What couldn't you live without in your kitchen? Post Reply

[2boysmum]

Have a pullout bin wherever you are going to do your chopping. We have an island where I do all my chopping and stupidly we had the bin positioned behind it by the sink. Also pull out drawers for crockery, pans, good etc are much easier than tooting through static cupboards

[auntiefrills]

Hiya
My advice would be to make doubly sure everywhere is completely sealed properly before any cupboards/piping are put in. Although our kitchen is fully integrated, it's drafty under the dishwasher and behind a couple of the cupboards and through the holes in the back of the cupboards that house pipes etc which has meant we've had mice getting in in the past! Also make sure skirting is clip on/off as ours was drilled in so when the dishwasher/w/m have needed fixing it hasn't been easy to get off! X

[supermoomoo]

boiling water tap - Quooker.

will.never.regret.it.



forget about other fancy gizmos.. spend your money on good ovens and hobs - be it gas or induction - they will last you a lifetime and they wil be precise , so your food will turn out more perfect than not more of the tie. ... and don't get distracted by the "pretty" sideways extractor fans.. they are nice to look at but not as powerful as the overhead ones - you end up having to clean up A LOT.

insinkators - waste of money and often chokes - but it could bring divided opinions, have heard some have sworn by it.

Thanks.

[BettyBoo]

We've just finished our kitchen as couldn't be happier as I love cooking andade it my space and thought carefully about how I would use it.

- Think about where ovens will be positioned and when you take stuff out how easy to put hot things down. I agree two ovens has made a huge difference.
- didn't add on steamer and plate warmer as I couldn't see myself using them. I use spare oven to warm plates if space.
- boiler tap is the best. Binned the kettle
- write down all your current uses of cupboards and when you do your design make sure you have space. Eg saucepan drawer, glasses, mugs, pull out larder.
- agree on tall cupboards for brooms and ironing board.
- power points - you can't have too many.
- lighting - it makes a kitchen and make sure you have enough spot lights positioned in the right places eg over prep areas, hob
- flooring - spent ages on this as I wanted tiles or wood and we ended up going with Amtico which the floor company recommended. Hard wearing, looks just like wood but doesn't scratch, easy to clean.
- Fridge freezer - we bought and double American style and it's brilliant.

It's the little things that make a difference and it's all personal, it has to be right for you.

Best of luck it's the best thing ever a new kitchen.

Betty

[supermoomoo]

oh yes.. forgot to add , i echo the sentiments of some on this thread who said pull out larders... very very useful for a long cupboard.

also a pull out side/corner cupboard, best use of dead space.

Millymac - the hot boiling water - yes you dont ever need the kettle ever again!!! it saves you a lot of money on power in the longer run.
it is child proof and I swear by it. I had it installed just before my 1st baby was born - it was god sent. Imagine having to warm up some milk or mix some cooled water with some hot to create some warm water for formula in the middle of the night - with the little one howling --- it was instant!

[Clare Lupton]

Don't have black finishes on anything - it shows every water splash or bit of dust or crumb. Like black cars, it needs to be clean & polished to look good!

[philippa]

Re steam oven.
I have one,and I wouldn't get again: used it rarely, a hassle to empty (and if you don't they gum up)

Agree on bins above. Fab! I have a shelf above mine with an inside socket to charge the dust buster (genius!)
Other thing I have is ~80cm surface just inside door of kitchen which is 'dumping ground': home work, things needing batteries etc, keeps the rest of my surfaces clutter free!
Regrets: not spending more time and £ choosing a fridge. Mine ( an integrated neff tall fridge with icebox) is too small and always freezes stuff touching sides.
Enjoy!

[MrsKP]

HI

Not much to add except that definitely go for drawers over cupboards for saucepans, crockery etc - so much easier to see what is in there and easier to get in and out.

Also - really good to have crockery cupboard and cutlery drawer next to dishwasher - saves so much time.

And kettle/hot water tap next to cups!

And also, have a space where you can put telephone, ipad/tablet, pens, paper etc away from main work surface in the kitchen so that you always know where they are - tucked in a corner somewhere. Then when you come in with post you can put it there rather than middle of island/work surface.

We had wooden work surfaces put in - 18 months ago and they look great and lovely and warm and definitely better in terms of not chipping crockery etc but I think that is very much a matter of taste and overall style of kitchen.

Have fun!

[tertiadesigns]

the absolute two things i cannot live without in any kitchen are the quooker tap and the maxmatic garbage disposal. running close second to those, the miele dishwasher with the top cutlery rack and the gaggenau double wideoven.

i am a commercial interior designer who has designed production kitchens and demonstration theatres for professional chefs.

[clapset]

the wife? too much ...

[mum2000]

Here are my thoughts:

Two ovens - best you can afford (I think Gaggenau are great). Defo get pyrolytic cleaning function. We have one oven which is 90cm wide - really handy.

As much fridge/freezer space as you can accommdate - we got two integrated Miele fridge freezers which are great.

If your floor is going to be tiled - get underfloor heating.

Get a big hob - go for the best you can afford. We have a Wolf hob which is great. Our friends recently bought an induction hob which they really like. I'm a bit old fashioned and have a preference for gas.

Pull out larder units are so handy.

Intergrated wine fridge/store - if you are a keen wine drinker.

Integrated power points on island unit - we only got one (3 sockets). Not enough. Should have got one each side. Generally get loads of power points around kitchen.

Put your spotlights on different circuits so can achieve 'zoned' lighting.

Deep pan and cutlery draws very handy.

Get loads of units (tall units great use of space)

I love my island, probably wish I had allowed for 'breakfast bar' type seating arrangement but space in kitchen didn't really permit.

Defo try to get extraction to vent outside rather than using a recirculating filter (or whatever the right terminology is). We had steels in the way but still managed to make it work - really pleased we did.

We have a corian worktop which I love and would probably get again but it is a bit of a pain that you can't put super hot pans on top of it.

Hope that helps!

[coolclapham]

Loads of great suggestions already, but I have a couple of things to add...
- We went with the hob (induction) on the island rather than a sink, even though extraction was more complicated in that position. I'm really glad we did as we always have lots of things on the drying rack by the sink and it's nice for the island to look fairly clear.
- I agree with others that you should think about what you use a lot and where you'll keep it, and bear in mind where the dishwasher will be for unloading. For example we had some tall vertical sections added to one cupboard - it's much easier to store chopping boards and trays in there than in a stack. I also got a bit obsessed with where the tea towels would be hung at one point, which was perhaps taking it a bit far!
- Also agree with others that a boiling water tap, hidden bins (we went for one for rubbish, one for recycling) American style fridge freezer and double ovens are amazing (we had 12 for Christmas this year no problem). I'd recommend having the ovens up high, instead of under counter, if you have little people around. And induction hobs are good from a safety point of view as all the heat is in the pan - the hob won't get hot until a pan is on it, and cools down quickly afterwards.
- It's obviously a bigger building project but if you can squeeze in a utility room you won't look back... also if you've got builders in we included a giant magnetic chalkboard in our design, easy for them to do and great for displaying cards, writing shopping lists, etc.
Good luck!

[metoo]

The thing I did in the showroom was to check that the oven tray could fit in my sink. I did this after a woman at work told me how she'd bought an extra wide oven and then had to resort to washing the oven tray in the garden!

[silviahm]

Lots of drawers. My friend recommended this to me years ago and it is so true. I have two drawer units and one pan drawer unit. It is enough but just!! Also from ikea I recommend this :

[dudette]

Another vote for a Quooker. You won't look back. I have an induction hob and I'm not sure it's any better than gas. My top tip would be if you entertain a lot to have the hob (and a small prep sink) on the island so you can chat to your guests as you cook and not feel left out.

Two sinks is the way to go. I have a (combi) steam oven and like it although it's a bit of a pain for a few bits of broccoli.

Two dishwashers is very luxurious if you can fit them in and are lazy - means you don't have to wash up by hand or leave your kitchen messy.

We have a fridge drawer (ie fridge shaped like a drawer, not a drawer in a fridge) which we put drinks in. Very useful too. You can never have too much fridge space.

I had a year without a waste disposal once and hated it - they're a must.