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Hi st2, Have not done much homework on Phillips. I did not like the look of it very much, though it seems to be good value for money. My Phillips blender conked off within a few months, so I did not check the FP. Counter space is a major hassle. One other reason I am delaying my purchases. Thanks for the info on KitchenAid. Its on my wish list after FP :-).

Hi st2, The problem with Mayer is that they know that they have a captive market, as they have sole distributership of many of their products. A real pity, as most of the appliances they sell are quite good. I have never used a Food Processor before for my doughs, but I too want it mainly for shortcrust pastries ( and pizza and bread dough). Like you I also have a blender and in addition a heavy duty mixer grinder. So I have not rushed to buy the Cuisinart (model MP14 is the only medium sized one available for Singapore). I am also looking at Bosch MUM46CR as I don't have a kitchen machine ( I use a Phillips stand mixer) and this model has both KM and FP. But I am not finding enough reviews for the Bosch. Whereas Cuisinart, KitchenAid and Magimix have quite a big following. Of the 3, Cuisinart is the cheapest and for dough its supposed to give the best results. The price is stable at 499 in Mayer, Tangs and Pantry Magic over last year or so, with no one ready to come down. I am waiting with the hope that they will eventually have a sale ;-). If you want something in lower budget, you can try Braun Multiquik 3. It retails at 189, but I have seen it at 169 in Best Denki few months back during a sale. Again, there isn't enough feedback on Braun. I brought Brandt one year back (Jan 2010) from Mega Discount Store at SGD840. Are you happy with your KitchenAid? I would love to have KitchenAid Kitchen Machine some day, but I don't want to freak out my hubby as he is already not convinced over the need for a FP. I totally understand about wanting to make ice cream. I bought Phillips ice cream machine a few months back and home made ice cream is great. I find it most useful for making plain old vanilla. We get a lot of great flavours and fancy ice cream outside, but a good quality vanilla is really difficult to find. Those that are good as quite expensive and its quite killing to pay that price for a vanilla ice cream.

Hi st2, Which Kitchen Aid do you have? I am actually eyeing the Cuisinart FP and have made multiple rounds to Mayer in different malls, but I simply hate the attitude of the sales staff there. If I have to buy, then it will be from Tangs or Pantry Magic. I usually bake 6 to 7 dozen cookies for PTA meets or my children's outings, so the convection is really useful for me. If I keep my dough ready overnight, I am out of kitchen in less than an hour as compared to the ages I used to take with my conventional oven. I also find it useful for roasting chicken, lamb shank or pork knuckle. Do let us know when you make your big purchase :-). Hi Waikwok, All the standard built-in models range from 51 ltrs to 58 ltrs. But if you see the actual space, there isn't much difference to base our decision. If you really need a substantially big oven, you can try the Ariston Openspace Oven which is 70 ltrs and fits in the same dimensions of the regular built-in cabinet. I would suggest you take cardboard cutouts of the maximum dimensions you need while window shopping, so that you can test for yourself. Rina Electricals at Shaw Centre displays all the models of major European Brands. Other stores may just display a few and show catalogue for rest. So its best to check the model at Rina and then purchase it from whoever gives you the best price.

Hi st2, 2 8'' tins do fit on the rack with bit of adjustment, without touching. I have not tried baking cakes on different levels, only cookies as I can rotate cookies midways. I have baked cookies on convection setting without rotating, too, but the rotated ones look slightly more even coloured. I always thought cake won't bake evenly on two racks and I didn't want to open door to change racks for cakes. But I will give it a try in few days time and let you know if it works without rotating. 811 is a bit smaller compared to Bosch and Ariston in the same range, but it was more suited for my needs. Bosch was quite tempting, but did not have "only bottom" heating, which I find useful for pies and tarts and other users had complained about Ariston after sales service. The Brandt is so far so good (keeping my fingers crossed).

Hi st2, The steel grids pose no hassle while using normal baking trays and pans, which fit in the oven. The only time I find them cumbersome is when I am using over sized foil pans, which need to be reshaped when putting in the oven. But as these occasions are quite few (only when I have a large crowd to feed and the item cannot be split in 2 pans) I have no problem. The internal grids would definitely be a plus point, but the rack is not a major inconvenience. Till now, the best method I have found for cleaning the fan as well as interior walls is to put baking soda and vinegar with water in a pan and heat it in oven at high temp. The grease is much easier to wipe off. Its not spotlessly clean (or I am too lazy to try harder), but as I said earlier I could not justify adding 1k just for the convenience of cleaning ;-). Btw, thanks for your reminder for giving feedback. I realized how selfish we are in just taking inputs and not bothering to comeback with our own experiences.

Hi Boyblunder, I bought Brandt 811 last Jan after going through this and various other forums. I use my oven almost everyday, either for baking or grilling. Till date, my oven has functioned very well. It delivers all that it promises. I think the pyrolytic one is definitely more useful if you grill or roast meats regularly, but the difference in price is almost 1k. The oven temp matches the thermostat and is fairly consistent throughout the oven. It does have its own hotspots, but they are not that significant to burn any stuff, even cookies. So all in all a good choice for me. Like st2 mentioned, built-in microwaves are too costly and I am not sure of the usefulness if you already have a built-in oven, which will be used for baking, roasting or grilling. Better to go in for a simple microwave and a good built-in oven. In general, Mega Discount Store tends to give the lowest prices, though you may find certain items cheaper elsewhere. You can do your homework with Mega, Mustafa, HN, BD, AH, GC and the local electrical stores and see who gives the best deal. Mustafa will not let you bargain, but the rest may be willing. Normally, I prefer Mustafa for small electrical appliances and Mega Discount for large ones. Btw, I use LG washer/dryer and am happy with it, too. Hope this helps.

I am not a Brandt user, but I have LG front load WD. At least for LG, the noise problem comes when the machine is shifted for some reason and the bolts at the base are not tightened to level the machine with the floor. So at the time of installing the machine or even when its shifted a bit from here to there, we have to use a spanner (provided by LG) to tighten the bolts to maximum limit. I guess most front load machines must be working on similar principle. Just my two cents worth of opinion, but no harm trying if you have not tried this already.

No special plug is needed. The oven plug is used directly in the HDB socket. Don't worry about the electrical compatibility, unless its a US or Canada company. European appliances and Singapore ones use the same convention. The only problem we had in installing the built in oven was adjusting the Ikea cabinet to size. Though they say its standard, we had to make some height adjustments while actually fitting the oven. In case you are planning on DIY both cabinet as well as oven fitting, its better to wait till you get the oven, before assembling the cabinet.

I am using Brandt 811 for last 6 months and am quite happy with it. No problems using 15amp appliance in HDB flat with 13 amp. It should not be the other way round. If your appliance limit is less than the mains, then there is a chance of the appliance shorting. Fan and 3D are just different names for convection cooking. Both Bosch and Brandt are equally good in terms of performance. In my case, I chose Brandt as I wanted bottom heating for pies and tarts. If you do not need that function, then Bosch should work equally well. As far as pyrolytic heating is concerned, its extremely useful, if you roast or bake meats and poultry regularly. If you can afford a model with pyrolytic heating and need the function, you should go for it. As far as cabinet is concerned, my kitchen did not have existing built-in space so I bought the cabinet from Ikea (it cost me 200 odd with a storage cabinet). My husband installed the oven, himself. Its actually quite easy (thanks to the Mega Discount Store salesman who explained the simple procedure to us). Just need two (preferably three) people to insert it carefully in the space and then secure the screws to the cabinet. No need to spend on costly carpentry or pay a contractor for that. Best is make a list of what you need, what you might need in future, check reviews and buy the best you can afford. Do check on after sales service, too.

Hi Everybody, I have been looking to purchase Bosch MUM46CR1, which is a Food Processor cum Kitchen Machine. Its one of Bosch's lower end products and is made in Slovenia. But it seems to be good value for money for all its functions. Will be thankful if anyone can give any feedback regarding this model.

I don't think there is any difference between 481 and 581, except for the size and capacity. So it depends on individual need. I have not had any problems with water drainage till date. But then again, 6 months is too less time to say what will happen in long term. Just keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts for a decent period.

I am using 581 for last 6 months and so far so good. No complaints. I purchased it for SGD 799 and for a fridge with 475 ltr net capacity, it is excellent value for money. Most important fact is that it suits my needs. The glass shelves take 100 kgs of load, which was the selling point for me as I tend to dump a lot of things in my fridge. The freezer has a good capacity and ice making is very fast. I had to call technician once in the beginning as I was not sure about the cooling and the customer service was very quick and efficient.

Thanks for your advice, KM. Luckily, I am still baking quite heavily (at least every alternate day). But once the novelty wears off, I will have to pre heat once a month - though I hope the stage doesn't come. I fully agree with your advice regarding timer. I usually use my own timers, as cooking time varies depending on the type and quality of the ingredients and its best to judge in person. The only time I find timer (the FE811 does auto shut off after the timer goes off) useful is when I use my oven in place of slow cooker to cook items with gravy, as precise time is not needed.

I was in the same dilemma. Had actually booked a slightly higher Bosch model (with almost same features as 331), made in Germany, but then switched to FE811XS1 for the same reasons you have mentioned. I felt that its better to have bottom cooking mode for tarts and pies and conventional mode for grilling thin cuts of meat, though Bosch claims that 3D cooking is equally good. The electronic temp display (timer not so much) in Bosch is definitely a plus, but its not so much of a concern once you get to know your oven. I have been using FE811 for 4 months now and am quite pleased with it. The doors are really sturdy as I have banged a few trays on them without any problem. The only additional thing I would like in my oven would be pyrolytic cleaning (especially after doing meat or poultry grilling), but FE867 was way beyond my budget. Overall, its a very good value for money, sturdy oven and I have no regrets buying it. Hope this helps.

I purchased most of my appliances from United Square, but bought my built-in oven from Katong Mall. Liked service in both, but I felt that the salesperson who attended to us at Katong was more knowledgeable than the United Square one. The U Sq people were responsive, competant and open to bargaining, but the Katong person could discuss the technicalities of the oven (and even different dishes), so made me feel more confident. Katong will also be slightly cheaper ( 10 to 20 dollars,not much) than United Square, but they are more or less fixed in their quote, as its already quite low. Hope this helps.