I'm sort of a new user. I bought a two sauce pans six or seven years ago. As I recall I read the copper was superior for making sauces and since then all I used them for was roux and béchamel sauces. Lately I took an interest in better saute pans thinking I would go ECI but reading here on Chowhound steered me to copper.

I got a steel lined fry pan on sale from WS not to long ago. Haven't used it much as I haven't fried much. Last week I received a new tin lined saute pan and have used it three times being very careful about overheating it. My gas stove has four burner sizes and I switch the pan from here to there and fiddle back and forth. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Last night I fixed pork chops with a recipe in Molly Hansen's Braising cookbook; it was nice to see the sauce bubbling evenly all the way across the liquid surface in the pan.

Both new pans are taking on a different copper hue. I was surprised that the tin is taking on a gray color so fast but I guess that's normal.

I was hesitant to spend so much on a new pan but really I've spent more on a single fishing rod time and again . . . I could outfit a party boat..

The Gardener is indeed a different kind of museum. We visited on a Wednesday and took the 12:30 tour and when that finished we went to see about lunch, the place was packed. We got a buzzer and continued to explore the museum and of course the buzzer went off when we got to the third floor on the other end. Had the polenta/mushrooms and some eggplant thing, both very good. Can't recall what the wife had but she enjoyed it. My complaint is that the room was uncomfortably loud; loud enough that I might hesitate to return.

Getting it installed was a process. First off we had expected delivery mid to late October; the truck came in on the last day of December. Installation by our builder involved a lot of head scratching. He nor his support (electrician, plumber, etc.) had never done anything like this 48" behemoth. Instructions from Capital and advice from our dealer left something to be desired. If I had it to do again I would find a kitchen installer with specific experience in installing what I guess would be a high end appliance and especially the vented hood. I'd never heard of make up air before and we are still dealing with that issue.

Anyways I have been cooking on it for maybe three weeks now.

The only time I had gas burners before was an apartment we rented for about two years back in the eighties so I can't really compare to anything. Right now one of the ignitors is not working regularly; I'll deal with that someday. I'm pretty sure the burners need adjustment; I've got what is described as 'live flame' in the instructions; that's another I'll deal with it someday. I'm liking cooking on it and enjoying the learning process.

The ovens have been great. Getting a good bake on NYC style pizzas, 6 minutes at 525 deg. I did char the bottom of a sicilian pizza but I put the pan on the bottom rack and this is a much hotter oven than my old one. The oven is noisy with the constant fan and that fan continues for what seems a long time after the oven is off and cooling down. I can live with it. I've used the little oven only once. Just finished off a great meal of short ribs what cooked in there all afternoon.

Haven't tried the grill yet. One of these days I'll fire it up.

Maybe three years ago I bought some yellow EH mugs and then some yellow bowls (6) to match. I liked them, still do, and got some larger red bowls (4). Not long after getting them I noticed a crack visible in a red bowl when I washed it. I think two of them are that way now. This morning I noticed a crack in one of the yellow bowls when I washed it . . the hot water seems to open up the crack making it visible. So far none have broken and I use them almost every day. Not sure I'd buy them again. The mugs have no cracks just a few chips and those are from me banging them about.

That 3k is for the unit. I have no idea what the cost installed will be as it's figured in to the cost of the house. Regarding make up air the builder, actually his HVAC man, installed a line from outside to under the stove. I'm not sure how other than I saw the intake vent coming out the wall. Doubt it is so fancy to have a motorized damper though thinking about it now I would've liked it.

This is a house that my ex-wife purchased a lot from a builder and then asked me to advise/assist her with through the building process. The builder is a small contractor and used to building from a choice of standard plans. Customer input on the kitchen is usually picking out a style and color kitchen cabinet. I came along and said no I want this wall moved, this window over here, I'll buy this stove and these cabinets and you install them. After she closes on the house, originally scheduled for early November, and if the Culinarian that was to be delivered in October gets here I will have to do a write up and review.

Wonder how you all made out with your choices. I'm going to go look at the Connoisseurian this coming Friday. Putting in a new kitchen and the used Caloric with 3 working burners that came with the house twenty some years ago is going. If I've got another ten years on this earth I want to cook on a nice stove. Can't see a way to configure a separate cooktop and oven in the kitchen so I'm going dual fuel to have what I want.

Looking at the 48" I'm wondering if I want four or six burners/grill and/or griddle. Three burners has been annoying at times but most of the time I'm not using three. I can imagine using five but . . . how often?