinets in our backyard. I've helped hold tools while I watched my dad fix things, and I dragged my feet through many a home improvement store. Tom spent a summer or two as a handy man, and his skills have easily transferred into our renovation life. We love being able to call our parents and ask for help and learn from their experiences.
7. We can
We're young and able. We're smart. We can handle (and happily welcome) the challenge and brain power it takes to figure out all the idiosyncrasies of doing it yourself.
For us, the bigger question with DIY has become...
...why not?
What about you? A DIYer, or not so much? Questions for me? Leave a comment!
Welcome to Joy Lynn
If you've been a reader of my previous blogs For the Love of Tuna or The Accidental House Blog, (I hope) you've been anxiously awaiting this elusive announcement. At long last, here I am! Rebranded with a new name and entirely new feel.
If you were not previously a reader of my blogs, a warm welcome to you! You've joined us at an exciting time!
There are some pretty obvious changes going on in this new space, but let me explain what exactly has changed and why.
For the Love of Tuna (which focused solely on life, marriage, and travel) and The Accidental House Blog (which followed our homeownership adventures) are no more. They've been put to rest, and replaced with a fresh face and different angle: Joy Lynn.
You see, I came to realize that the things in life that I love, should not be compartmentalized. I love marriage, travel, house renovations and DIY, and all the bits and pieces in between. Trying to keep those pieces in separate, precise niches felt unnatural. It forced me to love one more than the other one day, and less the next. Why can't I love them and talk about them as one all-encompassing joy of my life? That is what they add up to, afterall. The passionate, hard, beautiful, creative pieces of my life. They deserve to share a space online in the same way they share space in my everyday life.
This is my lifestyle. This is Joy Lynn.
Joy Lynn is a lifestyle blog centered around living simply, adventuring daily, strong marriage, home improvements, and creating a life filled with lessons learned and grateful hearts.
Why did I choose my own name? Because a bunch of other people do it? Because I'm a narcissist?
I chose my name for several reasons. One being that I do actually think my name is rather melodic and pretty. And don't take that as me being full of myself -- I didn't name me! Secondly, if you haven't noticed, this thing called life ebbs and flows. It pushes and pulls. It stretches you and gives you times of peace. There are few things that don't change with time... but names are usually one of them. My name is Joy Lynn, and it always will be. Even if my interest in travel becomes a thing of the past. Even if I lose my love for baking. Even if my house burns down. I am still going to be Joy Lynn.
I would strongly encourage you to visit my about page to familiarize yourself with this new community and find out the best ways for you to stay connected with what we have going on at Joy Lynn.
You'll find some content from both my previous blogs, but as a whole, the content has been whittled down to the well-knowns and my personal favorites. I've made space for so much more room to grow!
You'll also see some of my favorite Amazon products listed in the sidebar of my blog post pages. They'll change from time to time, but they are all items I own and love and thought you might love too! Plus, I'll always have very affordable items there because I'm incredibly thrifty.
If you'd like to just say hi, approach me about a guest post or collaboration, or talk about sponsorships and advertising on Joy Lynn, visit my contact page and shoot me a note. I'd love to hear from you!
Things to come...
Finally, as the weeks go on, you may see more fun items launch on the Joy Lynn community. This blog was designed by me entirely (in fact, my Joy Lynn logo is my actual signature) and it wasn't nearly as intimidating as you'd think. I use the platform Squarespace, and I feel so strongly about the benefits it offers to people of all skill levels to be able to start their own blog, website, or online business. I've designed a large handful of websites using this platform and I want to lead others down this path as well. It may not be for everyone, but as an extremely tech savvy person with experience in coding and web design, Squarespace is my absolute favorite between the "biggies" - Wordpress, Blogger, and Squarespace. Keep an eye out for more info, or reach out to me in the meantime if you'd like to talk website design.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, dear readers! The last couple of years have been such a pleasure. The blogging community is such an incredible, unique place, and I am forever grateful to all who are a part of it. My journey in creative markets of the world is so inspiring and sharing it with each of you is lovely. You all encourage me in ways you don't even realize. I am looking forward to this new phase immensely... just as long as you're all by my side.
Nashville, TN
Usually, when I do posts on my travels, I itemize each day's itinerary. Check out our trips to San Antonio and The Blue Ridge Mountains and you'll see what I mean.
That being said, Nashville was its own kind of crazy and I decided it was more worthy of a story.
As many of our trips stem from, this trip was business for Thomas. He had a conference to attend, and being the tag along that I am, forced my way onto the itinerary.
*That is a complete an utter lie. Tom loves when I come along and it's almost always his idea*
Since we're geniuses, we stayed in the world's most comfortable, adorable Airbnb. Here's the listing. It looked exactly like the photos, but even better. If I'm being honest, Nashville is actually rather saturated in amazing Airbnb's. I'm not sure why anyone would bother with a hotel in Music City... but I digress.
It was located in East Nashville, and was above their detached garage. We had a parking spot, private entry, and full amenities in the most perfect studio. Both of us remarked that it weirdly smelled and felt like home which we loved, and would have made a super cute first apartment. Our host was amazing, and I had a nice chat with her one morning while she was in the back yard with their two friendly dogs. She pointed me in the direction of good food, coffee, and bars (many of which in walking distance). She was a total delight and so sweet! We would highly recommend staying there.
Nashville is my definition of a perfect, small-town city. You can walk to so many corner coffee shops (none of which are Starbucks) and drive from one end of town to the other in about twenty minutes. I desperately miss living in a city with soul, I'll admit. Being in Nashville felt very natural to me... who knows, maybe we'll find ourselves there next!
We had some awesome meals which included Burger Up, Mas Tacos Por Favor, Taco Mamacita, and Lockeland Table. My favorite meal was honestly from Mas Tacos Por Favor - super yummy street tacos. Done and done.
For coffee, I walked to Portland Brew and Barista Parlor and drove to Eighth and Roast. Each of these was awesome in totally different ways. Portland Brew was great for working and spending the day in, as it had tons of space. Plus, I met up with a college buddy there who writes as well - Tanner from Written to Speak - he's really, really awesome guys. He writes about some seriously tough stuff and the encouragement I walked away with was amazing. Barista Parlor was crazy hipster and they were not shy about their snobbiness in regards to coffee... and I love me some coffee snobs, so it was a win-win. And Eighth and Roast... well, let's just say I happened to have my morning joe with the lead singer of one of my favorite bands like it was NBD while I was secretly freaking out on the inside. No, I did not take creeper photos, but I was certainly tempted to. We had a nice, casual chat for about a half hour or so and he was very kind. Here's a not so subtle hint as to who it was:
While there, we had a little mini reunion of sorts with a some friends from college. Tanner, as I mentioned before, was my coffee buddy for two of the mornings and I grabbed dinner with my friend Anna and then drinks afterwards with all four of us at a bar called Old Glory which was super cool, weird, and dark. For a Tuesday night, it was pretty busy and our poor bartender was taking breaks at our table - haha - like literally sitting in our booth talking with us to catch a breath. We had such a blast catching up, talking about serious things, and joking about anything and everything. However, even the slightest of hangovers doesn't bode well with our no-longer-21-year-old selves and we were draggingggg the next day.
Since Tom was in conferences everyday until dinner, I spent my days walking to coffee shops to work, hanging out in the Airbnb to work, and doing a little exploring of the city. My exploring kind of halted when I got into a car accident - which was my fault and thankfully no one was hurt - but it shook me up enough to want to leave my keys tucked out of sight for the rest of the trip. This idea was short lived, because Tom forgot his conference lanyard the very next morning and I had to rush it down to him, but it was worth a shot. My car was amazingly left (mostly) unscathed, but the other guy lost his front bumper. He was gracious, but that's probably because I apologized profusely while hyperventilating and took full blame. We all admitted it was an honest accident, though, and it was very civil and calm. Later that night, since I was just on a roll with life, my phone slipped out of my purse pocket a mere FOUR inches to the ground and cracked the screen. LOVELY.
Between meeting singers, getting in car wrecks, and breaking phones... our trip to Nashville was one to remember. The friends, culture, sights, food, coffee (bless you, Nashville, for having wonderful coffee), and accommodations truly left us itching to come back/we're kind of in love with the city. Visit Nashville guys. Click the photos to enlarge. Enjoy!
Have any questions about anything from our trip? I'd be glad to answer them!
Oh, and here's a $20 Airbnb credit.
To the person rolling their eyes because I'm on my phone:
There's a few things you should know.
Yes, there is a sad reality between technology and disconnectedness.
But you see, you're only looking at one side of the coin. My generation, though more engaged and "connected" than any generation before, is actually fighting the disease of time-wasting in front of screens. I am in a portion of this millennial generation who did in fact have to memorize my friends' home phone numbers (and their parents always answered the phone first) and spent all my summers outside. I rode my bike to my grocery store job when I was fifteen, and my parents never paid for my gas in high school. I even know how to write in cursive. Believe it or not, we don't like what society has become. You see all these new tools and gadgets and apps, and you shake your head in disgust that we are a generation immersed and obsessed with such products.
Some parents chalk technology and social media up as "stupid, time-wasting, and fake." That may be true when it's not used responsibly as a tool and a privilege. Sadly, by removing themselves from understanding it, and refusing to take part, their young children will never learn the safe and proper ways to use it. Their young children will be exposed to horrible images and bad websites, and inappropriate text messages that their parents will never know about. When these parents do learn about the things their children have been exposed to, they'll call it a stupid waste of time instead of learning how to teach their child the responsibility these devices come with.
By not understanding, yet using some of this technology yourself, you're falling into the thinking that you're not "one of us." But you use it too. And honestly, you don't use it well. You need to ask for help from us and we're willing to offer our assistance. We want to help you understand, save time, and ‘look up’ as much as possible, because that’s exactly what some of these new tools are reminding us to do.
Very few of the people you roll your eyes at have ever received a virus on their devices, because they know the difference between a safe link and an unsafe one. They know the apps that children shouldn’t use and how children can hide things from their parents… and we’re willing to teach you these things too, if only you’d stop rolling your eyes.
The next time you roll your eyes at me and others, consider a few things:
When you roll your eyes at my husband and I as we look at our screens side by side, you don't realize that we're comparing calendars to plan a camping trip for our anniversary.
When you roll your eyes the minute we pull our phones from our pockets, you don't realize my family that lives across the world just sent us an album of their most recent adventures.
When you roll your eyes because I've stared at my phone for ten minutes straight, you don't realize it's because I get to watch my niece's recital that I would otherwise not have had the chance to see myself.
When you roll your eyes because you think I don't make real connections online, you don't realize it was through those connections online that I met my real life friends who I see frequently and share my life with.
When you roll your eyes because I can't experience anything without taking a photo, you don't realize that those photos are creating an incredible, visual memoir of my life. Something that used to require an expensive camera and photo developing, is now less intrusive and cannot be lost or ruined.
When you roll your eyes because our work is so screen based, you don't realize it's because of those screens that we can work from home (or wherever we like) and actually spend more time together than apart. Our work fits around our life instead of the other way around.
When you roll your eyes... but then ask me to help you... do you see the message you're giving?
We've seen life with less technology, and life totally immersed in it. We see the benefits and the damage. We are learning how to use it constructively, but so many others use it to waste their time… including you.
Here's the thing.
You roll your eyes, but you don't see how it impacts the world in such positive ways. You don't realize that the people you're rolling your eyes at don't waste their time on Candy Crush and Facebook as much as you think.
It's because of technology I could design my own kitchen, order it, and actually build it with my own hands instead of having the work done for me. It’s because of technology, my husband can get the right item from the store the first time instead of having to make several trips. It’s because of technology that we haven’t stayed in a hotel for ages because we stay on the property of actual people, hear their stories, and make real connections (I’m talking about Airbnb).
Please person, do not misunderstand me. I know that the term “connected” has a different, and sometimes very “disconnected” meaning anymore. I know that the world online lacks the tangible beauty of the world around me. I know that it’s the simple moments, met with conversations and “disconnectedness” that truly make up this life. I know I have a lot of practicing-what-I-preach to work on. And I know you think it’s stupid. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because you haven’t seen the best of it yet. Maybe you’re using it wrong, so you think I am too.
But maybe, if you’d stop rolling your eyes, you’d notice what I do beyond my screens. You’d see a Christian who tries her darndest to share Christ’s love and encourage others. You’d see a faithful, devoted wife who prioritizes her husband to the best of her ability. You’d see a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend to countless wonderful humans. You’d see a person who loves animals and children and all things lively and bright. You’d see a hard worker who hopes and dreams and prays for the well-being of those around her. You’d see a person who cares, listens, laughs, and teases. You'd see someone who actually advocates for going "screen-free" as often as possible. In the same way that we choose to love one another, you can choose to see me in a light overshadowed by a screen-immersed world. But I sincerely hope that before you roll your eyes, dear person, you remember to show grace and humility instead.
And sure, I’d be glad to help you store your photos somewhere you won’t lose them.
Cancun, Mexico
Almost three short years ago, less than 24 hours after we said our vows, Tom and I landed in Cancun, Mexico for a weeklong honeymoon.
Our time there was, blissful, in a word... and today I thought I'd give you all a peek down memory lane.
Tom and I didn't live together before getting married, so spending a week waking up to each other, getting ready together, and *ahem* other things... felt beautifully earned. We drank and ate all the things. We took a ton of photos. We watched the sun set and rise over the ocean. We read. Talked. Laughed a ton. And shamelessly people watched. It's a week I would never trade for anything... and to think... we almost skimped and decided to go a really lame route! (I talked Tom into the Cancun route and he still thanks me). We loved our resort and the overall ease of the trip and hope to take a vacation like it again sometime soon! .....after we renovate our kitchen....
Things to note about this trip:
- We drank about 100 chunky money's collectively.
- I contracted a horrible canker sore (we think?) on the back of my throat and we took pictures of it growing all week... and it promptly disappeared upon arriving home. It was terribly painful and made eating very difficult. To the point that Tom started soaking my tortilla chips in salsa before handing them over to me to eat. Hahahaha... we laughed about this a lot.
- I found out that I love papaya.
- Tom got burned to a crisp on the first day, so we had to find areas where we could sit side by side - him in the shade, me in the sun :)
- One of the bartenders created a coffee with some sort of peanut butter creamer and we have been trying to duplicate it ever since. Best. EVER.
- We love all inclusive resorts now.
- Eating breakfast while overlooking the ocean is my favorite.
- Rooftop views of the ocean are something of dreams.
- As we were descending into Cancun, Tom's passport went missing. The woman next to us was so kind to try and help us search through all our bags. I was fully prepared to leave him behind. ... but thankfully, I found it between the seat and airplane wall. You can guess who got passport duty after that!
- By the pool, they had a buffet for in between lunch and dinner. Again, the things of dreams, people.
- Room service and eating in a king sized bed.
- Drinking alcohol at anytime of day.
- Watching the awesome Greek family and their shenanigans. They joined in with the dancing entertainment and it was wonderful.
- The nicest employees. So soooo nice.
Where we stayed: GR Caribe Deluxe. It was tastefully decorated in a Moroccan theme. The nice thing was that you also had access to its 'sister resort' next door and could eat there as well. But their guests couldn't use ours :) We truly had such an incredible time and really got to know the staff and waiters who went above and beyond.
It's so fun to look back and reminisce about this trip. Where did you/would you honeymoon?
IKEA Kitchen Planning
If you've ever done a kitchen renovation, you know about the researching, measuring, remeasuring, re-researching, and choices, choices, choices. It's stressful and time consuming, and there are about a million paths you can take based on style, function, and price. If you haven't been through this process, then you've come to a great place.
After looking at the options at Home Depot, Lowes, and IKEA, we've narrowed it down to IKEA. Partially because one of their famous kitchen sales will be starting March 4 - April 17 of this year. The deal is, you have to spend at least $4,000 in order to receive their generous 15% return in the form of a giftcard. That's at least $600 you'll get back for purchasing through them which is about the cost of some appliances.
Regardless of their sale, IKEA also has a 25 year warranty on their kitchens as well as a surprising reputation for quality. Like many people, you may think of IKEA's products as the ones that fall apart after a year of use... but not so with their kitchens. My parents built a house in 2007 and installed a stunning IKEA kitchen that looks practically new to this day. While they were visiting us last week, we asked for their advice on the IKEA front and they whole-heartedly gave their support for it. Especially in a house of our size and price range - it just makes sense.
By using their kitchen planner tool, you can add in all the dimensions of your space, floors, paint colors, correct placement of doors and windows, and even add weird additional structures that your particular space may have. It's a little slow and frustrating sometimes, but you learn how to navigate it well over time.
Our current kitchen has a very awkward layout. The kind of layout you look at and go, "What were these builders thinking? Look at all the wasted space and lack of storage..."
Tom and I love open concept homes (said every HGTV guest ever) and our downstairs has the potential to embody that so well. It just means we need to remove a wall and a pantry and move a fridge. Oh, and add about 3x more storage and about 35 more linear feet of countertops.
Here's the current state of things:
Yeah. It's a cluster. And it's a pain in the butt to function in... just ask the goose egg that's on my head from when I nailed my head on an open cabinet and then wept like a baby on my mother's shoulder.
But here's our plan:
- Remove the wall between the living room and kitchen. So as to scoot the kitchen into the living room just a smidge and open the space.
- Remove the current pantry and put the fridge in its place.
- Smooth the ceilings throughout.
- Paint the walls.
By doing all those things, we can have a space that looks like this:
LOOK AT ALL THE COUNTER SPACE.
I actually made a mock-up of the entire downstairs because we actually own that sectional, table, chairs, and bench... so you guys are seeing the big picture! We wouldn't probably install those built-ins next to the fireplace just yet, but it'll stay in the plans for the future - we just aren't totally sold on them yet.
We love this layout because we aren't sacrificing our pantry, and will instead replace it with one that has drawers (praise Jesus).
Also, you'll notice the half-wall between the rooms. This will serve as a minor separation and something to install outlets on for the kitchen.
We decided to leave the stove where it is so that we don't have to move the gas line, but it'll scoot about five inches to the left of its current position.
Small adjustments will still be made, like adding pendant lights over the long counter and possibly some open shelving above the dishwasher, or a slight change in the drawer combinations of the base cabinets. But overall, the size and dimensions are pretty much set in stone!
We're ecstatic to be moving forward in this process and we'll be sure to keep you all updated as we go along. In the meantime, what do you think?
Considering doing an IKEA kitchen remodel or wondering about something you see in the photos? We'd love to answer any questions you may have :) Feel free to contact us.
The Indian Family Kitchen | by Anjali Pathak
When Tom and I moved to Atlanta a year and a half ago, we had never tried Indian food. We had been serious foodies in Milwaukee, but as a less diverse city, Milwaukee didn't give us a lot of ethnic options. Clearly, we were missing out. We've now found our "go-to" Indian restaurant that we try to frequent, but it's about a 40 minute drive from where we live now.
Given the opportunity to review this cookbook was a welcome privilege. Since we can't visit our favorite Indian locale as easily anymore, this cookbook has brought out the chef in us. We're both naturally inclined to cook as it's something we enjoy, but we also love a challenge. After trying Indian food, we realized we were missing out on a great plethora of flavors -- this cookbook teaches you how to use and master those unfamiliar spices. Reading through each recipe and admiring its beautiful photography helped us realize we're perfectly capable of mastering the Indian cuisine right in our own home.
From whole roasted salmon with coconut and dill, to cumin roast potatoes, to pecan muffins with saffron cream... this beautiful Indian cookbook is, without a doubt, a book to cherish.
Anjali includes helpful secrets to go along with many of her recipes, as well as pages dedicated to her family history. It truly is more than a cookbook, but almost a memoir of an Indian family and the love and tradition they pour into their food. Her recipes are the same classics enriched with new techniques or ingredients. You can read more about Anjali Pathak here.
There is something for everyone in The Indian Family Kitchen. Recipes for beginners and intermediate cooks, meat-lovers and vegetarians, sweet tooths and health conscious persons, and everyone in between. I must say with honesty, keeping a large library of cookbooks is not of interest to me. They take up space and are generally not used. However, I'm convinced that a more ethnic cookbook holds more value in this respect, as it offers more than just recipes, but valuable information about the ingredients and techniques I don't have a natural understanding of. (Click here for a peek inside)
In our excitement to put this book to use, we tried one of the simpler recipes for Valentine's day. The Pomegranate & Ricotta Frozen Yogurt was simple, and in a word... perfection. It called for ingredients I would never mesh together and created such a harmonious dessert, we have already begun the process of a second batch. It was tangy, not overly sweet, creamy, and (seriously) addicting. The drawback was the fact that finding pomegranate molasses was nearly impossible... but we hunted some down before the day was out!
Isn't this book just stunning? Not only are the recipes mouthwateringly irresistible, it makes a gorgeous coffee table book. So happy to have this one in our collection.
For the sake of transparency with my readers, I will always tell you when I've received something for a discounted price (or free) or could potentially receive a commission off a purchase made through one of my links. Thank you for understanding the benefits these sponsorships bring to your favorite bloggers!
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this honest review.
Question: What kind of range is best?
I can't resist a little Office humor.
Here's the dealio.
We're hoping to renovate our kitchen sometime this year and it's going to need all new appliances as well. The fridge has already been chosen, but the range (and we are for sure getting a range) has been of recent discussion lately.
I grew up with electric coils and have never had an issue. Since I learned how to cook on them, the issue of "control" has never bothered me that much and I got used to it. After we got married our apartments used electric coils - still used to it, still not a big deal. When we got our house, though, it came with a gas stove - much to Tom's delight. I had heard him speak highly of gas and the ability to control the temp more easily, so I was looking forward to trying it myself and was honestly convinced I'd love it. We love to cook, so having gas was pretty exciting (searing over electric coils isn't the best... things like that). Sadly, I really do hate to admit it: I hate our gas stove!
Years ago, we made an agreement that I would eventually get the final say on a fridge, and Tom would have the final say on a range. We would take each other's thoughts into account, but it would ultimately be up to that person. The reason we made this agreement is because Thomas feels more strongly about stoves than I do, and I feel strongly about certain fridges.
Unfortunately, I now feel pretty darn strongly about ranges! So we're going over the pros and cons of certain types and trying to make an educated decision. Granted, we won't get one for several months, but it's good to be prepared and be able to keep an eye out for sales on appliances you eventually want to buy.
We are still weighing the pros and cons and I thought it might be sort of fun to open the floor for discussion with others. Let me share with you what we have and please share your two-cents as well in the comments.
Gas
CONS
- Entire cooktop gets hot
- Open flame is dangerous (towels, children's fingers, reaching for cabinets above)
- Middle space too hot to use for drippy spoons/utensils
- Difficult to clean
- Takes forever to boil
- Cannot get to food if dropped under flame
- Cannot whisk for long periods without burning hand/utensil handle
- Can heat room temperature
- Oven takes longer to heat
PROS
- Cheaper
- Temperature control
- Can still use in power outage
Electric (Glass Cooktop)
CONS
- Lack of temperature control
- Hot burner
- Uneven cooking
- Takes a while to boil
- Can't use in a power outage
- Glass could crack/break
PROS
- Cheaper
- Easy clean-up
- No flame
- Only single burner gets hot, not entire surface
- Safer for fabric and children
- Attractive look
- Can use as extra counter space when not in use
Induction
CONS
- Expensive
- Needs special pans (though, we do own them)
- Unknown: neither of us have used it before
- Can't use in a power outage
- Unsure of technical issues
- Lack of product choices or variety
PROS
- Temperature control
- Fast boil time
- Easy cleanup
- Safe, cool surface
- No flame
- Attractive look
- Can use as extra counter space when not in use
This is a really difficult decision! What are your opinions? We don't know a ton about induction, but we're very curious.
I mean, when shopping for these things, even the location of the knobs becomes a factor! We're not sure if we trust a completely "touch-screen" based range - what if something in the software busts? What about ovens that have a small upper level and a larger bottom level? Don't you save some energy and time if you can heat up only the smaller oven for baking cookies or cooking a casserole? Can basic be better in saving yourself from tech errors down the road? What's the deal with slide-in ranges - are they worth the extra cost?
We would LOVE to hear your thoughts!