The Tops 5 Necessary Kitchen Appliances

| 2012/04/13
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A perfectly built kitchen can be a source of great pride. It’s where you cook your meals, gather with the family, and spend quality time together. But a kitchen without the basics is just another room in your home. If you really want your kitchen to live up to its true potential, you have to outfit it properly. Thankfully, a lot of essential kitchen appliances aren’t expensive. While newer models might be costly, standard ones are incredibly affordable. You can even buy some of these items on a site like craigslist and get them slightly used. No matter how you buy them, one thing is for sure – a kitchen just wouldn’t be the same as out these top five necessary appliances.

A Microwave – a few decades ago no kitchen had microwave ovens. Now almost every kitchen in North America is equipped with this handy device. And with new features these days, it’s used for much more than reheating old pizza. You can cook frozen dinners, reheat homemade rice, or prepare casseroles. While it will never replace a standard oven, a good microwave is absolutely essential to keep your kitchen running efficiently.

A Toaster – what kitchen doesn’t have a toaster? This is an important item that you can use on a regular basis, and cheaper ones work well too. Of course if you have it there more money to spend, you can find toaster hybrid ovens that offer you a lot more features. Some of these models are quite fancy and allow you to use them for baking as well. Or if you simply need something to toast bread, a $10 toaster oven will do the job nicely.

A Coffee Machine – if you’re anything like me, the morning just isn’t complete without a good cup of coffee. For coffee lovers and hot beverage enthusiasts, a good coffee machine is an absolute necessity. There are lots of handy models that produce great coffee using standard beans. You can also upgrade to get something fancier like a cappuccino machine that can steam milk as well.

A Rice Cooker – everyone who has ever cooked rice knows that doing it on a stovetop is the old-fashioned way. There’s really no reason to use the microwave either if you have a good rice cooker at your disposal. This is another type of appliance where you can find a hybrid model, and there are even rice cookers that double as bread makers! If you eat rice on a regular basis then it makes sense to invest in a good cooker that can give you a delicious product whenever it’s dinner time.

A Countertop Grill – one of the keys to healthy eating is giving yourself as many different choices as possible. While you have your cookware and frying pan at your disposal, a countertop grill can also give you lots more variety. These days you can find indoor grills that come in all shapes and sizes, and they’ll help you to keep your food fresh and delicious. Many grills come with features that drain away the fat, and this can result in healthier eating for the entire family.

Kitchen Planning

| 2012/04/09
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Kitchen planning and design isn’t quite so simple as some would like to believe. Ok, your intention is to inject a fresh appeal into your home, and hopefully draw many a pleasing comment from those you call family and friends but – if you’re after a quick hit, better you get yourself down to the nearest Louis Vuitton outlet, because remodeling your kitchen involves more than sashaying down the high street and  handing over your credit card!

First: budget! How much, what can you afford, where do you need to spend the most money?
Factor in the prospective costs of:

  • cabinets – type, size, fronts
  • counter tops – type, size, material
  • splash back
  • appliances
  • tiling
  • installation
  • plumbing

The list above will eat your budget in no time at all so if all you’ve got is $1500 don’t start planning a luxury oak kitchen

Second: the layout, the actual design of your kitchen. Where are your windows, the entrance/exits? How much space do you have, what do you want to fill it with? Bigger is not always better and don’t forget the storage. Don’t forget to think about what you have now, what stays, what goes. Kitchen storage solutions are, if really think about it, what kitchen planning is all about.

That and making your storage solutions look good.

Third: a designer or no? A professional kitchen designer doesn’t come cheap, that’s a given. But, if you have the budget to allow for the professionals, why not use them? Yes you’ll spend more money but at least you’ll have peace of mind when it comes to A) the design, installation and completion of your kitchen project and B) that you’ve got the best of what you could afford.

So, the above detail the major aspects of designing and installing a new kitchen. Now all you need to do is figure out what you’ve got to spend … and get started. Good luck!