HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Your kitchen is the hub of your home, the room where everyone congregates, and the place where we love to show off our culinary skills.  With that comes a growing need to install cutting-edge appliances that are not only stylish in looks, but perform well and help to make our lives as stress-free as possible. However, with so much choice on offer, how do you go about narrowing down your selection? There are a few things you should take in account before you select your kitchen appliances.

1. How Much Use Does Your Kitchen Get?

Whether you spend your time channeling top chef Curtis Stone and whipping up succulent beef Wellingtons and flamboyant souffles, or find yourself creating family-friendly dishes that are quick on time but equally delicious, it’s worth choosing an appliance that caters for you and the amount of time you have. For example, you might like professional appliances that can cater for heavy use. Or maybe an oven that lets you set the timings and take control of the cooking process – ideal for keen cooks who spend more time in the kitchen. A convection steam oven, on the other hand, is great for anyone looking to save time and multitask, with many designs having convenient preset cooking programmed. It really all depends on how much use your kitchen gets.

2. Do You Entertain Regularly?

Ask yourself who you’re usually cooking for? Is it a large family, in which case do you often have the kids’ friends over? Is it mostly the two of you with some occasional extra guests? Or do you entertain regularly? This is important is because it will dictate how roomy and heavy-duty your chosen appliances need to be. If you have a large family will need a fridge that’s able to cope with the mealtime demands and a freezer with a roomy capacity. While couples could get away with under-bench fridge and freezer drawers.When it comes to entertaining, you might want the latest cook top or outdoor grill, while warming drawers are a handy addition.

3. What Type of Food Do You Cook?

Next, look at the ingredients you use regularly as these can be the key to choosing the right appliance. If you cook fresh most days, make sure your fridge is large enough to accommodate ingredients. Like to have lots of pots and pans on the go? Large multi-burner cook tops are ideal for creating more intricate recipes. There’s plenty of exciting extra features you can add to your kitchen too, depending on what food you favor. Partial to some pasta? Induction cook tops offer instant heat – perfect for pasta. Appliances such as grills for burgers and woks for Asian cuisine will all help to personalize your kitchen to your individual taste.

4. How Much Space Do You Have for Appliances?

As much as you may think you want that large fridge-freezer f you don’t have room you may have to rethink. Look at your layout and what appliances you need. If space isn’t an issue, why not opt for full-size appliances and invest in something to give your kitchen the wow factor? A bank of ovens, microwave and warming drawer will look sleek and smart, while a wine unit can offer you all the storage you need for your collection. Whatever the size of your kitchen, keeping your appliances within easy reach of each other makes a lot of sense – after all, you don’t want to be walking back and forth to a fridge that’s in another room.

5. What’s Your Interior Style?

One of the secrets to a beautiful kitchen is having appliances that work well with your overall aesthetic. Whether your kitchen is a modern, cutting-edge design, more classic in looks or even country style, consider this when choosing your new appliances. It might be that you like to have your appliances out on show, for a professional chef’s feel, or perhaps you prefer everything minimal and seamless, or hidden away as much as possible.

6. What’s Your Budget?

They say that you get what you pay for and that is true when it comes to appliances – they aren’t always cheap but it’s an investment and you’re likely to be using them every day so it’s important to choose a brand whose products you can rely on to perform well and are built to last. If you need to keep costs down, prioritize the appliances you’ll need everyday over those that aren’t essential.

One of the reasons why we are considered Wagga’s best builder, is our high quality standard inclusions. SMEG appliances come standard in all of our homes and includes a 900mm stainless steel freestanding cooker, with a gas cook top and electric oven, a 900mm stainless steel ducted range hood, and a 600mm stainless steel dishwasher. We would only want the best in our home, so why wouldn’t you? To get started on your dream home contact us today on 6921 9988, and ask us about our Wagga house & land packages and Wagga land we currently have available!

For more tips from the Houzz experts visit Houzz.com.au

Cristy Houghton