Kitchen Appliances

It's hard keeping pace with kitchen appliances; the technology, innovation, and design features. We visit all the trade shows to provide up-to-date information on all the new announcements so that you don't have to go anywhere else.We believe that owners of small kitchens seeking appliances should not suffer any lack of functionality and great looks through lack of space. So we have a section highlighting the best buys in slimline and compact kitchen appliances.

If you have visited the Kitchen Design Centre you will find our comments regarding laundry appliances located in the kitchen and whether they could be sited elsewhere.

This is not just to create more space but it also has a health impact by separating soiled laundry from a food area. Would you eat in a restaurant where they cleaned the chef's clothing in the kitchen area?

Although we will discuss laundry equipment in this section, the main areas of information will be on kitchen appliances such as ovens, hobs, cookers, fridges, freezers, and larders.


So, let's start with kitchen appliances for cooking - that's ovens, hobs, and free standing cookers.

Firstly, we need to discuss different cooking requirements as opposed to specific equipment. This is because it is important to understand your cooking style and the type of food you enjoy cooking before you look for the relevant kitchen appliances that will support this requirement.

Here is a list of questions that will enable you to clarify the type of kitchen appliances that will suit your cooking style.

Do you prefer a gas oven or electric?

Do you generally require more than one heat setting from your oven when cooking a main meal? For example, roasting potatoes requires a different heat to most meat joints.

Would you prefer two ovens to accommodate the above answer?

Do you like to warm plates and dishes before serving food on them?

Do you occasionally cook for a large number of people? Christmas, Easter, and holidays being times for family gatherings. The size of the oven(s) should be geared to the number of people normally accommodated at these parties.

What height do you prefer your main oven to be at? Positioned under the worktop level or at mid level height.

What type of meals do you normally cook? Are you a "meat and two veg" household, fast food such as pizzas and microwave meals, or health food style food such as stir fries?

Please don't buy an oven just because it's on promotion. Have a specification in mind based on the questions above and then seek out your best deal. Many people are left disappointed with their new kitchen because of poor kitchen appliance purchases; and the oven is the centre of the kitchen's functionality.

Range Cookers are always popular as they generally have a good sized main oven with a smaller oven for plate warming or cooking different foods at the same time as the main dish.

The most adaptable range cookers have a dual fuel function which means that both gas and electric heating is available. Specifications for these sought after kitchen appliances can differ tremendously between manufacturers but, to help you out, click on this link to Rangemaster to give you some more ideas. The link will open another page in your web browser so that you do not loose your connection with us.

Here is an example of a Double Oven built into a kitchen cabinet at mid height. This provides ease of entry. It also generally sites a grill in the top oven at eye level - which may be more convenient for those who hate bending down to see the toast burning! This kind of oven will obviously require a separate hob.

Which brings us nicely onto our next section -

Hobs

Here's a nice clean look in stainless steel. In a traditional set-up with the hob directly over a built under oven.

Apply the same questions for ovens to help you choose the correct hob appliance for your cooking needs.

Do you prefer gas or electric? How many burners will you want? Does one of the burners need to accommodate wok cooking? (Be sure to look at your gas regulations and electrical guidelines)

Many chefs prefer gas hob burners as the heat can be controlled better than most electric hobs. However, the technology of electrically controlled hob elements has vastly improved over the last few years so, if you prefer an electric solution, check out the manufacturers for their offerings.
















Above is an example of mix and matching a wider hob unit with a built under oven - ideal for people who prefer grilling, boiling or steaming their food.




Above right is an ideal set-up for small kitchens with a built in microwave and extractor hood directly over the hob. For health and safety reasons, you must ensure the units are fitted to the manufacturer's instructions with the correct clearances between the top of the hob and the base of the microwave unit.

Fridges, Freezers, and Larder Units

There is one big tip we would give when assessing your needs for a fridge and freezer. As there are many foods that require cool or cold storage conditions after they have been opened, we would recommend that you buy as big a fridge and/or freezer your budget and space will allow.

The American style fridge/freezers are well suited to the kind of cold storage required nowadays with modern packaged foods. There's room for all the usual diary products as well as some fruit and vegetables (which keep better at 3-5ºC). The picture above with the double built-in oven also shows an example of an American style fridge/freezer.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, many kitchens had a larder cupboard that were generally sited on a north facing wall. Why north facing? Well, that would always be the coldest facing aspect for a northern hemisphere dwelling and therefore a better location to keep food cool.

Unfortunately, in the pursuit of modernisation, many larder cupboards were dismantled to create more open space and new houses just do not include this valuable asset at all.

If you still have a larder cupboard, look after it and use it for the purpose that was intended. After all, for thousands of years, mankind has been developing ways of preserving food for as long as possible and in as good a condition as possible.

To provide you with more specific product information on kitchen appliances such as ovens, hobs, fridges, and freezers, click on this link to the Zanussi website. Zanussi are priced in the mid-range of kitchen appliance suppliers and you will also find information on laundry appliances and dishwashers within this site.

At the upper end of the market-place is Bosch, and this link takes you to their website to view all their product range including small kitchen appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, and compact ovens and microwaves. As usual, we've opened another browser window for you to look through!

Now you have chosen your kitchen appliances it is useful to understand some basic knowledge of how your machines work, not too much theory but enough to troubleshoot any problems that might occur. A great site that provides practical advice on looking after your equipment is HOME APPLIANCES and KITCHEN AIDS - How to save money on kitchen and home-appliance repairs. Valuable money saving information about household appliances, from cookers and refrigerators, air conditioning and dishwashers to microwaves, all the best practical advice on looking after your valuable kitchen aids and equipment.