Must-Have Kitchen Appliances For Your Home
Without appliances, your kitchen would be pretty bare and not very functional. From everyday cooking to washing clothes and storing food, a well-equipped kitchen is crucial for every household. In today’s modern world there’s always a new and useful appliance finding its way onto the market, making life that little bit easier as we juggle the day to day running of the home. But as we all know, appliances can be expensive to run and finding the right balance between luxury and efficiency can be difficult. Luckily, this blog is here to help you out!
If you’re moving into your first apartment or house, you may need a little more knowledge about which appliances you need to set up your kitchen, or perhaps you’re looking for a way of enhancing your kitchen while ensuring all your appliances are energy-saving. Read on, for a detailed overview of all these areas.
Which appliances should every kitchen have?
Kitchens are an area of the home mainly used for storing, preparing and cooking food, so it’s important that you have high-quality appliances that can do this. Here we explain the appliances every home should have.
Oven
How do you expect to cook food without an oven? As arguably the most important appliance in the kitchen, the oven is used daily for grilling, baking or roasting your food. It’s important that you don’t go for price over quality when choosing your oven, of course, stick to your budget but make sure you do your research before buying.
You also need to think about the benefits of gas and electric ovens or whether you want both - a gas hob but electric oven perhaps. Do you want a single oven or double oven? Could you benefit from a fan-assisted oven that cooks more evenly? Would you like your oven standing or fitted at a height? These are all questions you should ask yourself, but nevertheless, a good oven of some sort is an essential appliance you need in your kitchen installation.
Today, most fridges are built with a freezer section included so you have the convenience of accessing all your food quickly, instead of having a separate freezer in the garage or another part of the home. Modern fridges also come in a variety of designs, so you can find something in the right colour that will suit your decor. Depending on the size of your kitchen you may choose a side by side fridge with the freezer opening on one side and the regular fridge on the other, or a bottom mount fridge where the freezer sits underneath the fridge separated by top and bottom door.
For defrosting food, heating things up quickly and speedy cooking, microwaves are a handy appliance. According to OVO Energy , microwave cooking is the cheapest way of cooking, so having one to could a positive effect on your annual utility costs. Microwaves have a number of settings designed for particular food items such as pizzas and curries so every meal will be heated to perfection.
Modern and energy-saving features: How can you enhance your kitchen appliances?
So, we’ve explained some of the must-have appliances for your kitchen, but how can you make them more modern and energy-efficient? The majority of all white goods will come with a energy rating , ranging from G to A+++, this will give you an idea of how much energy each item uses and how this will your bills. In this section, we’ll explain modern extras that will enhance your kitchen, as well as some appliances that will help save energy.
Oven extractors
Extractor fans or cooker hoods sit on the wall above the oven and have many uses in the kitchen. Their main purpose is to extract the steam, heat and odour from the kitchen, so your home isn’t filled with lingering cooking smells.
What’s better than starting your morning with a freshly brewed coffee? If you can’t live without your coffee machine then upgrade to a smart machine that can make your life a little bit easier. Many modern machines can be controlled by your smartphone, meaning you can set a timer for when you’d like your coffee to be brewed so you can drink it as soon as it’s ready. This will also help you save energy as you won’t need to reboil the water if it’s gone cold.
It’s always worth purchasing appliances that have an eco-cycle such as dishwashers and washing machines. Eco settings usually aim to use less water at lower temperatures, this is great if you’re washing clothes that are not heavily soiled or when you’re only washing a half load.
Additional tips for making your kitchen more efficient
There are also ways that you can make your kitchen more energy-efficient just by changing the way you operate in this space, and by making sensible decisions about your appliances. Read on for some more top tips.
●When cooking, cover your pans using their lids as not doing so allows heat to escape, making your food cook slower and therefore, uses more energy.
● Purchase appliances that are the right size. For example, buying a huge fridge for a household of two people is not energy efficient, as you simply won’t need one of that capacity.
●Make sure you turn your appliances off when they’re not in use such as washing machines, kettles and microwaves.
●Batch cooking your meals is a great way of saving money on your food bill as well as saving energy. Reheating meals in the microwave such as bolognese, curry or chilli uses a lot less energy than cooking it from scratch.
What luxury appliances can enhance your kitchen design?
Not only should your kitchen be functional, but like other areas of your home, you can also make it luxurious. Below are some luxury appliances that could enhance your kitchen for the better.
Wine coolers and racks
Who doesn’t enjoy a cold glass of wine in the evening? If you do, then having a handy wine cooler will keep your wine at the right temperature without taking up space in your main fridge, allowing you to see exactly which wines you have in stock.
Plate warmers
The main objective of plate warmers is to prevent your food from getting cold. If you’re cooking a meal and each item cooks at a different speed, you can dish one item up once it’s ready and keep it hot while you wait for the rest - this is great if you enjoy hosting dinner parties.
It may not seem like much of a luxury, but if you bake regularly then all that mixing by hand can get a little tedious. Mixers will cut your workload in half, by doing the hard bit for you and mixing things more evenly than you may be able to do yourself. Similarly, blenders are great for making smoothies and sauces - grab the remaining fruit from your fruit bowl and you’ve got yourself a tasty morning drink, a practical way of not wasting food.
Bells Builders Merchants: The experts in modern kitchen design and high-quality plumbing parts
With over 95 years of experience in bathroom and kitchen design, Bells Builders Merchants are experts in installation, plumbing supplies and equipment, making us one of the most reliable kitchen suppliers in London. Perhaps you’re moving into a new home and want the perfect kitchen or maybe your current kitchen simply doesn’t match your needs anymore, whatever your reason we can help. Contact us today for more information.
