Compliments, by themselves, don’t make a kitchen. But they can be the most important aspect of your space. After all, the main function of the kitchen is to prepare and cook meals.
How high do you want to go?
Chefs and bakers who plan to use restaurant-quality features in professional models can justify steep prices that can drain their kitchen budget. On the other hand, if you like the look of professional-grade stove and built-in cooling units, and those dramatic (and highly effective) fan hoods, you can have your cake and eat it too.
With many mid- and high-end (but affordable) appliances on the market today, you can get the quality look and performance without having to shell out for the high-end models. So seriously consider how much of your budget you want to spend on appliances. Ideally, you should first choose your kitchen layout, and then choose the appliances that fit. If you fall in love with a refrigerator with two vertical doors, will you have room for two wall ovens and a hob? Look, there are compromises.
Choice of household appliances?
Cooking plates. Gas, electric or induction? The choice is personal, although you don’t often hear of people switching from gas to electricity. When choosing a cooktop for performance, consider efficiency – how much heat do you lose from a burner to the pan? With gas, you lose about 40 percent, says Nancy Divita, showroom manager at Trevarrow Inc.
On the other hand, with induction heat, a flat cooktop like electric that works like gas stoves. rapid heating, the least amount of heat is lost. Induction isn’t mainstream, but it’s now making a comeback to the US market, Divita says. “Induction is certainly a time saver because it can boil a pot of water faster than on a high-performance BTU (gas) stove,” says Divita. When buying gas stoves, ask by BTU, which stands for British thermal units, a measure of energy content.
Serious ranges are 9,200 BTUs and up. Ask about variable control, that is, how long you can keep the “simmer” going without the flame going out. Look for burner grates made of cast iron or a heat conducting metal for better heat transfer from the burner to the pan.
Ovens A high-performance convection oven, which circulates heat with a fan to cook food more quickly and evenly, will help you cook dinner faster than a traditional oven. Bakers, on the other hand, will want the traditional bake / broil / broil. In a perfect kitchen world, you can have both with a stacked oven station or side by side.
Extractor hoods?
A serious cooktop calls for a ventilation system that pulls exhaust fumes out of the kitchen without sounding like a Cessna is landing on your dinner table. If you hear the sound of suction (and not the engine running), this is a good thing. If the noise completely bothers you, consider units that can be installed with outboard motors.
(You can build homes for these so that they blend in a bit with the facade of your home.) Outdoor fans and inline fans provide high-performance ventilation. Regarding recirculation fans in budget oven microwave stacks: “It may remove a little grease, but it won’t remove any of the heat,” says Divita. Choose a hood with cfms suitable for your cooktop.
As a general rule of thumb, a four burner electric cooktop should be vented at 400 cfms. Of course, there is more to the hood than blowing hot air, even if that is the key function. Hoods are focal points in some kitchen designs and are available in designs ranging from linear modern to stately traditional, and in materials ranging from stainless steel to glass.
Refrigerators / Freezers?
Freestanding models slide into a gap and generally protrude 6 to 7 inches beyond the depth of the counter (24 standard inches). But you can buy countertop depth refrigerators / freezers that will look like built-in units. When evaluating the performance of the refrigerator, the quality comes down to the compressor.
Single compressor units that power a fridge-freezer run twice as long to keep a wet fridge and a freezer dry and cold. A dual compressor unit costs more, but will keep your food fresh longer. This could be worth it if you pay a lot for food. “People who buy higher quality, organic produce want them to peak because they paid for organic or gourmet food,” Divita says.
“You want your money to be worth it.” Configuration wise, French door models are popular, as are French door fridges (on top) with freezer drawer (on bottom). Units can have two freezer drawers side by side or a refrigerator drawer that is accessible to children. The ideal (and most expensive) situation is a completely separate refrigerator and freezer.
Regarding the water / ice at the door, people are more focused on water purification these days, Divita says. Some units will accomplish this. Others simply run water through the copper tubing in the unit and out your refrigerator door.
Microwaves can take up a lot of space no matter where you put them: on the counter, recessed in cabinets, or on top of a stove. So if you want your microwave to work twice as hard for you, consider a convection microwave that doubles as a high speed oven, eliminating the need to purchase a double oven. Convenient microwave drawers are also available between the base cabinets.
Dishwasher.
Now you can get drawer dishwashers, which are easier to load and can be installed at various heights depending on your needs. Plus, they can handle smaller loads, making them more efficient. Still, traditional top-down door dishwashers are the most popular style, and they can be paneled to match cabinets for the perfect look.
Stainless steel still reigns in popularity. Depending on your kitchen layout, you may want to add an economy-sized dishwasher alongside a wet bar to handle glassware. Sinks The sink is an afterthought in some kitchens, but it’s a good idea to choose one at the same time as choosing cabinets under the sink area for the perfect look.
If you go for an undercounter style, the sink is usually installed before the countertops, so plan for that. Don’t skimp on the sink if you splurged on a beautiful countertop. If the sink has to be replaced prematurely, a contractor may have to lift the entire countertop from an undermount sink, an expensive and complicated job.
Sinks come in a variety of depths, shapes, sizes, and colors. They are designed with cutting boards and more. Materials include stainless steel, enameled cast iron, composite acrylic and fiberglass, quartz, and solid surface. Of course, there is more to the hood than blowing hot air, even if that is the key function. Hoods are focal points in some kitchen designs and are available in designs ranging from linear modern to stately traditional, and in materials ranging from stainless steel to glass. Consider how you use the sink before making this purchase.
Do you like to prepare and clean dishes in the same space? (If not, you may need a separate prep sink.) How deep do you want the bowl? How high is it and what type of accessibility is necessary? Warming drawers. These are especially convenient for the entertainer, but every home can benefit from a warming drawer that is used properly (which means more than removing the chill from dishes before serving). Warming drawers allow you to prepare food ahead of time and serve it all at the same time.
They allow food to hold in moisture while keeping warm, which is a preferable alternative to reheating warm side dishes in a microwave, which will break down the molecular structure of the food. True chefs want a warming drawer. And family cooks will fall in love with the convenience. Finishes. Now that you’ve considered your appliances, think about finishing.
Stainless steel is standard and is classified by gauge. Appliances range from 8 to 30 gauge steel. The higher the gauge, the more slippery, smooth and shiny the surface will be. This means that it is of better quality, easier to clean, more durable and will last longer. Higher grades of stainless steel look smooth and less “brushed.”
Lower grades are grayer in color and have a more grainy texture compared to the shiny silver surface of higher grade steel. This is because the higher grade has a higher proportion of nickel than chromium, which retains its shine longer and is more durable.