This month, the Cyberhomes crew will share what's on our wish lists for the holiday season. Join us for 12 days of great gift ideas for home and real estate buffs.
Dave Fyffe, Cyberhomes database architect
On my wish list: A 36-inch Viking sealed burner rangetop to replace an existing 36-inch Creda cooktop. The difference between a rangetop and a cooktop is that a cooktop sits on top of the counter and a rangetop is built down into it, and usually has the control knobs on the front instead of on the top. Having the knobs on the front frees up additional cooking space — I would have six full-sized burners instead of the current five. It also makes cleaning much easier since spills can't get on or under the knobs. The real advantage of the Viking, though, is its burners. They provide very equally distributed and consistent heating across a wide range of temperature settings. These rangetops provide everything from an extra-low temperature setting to a very high one, a much wider range than standard stoves.
Cost: The rangetop sells for about $3,000. Installation would incur additional costs and would involve cutting the granite counter top to accommodate the unit, removing the drawer below the existing rangetop, installing the unit, connecting the gas and electrical connections, installing a stainless-steel backsplash and trimming in the new rangetop. If I had to guess, I would say these tasks combined are probably in the $1,500 range.
Gift's added value to home: Replacing the cooktop wouldn't directly add financial value to the home but would definitely enhance the kitchen. I've already replaced the dishwasher with a top-of-line Miele and the kitchen faucet with a solid stainless KWC commercial faucet; the Viking rangetop would bring the stove up to the same quality of product.
My gift to you: Everyone who enjoys cooking HAS to have The Best Recipe by the editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine. I love this cookbook and have given it as a gift on numerous occasions. The book is based on the results of Cooks Illustrated's team of chefs getting together in their test kitchen to devise the best recipe for more than 1,000 dishes, from chicken pot pies to crème brulee to roast turkey with giblet gravy. The book also discusses all the various cooking times and temperatures, techniques, tools and ingredients that they experimented with for each recipe, and the results of each. In the recipe for clam chowder, for instance, they cover the types of clams they tried and why they made their choice, run through the different thickening agents and techniques, etc. They also evaluate many kitchen utensils such as cookie sheets, mandolin slicers and waffle irons, and make recommendations based on price vs. performance. I have never had a recipe from this book come out to be anything less perfect.
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—Dave Fyffe