You’ve just moved into your new home and want to start afresh with a kitchen makeover.
You’ve ordered your new kitchen cabinets and worktops and you know exactly what colour scheme you’re going for. The next question you should ask yourself therefore, is ‘what kitchen appliances do I need?’ It all depends on your family circumstances and what you’ll actually use your kitchen for. If you’re the type of person whose spouse hides your birthday presents in the oven because there’s absolutely no chance of you looking in there then you really don’t want to invest a lot. However, let’s go with the premise that you’ve decided to ditch all processed foods and go for a ‘cooking from scratch’ approach with good, home-cooked meals your family will love.
Here are 7 must have appliances for your new kitchen that will have you whipping up a gourmet storm in no time.
- Oven – If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the oven is the heart of the kitchen. Whether you choose to have a compact, integrated oven or a range cooker here are a few pointers to help you. A Sunday roast will cook more evenly if your oven is fan-assisted, a sous-vide oven steam cooks your food to keep all the nutrients in, and finally, when the dinner has been served, an oven with a pyrolytic, self-cleaning system reduces all burnt-on food to ash so you can simply wide it away with a cloth.
- Hob – If you prefer cooking with gas, choose a hob with enough burners to allow you to have several pots on the go at once for your veg, gravy, potatoes and home-made custard. Wok-burners are also extremely popular now as people cook more stir-fries. If you prefer electric why not consider a ceramic induction hob? Induction cooking gives you the controllability of gas with instant heat, yet remains cool to the touch except directly under the pot itself. A great safety feature when you have little ones around.
- Fridge Freezer – Modern fridge freezers are more hi-tech then ever with features such as frost free technology, super cool pantry systems to keep meat fresher for longer and air-flow technology to ensure that the air is circulated evenly. 1050’s retro style fridges don’t just keep your food chilled they look super cool too and for sheer size and storage capacity nothing beats an American style fridge freezer.
- Food Mixers and Processors – Programmes like The Great British Bake Off have been responsible for a resurgence in home-baking and, if you want to make light and fluffy cakes, you’ll need a decent food mixer like the KitchenAid Artisan, the original, retro-style American food mixer.
- Slow-Cooker – As fast food is synonymous with junk food, slow-cooked food conjures up images of heart-warming stews and casseroles simmering away for hours on end. A slow-cooker is a must have for the busy working family as you just brown the meat on the hob then transfer everything to the slow-cooker, switch it on, pop-on the lid and let it do its stuff so that you’ll have a wonderful family meal when you all get home in the evening.
- Microwave Oven– The microwave oven has become an essential kitchen appliance for busy families. The microwave is particularly useful if you prefer to batch cook at the weekend, freeze and want to grab a quick meal in the evening after work. Combination microwave ovens also have a built-in grill for browning meats as well as roasting and are compact enough to sit discretely in the corner of your kitchen.
- Cooker Hood – No matter how stylish your kitchen is, you’re going to lose all your culinary kudos if your guests can only smell last night’s fish dish so finally, invest in a good quality cooker hood to eliminate these stale odours and keep your guests coming back for more.
