Best & Worst New Kitchen Appliances for 2024-2025

As we are officially one year plus out of the Pandemic (thank heaven), more new appliances have been introduced in the last 18 months than in the previous five years.

A few are excellent and will change how you cook, cool, wash, and vent.

However, a few have the potential to make your life miserable or, to be polite, are ill-suited for the way you use appliances.

This article will show the best and worst appliances introduced in the last 18 months.

New Appliances 1986-2024

It's hard to believe I have been at Yale for almost forty years. Back in 1986, the hot new finish was white on white.

The hot finish now: white on white.

Overall, in almost forty years, appliances have improved.

You have dishwashers that don't sound like a plane taking off.

Front-load washers clean more clothes with less energy consumed.

Stoves have greater output and functionality.

Refrigerators have more options, are larger, and maintain the same dimensions.

Although appliances need more service, the energy savings of every product are considerable.

But then some machines are complete failures.

Buy one of these, and you will have unceasing issues.

In an industry that cannot handle even the simplest issues and repairs, they will become your problems.

Let's look at some of the industry's worst products ever introduced.

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Best & Worst New Kitchen Appliances for 2024-2025

GE Rotary Compressors 1988

GE had a good idea for designing and manufacturing its compressors.

Except the design was faulty, and nobody wanted to tell Jack Welch, the then-CEO of GE, about the issues.

So they designed this faulty compressor and inserted it into their new, larger, and most expensive refrigerators.

Which failed spectacularly.

It was rumored that GE would spend over $1,000,000,000 in write-offs from 1988 to 1989.

GE was never the same. They were sold in 2016 but never recovered from 1988.

TurboChef and Watch What You Build In Your Cabinets

Have you ever walked into a Dunkin Donuts?

They are more food than donuts these days.

The oven cooking that food is TurboChef.

Yet TurboChef failed in homes because it didn't work incredibly well.

You must be careful about built-ins because replacing them is much harder than a standard refrigerator or dishwasher.

Thermador and JennAir in the 1990s had equally lamentable new convection systems promising faster cooking times.

Both failed as well.

Maytag Neptune 1995-2001

Maytag was the best company I ever sold at Yale.

The Maytag reps, Doug West and Dale Clark, trained me when I was in high school.

Their washers were solid and would last 18 years with almost no service.

My mom had one growing up.

Then, new management produced the first front loaders in the 1990s, dubbed the Neptune, which had bigger capacity and less energy.

When the average washer was selling at $399-499, the Neptune sold unbelievably well at $999.

But it had one issue: There was a gap between the tubs that left standing water. 

Standing water produces mold and mildew.

You couldn't clean it, and the Old Lonely Maytag repairman couldn't fix it.

You had to live with it or get rid of it.

The first question everyone asks when buying a front load is about mold to this day, almost 20 years later.

Maytag was later sold to Whirlpool in a liquidation sale in 2003.

Other Notable Appliance Issues

Today, I don't think any products have Neptune-like failures except perhaps this one:

I will have a section on the new all-in-one washers and dryers.

But the old compact models had a huge problem.

They couldn't effectively remove lint, so the lint would seize the machine over time.

Flash forward to 2023, and GE introduces the first larger all-in-one with a new filter to remove lint.

If it does, you are looking at the future of how we do laundry.

However, you are looking at another Neptune-like problem if these machines cannot.

Now let's look by category.

First is refrigerators.

Built-In Refrigerators

LG Counter-Depth MAX

The LG Counter-Depth MAX French door refrigerator is the story of another company that had compressor issues.

LG settled its class action lawsuit in 2019 over refrigerators produced from 2014-2017.

However, their compressor was flawed, not defective.

LG figured it out and now manufactures some of the most reliable refrigerators.

Except for the icemaker in a French door, which is unreliable in any refrigerator.

The LG Counter-Depth MAX refrigerator settles the debate between choosing the size of a standard depth and the sleek, protruding style of a counter depth.

At 26.5 with a counter depth appearance, the Counter-Depth MAX refrigerator is family-sized.

However, the refrigerator is a single evaporator versus two in other brands with thinner walls and new insulation.

The refrigerator is reliable, but the doors are thicker. So be careful; you don't want this at the end of the cabinets near the door.

Thermador Professional Refrigeration

You open a Thermador Pro, a beautiful refrigerator with many usable features.

The ThermFlex drawer allows you to convert to a refrigerator or freezer.

You have a stainless interior with filtered water and two types of ice for cocktails or everyday drinks.

But Thermador is an integrated refrigerator with a compressor on the bottom, so you lose some cubic footage.

You also have one other problem: You have to be a basketball player to reach the top shelf.

SKS Professional Refrigeration

SKS was the first to design a similar product. For some reason, drawers are the new chic trend in refrigerators.

SKS is a bit better because you only have to be a guard like Russell Westbrook instead of a power forward to reach the top.

Both Thermador and SKS look great with panels.

But the question is, who will spend the 4-6 hours installing one?

Hopefully, that person will be qualified because it isn't easy.

Sub-Zero Professional Refrigeration with Split Climate Technology

Sub-Zero is now available after four years of Pandemic-induced shortages and has made their refrigerators better.

Split Climate sends air in multiple directions for better temperature management.

The French door seems passé compared to the four drawers from the other brands, but at least you can reach it at just over six feet.

Miele French Door Refrigerator

Miele's new French door is Thermador's old French, with updated crispers and better lighting.

They are made in the same Turkish factory, but you can reach the Miele better.

Induction Cooking

Induction cooking is faster when boiling with a better simmer.

It's easier to clean and vent. Your child or anyone else can't turn it on accidentally because induction needs to sense metal.

However, induction is becoming popular because gas is banned in multi-unit towers in many cities.

So induction becomes the next best option.

Fisher & Paykel 48-Inch Induction Range

Fisher & Paykel's new induction range is the best of the now sorry lot of 48-inch induction ranges.

You have six burners with the ability to bridge two. All the burners are relatively powerful at over 3000 watts, with one at 2200.

Fisher  & Paykel has menu-driven controls to help you cook or 15 modes if you already know how to cook.

So, it's a well-featured range except with smaller ovens: 4.8 (3.8 cubic usable) and 2.1 cubic.

Just make sure that works for how you cook.

AGA Elise 48-Inch Induction Range

So pretty. French ranges are so distinctive with their bold colors. Note that blue is not blue but Indigo Blue.

The AGA Elise induction range is inexpensive at $10,499.

You may like the separate broiler.

The smaller ovens at 2.8 cubic feet might also be a problem.

Expert Tip: look before you buy.

However, 48-inch inductions will be more hotly contested as BlueStar and plenty of others introduce theirs.

36-Inch Induction Ranges

At one time, 36-inch induction ranges were rare. Now, almost every brand markets at least one.

Wolf 36" Induction Ranges

Wolf has the best oven, with its twin VertiFlow convection oven and the Wolf Gourmet setting.

You input the food and how you like it cooked, and the oven calculates time, temperature, and even rack position.

Monogram Induction Ranges

Monogram has a 7-inch digital touch screen.

Thermador 36" Induction Ranges

The Liberty induction cooktop distinguishes Thermador because it can be programmed with three different settings: 1-10.

You can boil rice, simmer it, and warm it automatically by moving the pot.

Wolf Induction Cooktops

Wolf is back with an LCD touchscreen, the ability to bridge two burners into one for larger pans, and several different styles.

Signature Kitchen Suite Induction Cooktops

SKS (AKA a brand people don't know) has an interesting new induction cooktop. The surface can detect the metal content in your pans and display the percentage.

Higher metal contents will work better because induction is magnetic.

SKS has a high-wattage burner of 7000 watts in the middle, almost double the average burner.

So this unit can cook extremely fast.

Steam Specialty Cooking

Steam cooking is the best way to cook. You are adding moisture and not baking out flavor.

You can cook almost anything in steam, and it will taste better. However, most steam ovens are hard to use, so you must learn how to cook differently.

Miele and Wolf are the exceptions, with easy-to-use controls.

Miele Steam Oven

The MasterChef is so simple to use. Pick a food. The unit will cook it.

Wolf Steam Oven

Wolf had a big upgrade in 2024 with tons more functionality. You now have automatic programs for the most common items like rice.

You can use the Wolf Gourmet. After you pick the food and how you like it cooked, the oven will calculate the time and temperature.

You now have three settings just for reheating. You can reheat using time or more steam in their humid mode.

You can even reheat food so it's crispy using the Reheat Crispy mode.

As I said, both Miele's and Wolf's steam ovens make steam cooking easy.

Signature Kitchen Suite Steam/Speed Oven

Before buying the standard double wall oven, you can buy different ovens to enhance your cooking.

You are looking at an SKS wall oven with a speed oven top and a steam-assist lower oven. Speed is a microwave with a convection oven.

You can use it as a microwave, convection oven, or combination to cook faster without that rubbery microwave texture.

The bottom oven is steam-assisted, allowing you to add moisture and flavor to your meats and bake bread.

The controls are simple, so you can cook easily without learning a new way.

Gas Cooking

BlueStar 48-Inch Professional Dual Fuel Range

BlueStar once said a sealed burner could never reach a hotter temperature, and they would never market a stove with a clock.

Restaurant ranges do not have clocks. Therefore, BlueStar sticking to its commercial ethos would not be a clock either.

The new BlueStar dual fuel range has the new X8 sealed burner rated at 25,000 BTU. Ironically, the same output as their open burner gas stoves.

They also feature the now common seven-inch clock, timer, and controls.

You can buy any dual fuels in 1000 colors and ten trims to make your range unique.

Wonder if restaurants have 1000 color choices for their ranges?

Signature Kitchen Suite Pro Gas Range

When every company scrambles to market induction or dual fuel, there aren't many innovations in all-gas ranges.

All gas ranges tend to be less expensive. They are also better for roasting with their moister heat and for broiling with infrared broilers.

The new SKS has 23,000 and 15,000 BTU burners and an easy-to-use control panel.

You also have timers on the knobs as well.

I understand the green element of electrification, but induction requires 38 more amps than induction.

With mass adoption, that requires way more electricity.

New Combo Washers & Heat Pump Dryers

And now these...The much-anticipated and glorified yet risky combo washers and dryers.

Put in the clothes dirty, and they will be clean and dry at the end of the cycle.

So now you can do laundry before you go to bed or the office and have it ready.

Ventless & Heat Pump Dryers

Heat pump dryers are far more efficient in recycling air using a compressor, an air exchanger, and an evaporator to remove moisture.

You will save $150-200 annually in energy costs versus vented machines.

These combos are all 120 volts and are ventless. So they can be placed almost anywhere.

All-in-One Washer & Dryer Problems

The original combination washers and dryers failed because they could not remove lint.

That lint stays inside the machine for a future impossible service call.

Time

Each machine takes a much longer time to complete a cycle. You also can't reload like a separate washer and dryer either.

They are all new, so we do not know their reliability yet, and reviews are everywhere.

Although I like the combo, the following are safer alternatives.

LG WashTowers with Heat Pump Dryers

When introduced in 2020, the LG WashTower was one of the most popular appliances ever introduced.

The controls are easily accessible in the middle instead of stacking a separate dryer in a washer (although now you can control many on an app, so no more reaching).

The WashTower now has a full-size and compact 24-inch model with a more efficient heat pump.

Unlike the combos, you have a more efficient heat pump and the ability to reload.

However, you must remember to transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer, as you probably do now.

LG Heat Pump Dryer

LG also produces the largest heat pump dryer at 7.8 cubic feet, providing efficient, ventless operation and the ability to handle larger loads.

Ventilation

You planned a beautiful new kitchen with all your favorite brands.

That is good.

Venting is an important consideration, especially if you are cooking.

It turns out that burning fats produces some harmful compounds like Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Formaldehyde, among others.

You want that out of your house before your new energy-efficient windows keep it in.

Expert Tip: Optimum venting includes good CFM, a depth of 23 inches, and short venting.

Grab our Ventilation Buying Guide if you want to learn more.

Monogram Brass Hood

Nothing says good venting can't be good-looking. The Monogram is new and all brass for a distinctive look.

Just don't place it too high. It should be 30 inches over the cooking surface.

Yale Hoods

Wood hoods are a nice way to distinguish your kitchen. However, you still need the light, filters, controls, and blowers to fit inside.

The blower part is tougher because the outside, inline, and internal blowers differ.

Except on the Yale, the blower can be used anywhere, so you don't have to worry about buying the wrong blower.

New Colors

Boston Magazine declared green to be the new trendy color. Yet, when we sold lighting, green was the least popular color (except over pool tables).

Many brands now offer color options, such as True, BlueStar, La Cornue, Bertazzoni, Fisher & Paykel, and Café.

Placing a pop of color is a good idea in a kitchen.

However, the two most popular colors after stainless steel are white and black.

Unbelievably, polished brass is the new accent, as it was when I started.

This brings us to white and brass, two finishes once hot in the 1980s.

Best and Worst Appliances: Key Takeaways

First, there are a bunch of exciting cooking products that allow you to do better.

You finally don't need a PhD to operate a steam oven. You just need to press a button.

You also have plenty of choices other than stainless steel.

New refrigerators are good-looking but only functional if you can dunk a basketball.

Heat pump dryers may be the best energy-saving innovation since front-load washers debuted 30 years ago.

The combo could be the laundry of the future or the next disaster.

Only time will tell.

Additional Resources

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