19 November 2019

Reviews for induction stove, clothes dryer and dishwasher

Today, I've written about our Bosch induction stove top, Bosch heat pump clothes dryer and Miele dishwasher. Water and energy efficiency is the most important thing to me when I buy a new appliance. I searched through our old water and electricity accounts yesterday and discovered that there has been no increase in our water or electricity consumption since we bought these appliances. For years we've used between 150 and 200 litres of water per day and between 140 and 200 kWh of electricity. Both those figures are under the average usage for a two person household in Australia.

Bosch PIJ611BB1E 60cm induction cooktop

Earlier this year we replaced our gas cooktop with a Bosch PIJ611BB1E, 60cm, induction, three burner cooktop. We paid $999 for ours but I notice they're currently listed on the Bosch Australian site $1699 and on Appliances Online for $1265. It always pays to look around for the best price.  I'm very happy with the stove.  We chose the three burner because we're past the stage of needing more burners to cook meals. So far I haven't regretted that choice.



The first thing I cooked on the new stove was custard and I burnt it so badly that Hanno had to remove the burns with his electric drill with a metal brush attached. Oops.  That taught me that I wasn't cooking with gas any more and I took more notice of what I was doing.  The main feature of the stove, in my opinion, is that it has an extremely wide heating range - from 1, which I use to keep cooked food warm if I can't serve it straight away, to 9 which you can really only leave at the temperature for a short amount of time because it's super hot. The heating goes up in half increments so you go 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 etc. Now I generally start off on nine when I'm boiling vegetables, leave it until the water starts to bubble (about two minutes), then I turn the temperature down to about 5 to continue cooking.

Amazingly, there is an even hotter setting than 9 - Power Boost. I can't trust myself to use it wisely 🙄 but one of my sons has a similar Bosch stove and he told me he can heat a saucepan of water to boiling point in 90 seconds.  If you use the timer, it automatically turns off the stove at the assigned time. It also has a child-proof lock that you can use if there are children around and easy touch controls at the front of the stove.


Overall I'm very pleased with my stove. Once you get used to the very high heat settings and how to use them, it's easy to cook meals and keep them warm. There are only two things I can think of that may be a problem - if you spill milk or water on the stove, or if it boils over, it would run everywhere. On the model we have there is no off control on each of the burners. If I have three burners going and want to turn one of them off, I have to keep my finger on the reduce heat control until it's on zero. However, you can turn all the burners off at the same time with the off control.


You need specific types of pots and pans to cook with induction heat. I have used copper-based steel pots (Scanpan and Essteele), as well as enamelled steel and cast iron. This is from the Bosch website.  In general:
  • To cook on an induction cooker or hob, you need cookware made from stainless steel with a magnetised base, enamelled steel or cast iron, as well as special cookware. 
  • Not suitable for induction hobs is cookware made from aluminium, copper, glass/ceramic, crockery and stainless steel with a non-magnetised base.
You can check your old cookware by testing with a magnet.  If the magnet holds onto the base of the saucepan, it should be suitable for cooking on the stove.

One of the best features is how easy it is to clean. I usually wipe my stove down at night with a damp rag with a drop of washing up liquid. But even when doing a full clean after frying or making pancakes, it takes less than two minutes, maximum.  There are special wipes and liquid you can buy to clean induction stoves but I don't think they're necessary.  Keep it simple.


Bosch WTW87564AU 9kg Serie 8 Heat Pump Dryer


It was a big step for us to buy this appliance. We'd lived with a dryer that we didn't use for many years, then got rid of it - the dryer I bought to dry nappies, then stood idle for 20 years. I prefer sun dried clothes and the sun is free. However, when we aged a bit we both had balance problems - looking up or up and down caused problems, so we decided to look around for a dryer.  


I was really surprised to find there was new technology used in dryers.  Heat pump dryers are designed to work without conventional heating and the existing heat is reused constantly, reducing energy usage.


The dryer is quiet and quick. I put ours on a mixed load setting with complete drying and a full 9kg load takes less than 90 minutes to dry.  It has a sensor that measures the level of moisture in the clothes and turns the dryer off when that level of dryness is reached.  If you like ironing damp shirts, for example, you can set the dryer to stop at that level of dryness. I like that the level of heat is minimal so clothes don't shrink due to over heating.

If we didn't have the health problems we do, we wouldn't have bought this appliance but with it we remain independent and don't have to keep asking our family to help us.


Miele Under Bench Dishwasher G6100SCU 

We bought our dishwasher in 2015 after voluntarily living without a dishwasher for a few years. Over the years the technology had improved a lot and when I researched our buy, I was pleased to find both excellent water and electricity efficiency. With hand washing, our water bill had been rising steadily and when we bought the dishwasher it slowly went down.

The dishwasher is quiet and easy to pack, has a wonderful cutlery drawer that I also use for jar lids, bottle tops and little bits and pieces. It does a perfectly clean wash EVERY time.

My DIL Sunny was against buying a dishwasher for their new home. She said the dishwashers she'd seen in houses didn't wash properly.  But when they lived here with us for four months before moving into their house, she fell in love with our dishwasher. She loved the cutlery drawer (I do too) and she said it cleaned just as good as a commercial dishwasher (she's a chef). So they took the details of ours and bought a later version of the same machine.  We're both still happy with our purchases.


This dishwasher is three years old now so I looked to see if it's still available. I couldn't find it on any of the large appliance sites. There are still Miele dishwashers with cutlery drawers, so if you're looking for a dishwasher, I do recommend the cutlery drawer, so check out the current models online - for energy and water efficiency, price and reviews, before you buy.

I've just discovered a review of my AEG oven which we replaced February 2016, it's here.

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20 comments

  1. Thank you for taking the time to review what appliances you are using Rhonda. We will be moving into retirement late next year so I have to use this time to get us sorted. Plus I just love photos of your home!

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    1. Thanks Roz, it's just a run of the mill 1980s brick slab house but we've made many modifications and it suits us down to the ground. I can't imagine living anywhere else now.

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  2. Rhonda, I have never heard of those dryers. We have the older type but don't use it much these days as it hardly rains anymore. We probably should have put in a dishwasher when doing the renovations as you said you really liked yours but I have discovered I am a creature of habit :-)

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  3. I am glad you are satisfied with your modern appliances, they have changed tremendously.

    Can I recommend for those who cannot afford a hob as good as yours that the small free-standing ones (as little as £35 in the UK) they are much safer to use if you are older, or if you have small children, as the hob cools very quickly after use as the heat is produced in the saucepan itself rather than in the hob, so there is only a small amount of heat within the hob. It is so much safer than a hob with an open flame if you have any balance issues. I find ordinary enamelled saucepans work well for most things, with just a non-stick pan with an induction base for milk or sauces.

    I never thought I would ever give up my gas hob, but when we moved house, I bought one. I will never, ever go back! Induction is a winner

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  4. We will be looking for a new dishwasher and desire a quiet model. Not sure if we can find that brand here in the States. Would you mind sharing the cost of the model you purchased? TIA

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    1. Daisy, Miele is a German company that sells world-wide. Ours was bought in 2015 and I forget what we paid for it now.

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  5. That is very educational about your cooktop. In the past I've had an electric stove with a flat top. I had to buy a canner that was flat on the bottom, rather than a cheaper enamelware canner for food preserving. Also You have to remove your pot from the burner or else (on mine at least) it kept warming the pot, whereas on a gas burner the heat is gone. I have gas now, which I prefer. I like your review because it was very helpful to explain the material of the pots needed, etc. I do have a newer steam dryer which is nice for non-wrinkly clothes! And my dishwasher is older (9 years old) so not energy efficient but cleans beautifully. My children's newer dishwashers take a very long time (twice the cleaning time) and don't clean well. I also prefer the older washing machines for cleanliness. Andrea

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    1. We use the 60 minute cycle for dishwashing and that always gives us a beautifully clean wash.

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  6. Not only a review, but a tutorial, too! Thank you so much! Now I have an idea of what to go look for as I start shopping for this house. We certainly need a new dishwasher, as our three personal "dishwashers" (the kids) are all teenagers now and we are getting BUSY!

    Glad to hear from you. I know you're not near Sydney, but hearing about all the widespread dry conditions was worrisome.

    Have a great day!
    Yvette

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  7. Good morning Rhonda thankyou we really appreciate you taking the time to give us these reviews. We are progressing on our year by year process to make our home more practical for how we live our life now,and like you to maintain our independence in the future. A few sunny days down here mean the tomatoes are growing each day and my blueberry bush in spot is laden. I doubt we will get many though as grandchildren checking them at each visit😋

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  8. This is a great reference guide for good appliances that are eco-friendly! We will be replacing our electric range soon and will definitely look at the Bosch.

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  9. We have the same Miele dishwasher as Rhonda does, and it replaced an earlier Miele that was still going after 25 years! It had two service calls, I think, in all that time. The new one is quieter and more energy efficient, and we love it. Hope to get another 25 years worth ...

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    1. Thanks for sharing your information with us, Jenny.

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  10. I hav purchased a single induction hot plate and found I needed to buy new saucepans. When I do use it is fantastic and I was pleased to read your instructions. They helped me. Thank you.

    I would like to tell you about our experience with a heat pump hot water system. We have a huge unit for two people but it was purchased when there were five adults in the house hold. We have never run out of hotter even though we are on an off peak plan. We were able to receive solar rebates even though it is electric. Our bills for hot water are so low. I am very happy with this purchase.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your info, Suzan. Hot water bills generally take up about 30 percent of the electricity bill so if we can get that hot water component down, it's a good saving. I haven't heard of the heat pump hot water systems but it sound as if it's working well for you. We have had solar hot water for the last 22 years. We got a government rebate when we installed it, then it took us about two years to get back our original investment through the reduced electricity payments. We use the booster maybe once or twice in winter when it's raining but apart from that our hot water is free.

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  11. We have similar appliances here although I don't have a tumble drier. Finding an energy efficient appliance is getting easier these days which is great although sometimes it can feel a tad overwhelming with all the choice. We have an excellent company here in the UK called Which? (the question mark is part of their logo!) who regularly do reviews of all manner of items and is always somewhere we look to for guidance when making such a purchase.

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  12. I only have a washing machine and a 4 hot-plate electric stove. As 2 of our 4 children have moved out, I don't find a dryer or dishwasher necessary now. If I was to buy though, a dishwasher that is, I would go for Miele. I have had 2 Bosh ones over the years and was never really satisfied with either of them. I agree with you about buying the best quality one can afford, It really pays off in the long run. Pam

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  13. Glad you're enjoying your new induction hob Rhonda. I got a freestanding cooker with induction hob a couple of years ago and love it. However, a word of warning, I managed to smash my hob when I accidentally dropped a metal 1 cup measure on it, and it cost just about half the price of the actual cooker to get a replacement! So beware, do be careful with it...I also have cast iron pans which are particularly heavy so I have to be careful not to put them down too quickly, and I keep a wooden cover over the hob when it's not in use, just in case. Handy when the grandchildren are about!

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  14. All good appliances. My Bosch dishwasher and washer machine are very noisy so it’s good to know there are quieter appliances out there.

    A word of warning about induction hobs though. I wanted one but they are not suitable for use by people who have cardiac pacemakers as the magnetic field interferes with the pacemaker function. You have to be at least 60 cms away from the hob for safety which makes cooking on it virtually impossible.

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